Here's the plan: In a few weeks, I am going to make 3 gallons of a dry mead using 9 pounds of local honey (does this seem right? what yeast would make a good dry mead? I'm in California with SWMBO's family right now and don't have access to all my books).
Then, I'm going to divide these into three 1 gallon batches: a strawberry melomel, a vanilla oak mead, and a honeysuckle mead.
So, I'll bulk age the three gallons until my fresh ingredients are ready. For the strawberry, that should be in April. I'll get some good fresh strawberries, maybe about a pound or so, and rack a gallon of the mead onto them.
For the vanilla oak, I'm planning on making some vanilla/oak extract around the time I brew this with an ounce of oak chips (maybe half an ounce?) and half a vanilla bean soaking in either light rum or vodka for a couple months. Then I'll rack one gallon onto that and let it sit until it seems good.
For the honeysuckle, I'll get a cup of fresh honeysuckle flowers when they start blooming in April or May, make a tea out of it, and combine with the final gallon of mead.
Alright, thoughts? Advice? Criticisms? Warnings?
Then, I'm going to divide these into three 1 gallon batches: a strawberry melomel, a vanilla oak mead, and a honeysuckle mead.
So, I'll bulk age the three gallons until my fresh ingredients are ready. For the strawberry, that should be in April. I'll get some good fresh strawberries, maybe about a pound or so, and rack a gallon of the mead onto them.
For the vanilla oak, I'm planning on making some vanilla/oak extract around the time I brew this with an ounce of oak chips (maybe half an ounce?) and half a vanilla bean soaking in either light rum or vodka for a couple months. Then I'll rack one gallon onto that and let it sit until it seems good.
For the honeysuckle, I'll get a cup of fresh honeysuckle flowers when they start blooming in April or May, make a tea out of it, and combine with the final gallon of mead.
Alright, thoughts? Advice? Criticisms? Warnings?
