How to get a really "peachy" flavor?

[pain]

Sure, its more expensive than say, apple cider. But then, how many peaches do you need to make a gallon of juice? I don't know what fresh peaches cost the bushel, but I'd lay a bet that the labor+the cost would be reasonably compared to buying 4 gallons of peach cider.

Peach nectar isn't cheap either, and I've never seen it in large containers.......

Finally, I figure I spend about $35 for 4 gallons of peach cider (I pick up in SC when I happen to go down to visit friends in Charlotte). That, plus another $30 of honey gives me 2.5 cases of mead for about $75. Even *cheap* peach wine goes $7 a bottle (and peach mead goes around $12), so 2.5 cases would be $210 (minimum, plus tax), so I figure I'm saving money.

Plus, I get a peach mead that tastes like *I* want it to taste, with what *I* want in it. ::shrug:: I guess the cost is relative to what you're trying to achieve. Since I haven't found a peach mead that lives up to my personal standards yet, I'm ok with the cost, and I only make it once a year in any case.

 

[memento]

good point. I'd be inclined to try a 1 gallon experiment and if it lives up to my expectations, then I'd have no problem spending the $$ for a 5 gallon batch.

 

[pain]

Once you've made one (and I recommend tossing in a couple crushed cinnamon sticks for that 'peach pie' flavor), you'll slaver for more.

The recipe I use is:

4 gal peach cider
1 gal honey (plus extra to back-add after primary ferment for sweetness)
cinnamon tea (made from crushed sticks steeped in boiled water for 15-20 minutes, one teapot full (I have a fat English-style teapot)
Premier Cuvee yeast

 

[davarm]

I got a response from the ebay vendor, which happens to be Southern Grace Farms, one of the vendors mentioned in memento's post.

They add ascorbic acid (aka Vitamin C) to their nectars and ciders, plus they are cooked and pastuerized. I wouldn't think this would cause any problems. Also, the sugar content ranges from 24 to 32 grams per 8 oz. serving.

Vicky...what is your average Starting Gravity using your 4:1 ratio?

 

[pain]

Haven't a clue. I just pour a gallon of honey into 4 gallons of peach cider, stir until the honey is dissolved, add dry yeast, shake the crap out of it and let 'er rip. When the primary ferment is done, I add honey water to taste, age and bottle.

Kids, I know a lot of y'all are scientific types, but this ol' gal tends to make mead by the seat of her pants. I keep extensive notes, but I rarely take gravity readings anymore, never hydrate my yeast, and have only recently considered adding sulfites, and that only because it will let my mead keep longer, since I'm trying to horde at least a couple bottles a batch to track how they age (they don't age well without it, I've noticed)

I test my mead by taste, look, smell and feel. I do get the occasional mead that takes off in the bottle, but since I age in carboys, thats rare anymore. And since most of my mead gets drunk up by my friends just as fast as I can make it, aging isn't a real issue either.

LOL....guess I'm just old fashioned (or lazy, hard to tell).

Vicky - who has to rack and bottle this weekend to free up some glassware for more racking