Being a Celtic pagan, I've decided to take the plunge and start making mead in time for my birthday and Ostara. Unfortunately, I forgot the raisins and the only ones I had at home were the yogurt-covered ones, and by then I was getting really impatient to just make something, so I did a quick Google search and found somewhat conflicting messages:
1) You need raisins to get more nutrients for the yeast. NO SKIPPING.
2) The ancient people needed raisins because wild yeast was much less robust than modern yeast. No raisins are fine, it's become a harmless throwback by now.
3) You need raisins because of the grapes' natural yeast cultures. NO SKIPPING.
4) The ancient people needed raisins because they needed more yeast AND more nutrients. Modern yeast is more robust, so just add 50% more yeast if you forget the raisins.
As for my recipe currently:
-I mixed it up yesterday (February 6) and tied a double-layer of muslin over the top of the jug, since I didn't want to wait two weeks for an airlock and it's pretty safe to say there are very few bugs in North California's winter that would need to be kept out of my mead.
-It's based off this short-mead/reduced variant of Joe's Ancient Orange.
-My ingredients are: Rita Miller Wildflower Honey (2lbs), Red Star bread yeast (1.5 tsp), half an orange, and half a gallon of Arrowhead water.
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Clearly, my approach to mead is VERY scientific and thought-out.
As of today, my mead smells mostly like orange juice, but with a tiny hint of yeast. So far it's fizzing slowly but steadily in my room, most likely due to the cold weather. (My kitchen is warm, but it's also pretty bright and I have very little room because it's an apartment kitchen. I decided to go with a dark and slightly cold room with more space, as opposed to a warmer but well-lit and crowded one.)
The world hasn't imploded yet, so should I keep on with this batch, or buy some supplies and make proper one just in case? I have a couple pictures of the jug, so if anyone wants to see, I can put the first day and first evening's shots in my next post.
1) You need raisins to get more nutrients for the yeast. NO SKIPPING.
2) The ancient people needed raisins because wild yeast was much less robust than modern yeast. No raisins are fine, it's become a harmless throwback by now.
3) You need raisins because of the grapes' natural yeast cultures. NO SKIPPING.
4) The ancient people needed raisins because they needed more yeast AND more nutrients. Modern yeast is more robust, so just add 50% more yeast if you forget the raisins.
As for my recipe currently:
-I mixed it up yesterday (February 6) and tied a double-layer of muslin over the top of the jug, since I didn't want to wait two weeks for an airlock and it's pretty safe to say there are very few bugs in North California's winter that would need to be kept out of my mead.
-It's based off this short-mead/reduced variant of Joe's Ancient Orange.
-My ingredients are: Rita Miller Wildflower Honey (2lbs), Red Star bread yeast (1.5 tsp), half an orange, and half a gallon of Arrowhead water.
-----
Clearly, my approach to mead is VERY scientific and thought-out.
As of today, my mead smells mostly like orange juice, but with a tiny hint of yeast. So far it's fizzing slowly but steadily in my room, most likely due to the cold weather. (My kitchen is warm, but it's also pretty bright and I have very little room because it's an apartment kitchen. I decided to go with a dark and slightly cold room with more space, as opposed to a warmer but well-lit and crowded one.)
The world hasn't imploded yet, so should I keep on with this batch, or buy some supplies and make proper one just in case? I have a couple pictures of the jug, so if anyone wants to see, I can put the first day and first evening's shots in my next post.
