Didn't See Anywhere Else For This...

[FaerieGodfather]

I'm a complete n00blet. Just discovered your website and your forum, and I'm looking forward to being able to make use of the knowledge here some day-- I've never brewed mead before, but I hope to have equipment and honey to do so soon.

Little about me... I'm in my mid-thirties. I'm an author and a game designer, but you wouldn't have heard of anything I've done yet. (Though, if you go to DriveThruCards and search for Cloven Fruit Games, you'll find some of my partners' work.) Disabled, but the government won't admit it, trying to make a living from my pen. I'm Asatru, and both my interest in mead-making and my first taste of mead sprang from that. Among the many businesses I dream of running, I would love to own a beverage company producing various beers, ciders, meads, and soft drinks. I have an unhealthy obsession with cucumbers and pears, kiwi, peppermint, and juniper berries. Also pineapples, spinach, and feta cheese, but I don't want to make beverage out of those.

 

[Chevette Girl]

Welcome, welcome, you'll fit right in... (see off-topic discussion about Blood Bowl and there are a few more of us around here into RPG's, my hubby and I have a basement devoted to winemaking and board games of all kinds, do some searching around the forum to see what us other weirdos are up to when we're not elbow-deep in fruit or honey)

I think the best advice I can give a complete n00blet would be to figure out what you like - have you had dry mead as well as the usual sweet? Do you like dry wines? What do you like in a beer?

Check out the Newbee Guide and do forum searches on the ingredients you think you want to use.

Then come ask the nice folks at Gotmead how to make something you like. There's nothing quite like being stuck with 5 gallons of something you worked really hard on and are loath to pour down the drain, but can't stand to drink

Remember that if you're converting a fruit wine recipe to mead/melomel, don't add lemon juice or acid blend like the recipe says, honey itself is acidic. Also remember that honey's pretty sanitary on its own and you don't have to boil the hell out of it, all that really seems to do is drive off some of the more delicate flavours and aromas.

Also, you'll find that bigger isn't always better as it pertains to alcohol content, if you have something with a high alcohol content it's likely to taste sharp and alcoholic for a couple years before it mellows down into something you look forward to drinking rather than something you choke down because you made it, dammit, and you're gonna drink it, dammit.

If you like sweeter meads, then by all means, you can start a Joe's Ancient Orange Mead without most of the proper equipment, all you need is 3.5lb honey, a 1 gal jug (water jug works fine), an airlock (or balloon, or plastic wrap and an elastic band), an orange, a cinnamon stick, a couple of cloves and a teaspoon of bread yeast...

And if you do decide to go pro, you may have to compartmentalize your dreams a little, I think it varies by state but the US government has some really weird laws about when and where beer can be produced that are different from when and where wine can be produced (mead falls under the wine category) and since prohibition was lifted in stages, the laws got really strange, like, you can't make beer somewhere you make wine, there has to be a wall separating the two brewing areas and they have to have separate exits from the building. But at least you're not in Ontario, where if I want a winery I need to have enough land to grow all the fruit I'll need (even there's no law saying I have to use only my own fruit) and if I want a meadery I have to be maintaining over a hundred hives (even though there's no law I've found saying that I have to use only my own honey). You might be lucky enough to live in a state where you can turn your basement into a meadery.

Most of all though, have fun with it. And if you want to make cucumber mead, frigging go for it. I put zucchini in a pumpkin wine and I've made jalapeno wine too. Anything can be fermented if you're determined enough!

 

[fatbloke]

Cucumber wine ? Hum, I've read something about that recently. The post/report/review wasn't favourable (it wasn't completely "anti" either). It does seem that there are a number of possible issues, from level of initial flavour onwards, that might be problematic.

the rest of the ingredients suggested would seem to be feasible - except for the Feta of course - just eat that

 

[mannye]

Welcome! I've heard of cucumber gin but never wine. I suppose you'd have to add it in secondary to get the flavor. Sounds like it could be nice.

I recently had avocado wine. That tasted like they had collected the leftover urine from week old cadavers. So yes, everything can be fermented but it doesn't mean it should be!

 

[FaerieGodfather]

I think the best advice I can give a complete n00blet would be to figure out what you like - have you had dry mead as well as the usual sweet? Do you like dry wines? What do you like in a beer?

I've had dry meads, but prefer sweet. I don't really like wine at all, and I'm only mildly interested in beer. I know I like darker beers, and that I don't like too much hops; I'm not really interested in braggot or hoppy meads.

Thanks for the advice. Things I shall have to consider.

 

[mannye]

I think the best thing is to start with a JAOM. Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy. Just search for the JAOM recipe on here and follow it. It makes a delicious sweet orange spiced mead that's guaranteed to please as long as you don't void the warranty by not following the instructions to the letter. It isn't hard to do and you don't need any special equipment or ingredients to make it. Everything is at your friendly neighborhood grocery store.

Bonus...if you don't have a one gallon glass jug...you get to buy some cheap wine in a one gallon glass jar and invite your friends (I'm told people have those) over for a sangria party! My favorite for the hot summer months is a nice white wine sangria made with some 7-Up and whatever fruits and berries you like. If you do already have a one gallon glass jug, then accidentally break it so you can go get a gallon of Gallo or whatever. LOL

 

[Chevette Girl]

Break it? HERESY!!! Just make two batches! FOR SCIENCE!