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  • A simple mead tutorial step by step - It ain't hard!

    This is from the following recipe

    Set Honey - 1.5 -1.75 kg/3-4 lb
    Cold Tea - 600 ml/1 pint
    Campden tablets
    Boiled water
    Citric acid - 1 teaspoon
    Wine Yeast compound OR Special Mead Yeast and Yeast nutrient.


    In this piccy you'll see the ingredients i.e. Honey, teabags, citric acid, campden tablets, yeast and yeast nutrient.

    By way of a fill, I've shown the glass DJ it'll end up in and the bucket that's gonna be used to mix it in.

    p.s. Oh and I'd suggest that if you're thinking of trying this recipe, then try it with 3lb of honey per gallon to start with, this is because you wouldn't want to have a must with to higher gravity to start with - which can cause minor problems (which can be easily dealt with, but that's not the point of the tutorial)
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    Last edited by fatbloke; 18-10-2008, 11:28 PM. Reason: Added Recipe
    Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

    Some blog ramblings

  • #2
    This image just shows the bucket, funnel, stirrer and spatula. Soaking in sterilising solution.
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    • #3
      So, after the bucket and other items are sterilised, the sanitation solutions then goes into the demi-john so that can be sterilising while I'm actually making the mix (and yes I had to fight for kitchen space as Clare, my partner had had an outburst of baking )
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      • #4
        This is where I divert from the original recipe - that says that you're supposed to use "set" honey and dissolve it in hot water.

        B0ll0cks to that - the piccy shows 4 jars of honey that I got in the local Lidl (thanks to a post elsewhere and a suggestion from Mamgiowl). Normally I'd just get the tesco cheapest - which comes in @ £1.43 per lb/454g. Whereas this is Greek honey (£1.55 per 500g) so I actually had to make sure that I was using reasonably close to the 1.75 kg mentioned in the recipe (if it's your first attempt at a basic/traditional mead then 1.5 kg/3lb is about how much honey you'd need for a gallon).

        It's warming in a saucepan of hot water to make it easier to remove from the jar.

        I should point out, that doing it this way is a personal preference. If the honey has been prepared for retail in jars then it will almost definitely been pasturised so there's no real need to heat it to simmering point and remove any scum that may rise from the liquid. There is a "school of thought" that says doing it that way actually removes some of the flavour of the honey - personally I'd only do that if I got honey from the Bee Keeper directly and wanted to make sure that there was no impurities (Wax, bee pooh and other possible detritus).
        Attached Files
        Last edited by fatbloke; 18-10-2008, 11:31 PM.
        Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

        Some blog ramblings

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        • #5
          Ok, so the honey is warm and ready to come out of the jar. Great.

          Into the bucket (sterilised and rinsed of course) and some hot water to make it dissolve.

          Then, as per the piccy, the next 2 ingredients are added, the strong tea (you may notice from the first piccy - I just showed the box - nice strong caterers tea from Preston. Not any of that namby pamby Yorkshire piddle).

          No seriously, any normal "black tea" should do - for those overseas something named "english breakfast tea" or similar should do the job - I suspect that the original author of the recipe was thinking of Indian tea, though something like "Orange Pekoe" (which I think is Chinese black tea) or maybe Oolong etc etc would do the job.

          Please remember that some of the more "famous" teas are actually "flavoured" e.g. Earl Grey has bergamot, which would probably be detectable in the finished mead - so it's up to you and what you may be trying to achieve.

          Plus the campden tablet - this was crushed with mortar and pestle.
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          • #6
            So with the honey, some hot water, the tea and a campden tablet, it looks like this piccy.
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            • #7
              This then transferred to the (cleaned and sterilised) glass demijohn. Ready for the citric acid (and yeast nutrient) - you could just use the juice of a lemon, I just happen to have a full range of the 3 usual suspects acidwise.
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              Last edited by fatbloke; 31-12-2007, 06:07 PM.
              Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

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              • #8
                So after it's been put in the glass DJ, I've then added the citric acid and yeast nutrient, then topped it most of the way up with water.

                The recipe actually mentions boiled water, but I usually use local spring water of known provenance i.e. being on the South Coast, our water is generally very hard/high calcium. Whereas some parts of the "north" (round Bob's neck of the woods and similar) may have soft water (I'm not sure if it's soft on both sides of the Pennines, I seem to recall "the outlaws" saying that Lancashire side has soft water).

                Suffice to say, the water I've used is lower in chalk/calcium, from a spring in Kent that comes through sandstone.

                Of course you can just follow the recipe and boil a gallon or so of water and let it cool.

                You may notice from the piccy that it's very foamy. That's because I've given it a bloody good shaking, to dissolve the acid and nutrient, but also to aerate it a little because the first stage of fermentation needs some oxygen (a.k.a. aerobic), thereafter it changes to "anaerobic" fermentation.

                So now all I need to do is pitch the yeast - I'll wait a while, because I checked the temperature and it was sitting at about 36 degrees C.

                While the yeast will need rehydrating (well thats what it says on the packet) at about 40 to 43 degrees C, I don't want to shock the yeast when I pitch it.

                I'll be back in a while with a couple more piccies - when I've got the yeast ready for pitching.
                Attached Files
                Last edited by fatbloke; 31-12-2007, 06:08 PM.
                Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

                Some blog ramblings

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                • #9
                  So, here's the yeast - Lalvin D47. Now I haven't used it before (then again, I haven't used Lidl's honey either).

                  Hence I have not idea what this will make the eventually finished product taste like. I'm hoping that it will have some residual sugar, but with a reasonable alcohol level.

                  And yes, before I get nagged, I haven't measured the OG yet, I'm going to do that just before I actually pitch the yeast.

                  The second piccy is the yeast having been added to 2 fl oz/50 ml of water. My thermometer said it was at about 38 degrees C - the packet actually says 40 to 43 degrees C, but so far I've not had any problems with the water temp being a couple of degrees under.
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                  Some blog ramblings

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                  • #10
                    Ok, so I just went downstairs so that I could measure OG.

                    Now I know it's not a good picture (my camera doesn't have a macro setting and I had trouble getting far enough away to get the picture clear enough).

                    You should be able to see just how far the hydrometer is protruding from the top of the must - it was about 1.120 so I'm guessing that this will come out as a very sweet mead i.e. like a dessert wine type drink. The info I have suggests that the D47 yeast will give about 14% abv - so given the initial reading I got from the hydrometer, I'm thinking that I could have just as easily used a champagne/high alcohol type yeast i.e. one that will push the alcohol level to 18% abv - though whether there'd be much residual sweetness left, I don't know - plus it should also be remembered, that higher alcohol ones often take a hell of a lot longer to ferment and age. When tasted after initial racking, they can often taste "medicinal" (in Ken Schramm's book, "The Compleat Meadmaker", he describes it as tasting of "Listerine").

                    There's also the possibility that as this isn't a particularly up to date recipe, it may be that they're recommending too much honey. Though it's worth pointing out, that most of the recipes I've found for mead suggest about the 3 to 4 lb of honey, per gallon. I'm suggesting that you try the recipe using 3lb of honey because it's more likely to be a smooth process - which is always good if something new goes well. If you notice, I actually used 4lb of honey which gave me a gravity reading of 1.120 - the more knowledgeable wine makers here often suggest that you stick to a must that is IRO 1.080 to start with. It's good advice, but as with any "sugar adding" ingredient it can vary. Hence my suggesting that you stick to 3 lb initially. Honey by it's very nature can vary more widely than fruit etc.
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                    Last edited by fatbloke; 18-10-2008, 11:37 PM.
                    Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

                    Some blog ramblings

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                    • #11
                      Last but not least (well for the moment anyway) is this piccy, after the yeast has been pitched and it's ready to be left to "rock 'n roll".

                      Hopefully this will be helpful to those who've never made mead before.

                      As I titled the first post, "it ain't hard".
                      Attached Files
                      Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

                      Some blog ramblings

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                      • #12
                        Finishing your "step by step" Mead

                        To finish this tutorial, as you can see from the date of posting this it's been some 2 and a half months since I originally wrote the tutorial.

                        Now normally, I'd have just let the batch finish fermenting, then racked it off the lees (i.e. syphoned it from the yeast sediment that forms in the bottom of the fermenter), then just left it to clear naturally. How quickly this happens can depend on many, many factors.

                        I wanted to show some tangible results, so last weekend (which would be about 9 weeks since I started this), I added some finings.

                        Now the phrase "clear" or "cleared" is often described as "clear enough to read a newspaper though". So with that in mind, I've included a picture below.

                        You should be able to see both the word "Finings" in bold print on the side of the box as well as make out the price label on it i.e. £2.75 - I should point out that the finings I've used are called "Kwik Clear". They are designed to clear a wine/mead in about 48 hours or so. I happen to have left it for a week, but that is more to do with my available time.

                        This basic mead is now ready for either racking/syphoning to another demi-john jar for "bulk ageing" or for bottling. It's already drinkable, though most of the "mead guru's" will tell you that mead does benefit from ageing, it seems that at least 6 months is a sensible period - if you can leave it that long .

                        I do tend to bulk age my meads, so if you wanted to do that then you should be thinking about just racking it into another clean demi-john jar, but adding one dissolved campden tablet. Any air space in the demi-john can be made up with distilled/mineral/tap water (the choice is yours). So as to leave as little air space as possible - to the bottom of the neck of the demi-john is prudent.

                        From there, it's up to you. Just remember, that this tutorial makes a sweet mead, that might be described as a "dessert" mead. It should be in the region of 14% ABV.

                        Enjoy

                        p.s. Oh and I'm intending to run this batch through a "Harris" type filter - It's not actually necessary, but I like to reduce down any chance of tiny amounts of sediment that might form in the bottom of a bottle/demi-john. That's often described as giving it a "final polish". The same can be achieved with more racking - maybe every 3 to 6 months or so (don't forget, it's often thought correct to add 1 campden tablet - dissolved - after each racking).
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                        Last edited by fatbloke; 16-03-2008, 01:01 PM.
                        Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

                        Some blog ramblings

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                        • #13
                          Extra Information.

                          While this is a basic tutorial, there are some extra ideas/suggestions/comments that you might want to think about.

                          I haven't mentioned "Specific" or "Original" gravity measurements much. That's because of the basic nature of this tutorial.

                          Initial measurement with a hydrometer would show that the "must" i.e. the recipe as made up, but before yeast is added, would measure somewhere about 1120/1.120. You may have read elsewhere that that is quite high.

                          Actually, it's high enough to produce a mead that is in the region of 18% ABV, if you used a different yeast (such as Lalvins EC-1118).

                          But the point of this tutorial is to produce a mead that is relatively sweet, has retained a good amount of honey flavour, and to encourage you to attempt different things with it. In fact, the gravity reading of 1.120/1120 that I mentioned earlier was high enough for a mead of 16.3% ABV - the yeast i.e. Lalvin D47 has a tolerance of about 14% ABV so when finished there should be enough sugar left unfermented to give it a sweet taste (but not as sweet as some commercially made meads).

                          There is a "school of thought", that doesn't like a must to be that high, as it could, in some instances, "shock" the yeast. Personally I haven't experienced that (yet ). They suggest a method whereby you add enough of the honey to achieve an original/starting gravity of 1090/1.090, then adding the yeast to commence the fermentation, then with careful measurement, checking the gravity (after a week or two), until it gets between 1010/1.010 and 1020/1.020, then adding more of the honey as suggested by the recipe, to bring the gravity back up to 1030/1.030 and 1040/1.040. This is done until the yeast has exhausted itself and won't actually make any more alcohol. Yes, it's fair to say that it does give greater control, but in my view, it's a bit fiddly for a first attempt.

                          Or, there's another thing you might think about trying. That's using a different yeast. Well I've experimented with the base recipe and found that yeasts like Lalvins D47 and 71B make a nice, palatable mead. Of course, you might want a higher alcohol level. If so, maybe K1V or EC-1118 might be for you ?

                          All of these suggested yeasts are reasonably easily available, though I usually get mine by mail order from one of the Home Brew shops that advertises online (in the UK). It's in the region of £1 a packet - which is normally enough to make a batch of up to 5 gallons, if you want to start with that much

                          The possible downside of those, is that with higher alcohol yeasts, when they've finished fermenting/clearing etc, they can have a taste that I describe as "Medicinal" - or as Ken Schramm describes in his book, "The Compleat Meadmaker", like Listerine. Though I feel he's just using a familiar product name to describe the medicinal/mouthwash sort of taste.

                          If you got that, DON'T THROW IT AWAY it's not a fault/failure. It just means that you will have to age the mead. 6 to 12 months plus. The medicinal flavour will subside with time. It also demonstrates brilliantly how mead can improve with age. It wouldn't matter whether you age it in bottles or in bulk (I find it easier to monitor in bulk - you can always top off with a little water).

                          There is one further thing, that seems to be discussed "ad infinitum" with mead making. That's pH or acidity levels.

                          Yes, it's fair to say that yeast does prefer a slightly acid environment to perform best. As you can see from the recipe, it includes some citric acid - or you could substitute that with the juice of a lemon or two.

                          Lots of the guidance/suggestions, recommend a starting pH measurement of between 3.0 and 3.5, which you could, if you want, check with either the "acid test" paper strips that can be found in Home Brewing shops or a more expensive pH test meter.

                          This is then complicated further, by which acid might be used to alter the pH measurement. Some say it should be done with Tartaric acid, or the mead making book I have (which is rather old but does have very good reasoning why) suggests a mix of two thirds Malic acid and one third Tartaric acid. Others just say that you might use more citric acid - especially as the recipe already includes it.

                          Either way, it's your choice as to just how much testing/tampering etc you want to do. All three of the acids mentioned are usually available via the Home Brewing shops.

                          Just remember, that any changes you do make to the original recipe WILL change the flavour of the end product. So if you do modify the recipe and the change seems to create something that's not to your taste, don't throw it away, come here to Wines at Home and ask how the problem might be corrected - it's not guaranteed that you will be able to do something with it, but there are a lot of good people who can offer remedial advice - so your efforts are drinkable.

                          Finally, I'll re-iterate the mantra "with wine making, cleanliness, is next to godliness". If in doubt, sterilise/sanitise.

                          As I said in the title, "It ain't hard"

                          p.s. Oh and it's quite likely that you'll find that the mead tastes bleedin' 'orrible when it's young. Mead and ageing go very well together. I usually age mine for at least 6 months, irrespective of whether it tastes medicinal or not.
                          Last edited by fatbloke; 18-10-2008, 11:47 PM.
                          Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

                          Some blog ramblings

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                          • #14
                            The final pic's

                            So you can see the fining/clearing/filtering progress, the first one is when I'd been waiting for it to clear naturally, the second is what I showed earlier i.e. after it's had the finings in for a week (though the packet does say about 48 hours) and the final one I took about 10 minutes ago after it had been through the filter (you can make out the writing on the box quite clearly now).

                            It will get to that stage naturally but I was getting impatient as I'd made the batch the subject of the tutorial.

                            Oh and it's sweet but not cloyingly so. I'll confirm what it's really like to drink when it's been guzzled, but for now, it's destined for my "under the stairs" wine store


                            p.s. Sorry about the rubbish pic's, but it's a real PITA trying to get something recognisable without the use of flash - indoors and through glass!
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                            Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy.

                            Some blog ramblings

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                            • #15
                              Great learning exercise for all levels. Cheers well done; we will move this in with the rest of the tutorial. Daw
                              Last edited by lockwood1956; 19-06-2008, 11:27 AM.

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