A few questions for a newbie

[acar25]

I just started my first batch of very simple mead. Gallon of spring water, 3 pounds of honey, an orange, some raisins, and a package of fleishmans yeast. I was wondering if there are any special recipes you guys like and would like to share and if there is a simple recipe i can use to make some originals of my own. Also if i am able to use tap water in my brewing. Thanks and I hope to make some buddies through homebrewing.

 

[huesmann]

Sounds like you're making a JAOM. Check out the recipes section and look at Joe's Quick Pyment. You can use that recipe as a base for other melomels, changing the grape juice for just about any other juice you like.

 

[acar25]

Thanks for the reply, i will check it out and what exactly is a JAOM? Thanks again

 

[ACbrewer]

I beleive it is Joes Ancient Orange Mead, although in the original, the acronym gets mispelled as JOAM.

 

[jhoson]

JAOM recipe page: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f80/joes-ancient-orange-mead-49106/

And I recommend reading this : https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f30/sticky-mead-making-faqs-83030/ ( Really good to newcomers into mead making)

 

[Arpolis]

With mead making there are tons and tons of ways to make it. Patience is just your best ingredient with mead. A "drinkable" mead can be made in 3 months or less but really quality stuff may need aging past a year.

Also technique plays a big role with really good mead. Here are a couple things to look at for future batches that will improve your results:

1) proper nutrients are important. Honey musts are low in many nutrients yeast need. Invest in both DAP (looks like white crystals and commonly referred as "yeast nutrient") and any yeast energizer (looks like a tab powder). A good ratio is 1tsp/gallon nutrient and 1/2tsp/gallon energizer. I like to add 70% of the nutrients leaning more of the DAP first up front when I pitch the yeast and the remaining is split into 3 equal parts added every 24 hours till gone. That is a method called stagard nutrient additions if you want to look up how others stagar their nutrient additions.

2) oxygen is your friend at first. Yeast love the O2 so the day I pitch the yeast I whip up the must really well before pitching yeast and then again a few hours after pitching. Then I follow up slowly at first and carefully whipping the must to introduce more O2 twice daily for the first 3 days.

3) unlike many wines acid is not needed for balance. Honey is naturally acidic and so if the recipe you make needs to be more acidic hold off on adding acid blends until you are about ready to bottle so you can add it to taste.

4) water quality is not too critical. I use tap for all my creations but I also run the tap through a Brita filter. Basically if you taste your water and there are no undesirable flavors then your water should be fine.

5) quality in equals quality out. In making flavored meads like melomels (fruit meads), metheglins (spiced meads), Cysers (apple meads), Pyments (grape meads) and any combination or other style you can use a more processed store honey and get a decent product but raw local honey is always better. For traditional meads it really needs the raw honey strait from the apiary for a great product.

Different recipes:

If you want a base model recipe that can be altered to fit your tastes then try this:

1 gallon recipe (for larger recipes just multiply ingredients by number of gallons)


Honey (3lb for any non fruit recipe 2lb for recipe with fruit)

Optional (1.5lb fruit frozen then thawed in primary and another 1.5lb fruit frozen and thawed added after you siphon off the sediment)

Optional (if not using fresh fruit and rather juice, top up primary with 100% juice and top up with additional juice to one gallon after you siphone off of sediments in primary)

2 tsp Black tea (this is added for the tannins to improve mouthfeel. I like to add Earl grey black tea but your favorite veriety will work)

Optional 1tsp pectic enzyme (this is added to fruit meads to help it clear)

1tsp yeast nutrient

1/2 tsp yeast energizer

Water added to one gallon (only if not using juice)

Finally yeast (your fleishmans yeast is good for your current recipe but may not do well with many others. Lalvin makes great yeasts and I prefer 71B-1122 and K1V-1116)

If you want to use spices less is more in many cases. Use a muslin bag or jelly bag to hold the spices and put in the secondary after the mead is clear. Let it sit a few days and then taste. Leave it in longer for more pronounced taste or take it out if it is good.

So what is all above is not all the ins and out but just some suggestions to help out or to get your gears turning. Keep reading and asking questions. There is a ton to learn and a whole addiction to fill. Happy brewing.