Newbie Mead Brew in N. IL

[meading_of_minds]

Greetings to all.

I found this site from GotMead.com. I have spent the last two months reading and reading and trying stuff out. I've been slowly purchasing honey, chemicals, yeasts, equipment, a little this check and a little that one.

I decided it would be good to join here as well as there. Lots of great advice in both locations. I don't think I'd have made it this far without the info found in both.

Basically, we like sweet mead at our house. After 2 price increases and a tax increase, we decided to attempt brewing our own. I'm on my seventh batch and am definitely hooked. I've made 2 batches JAO, 2 batches hard cider, a batch of hard lemonade (definitely a do not repeat), a batch of No Age Sweet Mead and, the newest, a batch of caramel mead begun this weekend.

 

[nepatsfan1]

Welcome

My wife nakes mead also. She likes the quick meads like JAO but she is now going to make a traditional mead since i got her a new glass carboy for her.

Happy Brewing

 

[sp1365]

Welcome. I am not a mead brewer (yet, I love mead but it takes time/space I don't have yet), but it is always nice to see people from N. IL.

 

[DragonTail]

Welcome

 

[flyweed]

Welcome..I am from SouthWest Wisconsin, and I brew quite a few meads, ciders, melomels and the occasional beer..but prefer mead overall. I am a member over at gotmead as well. I like both boards and both are very useful. I am a paying member over there as well.

ANyway....what did you make for Ciders and how were they? I am really interested in getting an oak barrel or two to age a cider and mead in..us Midwest guys/gals should get together and find a source and make a group buy on some if anyone else is interested.

Dan

 

[meading_of_minds]

It was not the best recipe. I used bread yeast I think and started with balloons for airlocks until I could buy a few. I've got a really small budget for supplies.
I think it was apple juice, raisins, brown sugar, bread yeast. I made it back in October 09. I just let it go until the balloons fell, then racked it into clean bottles, put it in the fridge. I made four 1L bottles at the same time, same recipe, and each one tasted different. I've still got two 750ml bottles in the fridge, and they taste better each time I have some.
I don't remember the exact recipe, but if you're interested, send me a pm and i'll see if I can located the specifics.

 

[summersolstice]

Welcome. I am not a mead brewer (yet, I love mead but it takes time/space I don't have yet), but it is always nice to see people from N. IL.

No time and space isn't really an excuse to not make mead. I've whipped up a Joe's Ancient Orange in a 1-gallon carboy on my lunch break and still had time to eat lunch and get back to work. A 1-gallon carboy doesn't take up much space.

 

[sp1365]

No time and space isn't really an excuse to not make mead. I've whipped up a Joe's Ancient Orange in a 1-gallon carboy on my lunch break and still had time to eat lunch and get back to work. A 1-gallon carboy doesn't take up much space.

The time to make I am not worried about, I have plenty of that time. I am more worried about the aging time. I am a graduating college senior and only have 3.5 months till I move out. I worry about transporting half done mead.

As for space, I am sure I could find space, but right now what space isn't taken up by my school junk is taken up by my beer brewing stuff.

I might start doing mead soon, but if not I am definitely going to start once I get a job and an apartment after graduation.

 

[cheesecake]

welcome to the forum....ive made mead but i make more beer then anything

 

[meading_of_minds]

It's interesting to see how many people there are brewing in the N. IL area. I think there's a lot of crossover from beer to wine to mead. Even though I don't brew beer, I still read bits and pieces there. You can learn lots of things about techniques and tools from many sources. And, from looking at signatures, many here brew a little of everything.

I'm definitely looking forward to poking around here much more!

 

[sp1365]

This is a pretty fun place and does have a little bit for everyone.

Though I am not home now (in school in Dayton, OH). If you don't mind me asking where in N. IL are you from?