Excess honey experimentation

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bluefoxicy

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I'm going to start mead stuff in a couple weeks but I have 24 pounds of honey and need about 15.

This leaves me some options. Considerations I've had:

  • Save the 15 pounds and do 1 gallon experiments in parallel with the remaining 9
  • Use 5 pounds straight to make a gallon of strong sweet mead
  • Experiment with a dry mead in a gallon jug
  • Mix up a gallon using 3 pounds. Add mead yeast, give it a day or so to catch, then throw it in the fridge to stop fermentation. Allow to clear for a while, then remove, rack, re-pitch or otherwise restart fermentation once room temperature is reached, and immediately bottle. Let bottles firm up and throw directly into the fridge.


...... yeah I don't think mead soda is gonna work.
 
I am starting to think you might just want to get through a few tried and true recipes before you take off like Toomanycolors or something. That last idea sounds like something you're going to screw around and get seriously hurt with...and Best case situation is you're going to throw out a bunch of crazy expirimental stuff.
You could do some regular mead...1 batch, get through that one, and do some more reading. Information here is free and plentiful....you just gotta be willing to read it.

I do wish you luck on that #1 Batch.
 
I tend to experiment a lot. Although on that last one, when I said "let bottles firm up" I thought that implied PET bottles... they can split but they're harmless. Glass grenades would be cool though ;) (hai can I haz borrow your riot shield?)

I think I'll sit on it for a couple weeks and think. Here's a less radical idea: Make 5 gallons of sweet mead, and steal 2 gallons for two other meads mid-ferment:

  • 1 gallon jug, pitch a stronger yeast to make dry mead
  • Boil 2 pounds of honey to a quart, and top it off with a sample from the sweet mead, to make a strong sweet mead

This seems safer, yes? I get 3 gallons where I "stick to the recipe," a gallon of dry, and a gallon of strong sweet.

Honestly I just want to hedge my bets a little bit before making 26 750mL bottles of the stuff. But you're right, I shouldn't do anything crazy until I get some more experience.
 
It'll ruin the flavor, and basically just turn it into sugar. Honey's high enough in sugar that nothing grows. There have been several threads about that in the last few weeks.
 
I've boiled and not boiled. In the end it's the yeast's attenuation that accounts for it's dryness.

I've used as little as a 1/2 gal (6 lbs) to make a 5 gal batch and it's still mead!!!

I've also used 1 gal (12 lbs), and still made mead. :D

There are too many opinions here so I would advise you to ferment a PROVEN recipe. Take notes about what you like and dislike about it and then tweak your own recipe.
 
bluefoxicy said:
I'm going to start mead stuff in a couple weeks but I have 24 pounds of honey and need about 15.

This leaves me some options. Considerations I've had:

  • Save the 15 pounds and do 1 gallon experiments in parallel with the remaining 9
  • Use 5 pounds straight to make a gallon of strong sweet mead
  • Experiment with a dry mead in a gallon jug
  • Mix up a gallon using 3 pounds. Add mead yeast, give it a day or so to catch, then throw it in the fridge to stop fermentation. Allow to clear for a while, then remove, rack, re-pitch or otherwise restart fermentation once room temperature is reached, and immediately bottle. Let bottles firm up and throw directly into the fridge.


...... yeah I don't think mead soda is gonna work.
Click to expand...

Mead soda might not work, but you could mix up a honey/water solution & force carb for a honey soda, that might be rather tasty; you could even throw in some adjuncts like fruit juices or spices, or go even further with acid blend and/or tannin. You know, this might not be such a bad idea. On the 5lbs honey per gallon you mentioned, you'll likely need to add that in steps so as not to overwhelm your yeast. It might handle that high of a gravity just fine, but some yeasts won't. I had a rather slow start on a high gravity cyser once (OG: 1.156) and it was only after I added a pint of water to the must that it really took off. I used Lalvin K1-V116 yeast. That's my 2 cents worth, hope you find some of it useful. Regards, GF.
 
How about making a 5 gallon batch and then splitting it up into one gallon batches in the secondary. You could leave one as-is, put raspberries in one, add'l honey in one to sweeten, vanilla beans in another, etc. You could even put rootbeer extract in one. That way, you get to experiment a little and try different kinds of mead to see what you like.

BTW - Long Island Meadery makes a rootbeer mead. I believe it's orange blossom and buckwheat honey with rootbeer extract added.
 
GinKings said:
How about making a 5 gallon batch and then splitting it up into one gallon batches in the secondary. You could leave one as-is, put raspberries in one, add'l honey in one to sweeten, vanilla beans in another, etc. You could even put rootbeer extract in one. That way, you get to experiment a little and try different kinds of mead to see what you like.
Click to expand...

Hmmmm. Raspberry, sweeter, vanilla, root beer....

I'm gonna need more sharpie cap codes
 
BigKahuna said:
Tonight! and I'll be putting together a YouTube video of my No Heat method of mead making.
Click to expand...

that's gonna be what 30 seconds long. lol.
Step 1 stir honey and water in carboy.
Step 2 add nutrients
Step 3 pitch yeast
DONE!
 
now for a legitimate post. do the 15# in your first batch, then with the remaining 9 mix it with 2 gallons of warm, not boiling water to make about a 3 gallon batch, pitch this with say...D47 or 71B to make something with about a 1.010-1.000 FG, then rack to secondary and add ~4lbs sweet fruit, strawberries, etc or some form of citrus grapefruit etc. then allow to sit for about 4months, initial fermentation should be minimum 2 months. once its been with fruit for about 4 months, taste and if you like the amount of fruit rack to tertiary and leave alone for another 2 months minimum. once clear you can bottle at your pleasure.

This recipe will, according to beersmith, give you about a 1.113 OG and if it goes to 1.000 an abv of 14.88%. again if you think 1.000 is too dry dont worry the strawberries will sweeten it some, and you could always buy more honey and backsweeten.

yes this time table is relatively short but im in college with limited space so I have to shorten many of mine to about what I proposed.

also if you dont like this idea modify or just think about it. proposing recipes is always good and many people here are good resources for feedback.

My advice is get a couple basic batches under your belt then do some crazy s***, like lambic and trappist braggots:D
 
z987k said:
that's gonna be what 30 seconds long. lol.
Step 1 stir honey and water in carboy.
Step 2 add nutrients
Step 3 pitch yeast
DONE!
Click to expand...

Don't make me go tribal on your A$$!
I happen to use a very simple yet effective method that aerates and mixes all at the same time! I'll have you know that it is not only innovative, and Original, but also simple and effective!

You'll rue the day you crossed the Big Kanuna!








Psych! I know....It's so simple it's hard to explain to people.

See ya in what....about....6 days?
 

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