Thread: Got Mead?

Sounds like it should do good... I'm curious as to the black tea... I have heard of this but have never tired it in my batches... Let us know what happens...

Yeah.. im not exactly sure what its supposed to do. But I figured it couldn't hurt.

black tea has tanin in it....I'm not sure if its the same tanin used in wine brewing, but I think it might be.

AHH that makes a lot of sense! Tho I will be adding bentonite clay to clear everything up when the time comes. And from what I hear that will draw out a lot of the tannins and give it a clearer flavor. So the tea may have been all for not. We will see tho!

So I have realized. Im my garage I have 2 5gal carboys. They are made by Nalgene as lab equipment. In fact I go them from a local materials testing lab that was changing owners. In their time as lab tools they contained nothing but distilled water. These are $150+ new and I got em for $2.00 a piece! So I may start a batch of hard cider and another batch of mead.
So whats your best 5 gallon mead or cider recipe?

Originally Posted by EmsMonkey

So I have realized. Im my garage I have 2 5gal carboys. They are made by Nalgene as lab equipment. In fact I go them from a local materials testing lab that was changing owners. In their time as lab tools they contained nothing but distilled water. These are $150+ new and I got em for $2.00 a piece! So I may start a batch of hard cider and another batch of mead.
So whats your best 5 gallon mead or cider recipe?

I never actually used anything but a 1 gallon recipe and multiplied all the ingredients times 5....or 3 or however many gallons I'm makeing

Originally Posted by nickedNsliced

I never actually used anything but a 1 gallon recipe and multiplied all the ingredients times 5....or 3 or however many gallons I'm making

Me too... Here is my one gallon recipe for Orange Cranberry...

1 Gallon of Spring Water
2 Lbs Honey
25 Raisins
1 Can Cranberry Sauce
1 Package of Red Star Yeast

From what I have tasted, it tastes like a White Zinfindel

The problem with 1 gallon recipes is that you come up with a brilliant batch but only have a little bit of it.


I'm drinking my strawberry mead right now. I started with 6 gallons, but then ended up with 5 of the finished product. I was able to get 2 cases of 22 oz bottles out of it, plus two extra "tester bottles". Because I have so many, I get to give a bunch away. As an added benefit, I can crack a bottle every few weeks to taste how it changes over time.

My current batch is a strawberry mead. Immediately after bottling, it tasted a bit hot, but was absolutely delicious. Now, as time goes on it keeps getting better and mellowing out.

Originally Posted by JohnJ

The problem with 1 gallon recipes is that you come up with a brilliant batch but only have a little bit of it.

I agree with this however, I'm glad that I didn't make 5 gallons of my first batch...

I am enjoying the one gallon for my first batch just because I would HATE to waste all that honey and time on a 5 gal batch because of a newbie mistake. Once I know I have it all down ill be moving up to 5gal but until then ill have some fun with my super micro batches