Making mead in Thailand

[bumblesbrewhelper]

Hey guys I just moved to Thailand and good beer is crazy expensive. Luckily my buddy just sent me some brewing equipment.

I am going to make some mead and need some help. I'm going to do Joams recipe but wanted to use some local fruit and make it different. Was thinking of passion fruit or mango. Any advice on parings of other fruits with these ones, or feedback with changing up the orange to other fruit and what to pair spice wise as cloves may not go with passion fruit or mango?

Thanks

 

[Dorkusmalorkus]

Take this for what it's worth, but it might be a good idea to sample taste a few local types of fruits to see what your preference would be. Any citrus family fruit would probably have somewhat similar flavours. Personally, qumquats are something I would like to try. They are popular all over Asia and might give an interesting taste. They're like small, sweet oranges.

 

[Dorkusmalorkus]

Found this mead fruit guide. Have a look

https://www.jaysbrewing.com/2012/06/27/the-ultimate-fruit-additions-guide-for-mead/

 

[HB_in_Subic]

You also might want to make some Mango wine https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=216092

I typically used 5 Kilos per 5 gallon batch plus some sugar. My wife and friends love it.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

There are so many exciting and exotic fruits in Thailand. Why not make mangosteen jackfruit or even durian. I have heard that orange doesn't ferment well anyway.

 

[Dorkusmalorkus]

The only thing about adding fruits is that they take a bit longer to ferment compared to basic mead with just honey and water. Different types might take more or less times. Citrus fruits such as oranges may take longer to give a palatable flavour.

 

[AZCoolerBrewer]

The only thing about adding fruits is that they take a bit longer to ferment compared to basic mead with just honey and water. Different types might take more or less times. Citrus fruits such as oranges may take longer to give a palatable flavour.

That's what I have heard. Once I thought I would make an orange juice wine since it is so filled with sugar. I figured it was a no brainer until I started reading about what orange juice tastes like after it has fermented. It probably makes more sense to use orange peel to get that nice orange flavor without all the acid and kerosene flavors.

 

[Maylar]

You can certainly make a mead with any fruit you like, it would be a melomel. You can research melomel recipes online. I would avoid trying a JAOM using something other than oranges (or maybe lemons?), as the bitterness of the orange rind is an integral part of the end result. A sweeter fruit might give you an unbearably sweet mead with that recipe.

 

[bmwr75]

Can you buy any wine or ale yeasts where you live? Bread yeasts will work, but is not a go to yeast for experienced mead makers.

 

[bumblesbrewhelper]

Thank you guys so very much for the info. It has me chasing down more info and is super helpful as I prep.

The yeast I have is red star active dry wine yeast and fermax yeast nutrient. My best buddy sent me this as a huge help.

The five gallon jugs are every where here and I got one ready, and the honey is not an issue here in northern Thailand either. Just gotta figure out the fruit and yeast factors now.

Any thoughts on the fruit and yeast combos I have? Fruits are anything one can think of. I just want to do something that turns out too sweet.

 

[bmwr75]

Here is a link to a Yeast Strains chart that gives some useful info to on the characteristics of various yeasts.

https://winemakermag.com/yeast-strains-chart

 

[WVMJ]

So can you go to the market and pick up whole combs of honey from indigenous species of bees? WVMJ

 

[bumblesbrewhelper]

I actually can which is sweet. From time to time there are combs (usually only One at a time) about the size of a turkey platter.

 

[user 224599]

Star fruit, yes, bitter Mellon hell no!

 

[LavaSteam]

One of my favorite fruits is what the Thai call "Lamut" (chico in Philipines). Very sweet.
another "nahm tan sot" or toddy palm juice might work as well.
they also have many varieties of lychee type fruits that would make excellent fruit flavored honey wines.
Keeping your fermentation cool (circa 20 degC) can be challenging in the tropics. I used an old ice chest as a water bath for the carboys and put in frozen bottles of water as often as needed to keep the water bath at 20 C. It works pretty well.
good luck