Show us your Mead in a photo!!!

Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Jaom.

image-906413345.jpg
 
This is a simple show mead, made with local New Mexico honey, which I call v1.0.0. My post will also serve as a way to ask a question. This first image is my mead under "normal" light:

8104140711_13494cb84a_b.jpg


while this second is under UV light:

8104139703_529fa10288_b.jpg


The second image doesn't show it well, but under UV my mead is glowing a weird, eerie green color. So I ask you: what in mead would fluoresce?
 
Cool!! my first thought is that maybe its something in the glass and not the mead...but if its not happening at the top of the bottle then thats prob not it
 
It almost seems like its in the same spot as the flash reflecting in the 1st pic. Hmmm?
 
Riboflavin (VitaminB) glows up under UV.
Its the same stuff that makes tonic (Scheppes) glow.

I've been thinking about doing that on purpose,
but am a bit afaid of the bitter taste.
Could be something else but as far as I know
its the most food-safe thing that glows.

Oh and be carefull. If its indeed riboflavin, that will
make your mead much more reactive to light.
(Lightstruck)

EDIT: Appearantly Chlorophyll (the green stuff in plants)
and Citric Acid glow too.
http://archive.rotteneggsx.com/r3/show/se/413931.html
 
Just racked 10 gallons of a basic traditional into secondaries today. Split it up into about 2.5 gallon batches and racked 3 of the 4 batches onto fruit. In order of appearance in pic: plain (no fruit), pineapple, sapote, strawberry.

Bottled some of the plain mead, and some of the strawberry blended with plain mead recently. Both are quite tasty. The sapote melomel has a nice spicey taste, but the pineapple is too acidic (will try blending and adding calcium carbonate later). However, overall quite pleased with my first attempt at melomels.

Plain and Fresa SDC12243.jpg
 
The first pic shows...my current collection! Back to front and left to right...Cranberry/blackberry melomel, Lodi Ranch Cabernet, Apple pie cyser, Jalapeno wine, mini jalapeno wine...I also have a bucket full of peach cobber melomel fermenting.
2nd photo is a sweet blueberry melomel that I'm going to bottle today!

P1000865.jpg


P1000866.jpg
 
Starwberry and vanilla mead shortly after racking onto the fruit. It has since become a lot more red!
Sadly, I'm not certain how it'll turn out as I left it clearing with quite a bit of headspace when I left for uni (college to the U.S.?) this year :eek: If (when I check on it in a few months) it's oxidized to hell then lesson learnt. If it's OK, then I'll be preaching about how idiot-proof mead is on the forums from then on :p

7865811676_a34e277d30_c.jpg
 
This is my very first try at mead and its still very young at 33 days old. I actually just posted a thread that I'd like a critique of it!! :)

image-2658839915.jpg
 
Just racked to secondary, two plain mead (if you will), two cinnamon, and two mixed berry, gallons. This is my first mead batch I've made. So far so good...

image-3863266066.jpg
 
shelly_belly said:
Looking good! Welcome to HBT.

Thanks, started another batch right after this one, a cinnamon apple, cinnamon, Pom, and a wolf moon, recipe from the forum.. Those are looking good as well, :)
 
cQk5K.jpg


Here's the family.

Starting from the left:

Orange Blossom Mead, started Feb 19, fully clarified, oaking, ready to age.
Blueberry Clover Mead, started Oct 15
Mulled Tupelo Mead, started Oct 15, nutmeg, ginger, and clover
Wildflower Mead, started Oct 15
4 varieties of Goldenrod Mead, started 28 Feb

And yes I know the ones on the right have too much headspace - I had glass marbles to fill it up but I wasn't good at racking back then and I just kept losing more and more product. So I'm just going to tough it out and bottle these soon anyway so hopefully I won't do too much damage. I'm afraid of watering them down.
 
bconstant said:
Here's the family.

Starting from the left:

Orange Blossom Mead, started Feb 19, fully clarified, oaking, ready to age.
Blueberry Clover Mead, started Oct 15
Mulled Tupelo Mead, started Oct 15, nutmeg, ginger, and clover
Wildflower Mead, started Oct 15
4 varieties of Goldenrod Mead, started 28 Feb

And yes I know the ones on the right have too much headspace - I had glass marbles to fill it up but I wasn't good at racking back then and I just kept losing more and more product. So I'm just going to tough it out and bottle these soon anyway so hopefully I won't do too much damage. I'm afraid of watering them down.

There seem to be all sorts of myths floating around here about head space that I'd love to clear up. If your mead is doing even a small amount of fermenting, which I assume so since you have air locks on them, then they will not oxidize as long as you are not shaking them or moving them often. In a closed system like that there is no turbulence and the gasses will settle out based on molecular weight. You remember in chemistry class when your teacher layered multiple liquids to show you how density works in non soluble liquids? Well it is a bit like that. So for the purposes of this discussion we are only interested in two specific gasses carbon dioxide CO2 and oxygen O2. O2 has a molecular weight of 32, each oxygen molecule has an atomic weight of ~16, times 2 atoms per molecule. Now the CO2 has a molecular weight of 44, 32 for the two oxygens and 12 for the carbon. In a closed system (your carboy with an airlock) the heavier CO2 sits on the surface, protecting your mead from the O2. Now this only works if there is (or was) fermentation still going on to some degree since you last put the airlock on, and you are not disturbing the container often. Hope that helps.
 
There seem to be all sorts of myths floating around here about head space that I'd love to clear up. If your mead is doing even a small amount of fermenting, which I assume so since you have air locks on them, then they will not oxidize as long as you are not shaking them or moving them often. In a closed system like that there is no turbulence and the gasses will settle out based on molecular weight. You remember in chemistry class when your teacher layered multiple liquids to show you how density works in non soluble liquids? Well it is a bit like that. So for the purposes of this discussion we are only interested in two specific gasses carbon dioxide CO2 and oxygen O2. O2 has a molecular weight of 32, each oxygen molecule has an atomic weight of ~16, times 2 atoms per molecule. Now the CO2 has a molecular weight of 44, 32 for the two oxygens and 12 for the carbon. In a closed system (your carboy with an airlock) the heavier CO2 sits on the surface, protecting your mead from the O2. Now this only works if there is (or was) fermentation still going on to some degree since you last put the airlock on, and you are not disturbing the container often. Hope that helps.

In this case, it doesn't matter because I can't help myself from trying these every now and again, and the fermentation is most certainly over. But your advice is well-taken, thanks for pointing that out. I'll remember it.

In addition - I keep reading that it's a good idea to keep the airlocks on because reasons. If I know for certain that these are finished with fermentation, should I just close them up completely? I guess continuing to use airlocks is good for safety's sake?

The one on the left is going into a dark wine cellar to bulk age for a year or so. I had planned on checking the lock every month to make sure it's still good. Should I just cork it instead?
 
bconstant said:
In this case, it doesn't matter because I can't help myself from trying these every now and again, and the fermentation is most certainly over. But your advice is well-taken, thanks for pointing that out. I'll remember it.

In that case what I said is null and void. Only applies if fermentation was still active to some degree the last time you sealed it. That is the only way there would be enough carbon dioxide to buffer your mead.
 
Peppers16 said:
Starwberry and vanilla mead shortly after racking onto the fruit. It has since become a lot more red!
Sadly, I'm not certain how it'll turn out as I left it clearing with quite a bit of headspace when I left for uni (college to the U.S.?) this year :eek: If (when I check on it in a few months) it's oxidized to hell then lesson learnt. If it's OK, then I'll be preaching about how idiot-proof mead is on the forums from then on :p

I made a batch of 2 gallon strawberry passion mead a few months ago, it's fantastic, I'm excited for you!
 
Hey guys,

Whis is my first post after reading this forum for a while! In the beginning of this year start to really study about Mead and decided making some and guess what? I´m complete passionated for it! I´ve drank mead before but making is awesome! So as I owe a lot for you guys cause of the tips I got here, I´m sending some pics of my first tests!

Orange honey Mead
orangemead.jpg


JAOM - simple but amazing! Seond batch is on the way!
jaom.jpg


The labels of my Bouchet Mead:
garrafacontra.jpg

garrafafrente1.jpg


Dessert Show Mead
dessertshowmead1.jpg

dessertshowmead.jpg


Blackberry Melomel
blackberrymelomel1.jpg

blackberrymelomel.jpg


That´s it!
 
Cliclaste can you post the recipe you used for your Strawberry passion mead?!?! sounds wonderful!! So does the Strawberry vanilla mead!
 
From left to rite, bramble, raspberry, plumb and heather honey

ForumRunner_20121031_183340.jpg
 
In addition - I keep reading that it's a good idea to keep the airlocks on because reasons. If I know for certain that these are finished with fermentation, should I just close them up completely? I guess continuing to use airlocks is good for safety's sake?

The one on the left is going into a dark wine cellar to bulk age for a year or so. I had planned on checking the lock every month to make sure it's still good. Should I just cork it instead?

Sorry, missed your questions the first time I read this. The reason we use air locks is to keep outside air out while still venting out the CO2 that is created in the fermenting process. So if fermentation is really done, then all your airlock is doing is keeping the outside air out and inside gasses in. How is that any different than a cork/stopper/cap? You actually have less protection with an airlock than a true stopper, the airlock can dry and then oxygen can get in. Cork it, and in this case you don't want a lot of set face area since there will not be any CO2 to protect the mead.
 
Sorry, missed your questions the first time I read this. The reason we use air locks is to keep outside air out while still venting out the CO2 that is created in the fermenting process. So if fermentation is really done, then all your airlock is doing is keeping the outside air out and inside gasses in. How is that any different than a cork/stopper/cap? You actually have less protection with an airlock than a true stopper, the airlock can dry and then oxygen can get in. Cork it, and in this case you don't want a lot of set face area since there will not be any CO2 to protect the mead.

Got it, thanks my man.
 
Black-briar, Nord mead!!!! Skyrim rules. I have been trying to purchase Black-Briar Meadery in Riften. They use the ' heat ' method to make their mead. I walked through the meadery. I wish I could open something like that in real life!!!

( I know this is off topic of mead photos ) =)

Yes Skyrim is great!!!!!!!!!!!


Roger
 
Hey guys,

Whis is my first post after reading this forum for a while! In the beginning of this year start to really study about Mead and decided making some and guess what? I´m complete passionated for it! I´ve drank mead before but making is awesome! So as I owe a lot for you guys cause of the tips I got here, I´m sending some pics of my first tests!

Orange honey Mead
JAOM - simple but amazing! Seond batch is on the way!
The labels of my Bouchet Mead:
Dessert Show Mead
Blackberry Melomel

That´s it!

Gorgeous, nicely done and welcome to HBT.
 
I've suddenly been on a kick of making meads. I made a few back in 2010 that I thought turned out terrible. I actually thought I threw them all out, but the surprise, surprise, while searching for some empty bottles I discovered my very first 2 meads, a cider and a elderberry wine, all sitting in a bottom cupboard of the basement. I tasted them, and was very happy to find that the flavors had meld together and all the harshness was gone. Everything was crystal clear too.
I got right to racking and bottling. here is the end result.
8156283537_c033564700.jpg

later I bottled another fruit mead that I made a few months back. This one was a clean out the freezer mead. I had 5 pounds of cherries, some pom/cherryjuice and some buckwheat and clover honey. I made a 3 gal. batch of melllomel which cleared out really fast.
8156291531_3a51d83e73.jpg

8156324224_c3ca94cfd7.jpg
 
forgot to mention that I also made my first braggot on teach a friend to brew day. I based it off of Ken Schramm's Hefty Braggot. I'm more of a extract or partial brewer, but I didn't want to just go with the gold DME that the recipe called for, so I added a bit of grains to steep and I also ended up with a extra pound of Buckwheat honey in the mix. Oh, and since Ken wrote that you could easily up the hops I did. :D. I went with a total of 7 oz instead of 5.
Just whipping the wort up to get some air into it caused a great whip cream head. I knew this was going to be a wild fermentation so I went with the bow-off tube. Good thing too because this morning the the blow off tube jar is practically doing a jig it's got so many bubbles breaking in in. I also had a tiny bit of wort on the floor that must of squeezed out from some place. I'll have to check it all over later. I was running late for work, and couldn't spend the time to check things out better.
 
Here's the two meads I made in November of last year that I've been bulk aging. One is just an orange blossom honey mead and the other is a bochet. These are just samples I drew. I'll be bottling the orange blossom in a couple weeks and the bochet is oaking at the moment. I'll bottle that one in maybe another 6 months to a year.

mead1.jpg


mead2.jpg
 
Here is a picture of the Sunrise Mead. It was a bit rushed (three months in total from start to bottle). I made this over the winter season at the South Pole. We were limited on yeast and honey. I used creamed clove honey, bread yeast, and added Orange Spice Black tea to it for flavor. Its at 11% ABV and taste slightly sweet with a small hint of orange. This picture was take right after I racked the mead. I bottled the mead to celebrate the sunrise and for our sunrise dinner we held at the South Pole.

542450_455011151198303_1068511695_n.jpg
 
Just bottled this traditional mead that was in fermenter for a year then in 5 gallon virgin oak keg for a year. Tastes like the smoothest bourbon you could have but at around 18% percent alcohol, I can drink a lot more than I can real bourbon.
image-690429304.jpg
 
The first two are a braggot, a 2 gallon batch, using amber ale malt, chocolate ale malt, some cascade hops, and about 2.5g of honey from a local beekeeper.
When I pour it into a cup it looks like dark maple syrup. Next time I have a glass I'll take another picture for a better colour representation. Oh yeah and the home-made label translates to 'Dwarven Stout'

The last two are a Fruits of the Forest mead. Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and some strawberries.

Is that axe design a bindrune? Or just a design lol.
 
Back
Top