Jack's Apricot Vanilla Mead

[BlackIce]

I just finished up the 2nd tasting of this and we are getting a lot of cinnamon taste. As i posted here with the 1st tasting it was hot, we didn't get any cinnamon. Have any of you guys had cinnamon from this? As in the video we did taste the others to make sure we had the right one and we did. I did a apple cyser and a blueberry one.
Here is the review

 

[AkTom]

I subbed Craisins, 2 old cinnamon sticks, and 2 Tbls of Mexican Vanilla. My wife strongly dislikes my beer. She told me to make more Cran mead.

 

[Dtkubitski]

3 lbs. Wild Mountain Honey (Wild Mountain is a brand. Not sure what varietal. Wildflower, I would assume?)
1 cup Quartered Dried Apricots
½ Vanilla Bean (Split in half)
1 tbsp. Fleishmann’s Bread Yeast (activated in shot glass with sugar and water)
Water to fill to 1 gal.

-Just combine everything, and shake it up really well.

O.G. 1.100

Anyone try this with dried cherries? Just a thought, may give this a go this weekend. I have an empty 1 gal carboy just sitting around....LOL

 

[AkTom]

I have a gallon batch going now with cherries. I should rack it to secondary tomorrow. If it turns out as good as with Craisins, it will be another hit.

 

[JohnDBrewer]

Doing a dried cherry and original (apricot) recipe now.

New to "meading", so how long in the primary until racking to secondary?

Also, is it done in the secondary when it is clear?

One more thing, when and how often are you adding yeast nutrients?

Using Costco clover honey.
Thanks

 

[JohnDBrewer]

Ever seen this before? Small white foamy bubbles just under krausen, about 1/2 inch? Looks like snow or frost.

Nice strong fermentation krausen already peaked after 40-hours into fermentation.

Sorry cannot get the pic to load from my phone.

 

[Yeastieboy]

I would make this again but definitely not with bread yeast. That flavor was ever present in mine and not appealing to me personally.

 

[TattooCelt]

Started a 3 gallon batch of this last Saturday. Used D47 yeast and upped the honey content to 10 pounds and 3 pounds of dried apricots. It set off like a rocket, and is still happily bubbling away. The aroma it's giving off is amazing, so de-gassing it a couple of times a day is a real treat. I opted not to use the vanilla beans in primary, but am going to be introducing vanilla in secondary so that the flavor is a bit more pronounced. Bought the Clover Honey and Dried Apricots at Costco, so this 3 gallon batch is probably going to turn out to be one of the less expensive batches I've brewed in a bit. More updates when I move it to secondary.

 

[AkTom]

Doing a dried cherry and original (apricot) recipe now.

New to "meading", so how long in the primary until racking to secondary?

Also, is it done in the secondary when it is clear?

One more thing, when and how often are you adding yeast nutrients?

Using Costco clover honey.
Thanks

I usually wait 35-45 days. No big deal, just how busy I am. After that, secondary is about 2 weeks (maybe more). When it clears it's good. Actually at racking it's good. I do have some bottles with a bit of sediment in the bottom. I did a batch wit her dried cherries. Not very impressed. Apricots, craisins and lingonberry are my favorites. I have not had any bread yeast flavors. This is a classic recipe.
Cheers

 

[JohnDBrewer]

Thanks AKTom. It is sparkling clear at this point, but no time to bottle. May make a small side batch by adding some Craisins!

 

[Zaufendouble]

Made this as my first mead. Used fresh apricots in primary and secondary. Used vanilla extract as I had trouble finding beans. Vanilla got blown out, but otherwise this turned out amazing. Drinkable in 30 days and I can't wait to see where this ends up by Christmas.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[Peter D Day]

Made this today. Thanks for the recipe. I added a little more dried apricot. I cut up the apricots into quaters and soaked them for a couple of hours in hot water. I also added some raisins like I did in JAOM. I figured it couldn't hurt. Used whole vanilla bean. They are pricey!! Really looking forward to this one.

 

[AkTom]

A long time ago... I made a dried cherry mead. Wasn’t very impressed. I sampled my way through the batch. I found 1 bottle hiding in the cupboard. At 14 months, it was really and truly wonderful. I was almost sad to be sharing with my sister in law and her husband. So lesson learned, if it’s not good. Recap it and put it away for 6 months. Remember, take a sip. Then decide whether to drink the whole bottle or recap. It si better to wait than wish you would have.

 

[MrMiles]

I made one in October. Bottled it late last month. It was incredible. Abit firey but whoa boy delicious. Made another 6 gallon batch immediately.

 

[Dennis Morrison]

What brand of dried peaches are being used? Is there a type/brand I should avoid?

 

[AkTom]

I haven’t used peaches... apricots, craisins, dried cherries. Try to get unsulferred if you can. Less preservatives the better.
Bread yeast works. But wine and beer yeast is cheap enough and could give you better results.

 

[Dennis Morrison]

Sorry I meant to apricots. I have been looking at fermenting some peaches lately, so I have had peaches on the mind.

 

[SKBugs]

I'm not sold on the whole raisins in the JAOM or any other mead for that matter. I thought it was only for the nutrient value, which in this day and age is obviously superseded by the quality products available. Same for the bread yeast for that matter - can anything beat a 71B?

 

[romitaz]

We use 71b almost exclusively. DAP and Fermaid K for nutrients. We have 30 gallons in 5 gallon batches of grape, apple pie, tart and sweet cherry all in secondary. We may give the apricot a try. We do mostly high gravity meads that will bulk age for about 8 months before we bottle and put away for a year or so. We have a 5 gallon batch of grape that we “sample” to keep from dipping into the others. It never makes it into a bottle.

 

[Satokad]

I realize this is a very old thread, but if anyone is still following, do you know if you can use liquid vanilla in place of the vanilla bean?
Thanks.

 

[Satokad]

Made this as my first mead. Used fresh apricots in primary and secondary. Used vanilla extract as I had trouble finding beans. Vanilla got blown out, but otherwise this turned out amazing. Drinkable in 30 days and I can't wait to see where this ends up by Christmas.

Thanks for sharing.

Never mind. I see Zaufendouble did it so there's my answer....unless someone has a quantity to use.

 

[AkTom]

I do.

 

[Satokad]

I do.

Great. How much vanilla for a 1 gallon batch, please?

 

[AkTom]

I use 100% real vanilla. Depending on what I’m doing, 1 or 2 tablespoons. It adds a touch, without being overpowering. I’ve never added more, but if want that as a more pronounced flavor you could probably add 4 tablespoons.

 

[Satokad]

Thank you, AkTom. That sounds perfect just the way you do it.

 

[AkTom]

Try it and post back how it turns out.

 

[Satokad]

Will do. It's going in the bucket on Thursday when we bottle up my first attempt at brewing.

 

[Satokad]

I'm getting ready to throw this together and I had a question. The dried apricots I have (and all that I have found) contain 'sulfur dioxide and/or sodium bisulfite and/or potassium sorbate as preservatives'. Will this ruin the mead? It didn't specify anything in the recipe about avoiding preservatives but I thought I read that these were bad.
Thanks.

 

[Satokad]

Finally found some unsulfered apricots, so I will get this going in the next few days. Looking forward to this.

 

[Satokad]

One quick question. I have read where people start their mead (especially melomels) in a bucket. Can I do a 1 Gallon batch of this in a 2 gallon bucket until I rack when fermentation ends?
Thanks.