BEEKEEPING LEARNING CENTER > CRAFTING CORNER
Acebird?s mead.
JurassicApiary:
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!
Acebird:
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.
Bill Murray:
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.
Acebird:
--- Quote from: Bill Murray on July 04, 2021, 03:05:05 am ---I find gallon jugs better because if you have a contamination issue you dont lose 5 gallon.
--- End quote ---
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.
Bill Murray:
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.
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