Tonight I thought I would make the plunge and try my first two planned out batches of mead. One is traditional Joam and the other I finally decided to do a Bochet. I got all the ingredients and found out that my second 2 gallon jug was recently destroys without my knowledge so I am going to do a 2 gallon batch of Bochet and get a new jug within the week to start the Joam. I wanted to take some picks but the battery on my camera is dead. I just cant seem to get a break tonight. I hope it is not an omen.
Here is the Recipe and instruction on my Bochet:
6 pounds of Sams club clover honey
Brita filtered water up to the 2 gal
Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Zinger Herbal Tea (20 bags)
Mystery Yeast from Think Geek kit.
Boiled bread yeast for nutrients
The Herbal Tea contains the following ingredients:
Hibiscus, Rosehips, Roasted Chicory, Orange Peel, Blackberry Leaves, Natural Raspberry flavor with other natural flavors, Raspberries and raspberry leaves.
I first started to re-hydrate my yeast with water, 1 tbsp. of sugar and some nutrients.
Then I started the honey on a gas stove top on medium heat until it started to boil. I then had to quickly put the stove on the lowest flame setting. I underestimated the amount it would expand and got close to over boiling a couple of times but did not spill any. After an hour of constant stirring I had to tend to my baby and put her to bed so I removed the heat. I then split the honey into two pots and tried to boil at a higher heat. After 10 min of that I still had to reduce to the lowest temp. After 1.25 hours of total time passed I added a cup and a half of hot water. (SLOWLY)! I heard of this and now seen the explosion of warm water to super-hot honey. It wasn't too bad but if not done carefully I could see scalding hot honey splashing on someone. I kept it at the lowest flame setting for an additional 30 min. I let it cool after that and once at a lower temp I added another 2 cups of cold water to get the must under 80*.
Finally I added the must to my 2gal jug, topped off with some water. I then proceeded to shake the **** out of it until I figured it was properly aerated. Topped off with the rest of the water and added tea packets. Once the Must was at room temp I pitched the yeast, boiled bread yeast and added air lock. It will be fun to see where this goes.
Here is the Recipe and instruction on my Bochet:
6 pounds of Sams club clover honey
Brita filtered water up to the 2 gal
Celestial Seasonings Raspberry Zinger Herbal Tea (20 bags)
Mystery Yeast from Think Geek kit.
Boiled bread yeast for nutrients
The Herbal Tea contains the following ingredients:
Hibiscus, Rosehips, Roasted Chicory, Orange Peel, Blackberry Leaves, Natural Raspberry flavor with other natural flavors, Raspberries and raspberry leaves.
I first started to re-hydrate my yeast with water, 1 tbsp. of sugar and some nutrients.
Then I started the honey on a gas stove top on medium heat until it started to boil. I then had to quickly put the stove on the lowest flame setting. I underestimated the amount it would expand and got close to over boiling a couple of times but did not spill any. After an hour of constant stirring I had to tend to my baby and put her to bed so I removed the heat. I then split the honey into two pots and tried to boil at a higher heat. After 10 min of that I still had to reduce to the lowest temp. After 1.25 hours of total time passed I added a cup and a half of hot water. (SLOWLY)! I heard of this and now seen the explosion of warm water to super-hot honey. It wasn't too bad but if not done carefully I could see scalding hot honey splashing on someone. I kept it at the lowest flame setting for an additional 30 min. I let it cool after that and once at a lower temp I added another 2 cups of cold water to get the must under 80*.
Finally I added the must to my 2gal jug, topped off with some water. I then proceeded to shake the **** out of it until I figured it was properly aerated. Topped off with the rest of the water and added tea packets. Once the Must was at room temp I pitched the yeast, boiled bread yeast and added air lock. It will be fun to see where this goes.