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BigKahuna

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I have been working an experiment to see if I can produce something good from the grocery store.(Closest Brew Shop is 85 Miles One way) Here is my 1 gallon batch, Please let me know if you think it will turn out drinkable.
1Apple sliced thin
1 #’ Clover honey (RAW)
1# Brown Sugar
4 cloves
¼ tsp Cinnamon
To make 1 gallons of water.
1.5 tsp Red Star Bread Yeast.
Good pinch of Irish Moss. (Left from beer kit.) last minute of boil.

Boiled the whole mess, skimming the Foam. Strained into glass wine jug. When 85 Degrees, I pitched yeast, and added water to make the 1 gallon. O.G. 1.075 (Brewed Jan 25th)
It smells fantastic boiling, and is now fermenting very nicely.
My basement is about 48 - 50degrees, is that too cold to put the mead? It's in the kitchen, and my wife has been very patient, but I don't want to push my luck.
 
those cloves really come out in the end. In a 1 gallon batch you might have to many.

Also, you boiled the honey? That's kind of bad and heat destroys honey's aroma and flavor. We mix all our honey with hot to warm water and shake, then pitch if the temp is low enough.
 
Tonight I racked this to a secondary, it's almost clear and finished at .998 Isn't this a lot of alcohol for the bread yeast? (7.7%)
When I racked the first time, I added about a cup of apple juice (Left over from Apfelwein) and about 4 tbs honey, so I know it's actually higher than that...I just don't know how to figure it when you add sugar during fermentation.
Anyway, It tastes pretty good. The cloves are not too over powering, but getting close, and there is a vanilla flavor that I can't quite pin down.
I will never boil honey again, but I will make this again. Can't wait to see it at a few months.
 
You didn't use very much honey to start with. only 2lbs honey/sugar, so yeah, the bread yeast will be able to ferment it dry (0.999 or lower)
 
This is the second best part. Can't believe people don't like bottling day.

Final gravity is .991 There almost wasn't room in the hydrometer tube to test it. Tastes very good, but I wish I'd used 1 clove instead of 4.

Is there any way to determine the actual ABV? since I added sugar in the middle of the ferment?
 
Here is the label.
It looks fair here, but it is awesome on a green 750 ML.

apple_clove.jpg


I'm starting more This weekend.
 
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