Looking for a good FIRST mead experience

[brackbrew]

I've been homebrewing for about 10 years now, but would like to try my first mead. Ideally, I'd love to brew one within the next week that I could have ready for Christmas Eve, but I know some kinds take quite some time to finish.

Does anyone have a great, flavorful recipe (thinking something with some sweetness when I'm thinking about my friends and relatives at Christmastime) for a beginner and/or any helpful hints for someone who knows their way around brewing, but is definitely a mead NOOB?

Thanks in advance!

 

[bubbachunk]

I think a few recipes have been thrown around for that short of a time frame but I have not had any such luck, nor do I care. So far no matter how awful my mead has tasted at one point or another, a year later it is tasty.

 

[pilot210]

Joe's Ancient Orange Mead is a good choice for a first mead. Check out the Recipes link at the top of the page then click on Mead for a lot of info on JAOM. Simple, quick, and tough to screw up if you follow the directions...

 

[SpamDog]

Search for "Ancient Orange Mead" I think Yooper posted the message. I really like the way it turns out. I have been making batches of it since 2006 when I started mead making, it was my second batch ever I think. The thing I recomend is, when the fruit sinks, if you have time, I like to rack off the fruit into a secondary, I don't worry about trying to not get any yeast, I try to get all the liquid I can and let it sit so I get as much product as I can. I would bottle early/mid November if you want it for christmas. Just know, while this should be good by christmas, like most mead, it will get better over time. The original creator of this, Joe Mattioli, has some other good "quick meads" that are worth trying as well.
Keep us updated on your progress, and welcome to the world of mead

SpamDog

 

[Matrix4b]

To be honest. Brewing Mead is actually easier than brewing beer it just requires more patients. By that I mean that beer you don't need to age. Mead does require, I would say, at least 6 months of aging, a year for best results. Some paticularly long agers, like bannana and also chocolate may take up to 1 1/2 years to age. This is AFTER it is ready to bottle and clear enough to read through, in most cases. I remember my first mead that I did. Just a sweet tradtional 5 gal batch. 20 pounds of honey. It did take a full year to be drinkable. Right when it was ready to bottle it tasted like an astringent or formaldahyde or something. But once aging was done it was the yumiest thing.

I have heard of JAO being quick but I still would age it even 6 months after secondary fermentation and clearing is complete.

If you want a good experience then you should set your expectations to the reality of how mead works.

Matrix