Need suggestions!

I've been reading thru the posts here and would like to try making a mead. I want it to be not to dry with a sweeter taste. I'd like to start with a small batch. Can anyone suggest what ingredients I need? Orange blossom seems to be suggested for a sweeter taste. Yeast? Oranges or just zest from oranges? Wat else? I'm not a fan of raisens or cloves, what elese is needed?

I was thinking of getting a 1 gallon jug from Austing homebrew shop to ferment in. Do I need 2 so I can transfer it to secondary at any point?

Small batches are more problematic because of the loss when racking and testing and the greater potential for contamination.

I've made mead cold using campden tablets, honey, yeast, and water. Nothing else. Turned out great, just took four years. I used the Wyeast sweet mead yeast.

I really dont want to try 5 gallons as that is alot to screw up if I do something wrong!

I understand I will loose some to racking etc... What about a 2 gallon batch?

Something that could be ready in 4-6 months maybe?

+1 on what H-A-H said.

The minimum I'd do is a 2.5 gallon batch. Get a 3-gallon carboy. If you end up not liking mead, you can always try wine or apfelwein.

AZ_IPA said:

+1 on what H-A-H said.

The minimum I'd do is a 2.5 gallon batch. Get a 3-gallon carboy. If you end up not liking mead, you can always try wine or apfelwein.

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OK, I'll try a bit bigger batch. How do you adjust the recipes for a different size batch?

That's why I chose 2.5 gallon batches - just cut everything in half from a 5-gallon batch.

I do one gallon batches because I can experiment more (and I'm cheap). And yes, you will need 2 carboys so you can transfer.

If you are very careful about sanitation and racking, then you can rack it off of the lees into a bucket or any size carboy, and then just rack it back. Be warned, this does introduce one more racking and once more chance for infection. But even in my ghetto beginnings, while being careful I was about to pull this off without infection.