Mead update, and round 2 (batches 4 - 6).

I brought a sample of the cinnamon mead to my local brew and wine store.  It is Brew-n-Wine of Mankato, MN.  Don Kaiser has been helpful during my last couple of visits.  So, they (Don Kaiser and Gordon Stevens) tried the mead and pronounced it to be (likely) non-fatal and non-blinding.  It was, indeed, mead.  However, it was too acid and too sour.  The good news was that it didn't taste as if it had any contaminants or bacteria.

The sourness reminded Don a bit of bread and we wondered whether the thing to blame was the simple recipe that I had used for batches 1 - 3 and the bread yeast for which it called.  Perhaps if I used a yeast that was meant more for wine, the batches would taste better.  So, we found a champagne yeast that is often used in mead-making.

I decided to keep things simpler this time.  I would make one batch of dry mead (meaning that it starts with less honey, possibly even only enough for the yeast to use to create the needed alcohol).  Another batch would be full or sweeter mead (there would be honey in excess of what the yeast needed to reach the % alcohol that would kill themselves).  The third batch, just for fun, would be an apple wine.  It was little more than apple juice (preservative free), some sugar, and then the yeast.

In summary, the main difference would be that I was using a more select yeast and that I would be adding tannin (instead of using raisins to provide this as in batches 1 - 3).  Before adding the yeast, each batch would be pre-treated with campden tablets.  Briefly put, this would kill off any yeast, bacteria, or other organisms already present in the batch.  After the campden tablet did its duty, I could safely add my champagne yeast with the knowledge that it would be the only living thing in the batch and would be allowed to work its magic unfettered by contaminants.

The fact that I would be using part of the laundry room cupboards to brew more wonderful alcoholic creations brought tears--I assume of joy--to Kim's eyes.

Three new batches of mead (well, one is apple wine).

Mead tasting update.

The mead (unflavored batch) was a bust.  To be charitable, it was not tasty.

The cinnamon mead was better, but I still wouldn't buy a bottle of the stuff.  Heck, it was basically free and hard for me to choke down.

I have a bottle of store-bought mead that I'll open soon, so that I have something with which to compare my mead.

Bottling the mead.

This evening (Saturday, May 25, 2013), I bottled my three batches of mead.  You, the reader, might recall that the 1st batch was "standard" mead with no flavors added.  Batch 2 had cinnamon added.  Batch 3 had cardamom added.

I went to a local brewing supply store.  It was a great visit.  I was able to keep my purchases to a relatively low dollar amount.  I needed bottles, and enough to hold a bit over 300 ounces of mead.  I decided to get 16 ounce bottles that have an integrated cap.

16-ounce bottle for the mead.

They were already clean, but needed a sanitizing step.

Relatively cheap and no-rinse.

Lastly, I bought some labels.  The picture of them (on the finished product) is at the end of the post.  After I used the "1 Step," I began siphoning.  Each batch filled 6 bottles with a bit left over.

Siphoning mead into the bottles.

Another view.

In the end, after applying a simple label, I had 18 bottles of mead (regular, cinnamon, and cardamom).

Finished product.

I tasted the mead from the 19th bottle.  It contained the last ounces from each batch.  It was not very good, unfortunately.  I'll have to see what the other bottles taste like.  Perhaps the one I drank had a lot of sediment in it, so it tasted less than good.  We'll see...

At least, there have been no fatalities yet.

Mead update.

Since the last racking of the mead, the balloons have remained flaccid.  It seems that the fermenting is done.  I will probably bottle them soon, then.  I found a local brew and wine shop that I want to visit.  Their hours are a bit limited, so I have to try to work it into my schedule.  I expect that my family, friends, and I will be tasting the meads this summer.  Hopefully, there will be limited fatalities.

Racking the mead.

On November 24, 2012, I racked my first batch of mead.  Racking--as noted elsewhere in this blog--is the process of removing the liquid and leaving behind most or all of the sediment (or yeast cake).  Below is the aquarium tubing that I used.  Next time, I would try to get larger-bore tubing as the aquarium tubing took a long time to siphon the liquid.

The mead will be put into a new and clean container for more fermenting.  See below for my siphoning set-up.

As noted elsewhere, the mead should be ready in about June, 2013 or so...

Getting started making mead.

After extracting the honey with Mark, I felt like I wanted to do something honey-related.  But, I knew that my bees and hives were at least 6 months away.  So, I decided to try my hand at mead-making.  I didn't have the ability to convince my wife to allow me to get "true" mead-making supplies.  However, this website has a very simple mead recipe that uses ingredients that most people have around the home already.  I made one batch on November 13, 2012.  Below are some of the ingredients.

Basically, I followed the directions on the site linked above.  In the end, I had about one gallon of mead brewing with probably about $10 - $15 of supplies.  My wife was guilty about not letting me get actual mead-making supplies, so I was able to cajole her into letting me brew the mead in a spare cupboard in the laundry room.  The first batch of mead was just "regular" mead, with no added spices or fruit or other flavors.

The cupboard that I chose was so wide that Batch #1 looked lonely.  With a bit of effort, I convinced the powers-that-be to allow two more batches.  Batch #2 is a cinnamon mead and Batch #3 is a cardamom mead.

Batches #2 and #3 were started 4 days after Batch #1.  You can see that #1's balloon is already inflated with carbon dioxide.  If I had a closer picture, you can see the bubbles forming throughout the mead, rising to the top.  Batches #2 and #3 have flaccid balloons that will soon inflate.

The batches have now gone through at least two rackings.  This is where I remove the liquid via siphoning and leave the sediment, or yeast cake, behind.  The three batches are now in their final stage of fermentation.  I should be able to bottle them in about June.