Making mead?

[yuppicide]

I'm ordering a kit this weekend to make small gallon batches. I want to make mead.

I was reading up on Lalvin D-47 Wine Yeast from this website:

http://monsterbrew.com/Prod_1GallonMeadRecipeKit.cfm

I'm just going to buy my own honey elsewhere and get that yeast. I was told from someone I can mix 1/2 gallon water with honey and yeast.

But anyway, they have the yeast separately here:

http://monsterbrew.com/Prod_LalvinICVD-47WineYeast.cfm

But read the last part:

An excellent choice for producing mead, however be sure to supplement with yeast nutrients, especially usable nitrogen.

Do I need anything else? Is there a basic mead recipe or is the above sound alright?

 

[Spinout]

You will need yeast nutrient for making mead, honey is virtually void of nutrients. Check out the mead forum and mead recipe section of our forum, you'll find plenty of info to get started. Including how to make, what to use, what not to use, and variations from basic meads.

 

[gundarak]

I love making mead.. and they even come out better than my beers.

Ive been apprenticing under a guy in my homebrew club that only makes mead.. and recently won 1st place under Sweet Metheglin in the Mazer International Competition (http://mazercup.com/mcimc_home_results.html)

Here is a link to the yeast that he gave me to use: http://www.midwestsupplies.com/lalvin-ec-1118-champagne.html

As far as mead production.. here are a few things I learned and like to practice.

I like to make mead using as organic and close to me as possible. It makes it a bit expensive to buy honey directly from a beekeeper, but it is soooo worth the end result.

In order to prevent contamination by foreign bacteria, but to keep most of the subtle flavors of organic honey, I only heat to 170F and hold for 20 mins.

Get a different hydrometer.. you'll need one calibrated for wine.. meads tend to be 11-16%

Be preapred for the long haul. Mead is a wine.. and will take just as long to be perfect. It will sit in the fermentor for 3-4 months.. it doesnt need a secondary rack.. DONT TOUCH IT when its fermenting in primary.. bottle conditioning is recommended for at least a year before drinking!

Understand the guidelines for the styles and ratings for mead. Especially the vital statistics.. you can accurately predict your mead to match the style you choose.. if you want a semi sweet, for example.. you know you need to have a FG of 1.010 - 1.025.

How can you predict? Here are a few static numbers first.. the potential of honey is 1.035.. a constant for completely dry is 0.990. Know your yeast tolerance. ec1118 can live to 18% abv.
yeast tolerance+(dry contstant*131.25))/131.25 --> 18+(0.990*131.25))/131.25=1.127 <--- this is your OG

now we need to adjust the OG to fit the style of mead we want...lets say my desired FG is 1.020.. in the middle of semi sweet.
(desired FG-dry constant)+OG --> (1.020-0.990)+1.127=1.157 adjusted OG

next.. we need to determine (by weight) the amount of honey require to hit that adjusted OG...
lets say my desired batch volume is 4.5gal

the ratio is determined by using the points of the adjusted OG (1.157) divided by the honey potential (1.035)
157/35=4.49
the honey required for this ratio is the ratio mutplied by the desired volume
4.50*4.49=20.20lbs of honey

hope this helps!
making mead is a HUGE addiction.. just like homebrewing!

 

[fuelish]

Mead is awesome.....with so many great beers available commercially, I just make mead at home, anymore.....too lazy to be bothered with a typical brew day for beer - mead, you just mix it up, and away you go. It can be as basic or complex as you wish to make it. Basic mead, you just need sanitized equipment/fermentor, honey, water, yeast, yeast nutrient. You can go hog wild from there, adding whatever you want for additional flavors...fruits are great, oak is great, some folks like spices - ginger root is awesome, habaneros are great in a heavier sweet mead.......guess the tradeoff for the ease of making it is the seemingly insufferable wait for the finished product, although lighter meads can be ready to drink in several months, really. Once you get a bunch of fermentors and have a bunch in the pipeline, the wait becomes somewhat easier. I have 31 gallons bulk aging at the moment, 15 gallons of which are about due to be bottle carbed. I love the stuff, SWMBO loves the stuff, it's easy as all get out to make - it's a win-win-win situation.....just takes a lot of patience, and, unfortunately, good honey ain't cheap

 

[honeysucklenrog]

I love making mead.. and they even come out better than my beers.

Ive been apprenticing under a guy in my homebrew club that only makes mead.. and recently won 1st place under Sweet Metheglin in the Mazer International Competition (http://mazercup.com/mcimc_home_results.html)

Here is a link to the yeast that he gave me to use: http://www.midwestsupplies.com/lalvin-ec-1118-champagne.html

As far as mead production.. here are a few things I learned and like to practice.

I like to make mead using as organic and close to me as possible. It makes it a bit expensive to buy honey directly from a beekeeper, but it is soooo worth the end result.

In order to prevent contamination by foreign bacteria, but to keep most of the subtle flavors of organic honey, I only heat to 170F and hold for 20 mins.

Get a different hydrometer.. you'll need one calibrated for wine.. meads tend to be 11-16%

Be preapred for the long haul. Mead is a wine.. and will take just as long to be perfect. It will sit in the fermentor for 3-4 months.. it doesnt need a secondary rack.. DONT TOUCH IT when its fermenting in primary.. bottle conditioning is recommended for at least a year before drinking!

Understand the guidelines for the styles and ratings for mead. Especially the vital statistics.. you can accurately predict your mead to match the style you choose.. if you want a semi sweet, for example.. you know you need to have a FG of 1.010 - 1.025.

How can you predict? Here are a few static numbers first.. the potential of honey is 1.035.. a constant for completely dry is 0.990. Know your yeast tolerance. ec1118 can live to 18% abv.
yeast tolerance+(dry contstant*131.25))/131.25 --> 18+(0.990*131.25))/131.25=1.127 <--- this is your OG

now we need to adjust the OG to fit the style of mead we want...lets say my desired FG is 1.020.. in the middle of semi sweet.
(desired FG-dry constant)+OG --> (1.020-0.990)+1.127=1.157 adjusted OG

next.. we need to determine (by weight) the amount of honey require to hit that adjusted OG...
lets say my desired batch volume is 4.5gal

the ratio is determined by using the points of the adjusted OG (1.157) divided by the honey potential (1.035)
157/35=4.49
the honey required for this ratio is the ratio mutplied by the desired volume
4.50*4.49=20.20lbs of honey

hope this helps!
making mead is a HUGE addiction.. just like homebrewing!

So, beekeeper here. We had an abundant supply this last season. I have given away much and still have several gallons. I'm disappointed to hear how long this takes, but very excited to start.....and I don't want to screw it up! This honey is delicious and valuable, as you pointed out. I think I made a mistake getting just a 1 gallon container to ferment now. but maybe it's best to learn with small amounts first? My big concern currently is finding a spot with temperature stability. I'm looking around my house, leaving thermometers and checking. Even though we have a basement, when the temp is low we burn a wood-stove in the basement and it is currently 73 F in the un-vented areas. Seems way to high and likely to be lower when it warms up and we stop burning wood down there. So far, I gather the lower end of the range, stabilized would be preferable (60 F). I think I can create this by making a blanket door for insulation. Thoughts on temp stability?

Also, do you recommend using ginger root on the first attempt (I am crazy about ginger). Do you just sterilize the ginger root before adding? Wouldn't this be in a second ferment when adding?

 

[IslandLizard]

Check out the mead forum...

This thread should have been started in the Mead forum. I just moved it there.

 

[IslandLizard]

So, beekeeper here.

Welcome to HBT! Enjoy our forum.

Also, do you recommend using ginger root on the first attempt (I am crazy about ginger). Do you just sterilize the ginger root before adding? Wouldn't this be in a second ferment when adding?

I hope someone else can chime in on your questions as the member you're quoting/asking hasn't been on in a long time. From the user profile: @gundarak was last seen: May 2, 2018

Regarding your questions to find a suitable area for your mead fermentations, you are right, cool and steady are best. Do some searches and look around for inspiration. I don't know much about mead fermentations, I just love and enjoy the end product.

Generally a 64-66F area is good for beer, but the optimum is really driven by the yeast strain used and the intended flavors and character. Some like it a bit warmer, a few much hotter (80-95F), others cooler, while most Lager yeasts shouldn't go above 50-55F. A warmer period toward the end is usually recommended to make sure she finishes out and do some conditioning (e.g., diacetyl rests).

Many of us use a temp controlled refrigerator or freezer, which makes temp control very easy and consistent, just dial or punch it in. Others use swamp coolers, or chilled (or heated) water jackets, fermenters placed in beverage coolers or totes filled with some water and either heated by an aquarium heater or chilled by adding a few frozen water bottles daily.

You can also ferment with the seasons, selecting a suitably cool area such as a closet bordering an outside wall in the cooler months, etc.
I have a small bathroom in the lower level (underground) where temps remain very stable around 65F year long.

 

[Seamonkey84]

I would highly suggest reading “Brays one month mead (BOMM)” thread pinned at the top of this forum, or look up TOSNA for nutrient protocols. With modern nutrients and techniques, it does not take a year or months for a mead to be good.