I, being one of the few "mainly mead" people here, have decided I must speak some hard to understand dialect.

Why ?

Ok, so I try to be helpful here and at other forums with "matters mead", yet it seems that so many people who decide to have a go, want to make it hard for themselves.

This seems prevalent across the western side of the pond and with beer makers. Why that might be, I don't know.....

There's plenty of guidance out there and even bits of tech stuff....

All they have to do is a bit of reading to know that if they mix 2lb of honey up to a gallon with water (US or imperial or for the metric users 1kg made up to 5 litres), they'll get a reading via a hydrometer.

That reading should be something like 1.110 which is a nice round number and will translate into a percentage ABV that most wine yeasts can handle easily, without stressing the yeast so its easily nourished etc...

But that's obviously too hard and they feel happier selecting a champagne yeast and also want a dessert level mead of 18% ABV and then use the "mead calculator" (its over at gotmead), then they wonder why they have problems even starting the ferment with a gravity of 1.165.......

Its not rocket science......there's plenty of guidance for the less basic techniques like staggered nutrients, early stage aeration, step feeding etc etc.....

Equally, potential pit falls, like pH swings (mainly an issue for traditionals) and things like that can be explained.....

I sometimes, just feel like

Especially with the beer makers who think there's, is the only way......

I'm here to tell them........NO ITS EFFIN' NOT !

We all know there's parallels, but the different fermentables DO, need different management........

Ok, I'll get off me soap box.......