Honeysuckle mead

[CrealCritter]

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.

Yes you could start a plain mead (maybe call it a mother mead) and use it to develop different "meads" with various fruits or jucies and more honey. I don't see why it wouldn't work. As long as you keep good records of it's alcohol content and projected or anticipate alcohol content which is called Final Gravity. There's all kinds of on-line calculators to help with initial gravity, final gravity and alcohol by volume. Heck some of them even have calories, if you're into that kind of thing.

My opinion only but mead is easier than beer and wine. That's just my opinion, so milage may vary.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[CrealCritter]

I'm sorry you can't smell or taste this honeysuckle mead. My wife "smells like honeysuckle and alcohol but it tastes like honey with just a little bit of alcohol, her eyes got real big and said this is really good"

The yeast has most definitely died of alcohol poisoning. So there is no sense in trying to restart it when it's "really good" as is. I'm going to bottle in swing tops for my wife.

Clear in the dusty gallon jug

Test test to me... it smells like honeysuckle and tastes like vanilla on the front and finishes with mild honey taste and warming going down.

So to answer the question... How long does it take to make a really good mead at home? I would say, oh about 2 1/2 years or so.

Jesus is Lord and Christ

 

[Markum1972]

Looking for some feedback for making honeysuckle mead (metheglin).
I have made several other things with honeysuckle and one thing I have learned is that it has to be sweet or the honeysuckle is just bitter.
Because of this, I am going to use Lalvin wine yeast to make sure it is sweet enough.
Now, I know that you can also use more honey (up to 3 pounds per gallon) to make the mead come out sweeter. I read somewhere that a guy recommended 2.8 pounds/gallon for honeysuckle mead.
I noticed that you used 2 pounds though. I am curious as to what your thoughts are on whether you feel it could have used to be sweeter than you made it.

 

[Finnie]

Looking for some feedback for making honeysuckle mead (metheglin).
I have made several other things with honeysuckle and one thing I have learned is that it has to be sweet or the honeysuckle is just bitter.
Because of this, I am going to use Lalvin wine yeast to make sure it is sweet enough.
Now, I know that you can also use more honey (up to 3 pounds per gallon) to make the mead come out sweeter. I read somewhere that a guy recommended 2.8 pounds/gallon for honeysuckle mead.
I noticed that you used 2 pounds though. I am curious as to what your thoughts are on whether you feel it could have used to be sweeter than you made it.

@CrealCritter doesn’t appear to have seen your question…

 

[CrealCritter]

Looking for some feedback for making honeysuckle mead (metheglin).
I have made several other things with honeysuckle and one thing I have learned is that it has to be sweet or the honeysuckle is just bitter.
Because of this, I am going to use Lalvin wine yeast to make sure it is sweet enough.
Now, I know that you can also use more honey (up to 3 pounds per gallon) to make the mead come out sweeter. I read somewhere that a guy recommended 2.8 pounds/gallon for honeysuckle mead.
I noticed that you used 2 pounds though. I am curious as to what your thoughts are on whether you feel it could have used to be sweeter than you made it.

I don't make wine, brew or drink anymore, it was not good for <my> overall health. If you search of "home brew forum" you'll likely get a number of choices of good forums for information/assistance.

Jesus is Lord and Christ