well i am thinking of making one or the other. i dont really have enough equipment to let 2 carboys sit for that long so thats why im not going to make both at the same time. which do you guys prefer as in taste, difficulty, cost, waiting periods...? any advice would be great as well as any recipes for either. i was going to post this in the mead section, but figured i would get many responses supporting mead since the beer brewers wouldnt post in the mead section. so give me your thoughts, suggestions and opinions!!!
barleywine vs. mead
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Laughing_Gnome_Invisible
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Two totally different drinks. Sorry, I just don't understand the question. Brew which you prefer to drink? 
i've never had either so i will be trying them and that will most likely sway my decision. but i am new at this (only 4 batches in) and i wanted to know more of the process. which is easier? how long do you have to wait for each to ferment? which is has more alcohol? which do you prefer? i'm not making it tomorrow, its just to get a feel for other peoples opinions of difficulty, taste, and process. thats all i was asking
Easier? Probably the mead. But they are two very different drinks. Mead is very much like wine, just with honey as the primary fermentable instead of sugar from fruit. It can be 12-18% ABV, and can take 3-5 years to be really good. Usually you can bottle within a year or 18 months, though.
Mead making follows wine making procedures, but you'll need to add some nutrients to the must (since honey has very few nutrients for the yeast). There will be more racking, to get the mead off of the lees, and you'll need to top up your carboy to prevent oxidation.
They aren't similar at all, besides the fact that they both contain alcohol.
Barleywine is beer. Unless you mean barley wine. Which is a wine made from barley.
Mead making follows wine making procedures, but you'll need to add some nutrients to the must (since honey has very few nutrients for the yeast). There will be more racking, to get the mead off of the lees, and you'll need to top up your carboy to prevent oxidation.
They aren't similar at all, besides the fact that they both contain alcohol.
Barleywine is beer. Unless you mean barley wine. Which is a wine made from barley.
cheezydemon3
Well-Known Member
What you needed was a poll.
I say Barley wine.
I say Barley wine.
McGarnigle
Well-Known Member
What you need is to try one of each before brewing full batches
(BTW, the correct answer is barleywine tastes better!)
(BTW, the correct answer is barleywine tastes better!)
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wyzazz
Well-Known Member
Really? I make both but prefer my beer...
Talloak
Well-Known Member
I like barleywines, but you should branch out if you have only ever made beer. Try something new. Make a mead. You won't regret it, if you live long enough to enjoy it.
I made a barleywine style braggot over the weekend, which would fall under both categories.
hamiltont
Well-Known Member
I voted Barleywine based on if I had both sitting in front of me right now I'd grab the Barleywine. Tomorrow it might be Mead. I like both but for different reasons. As others mentioned, mead is more like wine than beer. That said I usually drink mead in situations when I would drink wine, such as with dinner or in front of the fireplace on a cold winter's eve like we've been having lately. Mead is going faster than the Barleywine right now. I have an English & American Barleywine and a Petillant Sack Sweet Orange Melomel to choose from right now. Life is good!!
conpewter
Well-Known Member
I voted for Barleywine since I've had a chance to make more of those, I'm on my first mead so we'll see how it turns out in a year. I haven't had a chance to try any good mead yet (just Chaucer's which wasn't great). I hope the Bochet I made will have a bit of caramely sweetness when it's all said and done.
wow. both sound great now. i think i'll do a barley wine for now. then try some meads. and possibly do it. i plan on doing 2.5 gallon of whichever i choose. i cant stand to watch a 5 gal. carboy just sit there for that long!!! anyone have good recipes for either the barley wine or the mead??
McGarnigle
Well-Known Member
conpewter
Well-Known Member
If you make either one make sure you make enough to fill up your secondary if you can, you'll want to keep topping up a mead to keep it from oxidizing.
Arkador
Well-Known Member
I bought another carboy. I have a meade and am about to make a barleywine that will both be sitting there until the end of 2010.
