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 Grandmas Boy
Registered: 05/23/14
Posts: 164
Loc: 
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 Who knows their mead? 
#758392 - 11/22/14 06:07 AM (10 years, 27 days ago) |
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Last night I tried mead for the first time. I quite liked it, but I suspect it was a low quality brew. Much better than beer, imo. I want to try something higher quality and preferably more traditional, like a honey mead. Definitely not overly fruity. I don't want to spend too much, but I'm looking to grab my father a bottle of good stuff for Christmas(he thought it was cool shit too). The LCBO only has the stuff I tried and it's the first time I've ever seen it. I'm gonna do some looking online, but if anyone has some links to something decent or experiences to share I'd be happy to hear them.
Thanks 
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Grandma loves you
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 RasJeph
Psycho Pete
Registered: 01/14/09
Posts: 11,657
Loc: Bumfuckt Egypt
Last seen: 1 year, 1 month
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Re: Who knows their mead? [Re: Grandmas Boy]
#758402 - 11/22/14 08:59 AM (10 years, 27 days ago) |
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I've actually only ever had what I made myself.
It's stupidly easy. Stupidly. Can get a bit pricey but it is definitely worth your time.
I highly recommend brewing yourself a batch.
Edit: Heh, I see I made a thread about it in the related threads. It came out awesome, and since then I've had a few people pay me and buy the ingredients to make them some. I'm fucking broke right now but I might do a batch after the new year. Viking style it for the winter.
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Of course it's happening inside your head.
Why should that mean it isn't real?
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captain.koons
Failed Botanist
Registered: 06/25/08
Posts: 6,170
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Re: Who knows their mead? [Re: RasJeph]
#758504 - 11/22/14 05:34 PM (10 years, 27 days ago) |
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Done right, mead is more complicated than making wine or beer from a kit by far. Stirring daily, adding nutrients, making sure you add the right amount of nutrients as to not be left with residual, racking usually multiple times for clarity, and then adding honey or blending for sweetness.
I can't bring myself to drink mead that isn't prepared properly anymore. I only use high quality honey which I buy from a friend for a deal. He usually sells it for $12/lb and I pay $80bucks for 15kg/33lb. My province allows for 1 bee hive per residence within city limits now so I'm going to start a couple next year and hopefully get 500-1000lbs of quality honey. The stuff I'm getting is mostly canola but there's tons of wild flowers within range of the hives. So I pay something like 45 bucks for 5gals of quality mead.
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oeric mckenna
Pure Indica
Registered: 07/18/14
Posts: 758
Loc: Mars
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Re: Who knows their mead? [Re: Grandmas Boy]
#758543 - 11/22/14 07:30 PM (10 years, 27 days ago) |
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Its great. I've made plenty. if you do it right you can arrange your final sweetness with your yeast selection & its attenuation. mead has great healing properties for colds and viruses. especially with raw honey that's not heated too hot during the brewing process
Mead is honey & water. (& yeast) . Anything else, fruit, ect, and its named things other than mead
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GoonerHeClips
Stranger
Registered: 08/24/14
Posts: 380
Last seen: 7 years, 4 months
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I got into the mead a while back and still have a ton of honey. Gave it up because the focus was on beer, but now I'm left with about 200 lbs. of meadowfoam honey. Interesting stuff, and I have yet to make my first mead with it. Kind of a marshmallow butterscotch flavor, very unique.
I'm thinking something sweet and 14% ABV, do you have any recipe ideas and yeast recs for that one, Oeric?
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oeric mckenna
Pure Indica
Registered: 07/18/14
Posts: 758
Loc: Mars
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You'll have to look up the possible profiles of individual yeasts... most will give a general idea right on the package. Also research your own preferred sweetness and gauge how much honey to add per batch, because when the yeast gets done doing its job, what it can't handle will be your residual sugar as you know. I like to set things in the middle so to ballpark that figure, I'd say 12lbs of honey to 5 gal water with some regular pasteur red wine yeast.
Straight honey mead is preferably made to be acidic with some sourness and an easy way to do this is with lemons.
mead with apple is called "cyser" and I believe mead with fruit is called "methelgin" (?)
My favorite that I've made is raspberry. The driest , strongest and most healing I've made was with 14lbs raw honey (per 5 gal.water) which was left unheated, 5 lbs of raspberries, and the kicker was champagne yeast. Champagne yeast will eat most everything up and leave thinner bodied, super dry, super alcoholy strong mead.
One glass of that would literally send most sickness running...
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GoonerHeClips
Stranger
Registered: 08/24/14
Posts: 380
Last seen: 7 years, 4 months
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Actually with spices it's a metheglin and with fruit it's melomel other than apples which as you point out is a cyser, and with grapes which is a pyment, and with malt is a braggot.
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oeric mckenna
Pure Indica
Registered: 07/18/14
Posts: 758
Loc: Mars
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Ahh yes^ its been years since I've read of them.
Got a book called "sacred & herbal healing beers" . its pretty badass actually.
Just wrapped up a nice batch of beer today...lots of work, but so worth it!
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GoonerHeClips
Stranger
Registered: 08/24/14
Posts: 380
Last seen: 7 years, 4 months
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Quote:
oeric mckenna said:
Ahh yes^ its been years since I've read of them.
Got a book called "sacred & herbal healing beers" . its pretty badass actually.
Just wrapped up a nice batch of beer today...lots of work, but so worth it!
Yeah I have that book too. "Ye olde" brews in there are especially interesting.
Brewing is one of my favorite activities so yeah! What did you brew?
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oeric mckenna
Pure Indica
Registered: 07/18/14
Posts: 758
Loc: Mars
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Well its lager yeast and will be a long, cold brewed creation with belgian white additions like toasted orange peel, lemon zest and all kinds of funky grains like rye, oats, raw wheat, belgian & munich malts. Homegrown hops
Smelled so kickass... toasting the orange peel is really amazing
Like a creamsicle
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