Toggle sidebar

Hello :)

  • PATRONS: Did you know we've a chat function for you now? Look to the bottom of the screen, you can chat, set up rooms, talk to each other individually or in groups! Click 'Chat' at the right side of the chat window to open the chat up.
  • Love Gotmead and want to see it grow? Then consider supporting the site and becoming a Patron! If you're logged in, click on your username to the right of the menu to see how as little as $30/year can get you access to the patron areas and the patron Facebook group and to support Gotmead!
  • We now have a Patron-exclusive Facebook group! Patrons my join at The Gotmead Patron Group. You MUST answer the questions, providing your Patron membership, when you request to join so I can verify your Patron membership. If the questions aren't answered, the request will be turned down.
Barrel Char Wood Products
A

AsharaLyn

NewBee
Registered Member
Jul 21, 2007
115
0
0
50
asharalyn.twisted-reality.com
I'm new to the whole mead making thing. I found this forum thanks to Brian Kettering, who I ran into at B3 in Riverside when I went back for yeast. They left it out of the kit I bought last week... hard to make mead with no yeast! He suggested I check out this website, and boy am I glad to find it!

My first mead-must is cooling in the primary fermenter now, waiting to pitch the yeast tomorrow. It's a plain sweet mead recipe, or at least that's what the ingredient kit said. 12 pounds of honey, 5 gallons of water.

Crossed fingers.
 
Hey Ashara, Welcome to GotMead!!!

We're glad to have you here. I've learned more from this site than from any other single source since I first got interested in this hobby (a whopping 5 months ago in February). :D

Enjoy your new hobby and make sure to let us know how your first mead turns out. What kind of honey and yeast did you end up using for your sweet mead??

Anyway, welcome to the addiction. Now, repeat after me... "Hi Everyone, I'm ::insert name:: and I'm a mead maker."
:cheers:
Sandman
 
It was the "Sweet Mead Kit" from B3. Their California blend honey, and the yeast I have is Red Star Cote des Blancs.

So far I have read enough distilled wisdom on this site to make me wish I'd waited until tomorrow to start :). I'm not sure the yeast is what I want. I may have to start another batch as soon as this is out of the primary fermenter. I was hoping to have something ready to drink for Las Vegas Faire in early October, but that seems that it may be out of the question.
 
Dont Panic! :alien:

Even if the yeast isn't what you're looking for, perhaps you'll find something you didn't know you liked ;)

Welcome to the forum

~Wolfie
 
So far I've mostly just used Fleischmanns. I was brewing my little experiments over in the Big Sandbox and they kind of frown on that stuff so bread yeast was all I could get.

Right now I've got a cyser going with EC-1118 and I'm prepping a 5 gallon carboy right now to use with some D-47 I plan on picking up today. The yeast list is long and varied (which is awesome) so there's a world of options you can play arpound with.

If you're wanting something by October though I'd go with a JAO and call it good. It'll have time to finish and it'll be well received. Figure 2-1/2 to 3 months to completion.
:cheers:
Sandman
 
I went and read the recipe for JAO, and there's just one problem... the orange. I don't like orange flavor, and my mom is allergic to oranges (citric acid, in fact. You wouldn't believe the amount of things people put citric acid in!). It says not to mess with the recipe *at all*, but what effect would leaving out the orange have? or is there something non-citric I could substitute for it? I like that it's made from ingredients I can get at the store instead of having to drive down to the homebrew shop. And that it's quick and yummy :).
 
I apologize for reposting (don't know the "way it is" on this forum yet). Just wanted to say that I am three pages deep into the thread on JAO on the recipes forum, and still reading :). I may yet find the answer to my question, but if someone else wants to weigh in, go for it!
 
Look up "Simple Cyser". It's basically just apple juice, honey, & yeast. There's a quick recipe for it somewhere in the forum. I think that one might make a viable option for your timetable.

Good luck.
:cheers:
 
So far:

Tonight I pitched the yeast in the 5 gallons of must I prepared yesterday, as mentioned above. This time I added the go-ferm to the rehydration water, then put the yeast in, waited 15 minutes, and pitched it in the must. While I was waiting I aerated the must with my immersion blender. It worked surprisingly well. Mine has a detachable plunger part that is submersible, so I put the whole thing into my sanitization solution, then soaked it in clean water and rinsed it thoroughly. The yeast was very happy and smelled much like yeast. OG: 1.090, as near as I could tell. It's a bit warm in here, though, and I don't know how that affects the reading. Temp in the kitchen was around 78, as was the must.

I also put together a batch of JAO, following the directions as closely as I could manage. 2 lbs Sue Bee "Aunt Sue" Raw Honey, 1.5 lbs Sue Bee Orange Blossom Honey, 1 moderately small orange, 2 cinnamon sticks (they were small, and I like cinnamon), 2 cloves (ditto, very small compared to other cloves I've seen. And I like cloves :)), dash of nutmeg, and 2 whole allspice (didn't have any ground, and they're kind of small). Shaken, yeast... oops, no reading for OG, considering that my hydrometer thingie was still full of the 'real' mead must. Oh well... it's supposed to be foolproof, right? :D

Waiting for tomorrow: another 1 gallon jug, currently full of apple juice. I'm thinking that I will use part of the apple juice, a chopped up apple, cinnamon stick, cloves, raisins, nutmeg, allspice, maybe a vanilla bean if I can find one. If not, a splash of mexican vanilla extract. This time, all the honey will be the Aunt Sue stuff. I tasted both as I was adding them to the JAO, and the orange blossom turns out to be the same stuff my mom made sandwiches with as a kid (PB & Honey, because I wouldn't eat any kind of jam). It was not really to my liking, and makes me glad I didn't spring for all Orange Blossom.

Now, to ask more questions... off to the appropriate fora :).
 
Looks like your jumping in head first! :cheers: Good luck with your new projects--did you start a brew log for them yet?

I cant resist...
oops, no reading for OG,
Click to expand...

I think Joe would say the anciets didnt have hydrometers, you've got the spirit of the recipe ;)
 
Hey Sara, welcome!

Seems you are as new and enthusiastic as i am :) cant resist the urge to make more and more

cheers
Arjan
 
Arjan

As you get addicted to this hobby of ours you will often find yourself thinking If I just had another couple of pounds of honey to make ????.

Anyway you are lucky, If you live close to B3 in riverside, then you are not that far from Miller's honey in Colton. You can look it up at
http:\\www.millershoney.com

Cheers
Jay


Moderated: Changed URL markup to link and display correctly
 
www.beefolks.com is good to. if ur lucky you can find a local bee keeper so u wont have to give all of your money to UPS and FedEx. www.honeylocator.com.

if u want something thatll be ready fast go with a cyser like sandman suggested. apple juice, honey, raisins, and yeast, and any spices you like(no water). lots of aeration and sanitation are key really key, youll learn more about nutrients as your research progresses, the raisins and apple juice should work for now though.

you can skip alot of research if you subscribe and look through oskaars posts in the patrons section. he includes most of the important information about nutrients, yeast, and even some stuff about oak in his recipe posts.

have fun, be creative, and once you get nutrients down try a show mead.
 
Hey there AsharaLyn!
I'm new here to and can't help but notice that you sound just as eager as I feel. :D
After realizing I didn't have the right nutrients ::) ,I decided on making the JAO for my first batch, I've ordered
ALL the things i need (I hope!) 8) and will start on a Blueberry Cyser as soon as they get here.

Noticed you mentioned the Vegas Ren Faire...I live in Vegas and will definately be there! ;D Are you a Las Vegan as well?

Good luck with your batches!
~Peace~
 
Cool, another So Cal meadmaker!

I'm in Orange County!

Oh, I set up a mead day with B3 for September 8, 2007. So I'll get it up there on the calendar. I'm going to speak with Brian and Scott too and get a group of people to be there.

Cheers,

Oskaar
 
It figures! I have to be at a baby shower that day. How early does it usually start? Maybe I could come out for part of the day and then head for the shower... it's for someone from work, so I can't skip it :(.
 
This event has been rescheduled to October 13, 2007 when it will be a bit cooler and more people will be able to plan on attending.

Cheers,

Oskaar - I'll post this to the event calendar later today or tomorrow.
 
It figures... from possibly part of the day to out of the question. Oct. 13 is Saturday of Las Vegas Ren Faire, and I'll be there as I have been for the past 10 or so years. Have fun, happy meading, and I'll make the next one!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Barrel Char Wood Products

Viking Brew Vessels - Authentic Drinking Horns

Top Bottom