Store-cupboard Mead recipe

[Xzarfna]

Hello there everyone!

I have come up with this recipe I want to try with stuff i have in my cupboard (I am a student and i want to make use of everything i have with no waste).

1 Pound Black treacle
1 Pound Honey
1 Pound Golden Syrup
1 Pound Rasins
1 Pound Dried Apricots

I plan to boil the 3 pounds of syrups with a couple litres of water, and add the two packs of dried fruit to the mix and leave to boil for a good while. Then simply allow to cool, add to a Gallon Demijohn and add cold water to the shoulder, adding Champagne yeast once it has reached room temperature.

Does this recipe sound viable or should i maybe just use a pack of flour and make a fruit cake...?

PS. I Live in the UK, and im not sure if treacle/golden syrup are known well in the US. Just to clarify (please forgive me if i sound condescending) but treacle is a basically very Dark Molasses like stuff (black) and Golden Syrup a very light molasses like stuff, (around the colour of honey).

 

[fatbloke]

Hello there everyone!

I have come up with this recipe I want to try with stuff i have in my cupboard (I am a student and i want to make use of everything i have with no waste).

1 Pound Black treacle
1 Pound Honey
1 Pound Golden Syrup
1 Pound Rasins
1 Pound Dried Apricots

I plan to boil the 3 pounds of syrups with a couple litres of water, and add the two packs of dried fruit to the mix and leave to boil for a good while. Then simply allow to cool, add to a Gallon Demijohn and add cold water to the shoulder, adding Champagne yeast once it has reached room temperature.

Does this recipe sound viable or should i maybe just use a pack of flour and make a fruit cake...?

PS. I Live in the UK, and im not sure if treacle/golden syrup are known well in the US. Just to clarify (please forgive me if i sound condescending) but treacle is a basically very Dark Molasses like stuff (black) and Golden Syrup a very light molasses like stuff, (around the colour of honey).

With that lot, go for the fruit cake idea........

It'd be one thing to try 2lb of honey and 1lb of golden syrup, but the black treacle will just swamp the flavour from the syrup and honey completely.

If you wanted to try something reasonably straight forward but cheap(ish), then too start with, read the Gotmead "NewBee" guide, which explains pretty much all you need to know too start with, and the JAO recipe is in chapter 6.

You can if you wanted too, but I don't bother to convert it to US gallons, I just keep all the numbers the same but mix it up to just below the shoulders of a 1 gallon DJ until it's been fermented for at least a week to 10 days, then top it up with water.

The yeast mentioned is a US brand not available here, but I've done it with hovis, Allinsons, Tesco and Co-op "normal" bread yeast.

Equally, one of the blokes at Winesathome, committed sacrilege and made a JAO but used golden syrup instead of honey. He said it came out a little sweeter tasting but still Ok, which sounds about right given that the syrup doesn't have the non-sugar/water elements of honey.

Take note of the mention of cloves though. They're powerful little buggers and they do extract very well in alcohol. Use too many and you will soon end up with something that's undrinkable........

 

[hehawbrew]

Joam is a good way to go. It's relatively cheap, easy to get ingredients, and is pretty tasty, even after three months.

FB is right on about clove. I made a cider recently and added 3 cloves to 3 gallons of cider..... They are pretty overpowering.

 

[WVMJ]

I would suggest you stop by FBs place and taste each one of his meads until you find one you like to try and make WVMJ