Hello, I make mead! Portland, Oregon

[Liquid Gold]

Hi there, my name is Jon. I found this forum by searching "mead club portland". I'm looking for fellow mead makers in my area to share samples with. I've been brewing for about 11 years, and only the last 18 months focused on mead. I try to keep all of my 28 carboys going (3-7 gallon) for a steady supply for friends and family. I am looking to grow and sell in the near future.
My mead is simple; water, honey and yeast, plus the occasional fruit and/or spices. I do pasteurize a batch if I plan to store it long term, to prevent bottle bombs. My primary fermentation is 1-2 weeks before I add an ingredient, otherwise it can be too active and blow out the carboy. I use honey from my backyard, 3 acres of blackberries. I don't tend to the hives myself, that's a different group, I buy from them in 5 gallon quantities.
My best flavors so far are Jalapeno, blackberry, guava, ground red pepper, and pine needle. I volunteer at a food distribution warehouse for low income households, called Gleaners. I'm lucky to get most of my ingredients for free, it's food that would normally be discarded or given to farmers.

Anyway, I'm not sure how much I should say... I just want to reach out to give/get information about meads.
Thank you.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Welcome to the forum, from Long Island NY. There are some very active mazers here. My latest mead is dandelion. I’m not sure of how it should taste, but I don’t detect much floral notes. Luckily I can share some @ HBC and get feedback before sending it off to a competition.

 

[T Murph]

Welcome to the community from Alabama. I too make meads and Blackberry Melomels are my second favorite next to Mandarin Orange. Keep us posted of your brews and questions. And don't be shy if you feel you can contribute with your knowledge to help others here.

Cheers and happybrewing.

 

[Liquid Gold]

Nice to meet you two, I appreciate the welcome!
Well, as for what I have learned, if you leave blueberries in the fermenter for too long it will taste like a red wine. So for most of my meads, after adding my ingredients, I rack it off within a few days.
If you add an ingredient with anti-bacterial properties, it may stop fermentation. I have noticed this with garlic, cacao powder, and hibiscus flowers. So I add these at the end of fermentation.
Cherries give it a metallic taste... which is probably why it's called Vikings Blood.
I've gotten an off flavor with all citrus fruits, tastes kind of a spoiled. Oranges, mango, lemons...
Here is a formula that I've made:
15% abv potential: For example, you put 3.18 lbs of honey in a 1 gallon vessel, then top it off with water. All honey is different, this is just a guide.
1 gallon: 3.18 lbs honey + water
2 gallon: 6.36 lbs honey + water
3 gallon: 9.53 lbs honey + water
4 gallon: 12.71 lbs honey + water
5 gallon: 15.89 lbs honey + water
6 gallon: 19.07 lbs honey + water
7 gallon: 22.25 lbs honey + water
I also have the calculations for 9%-14% if anyone is interested. Or it may already be in this forum... I have yet to browse.