"Doug Freyburger" > wrote in message
...

> Here's a very simple way to make low alcohol dry still mead. Buy a Mr
> Beer kit. Practice with it by making the beer kit it comes with. Then
> use its beer directions to figure out how to make mead in it. For the
> first batch make it at 6% using the volumes of sweetener in the
> directions to tell you how much honey to use and it will be fast. For
> the second batch double the volume of honey to make it 12% and it will
> be slow. That's it.

I don't know what that kit is, but I will research it! I use to make beer
and wine in the dim and distant past so this isn't totally new to me.

> Long answer -
>
> First the caveat - Asking for a recipe for mead is like asking for a
> recipe for wine. There are all sorts of kinds.

Understood!

You need to know the
> brewers preferences or goals to be able to figure out if you want to try
> that recipe. Meads range from high alcohol (for wine) to low, sweet to
> dry, sparkling to still, fruity to pure honey. There's even an Old
> Saxon vocabulary for "mead like stuff" made with stuff in addition to
> honey. Odin brought mead to humanity to give us inspiration. In Old
> Saxon he'd be called Wodan or Woden as in Wednesday.

Indeed

>
> My preference is low alcohol. Fortunately that means it is ready much
> sooner. My prefernence is for dry. That's good because all of the
> sugar in honey is fermentable by yeast so with a simple honey mead any
> attempt to make it low alcohol makes it dry. My preference is for still
> mead. I like to experiment with additions so some batches are fruity or
> spicey others are not.

It hadn't occurred to me that there were so many types!


> I have an addition preference that's separate. A friend is deathly
> allergic to honey, as in one person does the injection into her chest
> while another is on 911 while another does CPR. She likes mead. Go
> figure.

Oh my!!!

I will make the occasional batch of emulator using some source
> other than honey. Sorghum sweet works rather well to make "mead like
> stuff" that doesn't kill her.

Lucky friend

> In the directions of the Mr Beer kit it tells what volumes of sweetener
> to use to make a two gallon batch of beer that's around 6% alcohol. You
> can use the same volume of honey that was specified for the beer and end
> up with a light mead around 6% alcohol. You can double that amount and
> end up with a slow mead around 12% alcohol or you can estimate anywhere
> in between for a medium alcohol mead. For the first batch I suggest
> going low alcohol to get a 6% mead. It's fast and easy. Use only
> honey, water, heating to boil, cooling to bring down to where it won't
> kill the yeast, yeast and time. For 6% age it like it's beer then
> bottle it. You can charge the bottle like you're making beer for a
> slightly sparkling light mead or just bottle for still mead. That's
> it.

I used to store my beer in a small barrel and it was fine, but I would be
happy enough with a 'still' mead.

> I ended up melting my Mr Beer kit when I tried to make an apple skin
> flavored honey and maple syrup batch. Not sure if that would be braggot
> or methilgin. I just called it apple mead.

Glory be!!! Not sure how I would feel about melting the kit!!!!! Scary
stuff I am interested in the various flavours you mention. All this is
new to me!


> Now I have a five gallon kit. I still use the formula in the directions
> of the Mr Beer kit. I still decide my target alcohol based on that
> formula. For 6% use the volumes in the directions times 5/2 to make a 5
> gallon batch not a 2 gallon batch. For 12% use twice that. For in
> between use in between that.

OK. I don't know if we have that particular kit in UK but I will look. I
don't have any beer/wine making kit now, so I will be starting again. If I
can see what this kit comprises, I can probably find if not that one,
something very similar.

> Higher alcohol, longer aging, longer life. Lower alcohol, shorter
> aging, shorter life. The 6% stuff is ready in two months and good on
> the shelf for about a year. The 12% stuff is ready to be bottled in
> half a year but better bottled after a full year. Then the 12% stuff is
> ready to drink a year after it was started but will be better in two.
> The 12% stuff is good on the shelf for at least 3+ years and it tends to
> keep getting better for a long time.

I understand!

>
> None of my batches have ever lasted that long. It's too good to offer
> to share the stuff with Odin and Frigga or Thor and Sif or whoever
> happens to show up.

Hmmm... do they often show up?

Which is to say it's good enough to drink as an
> experience and it's good enough to share with friends!

Sounds great) I have saved your post and when I am able, I will be
experimenting

Many thanks for that, I am enthused)

--
http://www.shop.helpforheroes.org.uk/