Mead Recipe

[GhosterMike]

Hi!

I am not sure how it all works here yet. I started my adventure in mead making a few weeks ago and I am not so sure how that will turn out. I did a two-gallon batch using 5lbs buckwheat honey (San Diego) and spring water to make 2 gallons. I then split the 2 gallons into 1gallon carboys and pitched White Labs WLP720 Sweet Mead/Wine Yeast into one and White Labs WLP775 English Cider Yeast into the other. I didn't take any notes or measure gravity or anything else (I know I know). I discovered gotmead.com a week later and I am now on episode 9 of the podcast. I signed up on the website and paid to become a Patron. I found a recipe for JAOM and I think I will be trying my hand at that recipe next. Ultimately I want to try a few recipes to make decent good mead to make on a regular basis. However, I don't seem to have access to any of the patron threads or the recipe thread yet. Does anyone know if it takes time to get the patron benefits?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[darigoni]

It can take a while, but if you haven’t been upgraded in a week, I’d message the owner (Vicki). Or, contact her through the Gotmead Facebook page.

A JOAM is something you’ll probably only make one of. You don’t learn anything by making it and I personally don’t like what you end up with. The pith can give it a bitter taste. About the best that I can say about it, is that it’s alcohol.

Rather than doing a JOAM, check out a BOMM (Bray’s One Month Mead). You’ll end up with something better and will actually learn a few things that you will use later on.

Denard Brewing

 

[GhosterMike]

It can take a while, but if you haven’t been upgraded in a week, I’d message the owner (Vicki). Or, contact her through the Gotmead Facebook page.

A JOAM is something you’ll probably only make one of. You don’t learn anything by making it and I personally don’t like what you end up with. The pith can give it a bitter taste. About the best that I can say about it, is that it’s alcohol.

Rather than doing a JOAM, check out a BOMM (Bray’s One Month Mead). You’ll end up with something better and will actually learn a few things that you will use later on.

Denard Brewing

Awesome advice! Thanks for responding. I tasted mead for the first time a few months ago and now enjoy it as my favorite alcoholic beverage. I have NEVER had a sweet tooth but seem to prefer the sweeter meads. Or at least the ones that have more of the honey flavor retained. I would love to venture out eventually and attempt to make something with a coconut/vanilla bean accent. But for now, just trying to learn the basics.

 

[Squatchy]

Awesome advice! Thanks for responding. I tasted mead for the first time a few months ago and now enjoy it as my favorite alcoholic beverage. I have NEVER had a sweet tooth but seem to prefer the sweeter meads. Or at least the ones that have more of the honey flavor retained. I would love to venture out eventually and attempt to make something with a coconut/vanilla bean accent. But for now, just trying to learn the basics.

The podcast will teach you years of info just as fast as you got through it and take notes.

 

[4give]

Welcome GhosterMike.
Darigoni is correct on the JAOM, IMO. That was my first mead, and the orange pith 'flavor' put it in a place that was only 'drinkable'.
Learning enough science to understand what to do, and why, in certain situations is a key to making quality mead. Planning out a batch; what you'll need for the yeast, ingredients, ambient conditions; any adjuncts in use; what to do if something isn't right; and post fermentation art and science.
Squatchy has given the advice of learning how to make a decent Trad 1st on several occasions on this blog. I agree with that, and you can still experiment making other batches at the same time (that's what I did). I mention this because as far as recipes go, they may not mean much if you don't know how to give yourself the best chance of a clean fermentation. It sounds like your doing well to educate yourself
Recipes can be good or bad starting places. What is "good" can be relative. You already know what flavors you like, so start there. A recipe doesn't necessarily need to be a fermentation and handling process as much as what ingredients go together in/after fermentation, and potentially what quantities of each. Test how ingredients impact flavor when using them during fermentation, and after --> what does a batch fermented with strawberries taste like compared to one with strawberries added after fermentation, and then what it tastes like blending the two (for example). That's a lot of mead making for testing, but this craft is a time intensive journey.
I suppose BOMMs can be good experiments, but remember that the flavor of any honey varietal can change by the year. For example, not all Tupelo honey is the same, and wildflower honey will certainly vary. Even ingredients can vary. Have you ever ate a fruit that just didn't pop like you thought it should? I have that problem with types of melons and strawberries all the time. My 3 strawberry plants produce some serious strawberry flavor that you'll never get from the store bought ones.
I hope this helps you out.

 

[Squatchy]

Awesome advice! Thanks for responding. I tasted mead for the first time a few months ago and now enjoy it as my favorite alcoholic beverage. I have NEVER had a sweet tooth but seem to prefer the sweeter meads. Or at least the ones that have more of the honey flavor retained. I would love to venture out eventually and attempt to make something with a coconut/vanilla bean accent. But for now, just trying to learn the basics.

I would also say that you can make great meads nowadays in the same "one month" that Bray was proud of several years ago. We always have been able to do this. Beer yeast drops out really quickly. You can add bentonite to mead at the beginning of fermentation to make it drop out just as soon. It's never really been faster than anything else, if people understand that. There are a couple of things he does that I don't feel are needed today. And the last he says about adding extra honey once the yeast are tired to get more ABV is also not a good practice at all. In fact. It never once did anything extra with me at the wheel. I don't think it works at all/ever.

And. Dry meads can taste really good. But it takes way longer for them to come good compared to everything else time-wise. And you need to be able to make really clean mead, or it will never be an excellent traditional mead.

 

[GhosterMike]

Welcome GhosterMike.
Darigoni is correct on the JAOM, IMO. That was my first mead, and the orange pith 'flavor' put it in a place that was only 'drinkable'.
Learning enough science to understand what to do, and why, in certain situations is a key to making quality mead. Planning out a batch; what you'll need for the yeast, ingredients, ambient conditions; any adjuncts in use; what to do if something isn't right; and post fermentation art and science.
Squatchy has given the advice of learning how to make a decent Trad 1st on several occasions on this blog. I agree with that, and you can still experiment making other batches at the same time (that's what I did). I mention this because as far as recipes go, they may not mean much if you don't know how to give yourself the best chance of a clean fermentation. It sounds like your doing well to educate yourself
Recipes can be good or bad starting places. What is "good" can be relative. You already know what flavors you like, so start there. A recipe doesn't necessarily need to be a fermentation and handling process as much as what ingredients go together in/after fermentation, and potentially what quantities of each. Test how ingredients impact flavor when using them during fermentation, and after --> what does a batch fermented with strawberries taste like compared to one with strawberries added after fermentation, and then what it tastes like blending the two (for example). That's a lot of mead making for testing, but this craft is a time intensive journey.
I suppose BOMMs can be good experiments, but remember that the flavor of any honey varietal can change by the year. For example, not all Tupelo honey is the same, and wildflower honey will certainly vary. Even ingredients can vary. Have you ever ate a fruit that just didn't pop like you thought it should? I have that problem with types of melons and strawberries all the time. My 3 strawberry plants produce some serious strawberry flavor that you'll never get from the store bought ones.
I hope this helps you out.

Thanks for the input! Unfortunately, I think my first attempt at mead resulted in a stalled fermentation at about the 1 month mark. I tried to get it going again, but so far no luck. I just didn't know enough and the Craft a Brew info made it seem so simple lol. I'm excited for my next and true attempt at mead making. I do want to master a traditional mead first. I'm just playing with 1 gallon batches right now. I think that once I figure out the process and science behind this, I'll start adventuring into adding flavors. Thank you all for the support and info!

 

[mannye]

Everyone seems to be dunking on JAOM because of the pith making it bitter. My solution for JAOM was using Meyer lemons, which are a cross between mandarins and lemons and have a very thin pith. I have also successfully used mandarins (also very thin pith) to make a delicious JAOM.

Here is where the JAOM recipe really misses IMO; too soon. Just for laughs a few years ago I made a Meyer Lemon JAOM (five gallons, because I knew...had a feeling it would be good) and bulked aged it for a YEAR. And wouldn't ya know it that the result was pretty much liquid orange Jolly Rancher. And who doesn't like Jolly Ranchers?

Where the recipe fails is in the use of regular oranges. I think (too lazy to go look) that the original JAOM says 90 days or until the fruit drops. I say fruit drop, (usually at 100 days) and then rack to age under an airlock for at least 6 more months.

All this is moot if you don't like sweet mead.

 

[ckroyce124]

I think JAOM is for most people the best way to begin just because it's a way to get a pretty foolproof mead without a lot of fuss. Both of my adult kids regularly request it though. IMHO the trick is really to take the time to scrape the pitch off the peel and not necessarily including all of it with the fruit.
Personally, I find it too sweet to drink much of it.

 

[Sky Bell]

JAOM was one of my first meads. Didn’t like it at all. I think toxic is the word I used!

Now that I’m 3-4 years into mead making, I decided to try it again. I learned the pith is nasty, so I’ve been avoiding it. I also only use about 60-75% of the recommended amount f honey.

I’ve made lemon, mandarine, orange and grapefruit and they’ve all been decent.

Christmas is coming. A simple lightly spiced mead is great with some Christmas music in the background.

I wish you a happy holiday mead!

 

[Squatchy]

Everyone seems to be dunking on JAOM because of the pith making it bitter. My solution for JAOM was using Meyer lemons, which are a cross between mandarins and lemons and have a very thin pith. I have also successfully used mandarins (also very thin pith) to make a delicious JAOM.

Here is where the JAOM recipe really misses IMO; too soon. Just for laughs a few years ago I made a Meyer Lemon JAOM (five gallons, because I knew...had a feeling it would be good) and bulked aged it for a YEAR. And wouldn't ya know it that the result was pretty much liquid orange Jolly Rancher. And who doesn't like Jolly Ranchers?

Where the recipe fails is in the use of regular oranges. I think (too lazy to go look) that the original JAOM says 90 days or until the fruit drops. I say fruit drop, (usually at 100 days) and then rack to age under an airlock for at least 6 more months.

All this is moot if you don't like sweet mead.

I don't mean to be disrespectful. But I can tell you. Almost zero follow the directions that say TO "DO THIS EXACTLY AS THE INSTRUCTIONS WOULD SUGGEST. Virtually no one does that. And even if so. What do you learn? My grandkids can read and make tons of stuff with no help from anyone going of of a recipe. Also, Manye, an advocate, just told us he thinks you need to age a JOAM for 100 days. I won my first Mazer Cup with a mead that I entered in the comp precisely 90 days from pitch. I wouldn't say I like JOAMS and think they are a waste. I'm glad you like them. That's fine. But I know in the same amount of time you can learn why we do when we make meads, instead of just how, possibly. I would invite you to find the podcast and listen to them pen and paper if you want to learn to make meads.