Another first mead thread

Been brewing beer for a few years, have made several ciders, and am now interested in trying my hand at a mead.

I have:
6 pounds of Mesquite Honey (courtesy of Trader Joe's)
a packet of Lalvin D47
Fermax Yeast nutrient
store-bought spring water (my tap water is full of chlorine)
several buckets/carboys/jugs of various sizes

From what I can tell, I have what I need to make mead, but just wanted to check if I was missing something. Or if anyone had any suggestions/advice.

thanks

I'd make two 1-gallon batches (3 lbs honey each).

Then, I'd rack one of them onto some fruit of some kind after fermenation finishes. You can then, in time, taste the difference between a show mead (straight honey, water, yeast), and a melomel (honey, water, yeast, and fruit).

Good luck!

Ingredients look good! Your using d47 though so you will want to keep it below 70F or you will end up with paint thinner!

AZ_IPA said:

I'd make two 1-gallon batches (3 lbs honey each).

Then, I'd rack one of them onto some fruit of some kind after fermenation finishes. You can then, in time, taste the difference between a show mead (straight honey, water, yeast), and a melomel (honey, water, yeast, and fruit).

Good luck!

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Interesting idea. I had originally thought about trying a pyment using some grape juice concentrate from the LHBS wine section, but the price steered me away. Is there a fruit you'd recommend? In what form (purée, fresh, frozen)? How much?

Insomniac said:

Ingredients look good! Your using d47 though so you will want to keep it below 70F or you will end up with paint thinner!

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What temp should I aim for? I have various places in my house and can ferment pretty much anywhere from the low-50s to the high-60s.

I think the temp range is 60 to 70, you want to stick to the bottom end, but not actually drop below it, I guess 62 would be about ideal.

AZ_IPA said:

You can then, in time, taste the difference between a show mead (straight honey, water, yeast), and a melomel (honey, water, yeast, and fruit).

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I believe what's he'll make will technically be a traditional mead, not a show mead.

Any thoughts on bochet? I read up on it last night and I am really intrigued by it.

Will be trying my first one end of this month...

huesmann said:

I believe what's he'll make will technically be a traditional mead, not a show mead.

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Because of the nutrient?

JLem said:

Interesting idea. I had originally thought about trying a pyment using some grape juice concentrate from the LHBS wine section, but the price steered me away. Is there a fruit you'd recommend? In what form (purée, fresh, frozen)? How much?

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Check out Joe's quick grape mead recipe. It's a good one using concord grape juice from the store.

As for fruit additions, there are no real set guidelines. Experiment away!!

AZ_IPA said:

Because of the nutrient?

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Exactly.

Sharkman20 said:

Exactly.

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So, yeast nutrient isn't necessary? I thought meads were the one time you really wanted to use it.

You do want it. But by using it you lose the right to call it a show mead. Unless you plan on entering it into competitions I don't think the distinction is important.

I was curious about the flavor of the honey. How will it enhance the flavor of the mead? Is it mild or strong, light colored or dark, and does any of the wood flavor come into the honey itself? I'm just curious since I'm getting more into the complexities of mead making, lately.

I used nutrients for all of my meads. I don't go overboard since I hear it can cause off flavors if you use too much but given the price of honey, I'd rather not take the chance of a stuck ferment or the yeast being too stressed and producing any other off flavors.

Tomico said:

I was curious about the flavor of the honey. How will it enhance the flavor of the mead? Is it mild or strong, light colored or dark, and does any of the wood flavor come into the honey itself? I'm just curious since I'm getting more into the complexities of mead making, lately.

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Actually, I have no idea. I bought two 3-lb cans on a whim last week since I've been wanted to try making mead. I'll let you know once I open the cans up (which will be moments before I start the mead-making process!)

JLem said:

Any thoughts on bochet? I read up on it last night and I am really intrigued by it.

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Just made one. I think it's gonna be great. Here's the latest pic

After fermentation I'm going to rack off onto some tart cherries, choc nibs, and a little vanilla.

Bhunter87 said:

Just made one. I think it's gonna be great. Here's the latest pic

After fermentation I'm going to rack off onto some tart cherries, choc nibs, and a little vanilla.

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Looks pretty good. How long did you boil the honey for? It looks pretty light. I boiled mine for 2 hours and my carboy is black as midnight. If I did it again, I'd probably go for the 90 minute mark.

Why again are you guys boiling your honey?

Flumpy said:

Why again are you guys boiling your honey?

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Bochet mead requires caramelizing the sugars in the honey which turns it darker and creates a whole new and different flavor profile. It doesn't taste like a traditional mead and you don't get much if at all of honey flavor or aroma but it's pretty good stuff from what I can tell so far on the batch I have going.

Sort of the Madeira of mead eh?

Bhunter87 said:

Just made one. I think it's gonna be great. Here's the latest pic

After fermentation I'm going to rack off onto some tart cherries, choc nibs, and a little vanilla.

Click to expand...

About an hour and 15 min, but I boiled pretty hot and kept it moving almost constantly.

It's was black as night for the first few days but I could see a rusty tint when held up to light. After about a week it took to this color and has held there.