First attempt at mead

[mike-os]

Something I have always fancied making, so thought I would

2kg honey,
Water to 4, ( I will top up to 5l with water after foam has dropped )
2tsp yeast nutrients
2tsp wilko yeast

OG 1.15

Nice and simple recipe, to see how it goes before I try to get clever and get something wrong

Initial thought is I can't believe how dark it has gone, and how high the OG is... 1.15......The hydrometer is practically out of the trial jar :hmm:

 

[FatDad]

My mead was very dark too when I first made it and I was concerned too but a couple of weeks on it has lightened a lot.

 

[FatDad]

Here it is on Day 1 - really dark caramel colour.

 

[FatDad]

Here it is today:

 

[mike-os]

That looks about it

Is the OG OK?

 

[mike-os]

That looks about it

Is the OG OK?

 

[FatDad]

That looks about it

Is the OG OK?

The OG was around 1.092 although this might by a touch inaccurate as it was a tad on the warm side and I didn't get a temp reading at the time.

 

[mike-os]

Bubbling away nicely :grin:

The wait begins

 

[FatDad]

BTW, I never had an issue with frothing with my mead. I used raisins as a yeast nutrient and used a champagne yeast.

 

[mike-os]

ah OK thanks for that I will top up when i get a chance then... i was unsure whether it might become an issue with the high sugar content but I guess because it is honey it does not go off like fruits can?

 

[FatDad]

Just racked my first mead. Tasted pretty poor to be honest (strong but acidic not as sweet as I had hoped at this point) but I know this is a slow process so fingers crossed it will improve.

Here's how cloudy it is at the moment, interested to see how much it clears. A lot more orange in colour (like an orange squash) than I had expected but nicer colour than I expected when I first made it. It was made with some oranges too so it is more a fruit melomel than a straight mead.

 

[mike-os]

mine is still bubbling away merrily...getting on for 3 weeks?

plenty of time yet...:razz:

 

[mike-os]

clearing well so thought I would rack off and check SG
SG currrently at 1.030 from 1.160.... so abv of 17%? or so

still seems very sweet, should I add a little nutrient and see if it goes lower?

 

[FatDad]

Mead is now clear, had its final racking and I have stabilized it ready for bottling. Amazing how it has changed since the first picture I posted on this thread. Its taste has improved dramatically too.

 

[FatDad]

My first ever mead is now bottled after about 6 months of fermenting and clearing. Another six to twelve months and it should be ready to drink and enjoy.

Loads of fun to make and an interesting project.

Very pleased with how it has turned out so far - good result with my first ever home brew project. Final volume is about 13% ABV

 

[cheapbrew]

looks sweet, pardon the pun, and lovely labels too:thumb:

 

[Motorhomebrew]

Yeh that looks great.

 

[FatDad]

looks sweet, pardon the pun, and lovely labels too:thumb:

Thanks - I decided to produce my own labels as they will be sitting around the house for a while, I may as well make the decorative and as a talking point so even if it tasted manky it would be worth having as decoration. I'll be adding all my other wines with their own labels to the kitchen wine rack as they clear and get bottled.

A selection of home made wines in the kitchen and beers in the fridge - not bad!!! lol

 

[mike-os]

that looks very good, i need to get some bottles sorted for mine

 

[dufresne]

looks sweet, pardon the pun, and lovely labels too:thumb:

Got a taste of a mate's last year....very "meadiocre"