A few Mead questions

[c0sm0nautt]

So I'm going on my third brew now and I wanted to get a mead started because I read it takes about 5 months or more to ferment. The recipe seems easy enough - simply boil the honey 'till it's all dissolved and then fill up to 5 gallons with cold water to get the temperature approximately 70-75 degrees. Add the mead yeast and let it sit in the primary for a month, and then the secondary for another 3-4 months or so.

Does mead need to be aerated like beer does? Am I better off cooling the mead wort like I do beer (still in the kettle in a cooler full of ice water), as opposed to just adding cold water to the primary bucket?

Any tips for a first time mead brewer would be great. I'm adding some cherry extract before I bottle for some delicious flavor.

 

[Pilgarlic]

There is a Mead Forum here on HBT, and a Sticky there that will answer any questions you may have. Many mead makers no longer boil the honey at all, because volatile aromatics are lost through boiling. Also, a good Mead recipe will call for both yeast energizer and yeast nutrient, because honey doesn't have the nutrients necessary to support an adequate fermentation.

 

[Nurmey]

Please don't boil your honey. Heat the water, remove from heat, and add honey to dissolve. Boiling the honey ruins the delicate aroma.

Do you have nutrients? Honey does not have what yeast needs for healthy fermentation so you need to add nutrient.

Cooling the mead quickly is just as important as it is for beer.

edit: need to type faster.

 

[akthor]

Off topic but what is the ABV on mead and what does it taste like?

 

[roadymi]

Off topic but what is the ABV on mead and what does it taste like?

abv is dependent on honey : water ratio. I've had commercial mead that was 16% and was excellent.

I guess I don't know how to describe the taste other than to say that after tasting a couple of commercial meads I fell in love and have a 5 gallon batch in the secondary. Meads are notorious for wanting a very long aging process.

 

[c0sm0nautt]

Thanks for the tips, I will make sure not to boil my honey. And I forgot to say but I do have yeast nutrients I plan on adding as well. I'll check out that sticky, thanks.