AnyWine
New Member
I have recently purchased two gallons of Black Locust Honey. I understand it makes a very good Mead but I am unable to find a recipe anywhere on the internet. Any Ideas.
Black Locust Honey
- Thread starter AnyWine
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Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
Simple traditional mead:
5 gallon
12 lb or 1 gallon honey
Spring or filtered water to 5 gallons
2 1/2 tsp Yeast nutrient (DAP the clear/white crystals)
2 tsp yeast energizer (the tan powder stuff) - also to be spread over 4 doses.
Yeast - Lalvin K1-v1116
Starting gravity should be 1.086 - 1.088. Add in all ingredients up front except for only 1/2 tsp of the yeast energizer. After fermentation picks up strong add in 1/2 tsp of yeast energizer every 24 hours for 3 days. For the first two weeks twice daily slowly degass the must by gently swirling the Carboy on it's base to slosh the must and help remove dissolved CO2. Let sit for another 2-3 months then rack to secondary for further clearing. 1-2 months from there fermentation should be completely done and you can rack off of any additional lees that are there. 1116 yeast will take this dry so once clear add in 5 crushed Camden tablets, 2 1/2 tsp potassium sorbate and add honey till you hit a gravity of 1.01. At that point give it a try. If you want to add any fruit or spice flavors you can rack the cleared mead to 1 gallon jars and add in the flavors if you like or age the mead in Carboy or bottles.
That is a basic traditional Mead recipe and instruction. Look around the recipe section here or on gotmead web site and see if you like anything else better. Have fun!
5 gallon
12 lb or 1 gallon honey
Spring or filtered water to 5 gallons
2 1/2 tsp Yeast nutrient (DAP the clear/white crystals)
2 tsp yeast energizer (the tan powder stuff) - also to be spread over 4 doses.
Yeast - Lalvin K1-v1116
Starting gravity should be 1.086 - 1.088. Add in all ingredients up front except for only 1/2 tsp of the yeast energizer. After fermentation picks up strong add in 1/2 tsp of yeast energizer every 24 hours for 3 days. For the first two weeks twice daily slowly degass the must by gently swirling the Carboy on it's base to slosh the must and help remove dissolved CO2. Let sit for another 2-3 months then rack to secondary for further clearing. 1-2 months from there fermentation should be completely done and you can rack off of any additional lees that are there. 1116 yeast will take this dry so once clear add in 5 crushed Camden tablets, 2 1/2 tsp potassium sorbate and add honey till you hit a gravity of 1.01. At that point give it a try. If you want to add any fruit or spice flavors you can rack the cleared mead to 1 gallon jars and add in the flavors if you like or age the mead in Carboy or bottles.
That is a basic traditional Mead recipe and instruction. Look around the recipe section here or on gotmead web site and see if you like anything else better. Have fun!
OP
OP
AnyWine
New Member
I was looking for something traditional just like this. I have a couple of questions though, should you boil the must or not boil the must. Generally I take it around 140 and hold it for 20 to 30 minutes. When you say Spring or Filtered water is RO from my home all right to use. Thank You
RO water can work. If you do it is required to use the yeast nutriennts because honey is lacking in trace nutrients needed for yeast to work properly. It would almost be better to use 3 part RO water and 1 part normal tap.
I do not boil the must at all. I don't even warm the honey in hot water like some people do. I just drip the honey into the carboy and spend a good 5 - 10 minutes mixing the must at room temp. My way takes a long time but I like doing it that way.
There are pros and cons to boiling/not boiling. It seems through some studies that boiling a must will help with body & it does change the flavor. The longer you boil the more caramel toned the honey gets.
Not boiling helps to preserve the natural flavor of the honey and its delicate aeromatics. For people that spend the money on a on a nice verietal honey like yours, it is usually prefered to not boil. If you do boil the Mead it may taste just like a mead that was made with cheap clover honey.
I do not boil the must at all. I don't even warm the honey in hot water like some people do. I just drip the honey into the carboy and spend a good 5 - 10 minutes mixing the must at room temp. My way takes a long time but I like doing it that way.
There are pros and cons to boiling/not boiling. It seems through some studies that boiling a must will help with body & it does change the flavor. The longer you boil the more caramel toned the honey gets.
Not boiling helps to preserve the natural flavor of the honey and its delicate aeromatics. For people that spend the money on a on a nice verietal honey like yours, it is usually prefered to not boil. If you do boil the Mead it may taste just like a mead that was made with cheap clover honey.
fatbloke
Well-Known Member
The suggestion of recipe is pretty good. RO water is fine as the nutrients are added in the recipe.
Most recipes that suggest boiling are derived from old recipes when it was necessary to sanitise the water more than the honey. We dont have to worry about that now do we and we also know of the detrimental effect of heating the honey - unless making a bochet, which rather different.
So I'd suggest making up the must to something like 1.100 and if temp control might be a problem, the K1-V1116 suggestion is probably the best for ease of fermentation management.
Most recipes that suggest boiling are derived from old recipes when it was necessary to sanitise the water more than the honey. We dont have to worry about that now do we and we also know of the detrimental effect of heating the honey - unless making a bochet, which rather different.
So I'd suggest making up the must to something like 1.100 and if temp control might be a problem, the K1-V1116 suggestion is probably the best for ease of fermentation management.
