First attempt

[JordanC92]

Well this is my second attempt at making mead, my first attempt was about 5 years ago (did not go well at all).

This is the recipe I have used (in a 1 gallon jug)
1.5kg of honey
8 cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
A star anese pod
A vanilla pod (seeds scraped out and used only)
And a large orange cut up removing the top and bottom but keeping on the rind.
I don't know the yeast used as it was just a pack parked "mead, wine yeast" so I'm guessing the maximum % to be about 12-14

It was all mixed together on Sunday and It's currently bubbling away nicely, I added a teaspoon of yeast nutrient to the mix about an hour or 2 ago and the bubbling has increased.

Hopefully this batch will work out nicely (the plan is to bottle it about April/may time and bottle age till November).

Can any more experienced brewers give me a little feedback on the recipe? Or advise any alternatives?
Thanks
Jordan

 

[bernardsmith]

Hi JordanC92 and welcome. - Your taste is your taste but I would think that 6 cloves in 1 gallon and 3 pieces of cinnamon (what's that, 2 inch sticks? ) is a lot. You don't say what honey you used , or the yeast or the temperature you are fermenting this at.. so it is a little hard to comment. This sounds a little like a variant on JAOM but that mead demands that you follow the recipe precisely... It's a novelty mead and is designed to work in counter-intuitive ways but based on the undergirding science.

 

[Maylar]

I hope you really like cloves... 'cuz with 8 of them in a gallon that's all you're gonna taste.

 

[JordanC92]

Hey, the brand of honey is rowse and the cinnamon sticks are about 3 inches in length.
I was worried if I overdid it with the cloves. As they are floating near the top would it be possible to sterilise a spoon and fish a few out?
Temperature is just general room temperature as I don't have any specific equipment for keeping it constant and as I said about the yeast it never came with a strain type just labeled "super yeast" and was from the website 247homebrew.com.

Thanks
Jordan

 

[myndflyte]

I see no problem fishing some out. Like you said, just sanitize the spoon first.

 

[JordanC92]

I see no problem fishing some out. Like you said, just sanitize the spoon first.

Just sterilised a spoon and took out 4 cloves (I didn't want to mess about with it trying to get exactly 3 out) had a wee sniff and thankfully it doesn't smell like cloves to much .

Im gutted I never found this site before I got this set up tho.

 

[Ryue]

The cloves and cinnamon isn't necessarily a problem, though it does depend on your taste. I use 4 cloves and 6 (3 or 4 inch) cinnamon sticks in one gallon for one of my recipies. But, as stated a lot on this forum, it is easier to add something later than to take something overpowering out.
Hope your recipie turns out well!

 

[Maylar]

Cloves are powerful little buggers. I only use one in a gallon batch, but to each his own.