Thoughts on a 1 gallon mead

[cincybrewer]

I'm looking into trying out a mead because it sounds like it takes less time than brewing and time isn't on my side right now. However, all I have is a 6 gallon carboy, 1 gallon glass jug, and a handful of 1/2 gallon growler. Since I've never really had mead I only want to do a 1 gallon batch so I don't waste a bunch of money. Is it possible to do a 1 gallon batch with my aforementioned equipment, or could I use a 1 gallon milk/apple plastic jug along with the 1 gallon jug? Or maybe I could split the one gallon batch into two 1/2 gallon batches when I transfer to secondary? Just trying to see what would be the best route with what I have. Thoughts would be appreciated!

 

[fatbloke]

Mead isn't quick.

Have a look over at the gotmead forums, the Newbee guide is linked and has the JAOM recipe. Which is easy and 1 gallon.....

 

[cincybrewer]

My understanding was it was relatively quick to make, it just takes a while to become ready whereas a brewday for me takes 3-5 hours. If mead takes an hour here and there that's no problem for me.

Thanks for the heads up on the forums, I'll take a look.

 

[GinKings]

Doing a one gallon batch is fine.

Brewing beer takes more time to brew, but is ready in a matter of weeks. Mead may take less time to make, but you typically won't be drinking it for months.

 

[PaddyMurphy]

Fatbloke is right. Mead isn't quick. What it can be, is simple. All you need is honey, patience, water, patience, yeast, a carboy, and patience.

 

[cincybrewer]

I'm not looking for a quick turnaround, I understand mead's will age for a while and am perfectly fine with that. Maybe simple was a better word than quick but my understanding still was that mead was quicker to prepare (maybe that's a better word) than beer.

Forgetting the time part for a minute, any suggestions based on my equipment that I noted above? The gotmead forums are down right now.

 

[GinKings]

Fatbloke is right. Mead isn't quick. What it can be, is simple. All you need is honey, patience, water, patience, yeast, a carboy, and patience.

I think you forgot patience, nutrients, and patience.

Check out the Mead Making FAQ sticky at the top of the mead forum.

 

[Arpolis]

Search google for the JAOM recipe if you have to. Your 1 gal jug is all you need. You throw the orange, raisins, cinnamon, all spice, clove & nutmeg into the jug, add honey and water. Shake like there is no tommorow to add oxygen to the must. Pitch yeast, add airlock and then wait like 3 months. That is the super abridged version but is as simple as that. The original recipe does not even tell you to rack it. I think it actually says not to. So once you can read through it you siphon off the top and done. You have all you need lack a quick trip to the supermarket for ingredients and done.

While that ages you can read up on more complex meads, learn the fine things that make a good mead great & stock up on supplies like extra carboys/jugs for racking and such from there.

 

[jsv1204]

Heh... And patience!

I've made several small batches and they turned out fine.

 

[zeg]

I'm new to both mead and beer, and mead is a much simpler "brew day."

I think you'd be fine in the 1gal jug. You may want to obtain a second one to rack into, although you could also rack into a temporary container, clean out the lees, and rack back. That's probably not a terrible inconvenience for only a gallon.

Actually, a better alternative might be to primary in the gallon jug, then split into the half-gallon growlers for secondary. If you do additional racking, you could either keep the batch split or recombine back in the gallon jug.

I don't think you want to do any fermenting in the carboy, although you could probably get away with primary in there without any ill effects if you really wanted to.

 

[biochemedic]

If you do good fermentation management (right pitch rate, oxygenation, degassing, and staggered nutrient additions), and you're willing to backsweeten lightly if necessary (even a tiny amount of sweetness can hide a fair bit of residual early alcoholic heat), you can have a semi-sweet melomel ready to drink in 3-4 months, maybe sooner (mead does lend itself to patience, and perhaps even to a bit of brewer laziness; ie, life interferes with racking that mead that's probably ready, but it's perfectly fine, and possibly better that you just leave it a bit longer anyway...)

But to answer the OP's question, I concur you'll do fine with a 1 gal batch (in the end you'll probably wish you had more...I only made it to my 3rd one gal batch before I realized that it was the same amount of work to make 6 gallons). And the prep time for a batch of mead is definitely shorter than your average brew day for beer...just cut out the mash time, the boil time, the cooling time and that's your brew day for mead.

 

[cincybrewer]

Thanks for the great info, that's what I was looking for....and I have the patience for it....well, kindof sortof.

 

[TheBrewingMedic]

you can prepare a gallon batch pretty quickly, alot of people run for the JAOM recipe because it's almost marketed as the simplest easiest way to start making mead. In reality by the time you cut the oranges, tear the raisins if you choose to do so etc. etc. it's actually more technical and time consuming than making a tradition honey, water, yeast and nutrient "hydromel" as some like to call just your most basic of meads.

the allure of the JAOM is really that all the ingredients are readily available at most supermarkets, but as you are an experienced homebrewer I'll guess that you have access to a homebrew store/supplies, so getting a decent wine yeast like lalvin strains D-47, 1116, alpha alpha alpha ocho (say that one quiet there are some haters that attack posts mentioning 1118) and a few others.

I'm pretty new to mead making myself so I am doing multiple one gallon batches of the different styles like traditional, melomel, bochet etc. to see what I like the best plus doing a new batch every week or so kind of gives me a way to work through my normal a.d.h.d. impatience as I have something going on besides just watching and wishing. Even when I step up to 3,5,6 gallon or more batches I'll probably keep the 1 gallon experimenters going.

If you know any steady wine drinkers the 1 gallon wine jugs make nice cheap mini carboys, add $2 worth of stopper/airlock and you're rocking.

So, good luck, enjoy the world of mead making, it can get pretty addicting as the combinations are near endless

 

[PaintedRat]

I do a lot of 1 gallon batches for experimental stuff. I use Carlo Rossi bottles with the same bungs as my 5gal carboys. 1gal batches allow me to experiment recipes, make use of the odd 3lb of honey left after larger batches, and work within space limitations. The downside can be a greater % loss to blowoff and racking. I get about 4 1/2 wine bottles in the end.

 

[fatbloke]

gotmead Newbee guide is here. It contains all the guidance needed to get started plus plenty of hints and tips.

Actually I make mostly 1 gallon batches, in buckets, as its easier when aerating or adding nutrients, etc.

The JAO recipe is in ch6 of the guide. I did a 2 gallon batch last Monday, apart from the sanitising, it must have taken all of 15 minutes to put together. Hence I'd say go for a batch as close to the original recipe as you can. So you've got a benchmark version to try. Only then think of alterations or different types (a little clue here.......the JAO recipe is good, but it doesn't make for a good dry recipe, so no wine yeast, and other versions with different fruit, or just orange prepared differently makes if far too sweet)