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Author Topic: Acebird?s mead.  (Read 9462 times)

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Acebird?s mead.
« Reply #20 on: January 18, 2021, 06:40:55 pm »
I would use the honey with the strongest flavor. I would also first pick the one with the highest water content. Here, sometimes my honey is up around 18.5%. If I was pulling honey and it was higher, instead of drying it I would just use it for mead.
Jim Altmiller
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
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Offline JurassicApiary

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Re: Acebird?s mead.
« Reply #21 on: January 18, 2021, 07:56:42 pm »
I would use the honey with the strongest flavor. I would also first pick the one with the highest water content. Here, sometimes my honey is up around 18.5%. If I was pulling honey and it was higher, instead of drying it I would just use it for mead.
Jim Altmiller

Thank you for the tips, Jim.  Makes sense about using honey with higher moisture to save on the work of dehydrating it. 

Offline Acebird

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Re: Acebird?s mead.
« Reply #22 on: January 19, 2021, 09:15:08 am »

Any suggestions as to the honey variety?  I plan to use one of my own, but they vary from white down to amber.  Do the character and complexities of the darker honey carry through into the Meade and add to it (or hinder it) at all? O,r is it best to stick with a more traditional white honey that's perhaps extra floral?

I only harvested honey once a year in late fall so it was a blend.  Unless you are trying to attain a specific flavor I would use a blend.  Specific flavors come about by additives, fruit for instance.  The hardest part about making mead is patience.  You just have to wait.  The longer you wait the better it gets.
I am totally out of honey, my bees are not producing they are just existing, and I have but one bottle of NY mead left.  I hate to crack it open until I can make another batch.
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Offline JurassicApiary

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Re: Acebird?s mead.
« Reply #23 on: January 19, 2021, 01:06:45 pm »

Any suggestions as to the honey variety?  I plan to use one of my own, but they vary from white down to amber.  Do the character and complexities of the darker honey carry through into the Meade and add to it (or hinder it) at all? O,r is it best to stick with a more traditional white honey that's perhaps extra floral?

I only harvested honey once a year in late fall so it was a blend.  Unless you are trying to attain a specific flavor I would use a blend.  Specific flavors come about by additives, fruit for instance.  The hardest part about making mead is patience.  You just have to wait.  The longer you wait the better it gets.
I am totally out of honey, my bees are not producing they are just existing, and I have but one bottle of NY mead left.  I hate to crack it open until I can make another batch.

Thanks for jumping in Acebird.  All of my harvests are wildflower, so it's just seasonal varieties for me.  As I do lots of removals now, I do run across other hives if different areas around the island with different wildflower sources than my apiary.  So I end up with a variety throughout the year from white to amber.  I just want sure if lighter vs. darker honey yielded different tasting Meade depending on the honey used as the darker honey's tend to have more intense flavor profiles.

But now I'm going to need to buy all the gear and supplies, oh darn...lol.  Would you suggest it probably best to go to a local home-brewery supply?  I figure they should have everything I need.

Offline Acebird

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Re: Acebird?s mead.
« Reply #24 on: January 20, 2021, 08:40:19 am »
You would need bottles, at least two glass carboys, a hydrometer, large pot, funnel, air lock, a wine thief and tubing.  Local brewery suppliers kept going out of business for me so I resorted to buying online.  Oh I forgot a strong back to lift full carboys.  I made a hoist out of a boat winch to help with that.
oops, forgot a thermometer..
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Offline JurassicApiary

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Re: Acebird?s mead.
« Reply #25 on: January 20, 2021, 01:02:38 pm »
Thanks for the list.  There's still one or two brewery supply companies in Honolulu--I'll check on them and support local, if possible. My back is not so great.  It's one of the reasons I chose to go the route of 8-frame hives.  So, thanks for that tip; I had not thought that far ahead yet as to moving full carboys!

Offline Acebird

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Re: Acebird?s mead.
« Reply #26 on: January 21, 2021, 09:26:52 am »
Moving is easy with a wheeled cart but lifting is the problem.  The last thing you want to do is drop or break a carboy.  That is why you want to think about how to clean a carboy.  They are slippery when wet.  That brings up another item you need.  Handles for the carboys if they don't have them.  Caps and stoppers too.
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Offline Bill Murray

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Re: Acebird?s mead.
« Reply #27 on: July 04, 2021, 03:05:05 am »
I make mine in 1 gallon glass bottles. Any honey over 19 percent goes to this. Could be any flow but mostly honey extracted now. I find gallon jugs better because if you have a contamination issue you dont lose 5 gallon.

Offline Acebird

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Re: Acebird?s mead.
« Reply #28 on: July 04, 2021, 08:30:17 am »
I find gallon jugs better because if you have a contamination issue you dont lose 5 gallon.
One way to look at it.  Another is that you have 5 chances for contamination as oppose to one.  Sanitation is important.  Don't hurry the process.
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Offline Bill Murray

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Re: Acebird?s mead.
« Reply #29 on: July 17, 2021, 10:18:21 am »
So here is how I do it.
1)  sanitize everything. I use star-san
2)  2 quarts of water in large pot. Heat to just before boiling, add honey and dissolve.
3)  Top to 4 gallon with cool water and stir
4) While cooling in 1gallon Jugs I add 2 pound fruit (for Melomels) or spices (for metheglins) or nothing at all (mead)
5) Transfer honey water mixture to 1 gallon jugs, top off to about 2 inches of headspace and shake. add lids
6) let temp. drop below 90 degrees and pitch 1/2 package of yeast in each gallon jug, lid and shake a couple of minutes.
7) Put on stoppers and airlocks cover jugs and put in temp. controlled environment (60 to 75 deg.)
8) I let ferment 4 to 6 weeks then move to secondary (you can find all kinds of argument here, just what I do).
9 Let ferment out (same SP readings)
10 back-sweeten to taste and bottle. Let sit as long as you can. Through the whole process patience is the key.

Offline Acebird

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Re: Acebird?s mead.
« Reply #30 on: July 21, 2021, 09:34:44 am »
The time to ferment will depend on what yeast you use.  Some are slower then others.
I would not add fruit to mead until you have had success with a basic mead.  It complicates the process and masks the natural flavors of the raw nectars.  You shouldn't have to add fruit to make the mead drinkable is my opinion.
Brian Cardinal
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Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Acebird?s mead.
« Reply #31 on: July 24, 2021, 11:04:47 pm »
Brian,
Finally able to stop and start some mead. We just setup 5 gallons today. We started boiling the water early this morning. We just added the yeast and are waiting for it to reach room temperature to put the trap on.
Bill Murray provided the honey. It is at 19.7% which is perfect for making mead. Thanks Bill. If I can get another car it, we?ll make another 5 gallons for my daughter.
Jim Altmiller
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Acebird?s mead.
« Reply #32 on: July 24, 2021, 11:11:55 pm »

Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline Acebird

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Re: Acebird?s mead.
« Reply #33 on: July 28, 2021, 04:46:11 pm »
Brian,
Finally able to stop and start some mead. We just setup 5 gallons today. We started boiling the water early this morning. We just added the yeast and are waiting for it to reach room temperature to put the trap on.
Bill Murray provided the honey. It is at 19.7% which is perfect for making mead. Thanks Bill. If I can get another car it, we?ll make another 5 gallons for my daughter.
Jim Altmiller
Jim what temperature did you put the yeast in?  It can't be hot.  I mix the yeast in the pot, transfer the must to the carboy and shake heck out of it.
Brian Cardinal
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Offline BeeMaster2

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Re: Acebird?s mead.
« Reply #34 on: July 28, 2021, 09:10:32 pm »
We waited until the temp was at 100 degrees. I shook the heck out of it for quite a while, lots of bubbles. We hydrated the yeast when the temperature was 110, expecting it to drop quickly but it was over a half hor before we were able to add it. It did not take long before it started to bubble.
It has been bubbling nonstop ever since.


Jim Altmiller
Democracy is 2 wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well armed lamb contesting the vote.
Ben Franklin

Offline Acebird

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Re: Acebird?s mead.
« Reply #35 on: July 29, 2021, 07:50:42 am »
Some yeast can't take over 86 degrees which is why I don't add it until the must has cooled overnight.  If fermentation stops in a couple of days just pitch it again.
Brian Cardinal
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