Just starting out with mead...
- Thread starter IanPC
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I hear that there are very few kits that are at all decent. Just look around the recipe section here or at gotmead.com. Better yet read the gotmead.com newbee guide and it has a really good recipe to follow for newcomers "JAOM". Mead Is easy enough to make. You just need a lot of patience.
dap325
Well-Known Member
Pick up a copy of Ken Schramm's the Compleat Meadmaker. My favorite book on the subject. I think he is a HBT'er too. Tons of great information and recipes. Look up his articles online regarding staggered nutrient additions too. I think he updated his stance on the nutrient subject since the original book came out.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0937381802/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
I wouldn't mess around with a "kit". Just find a recipe in that book and run with it. Read up on honey varieties and pick one that sounds good to you. Mead is a lesson in patience. After you get it off the lees and into the secondary (or tertiary) just forget about it for a while (years for certain recipes). Enjoy!
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0937381802/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20
I wouldn't mess around with a "kit". Just find a recipe in that book and run with it. Read up on honey varieties and pick one that sounds good to you. Mead is a lesson in patience. After you get it off the lees and into the secondary (or tertiary) just forget about it for a while (years for certain recipes). Enjoy!
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TheBrewingMedic
Well-Known Member
don't really need a kit, just a few ingredients and a little technique. The no boil recipe in Ken's book is good, look for a traditional recipe, is a real simple straightforward place to start. 3# of honey per gallon, water, yeast, nutrients and youre good to go. get that down then can start playing and experimenting
fatbloke
Well-Known Member
Like the others say, Kens book is good.
But if you want to get some guidance for free too start with, then pop over to gotmead forums and their "NewBee" guide is linked in the dialogue box left top of the main forum page.
It includes pretty much all the info the new mead maker needs. The JAO recipe is included in chapter 6.
But if you want to get some guidance for free too start with, then pop over to gotmead forums and their "NewBee" guide is linked in the dialogue box left top of the main forum page.
It includes pretty much all the info the new mead maker needs. The JAO recipe is included in chapter 6.
zeg
Well-Known Member
The Schramm book is good, though sometimes just a bit short on specificity to be a "How-To" manual. There's enough variety in techniques, and Schramm to his credit is very respectful of this. However, as a result he doesn't come out and tell you what to do. He does make suggestions and tell you what he does, but you have to read the book a couple times to find all those details.
I think the "Making a Basic Mead" on the FAQ sticky in the Mead forum here is more to the point. The one thing that's a little debatable is whether D47 is the best yeast. It's got a low upper temperature (70°), so if you're fermenting over the summer you'll need to be sure you've got a cool room temperature available. Other yeasts are more tolerant of temperatures into the mid-70s (though many would argue that you ideally want to keep it lower).
I think the "Making a Basic Mead" on the FAQ sticky in the Mead forum here is more to the point. The one thing that's a little debatable is whether D47 is the best yeast. It's got a low upper temperature (70°), so if you're fermenting over the summer you'll need to be sure you've got a cool room temperature available. Other yeasts are more tolerant of temperatures into the mid-70s (though many would argue that you ideally want to keep it lower).
