First Mead!
Classification:
mead, traditional mead, melomel
Source: B.J. Davis (java@indy.net),
Mead Digest #436, October 15, 1995
Wow, I made my first mead! That was fun! My beer brewing roomie helped
lots. She has made lots of great beer, but this was her first mead too.
We made a basic mead recipe, and let it go 3 mo. Today we split it into
2 batches. To my half we added mixed berries and some cider to sweeten.
To hers blueberries and ginger. A taste of the base mead, before adding
it to the berry juice was interesting. Kind of tart with a cider-sweet
background, and the honey was still there. I can't wait to taste it when
it's finished.
Ingredients:
- 6lb. Grade A honey and 5lb. raw honey
- 1/2 tsp. gypsum
- 1/2 tsp. yeast energizer
- 1-1/2 tsp. acid blend
- 2 gal water
- 2 packs Red Star Flor Sherry yeast
- Berries or spices to taste (see notes)
Procedure:
Heat to 210 F remove and add 3 gal chilled water, cool to 75 F
and
pitch 2 packets Red Star Flor Sherry yeast.
Ferment 3 months, then split batch in half. Crush fruit.
Bring 2-1/2lb. cherries, 1lb. each raspberries & blackberries
1/2lb. blueberries, and 1/4 gal apple cider with water to make it a
gal. to 160 F for 20 min. Cool to 75 F, pour in carboy add 2-1/2gal
mead.
The other 1/2 was done with 4-1/2 lbs. blueberries and 2-1/2 oz fresh
ginger made into a tea. The berries were pasturized the same as above.
Specifics: