Thread: Anybody heard of mead?

Originally Posted by ultrasoundguy2003

Dang set me aside a couple of quarts of "raw". I will be down for it once the weather breaks. Paying $10 for a pint of it in grocery store. Walmart cuts theirs with corn syrup. Back to the post

Yeast cant eat all that honey. add fruit at the end of a boil so that flavors stay. pits and seeds boiled too long add to bitter notes. You will also get the florals from what kind of flowers the bees pollinated. Or you can just get buzzed.

Magpie you have a Meadery?? Get together at your place, might end up with some wonky bevels . I am in.

There is no need to boil when making mead. It just drives off the delicate flavors. The yeast you add overpowers anything that may exist in the honey.

I love mead but my girlfriend doesn't drink which means I don't drink anymore lol. But never got the motivation to buy the equipment

Actually, preparation of mead (hydromel) is a series of 3 classes I minister on the biochemistry course at University while discussing Eukaria metabolism, enzimatic catalysis and biofuels (further linked with lipid structure and functions when I lyse glycerol and biodiesel from any seed oil). Alumni loves these classes.
My typical recipe involves a strong infusion of Cola nut or nutmeg, honey and yeast, fermented directly inside strong 1L reaction glass vessels (bottles ) in a special built high-tech reactor with isolated alveoli for the reaction vessels, with a catastrophic failure pressure relief syphon and a inelastic polymer band with alphanumeric locking device to keep the reactor lid locked (Styrofoam cooler with corrugated cardboard walls to avoid bottle shrapnel to break other bottles in case of explosion, a hole in the middle of a lateral wall to allow CO2 escaping and a samsonite luggage locking band ).
Usually 10-15% of the vials explode, wich renders me only about 18 L of hydromel to share with the undergrads (all 18+) every semester at the winter or summer pre-holyday party.

Niw that us funny I don't care who you are! Probably be my method also. I must be a PHD!!!! Tc

Originally Posted by Matheus

Actually, preparation of mead (hydromel) is a series of 3 classes I minister on the biochemistry course at University while discussing Eukaria metabolism, enzimatic catalysis and biofuels (further linked with lipid structure and functions when I lyse glycerol and biodiesel from any seed oil). Alumni loves these classes.
My typical recipe involves a strong infusion of Cola nut or nutmeg, honey and yeast, fermented directly inside strong 1L reaction glass vessels (bottles ) in a special built high-tech reactor with isolated alveoli for the reaction vessels, with a catastrophic failure pressure relief syphon and a inelastic polymer band with alphanumeric locking device to keep the reactor lid locked (Styrofoam cooler with corrugated cardboard walls to avoid bottle shrapnel to break other bottles in case of explosion, a hole in the middle of a lateral wall to allow CO2 escaping and a samsonite luggage locking band ).
Usually 10-15% of the vials explode, wich renders me only about 18 L of hydromel to share with the undergrads (all 18+) every semester at the winter or summer pre-holyday party.

That's awesome! Luckily I haven't had to deal with any bottle bombs...yet.

Originally Posted by Faile85

That's awesome! Luckily I haven't had to deal with any bottle bombs...yet.

What are you using for bottles? I,m assuming that mason jars won't work? My old moonshiner heritage showing huh? Tc

I am currently using beer bottles with kilner-type caps (the ones with a ceramic nipple with rubber ring attached to the bottle by a heavy wire lever, as Grolsch beer bottles).

Use only round bottles and tie the cap apparatus with several turns of string. The pressure is nasty. 24 hours before opening, move the entire reactor to the refrigerator. DO NOT open room-temperature bottles or SWMBO will make you buy a new house.

Originally Posted by Matheus

Use only round bottles and tie the cap apparatus with several turns of string. The pressure is nasty. 24 hours before opening, move the entire reactor to the refrigerator. DO NOT open room-temperature bottles or SWMBO will make you buy a new house.

I can't have that she would make the closets bigger than this house we built and then make me put my closet in the garage! Thanks I'll see if I can find the bottles you mentioned, so when it's ready just transfer to bottles and let age in a cool dark place then? Refrigerate before opening. Gotcha. This is going to be fun, I'll get my stuff ordered and do the cherry right away, blackberry in the summer. Wahoooo! My wife us going to kill he , I drink too much already. Tc

Originally Posted by tcrideshd

What are you using for bottles? I,m assuming that mason jars won't work? My old moonshiner heritage showing huh? Tc

During the fermentation I use glass carboys with an airlock to allow CO2 to escape, for bottling I use sanitized wine bottles and corks or the kilner style Matheus was talking about. I never bottle with yeast that's still active though so I don't end up with the pressure issues.