Any Mead makers here??

I was just wondering if there are any mead makers here.

Having only made 7 batches myself since 1988 I am kind of interested any experiances any of you may have.

Hey Otis,
I make mead, but I have only made about 10 batches myself. I like to make Melomels, and Raspberry has been my favorite so far.

BitterRat said:

Hey Otis,
I make mead, but I have only made about 10 batches myself. I like to make Melomels, and Raspberry has been my favorite so far.

Click to expand...

I too have made Mead with Rasberry and have made cycer (sp?)...
Let me know what your techneques are. Boil or not boil the honey?

Otis_The_Drunk said:

I too have made Mead with Rasberry and have made cycer (sp?)...
Let me know what your techneques are. Boil or not boil the honey?

Click to expand...

I do not boil the honey, I do heat it slightly to make it pour easier, but that's about it. I do make large starters and adjust the pH some. And I use lots of nutrients.

Recently made some blueberry mead that is to die for.

richanne said:

Recently made some blueberry mead that is to die for.

Click to expand...

richanne, how about sharing the recipe?

Blueberry Melomel 03

A ProMash Brewing Session - Recipe Details Report

BJCP Style and Style Guidelines
-------------------------------

25-E Mead, Other Fruit Melomel

Min OG: 1.070 Max OG: 1.120

Recipe Specifics
----------------

Batch Size (Gal): 6.00 Wort Size (Gal): 6.00
Anticipated OG: 1.121 Plato: 28.21
Brewhouse Efficiency: 100 %
Wort Boil Time: 20 Minutes (if you boil at all)

Pre-Boil Amounts
----------------

Evaporation Rate: 15.00 Percent Per Hour
Pre-Boil Wort Size: 6.32 Gal
Pre-Boil Gravity: 1.115 SG 26.93 Plato


Grain/Extract/Sugar

% Amount Name Origin
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
30.4 5.25 lbs. Honey - Orange Arizona
69.6 12.00 lbs. Honey - Desert Arizona

Potential represented as SG per pound per gallon.


Extras

Amount Name Type Time
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
144.00 Oz Blueberry Fruit 7 Days(fermenter)
1.00 Tsp Acid Blend Other 15 Min.(boil)
3.00 Tsp Yeast Nutrient Other 15 Min.(boil)
1.50 Tsp Gypsum Other 15 Min.(boil)
0.25 Tsp Irish Moss Fining 15 Min.(boil)


Yeast
-----

White Labs WLP720 Sweet Mead - Wine




Notes
-----

Run berries through blender, or if frozen, you don't have to. I used frozen and thawed them in a bowl and threw in all that great juice along with the berries.

Greetings, everyone. (well, all three of you anyway)
I drank a bit of my second batch of mead last weekend at a party, and it was tolerable, but nothing special. I used lalvin EC-1118 yeast, which can tolerate pretty stiff alcohol levels. The first batch ended up around 17 or 18%, but was a little warm, so I made the second more like 12-13%. This yeast imparts a bit of its own aromas, which reminded me of cured meat.
Rather than adding fruit, I tried a variation of metheglyn. I picked a whole pile of fresh honeysuckle flowers and let them soak in the must overnight, and strained them out before pitching the yeast. I was hoping to capture some of their wonderful sweet aroma, but it didn't work. It would have probably been better to try it after fermentation like the traditional way, but they happened to be blooming at that time.

Kinda silly, I know. That's why I've come here looking for better ideas.

Oh, and I don't like boiling anything. It destroys delicate aromas and flavors.

Though I consider myself primarily a brewer, I make as much mead as beer. Currently awaiting bottling is a peach-ginger mead I started last summer with fresh peaches. Knowing it will be a year before I can truly appreciate it, I tend to let it rest in the back rooms of my awareness for the most part. If we are all still around next year at this time, perhaps I will remember to comment.