suggestions - (sweet mead recipe)

[rattler_mt]

never made mead but......

ive got 7 pounds of blackberry honey

ive got EC-1118, Danstar Nottingham and Fermentis Safale US-05 dry ale yeast

suggestions for a sweet mead? its 300 miles to the nearest brewery store so this is what ive got but i can get locally produced alfalfa honey if i need more.......

worth using the blackberry honey for some of the "Ancient Orange Mead" recipe variations?

 

[BigKahuna]

You've got what you need for a nice sweet mead...and an expirament I've wanted to try.

2 gallons of water, 7#'s o Honey, and Notty!

I've been dying to try Notty in Mead...I just don't have any fermentors to do it in. It poops out at around 9%, so my plan is to mix a little "Thick" then water down to a gravity reading around 1.080. That should leave a final gravity about 1.010, sweet, but not cloying.

 

[EvilTOJ]

BigKahuna's got the right idea. That's enough honey for 2 gallons of mead.

 

[rattler_mt]

done and in the fermenter.....2 gallons of water, 7 pounds of blackberry honey, Notty yeast and a bit of yeast nutrient....the honey was a bit crystallized so i just mixed it with the water and ran it through the blender to mix and oxygenize it ...will let yah know how it goes.......how quickly should it ferment at about 75 degrees?

 

[z987k]

say a month in the primary, 3-4 months in the secondary and another 6 in a tertiary, then a good year in the bottle and it'll be great!

 

[rattler_mt]

still have some slow activity in the airlock.....swiped a sample.....not sweet at all but not dry either, very light....very lil hotness to it....has a sort citrus taste which i find odd as i didnt use any orange peel, just water, honey and yeast.....all in all better than my apple wines at this stage.....going to rack it into a secondary some time this week......thinking bout adding another pound of honey to it and maybe some spices or maybe fruit? im not sure at this point.....

 

[Yooper]

Well, if it's already got some hotness to it, more honey just might up the ABV enough to make it even hotter. Did you take any SG readings? That would help you to know where you're at.

I'd wait before adding any spices- they can get overpowering if too much, and you can always add them later. I've found that a "wait and see" approach is best in young meads and wines.

 

[Yuri_Rage]

First, read this thread.

Then take Yooper's advice.

 

[rattler_mt]

i have a reading when i mixed it written down but my notebook is down in the basement somewhere(started a home improvement project or two since starting this batch so things are a tad disorganized at the moment), will take another when i rack it......will post those results before i do anything......may just buy some more honey and start a second batch and tweak some things and wait this one out......given the minimal hotness now is it likely to get hotter if left alone? just trying to guestimate if it will be drinkable for hunting camp in November....

BTW sorry bout the title Yuri....will do better next time.....just used to using those kinds of titles on another board......