Hello, All.

[F0E-Hammer]

I'm pretty new to the forums, I think I made a typical "n00bie" first impression, so I will tell you a bit about me.

My name is Corey, I live in Southern Oregon, around the Medford/Grants Pass area. Where I live I am in "HICKVILLE" so there isn't much to do in the way of fun. I am a 19 year old trapped in a redneck/hippy/budist retirement community, its driving me CRAZY!
Anywho, everyone needs a hobby, so I decided I would try mead, because, lets face it, I am 19 and I love honey :cheers:

I usually work and hang out with my cousin all the time, so I find ways to pass the time, but the idea of making an alchoholic beverage has
gnawed at me for ages. First it was "REAL" eggnog, lol, never got around to it sadly. Next was Caribou Lou's (151, Malibu Rum, and Pineapple Juice), didn't get around to that one either. Now it is mead, and I will actually make this one happen, even if I have to kick myself in the butt to do it! :laughing4:

Also, is there anyone here who is in Oregon?

 

[beachfrontmeadman]

hey foe, welcome to gotmead,
great to hear that you love honey and want to make mead
have you started up any batches yet?
this place is an amazing resource for recipes and general trouble shooting and just plain good people
i live in California, but i do buy my honey from a beekeeper in Oregon
best of luck, and if you have any questions feel free to ask

 

[Medsen Fey]

Welcome again,

There are a couple of suggestions that I will pass along to you as a new mead-maker even though I am still pretty new at this myself. First, if you haven't looked at the Mead NewBee Guide on the main GotMead site, it is worth reading and will give you great tips on the stuff you need and how to prepare it. Secondly, it is usually a good idea to start with a tried and true recipe that works well so that you can practice your technique. Joe's Ancient Orange is one such recipe. But even with the fastest of recipes, it still takes some time and patience.

I hope you find it rewarding!

Medsen

 

[F0E-Hammer]

Nope, haven't started any batches yet ;D I'm just looking around and trying to get into the mood to just GO FOR IT! :laughing4:
I have looked into the newbee guide, and I feel I'm almost ready to start some JAO, but I do have 2 small problems. 1) I only have 1 5gal glass carboy, for my second, should I get ANOTHER glass, or should I get the plastic? 2) I'm trying to find some 1gal glass jugs, but the only i know of have apple juice still sealed in em!

Oh and 1 more question, I'm not a big Normal orange guy, is there any way I can substitute the orange for 2 small necterines or tangerines in the JAO recipe?

 

[vahan]

Hey, welcome to a great site!

As for the carboys, I tend to prefer glass (a 6 or 6.5 gallon for primary fermentation) since they last forever, are less likely to get scratched (scratches can harbor bacteria), are less permeable to oxygen, don't keep odors of your last batch, and are prettier. Of course, they're also heavy, can shatter, don't block light (you need to cover them with a box, tin-foil, a few old shirts).
Plastic buckets are great if you make melomels as the clean up is easier.

If you get as addicted as I am, you will soon have 2 plastic buckets, one 6.5 gallon carboy, 3 6 gallon carboys, and 6 5 gallon carboys!
You may want to make some beer so you have something to drink while you're waiting for your mead (which will typically take several months to over a year to be ready).
As for your post about the prickly pear mead, if you do a google search, you should fine some recipes for it. I've personally never made any since I live in CT and we don't have many cacti here (we do have kick-ass cider for making cyser, however).

I prefer to keep my mead simple, with most being cysers like "dangerous cyser" which is on this site and all over the web.

I would use the freshest, most local ingredients you have, and also try to spend a little extra to get the best honey you can afford b/c the finished product will be so, so much better. I do purchase honeys from other areas, b/c there are very few locally made varietal honeys in CT.

Welcome to a great hobby/addiction.

vahan

 

[beachfrontmeadman]

well there are ways of getting one gallon jugs, i pick mine up from the local brew shop, but you can get jug wine and just drink it all, or just finish off that apple juice you have laying around
if your going to get carboys, i'd stick with glass,
i made a pomegranate that caramelized slightly due to oxygenation which we blame on the plastic jugs we brewed them in,
the JAO is foul proof and fast, i'm brew a batch right now, as the recipe goes, don't mess with it, if you follow the recipe you can't go wrong,
if i was you id start out with either the JAO or a nice simple show mead, nothin fancy, just honey and water and yeast... it was a big hit around may house and with pretty much everyone that tried it

 

[Medsen Fey]

Joe's recipe is only foolproof if you follow it to the letter. If you deviate in any way you will get what you get - may be good, maybe not. There are some other quick mead recipes along with the ancient orange and Joe's No Age Sweet Mead might be a good choice if orange doesn't appeal to you. Whatever recipe you decide on, it is usually good to keep it simple as you start, and make it more complex as you gain experience.

Good meading!
Medsen

 

[Oskaar]

Had a buddy that used to live in Grant's Pass (Provost) area. Visited him there a coupla times and we had a great old time swilling mead, beer and raising hell. It was around Thanksgiving so it wasn't too damned cold there, but it was definitely chilly for anyone from California.

Welcome aboard,

Oskaar

 

[F0E-Hammer]

Right on, LOL, GP is like 20 miles away, like a 15 min drive (Leadfoot :laughing7 maybe I could contact him, does he have an email? Or would that be a bit too wierd? "Hi Oskaar on the gotmead forums said you lived in Grants Pass, want to talk about mead? LOL"