Mead

[princesspopup]

Hi all
I've been making hb since 2008 but usually make wine from foraging (dandelion/honeysuckle/sloes etc
I'm a fairly infrequent visitor to this board but am posting for the 1st time as I need your advice
I have been offered honey from a friend and he'd like me to make mead. Do any of you have a recipe you swear by?
Also what exactly should mead turn out like? I've seen pics online of it fizzy and stored in beer bottles but thought it was more like a wine.
Txs in advance
pp

 

[oldbloke]

Mead can be fizzy or still, and ranges from beer strength to liquer strength. Check what your friend wants. Still is far easier. Honey is about 80% fermentable sugars, when you do your strength calcs.
Assuming his honey has a particular flavour he wants to keep you probably don't want to be adding lots of other flavouring ingredients.
Honey needs plenty of yeast nutrient.
Past that, I don't know much about it, but a few people here do and should be along in a bit.
Also you may want to check out gotmead.com

 

[princesspopup]

Cool txs oldbloke I'll check that link out

 

[kevinwigan]

I'm hoping at some stage to try my hand at mead.

 

[Tankboi]

The way I do it is

4 340g pots of honey in a DJ top up with water and shake it to mix then throw a handful of raisins in a tsp of nutrient and wine yeast.

you can add pretty much any fruit although orange is most common.
I leave it for about 2 weeks then rack off to another DJ.

When its pretty much clear bottle de-gass and leave for as long as you can stand to.

gets a nice drinkable wine
And if you want it fizzy leave for a bit longer in first DJ and when its juat starts to clear bottle with a bit of sugar or honey. Not saying that's how its done, just how I do it and it ain't failed me yet and have a few mates that nag me to get another batch on.