Honeysuckle mead

[CrealCritter]

Wow! So the Vikings went into battle too drunk to know? Or care?

Or apparently feel pain

I really do need to kill off the yeast and let it clear out. I mean 524 days now, should be enough time don't you reckon? I'm thinking about bottling this mead in demi's which is 375ml instead of the standard 750ml.

 

[Cecilia's-life]

this is the most incredible mead story I've read- I need to try this. Drinks anyone?

 

[CrealCritter]

this is the most incredible mead story I've read- I need to try this. Drinks anyone?

Interesting you would ask...

I just calculated, 750 days since I began this mead. We infrequently "sample" the gallon jug when special guests show up. We sampled about 3 weeks ago. My wife's best friend, never had mead before said "wow I want to be a viking" she wanted a second shot but I declined because I have no idea what the ABV is, plus I don't brew to make anyone drunk. I brew because I know naturally fermented live yeast food and drink is good for me.

All I know at this point, It's some powerful stuff... No more than a shot glass at a time is all anyone needs. It tastes like a very mild hazelnut honey sweet bourbon and it's way to easy drinking.

I draw samples with a clean and sanitized turkey baster. Then I top the gallon back off with honey. The air lock plunger is still a floating tight against the lid, so that means IT'S STILL FERMENTING.

Here's the dusty gallon jug kept in the dark unless we sample it (very infrequently)

Here's looking through the jug so you can see it's true color and clarity. Albeit the jug is dusty.

It's so good, I need to watch myself closely. I really don't want to kill off the yeast and bottle it, potentially messing it up. I'll need to proof and talley it to see it's true alcohol content. But I know it has to be upwards of 18% ABV or more. I may just leave the yeast alive and bottle it in thick swing top glass bottles, instead of corking. That way if it develops to much pressure it could vent off, instead of blowing the cork or worse breaking the glass bottle.

Recipe is on the first post, you won't be disappointed, that I can guarantee. Let me know if you have any questions, I'll do my best to answer them.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

I wanted to add... I have about 20 lbs cored and sliced bartlett pears and a lot of elderberries in the freezer. I'm going to pick some autumn olives this evening. I can't decide which mead to make next. I may do more than one. Since I have about 5 lbs of local honey just waiting for me to make up my mind, I have enough honey to start 2 gallons. I am feeling the need to mead again.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Mini Horses]

I'd like to try elderberry wine. Make some and let us know. Next yr I can pick more to do if it's good.

 

[Cecilia's-life]

Interesting you would ask...

I just calculated, 750 days since I began this mead. We infrequently "sample" the gallon jug when special guests show up. We sampled about 3 weeks ago. My wife's best friend, never had mead before said "wow I want to be a viking" she wanted a second shot but I declined because I have no idea what the ABV is, plus I don't brew to make anyone drunk. I brew because I know naturally fermented live yeast food and drink is good for me.

All I know at this point, It's some powerful stuff... No more than a shot glass at a time is all anyone needs. It tastes like a very mild hazelnut honey sweet bourbon and it's way to easy drinking.

I very much do (namely myself ). I don´t currently have anything brewing and this seems like the perfect brew for a nine month wait.

 

[CrealCritter]

I very much do (namely myself ). I don´t currently have anything brewing and this seems like the perfect brew for a nine month wait.

Mead is different for sure, it takes a long time, the longer you let it ferment the better tasting it gets. This one has been fermenting over 2 years.

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

Can you split off some of it and add different fruits to change the flavors? Or does it not work that way? My brain is kind of picturing it like a sourdough starter..

 

[CrealCritter]

Can you split off some of it and add different fruits to change the flavors? Or does it not work that way? My brain is kind of picturing it like a sourdough starter..

You could, yes... Think of it like this.

You got live yeast eating away, reproducing and producing CO2 and Alcohol. As long as there is food for it to eat, it will keep on eating. Until it either runs out of food or it poisons it self to death by alcohol poisoning. Every yeast has it's alcohol tolerance expressed in %ABV (Alcohol by volume). This batch is Red Star Pasteur Blanc yeast, it's alcohol tolerance is 13~15%. I already know I'm well past 15% ABV on this mead.

So... for example, If you have a batch like mine that's near death. You could take say 1/2 the volume (2 quarts) and put it into another fermentation vessel (clean and sterilize glass jug) and feed it more sugars (fruit juice and honey would work good). Essentially what you would be doing is decreasing the alcohol content by 1/2 and feeding it. It should wake back up start eating, reproducing and making CO2 and alcohol again.

When I sample it, I top it back off with raw honey. So I'm basically doing what I said above.

I do want to say, don't expect to run down to your liquor store pick up a bottle of mead and add fruit juice and honey and expect to to start fermenting. Almost if not all store bought mead/beer/wine has had the yeast killed off, filtered and the adjuncts (like sugar) added for flavoring.

So sorry but you'll just have to start your own batch and experiment. With different flavors. Beside you would be drinking live cultured yeast, which is supposed to be healthy for you. The recipe is in the first post of this thread and I'm here to try and answer any questions you may have. When do we start?

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Larsen Poultry Ranch]

You could, yes... Think of it like this.

You got live yeast eating away, reproducing and producing CO2 and Alcohol. As long as there is food for it to eat, it will keep on eating. Until it either runs out of food or it poisons it self to death by alcohol poisoning. Every yeast has it's alcohol tolerance expressed in %ABV (Alcohol by volume). This batch is Red Star Pasteur Blanc yeast, it's alcohol tolerance is 13~15%. I already know I'm well past 15% ABV on this mead.

So... for example, If you have a batch like mine that's near death. You could take say 1/2 the volume (2 quarts) and put it into another fermentation vessel (clean and sterilize glass jug) and feed it more sugars (fruit juice and honey would work good). Essentially what you would be doing is decreasing the alcohol content by 1/2 and feeding it. It should wake back up start eating, reproducing and making CO2 and alcohol again.

When I sample it, I top it back off with raw honey. So I'm basically doing what I said above.

I do want to say, don't expect to run down to your liquor store pick up a bottle of mead and add fruit juice and honey and expect to to start fermenting. Almost if not all store bought mead/beer/wine has had the yeast killed off, filtered and the adjuncts (like sugar) added for flavoring.

So sorry but you'll just have to start your own batch and experiment. With different flavors. Beside you would be drinking live cultured yeast, which is supposed to be healthy for you. The recipe is in the first post of this thread and I'm here to try and answer any questions you may have. When do we start?

Jesus is Lord and Christ

I'd love to try, but I think I'll have to wait until we get our garage built, so we have a secure and hopefully temperature controlled (mostly) place to let it do its thing. Or the root cellar built, that would definitely be temperature controlled. I'm hoping to have lots of different fruits and berries growing next year, so that would be fun to play around with it. Blueberries, possibly raspberries and blackberries. I don't think the orchard will be producing next year yet.

So logically, you could start a plain mead, then split it once it got going, and flavor one part differently while allowing the other to remain plain, then repeat as it grows again. As long as you keep feeding it, it'll keep growing? So it is like a sourdough starter, but you have to keep checking the alcohol to make sure it doesn't get too high? This is neat.