First mead tips and pointers

[mkorpal]

So, decided today that I really want to make a mead. The stuff is so good, that I just can't resist. This is what I am thinking of doing. I just want to make sure that this will work out well.

I'm planning on picking up another 6.5 gallon bucket to make this mead.

The size of this will be 5 gallons.

Walmart sells 5lb jugs of clover honey for about 12 bucks, so I'll get two of them. So, 10Lb clover honey.

I may go to whole foods and see if I can find a specialty honey to add in small quantities. But right now I don't think it's necessary.

I'll add the honey to 2 gallons of warm water and mix well. Than add two pounds of brown sugar and continue to mix well.

Add mixture to fermentor (new plastic bucket) and top off until I hit 5 gallons. Mix well to aerate. take hydrometor sample. Pitch yeast and close up bucket.

Allow to ferment for 2-3 weeks. freeze 10lb of crushed, fresh raspberries in large freezer bags 3 days before racking. On day of racking, thaw berries and add them to a large grain bag I have (18" by 32"). Sanitize the bag, of course, and add a sanitized shot glass before adding the berries so that bag remains at the bottom of the bucket. Add the bag with berries to the bucket I currently use for beer and rack mead from primary onto the berries. Attach lid and allow to ferment for another 2-3 weeks.

After 2-3 weeks, when the SG has stabilized, rack into a 5 gallon glass carboy. Allow to bulk age for 1 month. After one month, rack half of the mead from the carboy back into the first primary bucket and place in an ice bath to allow it to clear up. Bottle one week later with 2/3 cup corn sugar to carb up.

With the remaining 2.5 gallons in the carboy, add 1 ounce of oak cubes and allow it to age for 2 weeks. Rack into a bucket and cold crash like the first batch and than carb and bottle.

Allow both sets to age for 3 months in the bottle and than sample one bottle of each.

Ok, I know that was a lot, but a few questions on the process. What will the brown sugar add, and do you recommend it? I could switch to table sugar if need be, or buy another 5Lb container of honey.

Is there any way to estimate the amount of sugar that the Raspberries will give me and subsequently, the amount of alcohol it will produce?

Am I crazy to try and oak half of the batch?

Thanks. I plan on making this sometime this week. Hopefully I will get to try it by New Years.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Unless you want some of that brown sugar flavour, I'd drop it from the recipe; if you want more alcohol, use more honey. I'd also cut the amount of rasberries & save some for secondary, you'll get a better fruit flavour from them in secondary, though you can add some depth of flavour by using some in the primary as well. Rasberries can ferment out pretty tart & cause the honey flavours to be lost in the overall taste. I think the trick with melomel is to find a good balance in flavour between the fruit(s) and honey. Maybe try 12 lbs honey & 4 lbs rasberries in primary, then when that has cleared, rack onto another 4 lbs rasberries & let it sit for a few months before racking off the fruit & bulk age that for at least 6 more months before bottling. That's my 2 cents worth. Regards, GF.

EDIT: Don't forget to use yeast nutrient/energizer & DAP, also it'll help if you use pectic enzyme.

 

[mkorpal]

I don't think I worded that too well. I was going to use 10Lb in secondary. Maybe cut it down to 6Lb. I don't really want to use it in the primary due to logistical issues with racking.

So, maybe I should give up on the idea of having this ready by the end of the year. Oh well, doesn't matter too much.

I can drop the sugar and replace with honey. I was just hoping not to because of convince. I'll look around and see if I can find a 2Lb container so I don't have honey left over.

Any thoughts about splitting the batch up late and oaking half.

And yes, I definitly will make sure I give the yeast the required nutrients.

So, 12Lb honey, water to make 5 gallons. Ferment for 2-3 weeks. Rack from primary bucket to secondary bucket with 6Lb Raspberries and let ferment for some time (maybe a month). Rack from secondary bucket to tertiary carboy and bulk age for 6 months. Rack half and bottle while leaving half to oak for a few weeks. Rack that and bottle and let them sit for a few more months? Sound good?

 

[mkorpal]

Another thought. What about adding in maybe a pound of ripe banana to the raspberries when I rack to the secondary. It may help cut down on the tartness of the fruit. What do you think

 

[fatbloke]

Another thought. What about adding in maybe a pound of ripe banana to the raspberries when I rack to the secondary. It may help cut down on the tartness of the fruit. What do you think

Dunno how much of the banana flavour would be apparent in finished mead but it'd definitely give it "body"...

 

[dudasaj]

Be careful banana is a very dominant flavor. It can easily over power other fruit. Have you ever had a strawberry banana smoothie where all you taste is bananas? Add in moderation.

 

[gratus fermentatio]

I'd give up on the idea your mead will be ready by the end of this year. Mead takes time, moreso than just about any other fermentation. Think a year or so in advance with meads. Ken Schramm's rule of thumb for rasberries is: (all in secondary) 2-4lbs for mild fruit character, 5-7lbs for medium fruit character, 8lbs or more for strong fruit character. This is all for 5 gallons. His book really is quite useful for meadmakers Amazon.com: The Compleat Meadmaker : Home Production of Honey Wine From Your First Batch to Award-winning Fruit and Herb Variations: Ken Schramm: Books

As for using bananas to help counter tartness of the berries, I've heard of this, but never tried it; in fact I've never used bananas in any fermentation. I just don't like the flavour, but there are many who do. I have no idea as to how much to use without the banana flavour coming through. I'd just use a little less fruit, say 5lbs. That should give you enough fruit flavour without overpowering the honey & shouldn't be too tart.

As for splitting your batch, sure, go ahead. I've split batches plenty of times. Now as for oak, I'm assuming you want to oak the mead without fruit when you split the batch. Go ahead, oak away. As for the use of buckets, They're great for primary cuz you can stir & punch down your must/fruit, makes things easier to deal with. I've left mead in a bucket for primary for a month, then racked to a glass carbouy, making certain to get some sediment to maintain a healthy fermentation. I wouldn't use a bucket for secondary for 2 reasons: 1, it allows a lot of headspace; 2, glass allows me to see how it's clearing. If you really want to save the fruit for secondary, wait till it's cleared to rack it onto the fruit. A month in a bucket (under airlock), then 6 months in a carbouy, then about 6 months on the fruit. That's what I'd do, but this is your mead/melomel, you do what sounds best to you. You're the one who is going to be drinking it afterall. Good luck to you. Regards, GF.

 

[mkorpal]

Thanks for all you advice. I'll probably put this together tomorrow. I figure that I'm pretty sure on the base mead right now, and I have a while to decide how to fruit it, so I'm not going to sweat it.