OK group, I've successfully made several batches of different fruit wines that are all bulk ageing at at the moment and now I want to try my hand at mead. Has anyone ever tried making it and if so are there any difficulties with starting fermentation? I've read that one should use liquid yeast, but I don't have that on hand. I'm thinking of using Jack Keller's recipe for blackberry mead. Also, does the honey mess up a hydrometer reading?? TIA, Dumpster
Yes then no. There may be some difficulty finishing fermentation if a source of nutrient isn't supplied.
Not necessary. Dry wine yeast works fine.
No, just have to make sure the honey is fully disolved.
You may want to visit rec.crafts.meadmaking
Andy
Many of us make mead. It is very similar to winemaking with a few notable exceptions.
Nutrient is more important with mead making. Honey is low in nutrient. The addition of fruit will improve this as it adds nutrient. But I recommend that if you are not familiar with mead you make a batch of straight mead first so you better understand what mead is. If you add fruit (melomel) or grape juice (pyment) then I recommend that you cut back on the fruit so that it does not overpower the delicate taste of the honey. But that is me.
Also, you cannot accurately use an acid test kit with mead before it is fermented. Honey is a natural buffer so if you try to set the acid before fermentation you may be WAY off after fermentation. Just wait to set acidity until the mead is finished and then use taste as a better indicator than the test kit.
I always use dry yeast. Pick a good yeast that would work well with a white wine.
The honey only messes up the hydrometer if you do not completely dissolve the honey. It can happen. It takes more stirring than you might think. If not stirred enough the honey will sit invisibly on the bottom of the primary. A measure form the top of the vessel will read low. If you try to get a sample from the bottom it may clog up you sampler. Just stir it well.
If you are interested in mead, I recommend "The Complete Meadmaker" by Ken Schramm . It is very readable and he develops an excellent methodology for making mead to your own taste. He also provides the best discussion of the qualities of various honey anywhere.
Ray
I warm all of my honey up in a gallon of water to about 140 F but other than that I do pretty much as Andy and Ray do. Mead seems to like warmer temperatures for fermenting also, if the mead is below 60F it's slows down to next to nothing fermentation wise in my experience.
Joe
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