Mead Making

Do you have any brewing equipment?

hot sauce

>>8286604
I GOT DRUNK ON MEAD THE FIRST TIME I EVER DRANK. IT WAS FROM A NATIVE RUSSIAN WHO CLAIMED TO BE A DESCENDANT OF A CZAR. IT WAS A PLEASANT EXPERIENCE.

>>8286712
I was planning on buy one of those mead maker starter kits for my first try. So no i dont

>>8286604
Sweet mead gets old quick unless you make a variety of infused flavors using fruit puree or artificial flavoring if you want to be heathen.

The real way to go is aim for hard dry astringent meads. People drink it like it's cider but that stuff can straight fuck you up. Makes you feel like a viking. That's why I own a drinking horn. Also I recommend using high attenuation champagne yeasts and ferment at lower temperatures. Basically lager it. Also if you do infuse fruit into it let that stuff sit six months minimum or it will just be awful. The dry stuff you can drink pretty much off the bat, i've never noticed ageing significantly changing the flavor. Having strong mead on hand is the definition of a good host.

>>8288727
Also side note beer comes in beer bottles, wine comes in wine bottles. Mead can come in anything so I suggest buying some rad fucking bottles. The color of mead always makes it look cool as fuck.

>>8288727
Pretty much correct. Champagne yeast is what I use for a dry mead. The sweet mead is kind if nauseating, but I don't like sweets.

I disagree about his assessment of melomels (fruit mead) however. They're enjoyable after 3 months of fermentation and transferring every month before bottling. I usually keep several bottles "put up" from each batch, but I start enjoying it after 3-4 months.

Haha I just made a batch yesterday!

Used 5 kilos of honey for 4 gallons total. Threw honey into 2 gallon pot of hot water to dissolve.

After it had dissolved and was hot enough to let out some decent steam, threw in a half ounce of mugwort, quart ounce of wormwood, and and ounce of yarrow flowers. Let that sit for 10 minutes heated.

Threw a pack of s04 into a bucket with the rest of the cold water to make 4 gallons. Dry hopping with another half ounce of mugwort.

It's my first mead batch, but I've been doing beers and wines for a few years. Hoping for the best!

>>8286604
Don't treat it like beer?

Honey is very fermentable. The longer you let the yeast at it, the less "honey" there will be. The yeast will need some time to fix its mistakes, even with something as simple to break down as honey, but if you plan on lagering it for months, you will need something to add complexity to the flavour - a different, darker/more flavourful kind of honey, some citrus rind, elderberries... something with a non-fermentable quotient.

If you plan on making a very simple mead, especially if you're using a heavily processed honey, a month from primary to opening the bottle should be plenty of time, depending on your yeast choice.

>>8288894
Strange, where the fuck did you get "mugwort" and "wormwood?" Those aren't off the shelf items in 'murrica. What is the flavor profile of them?

>>8289060
Ordered online, I believe the shop worked through Amazon. I couldn't put a finger on the wormwood profile, other than bitter. And for mugwort, I don't know, herby? Like how some hops are piney, but on the earthier side. I read that yarrow gives a citrus flavor after conditioning.

I was hard pressed to find definitive recipes and amounts, so it's a trial more than anything. Either it'll be way too bitter, or it'll be a semi sweet with an herbal buzz.

>>8286604
The Compleat Meadmaker is a good book to set you in the right direction for meadmaking.

>>8286604
Melomels are usually quicker to drink than straight-up mead. Easier to hide off flavours.

>>8289144
Interesting. I'll bet it comes out damn good.

This thread made me break out a peach melomel that I brewed about 6 months ago. Smooth, dry with a hint of peach flavor and aroma. Not much different than 4 months ago, though.

How do you get your piss bottles this dark? Mine stop at around the rightmost one..