making sure i have it right

[some guy]

hello all, i am new to the mead making idea and i am really interested in it. i have been reading any and every internet site that i can find on it and then i came to this place, which by far has been the most helpful.

i just wanted to make sure that i had the process right before i go spending money on stuff to do this.

get water to an almost boiling temp, add raw honey, let it cool add yeast/ingredients (berries, orange, grapes what have you) allow it to ferment in the carboy, transfer it to another carboy (to get rid of the old dead and dormant yeast and other nasties) add a few more items (yeast energizer and yeast "food") allow it to ferment a little more then bottle it....

do i have that right or do i need to go and read some more?

thankyou for the help, i appriciate it

 

[Dan McFeeley]

hello all, i am new to the mead making idea and i am really interested in it. i have been reading any and every internet site that i can find on it and then i came to this place, which by far has been the most helpful.

i just wanted to make sure that i had the process right before i go spending money on stuff to do this.

get water to an almost boiling temp, add raw honey, let it cool add yeast/ingredients (berries, orange, grapes what have you) allow it to ferment in the carboy, transfer it to another carboy (to get rid of the old dead and dormant yeast and other nasties) add a few more items (yeast energizer and yeast "food") allow it to ferment a little more then bottle it....

do i have that right or do i need to go and read some more?

thankyou for the help, i appriciate it

Hello, welcome to the forums!

Sounds right, more or less. Sounds like you're describing a pasteurization process, i.e., heating the water to a bit above 150 degrees F, adding the honey and then letting it cool to fermentation temperatures. Adjunct ingredients such as fruits and/or spices should be added before the yeast. The yeast should be rehydrated according to the instructions on the package.

Do you have any other experience in making fermented beverages? That can help a lot in meadmaking. What kind of meads are you interested in making?

Keep talking and we'll help you hash together a recipe and a great first mead. On the other hand, if you've never tried your hand at anything fermented, you might want to try out Joe Mattioli's Ancient Orange recipe. It's a great recipe for first time meadmakers, easy to make, and the end results are quite tasty. Take a look here:

http://www.gotmead.com/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,103/topic,600.0

for a start on making an Ancient Orange. Read the whole thread through to get a good idea of the recipe, although you can do ok with it, just as Oskaar posted it on the first page.

 

[Oskaar]

Hello, welcome to the forums!

Sounds right, more or less. Sounds like you're describing a pasteurization process, i.e., heating the water to a bit above 150 degrees F, adding the honey and then letting it cool to fermentation temperatures. Adjunct ingredients such as fruits and/or spices should be added before the yeast. The yeast should be rehydrated according to the instructions on the package.

I think what Dan was also alluding to is that you may use pasteurization, boiling or the no-heat method. They all have their plusses and minuses, they all have their fans and detractors. I'm a fan of the no-heat method because I like the pronounced honey aroma, flavor and character that is left in the mead by comparison to the pasteurization and boiling methods.

I agree with that that maybe you might try the Joe's Ancient Orange recipe first. It's quick, easy and doesn't cost you an arm and a leg, plus, you get results pretty quickly by mead standards.

Hope that helps,

Oskaar