Thread: Got Mead?

Where is a good place to buy airlocks and other equipment for home brewing?

Thank you,
--Shoki

Originally Posted by Shoki

Where is a good place to buy airlocks and other equipment for home brewing?

Thank you,
--Shoki

Best place is your local homebrew shop.


They should also have stuff like 5 litre glass flagons which you can put a bung in, and brew directly in there. Thats what I use for all my test batches. The glass flagons are about $20AUD and have an airtight stopper. When not brewing in them, I use them for my spirits - they have many uses.


My first batch of mead according ot the original poster's recipie was done last night - it started bubbling away about an hour after adding yeast and is going even better today.


The one thing I found difficult was getting the honey to assimilate into the water. I have about 10mm of honey in the bottom of the fermenter, which appears to have reduced somewhat since last night (was about another third when I first started it), so I assume that getting every last bit of honey to dissolve is not going to hinder the process too much?

Originally Posted by Shoki

Where is a good place to buy airlocks and other equipment for home brewing?

Thank you,
--Shoki

Midwest Supplies - Home wine making supply and home brew supply available on-line at Midwest Homebrewing Supplies. Search for wine recipes and beer recipes

Now,I am really liking this mead idea,but........can you make this in say just a 1 gallon increment?The thing that has always thwarted me from making any kind of homebrew is the fact that I live in a little apartment with not a ton of space.I would love to just make a little here and there instead of big 5 gallon batches.And can you make this in some sort of glass keg type deal with a tap?It would be nice if you could just have a handy little tapped sealed keg of some sort and drink at will as opposed to having to drink a whole bottle to avoid spoilage.Plus I want to avoid having a bunch of bottles laying around,again a space issue.Let alone having to get a capper and all that rot.Which leads me to yet another question.How long after opening does this stuff keep ? Sorry.I guess I'm whining......no pun intended heh .

Originally Posted by Nightblade

Now,I am really liking this mead idea,but........can you make this in say just a 1 gallon increment?The thing that has always thwarted me from making any kind of homebrew is the fact that I live in a little apartment with not a ton of space.I would love to just make a little here and there instead of big 5 gallon batches.And can you make this in some sort of glass keg type deal with a tap?It would be nice if you could just have a handy little tapped sealed keg of some sort and drink at will as opposed to having to drink a whole bottle to avoid spoilage.Plus I want to avoid having a bunch of bottles laying around,again a space issue.Let alone having to get a capper and all that rot.Which leads me to yet another question.How long after opening does this stuff keep ? Sorry.I guess I'm whining......no pun intended heh .

Yes you can make it in 1 gallon amounts... I plan on getting a few growlers to bottle mine in... Enough to drink with friends but not enough to get sick on...

Open the link in the first post... There is a recipe for quick mead...

OOOOO....what's a growler ???

Originally Posted by Shoki

Where is a good place to buy airlocks and other equipment for home brewing?

Thank you,
--Shoki

If you don't have a local brew shop, like me, this is a pretty good source. I've been using them for years, ever since the local brew shop was replaced by a pool place. Not the nice pool either, the kind you fill with water.

Home Wine Making Supplies For Making Wine At Home: E. C. Kraus

I just started my first batch(es) last night, based loosely on the recipe. I decided to make three batches, however, and made them in 10L jugs, rather than 4L. Good bloody thing, too! As a heads-up for anyone who adds a lot of fruit to theirs, leave LOTS of room. My batch of regular mead is fine, but the blueberry and the raspberry batches needed about 3L of breathing room to not foam up and clog the airway.

Naturally, as this was my first go at this, I DIDN'T leave that much room--though I was smart enough to leave at least 2L of room, so the cleanup was slightly less horrible than it could have been. Also, do make sure that you keep an eye on the mead for at least the first 12 hours, as that was the only reason I caught it before the balloon burst, which would have been spectacular!

Now I just have to figure out how I'm going to rack the mead, and wait 6 months for it to mature...

Best of luck, all!

Growler



Growler


A growler is a U.S. half gallon (1,890 ml/66.5 imp fl oz) glass jug used to transport draft beer in Australia, the United States and Canada. They are commonly sold at breweries and brewpubs as a means to sell take-out beer. Some breweries also offer a one-litre or one-quart version. Growlers are also used by homebrewers as an alternative to kegs or smaller bottles for carbonating and storing their beer.

Growlers are generally made of glass and have either a screw-on cap or a hinged porcelain gasket cap, which can provide freshness for a week or more. A properly sealed growler will hold carbonation indefinitely and will store beer like any other sanitized bottle. Some growler caps are equipped with valves to allow replacement of CO2 lost while racking. The modern glass growler was first introduced by Charlie and Ernie Otto of Otto Brother's Brewing Company in 1989.

The term likely dates back to the late 19th century when fresh beer was carried from the local pub to one's home by means of a small galvanized pail. It is claimed the sound that the CO2 made when it escaped from the lid as the beer sloshed around sounded like a growl.

Originally Posted by wedwards

Best place is your local homebrew shop.


They should also have stuff like 5 litre glass flagons which you can put a bung in, and brew directly in there. <snip>

I'd not brew that small a batch as a noob; you'll want a more stable volume. I do all my brewing and fermenting (I make beer, mead and wine) in five gallon carboys. Go big or go home!

<snip>

The one thing I found difficult was getting the honey to assimilate into the water. I have about 10mm of honey in the bottom of the fermenter, which appears to have reduced somewhat since last night (was about another third when I first started it), so I assume that getting every last bit of honey to dissolve is not going to hinder the process too much?

It helps to use warm/hot water and to have the patience of a saint, especially when making the heavier melomels. It may help to stirr it while it's still young, otherwise you'll lose some honey (honey=sugar=alcohol) when you rack it of the leeds.

I normally start my batches in a six gallon bucket (food grade and all that, but I've used sketchy buckets early on without ill effects) and am pretty aggressive for the first couple of days with stirring and keeping things going. After the first few days of feverish activity the yeast will slow down, and then I move it to a five gallon carboy, which removes the good liquor from the dead yeast (leeds) and aerates it to stimulate further fermentation.

On a few occasions I have used gallon bottles, but as a rule I don't, and try to keep all my batches above three gallons minimum - that's around 12 liters, take or give a cup.

Cheers!