How to Make Mead

[Rick]

Mead is an alcoholic beverage used by the Saxons right through to the middle ages. Here's an updated recipe for it.

4-5lb. (about 2kg) honey
2 oz. (60g) hops
The rind from 3-4 lemons
A small cloth bag

Sew the hops and the lemon rind into the bag. Add the honey to a gallon of water and boil it for an hour and a half; carefully remove the scum from the top. Add the bag and its contents. Allow to cool. When cold place in a stoneware flask and closely stopper it. Allow to stand for 8-9 month before drinking.

[crashdive123]

Sounds interesting. Ever tried it?

[BraggSurvivor]

I make it and we drink it every Christmas with family. I like it 50/50 with dandilion wine or soda.

I do not remove the sludge layer, adds some bitterness.

[Rick]

I started to make dandelion wine once upon a time. When I figured out it took about 10,000 dandelion heads to make 1 pound I gave up.

[BraggSurvivor]

Think grandkids and candy Rick. And little baskets.

[Alpine_Sapper]

Sounds interesting. Ever tried it?

Not homemade. I've had the stuff they sell at the Renaissance Fair before. Good stuff.

Bragg - Do you use the same recipe?

[BraggSurvivor]

Pretty much, just different quantities. This batch I added a touch of Allspice.

Kickin it up a notch.

[trax]

Allow to stand for 8-9 month before drinking.

8 to 9 months??? Oh my God, what do I do in the meantime????

[BraggSurvivor]

I start sampling at 2 months. Not much difference in taste, just clarity and color.

[canid]

i love making mead.

here's one of my old favorite spicing spiced meads [for a 3-5 gal batch]:
in one large kettle
10lb or so pure mesquite honey,
3-4.5 gal water.
in one steeping bag:
the rind of an orange,
two tbs. corriander seeds,
two dried pods cardimom,
1/4lb minced ginger.
put aside in fridge:
1 cake champagne yeast.
1 slice bread [relatively fresh, without even the beginnings of mold] for toasting.

heat water in kettle to rolling boil, reduce heat to a low boil and add honey.
boil 30 min.
reduce heat to a simmer and add steeping bag of spices
simmer 30 min, covered.
remove steeping bag with a sterile implement [slotted spoon]
let cool to near room temp [below 90f]
transfer to a sterile fermentation carboy/crock/kettle.
with clean hands, toast bread, cool and spread yeast.
float toast in the ferenter.

ferment at 70f or so for 7 days.
rack and age 3 months or more.
siphon into sterilized bottles and cap/cork. if you like carbonation, use champagne or other heavy bottles primed with 2tbs to 1/4 cup sugar.

[GVan]

Modern wiccans, "witches", love mead and I've seen better than a dozen recipes in modern bookd.

[canid]

a great many people love mead, it's an easy drink to love

that recipe i posted above after a few months aging was as popular as the $200 sake served at a friend's wedding.

[Tony uk]

Ive tried this shop bought but never made my own, Very Interesting, Thanks

[Excalibur]

I love those recipes anyone have any mor or know how to make (forgive the spelling) sasparilla

[crashdive123]

Here you go. http://www.members.tripod.com/Howtuz/soda.html

[Excalibur]

wow thanks you just saved me a fortune at the supermarket

[CoM]

Hello:

I am a newbie and posted this same question in the general Chat section.

I have cases of unprocessed, fermented honey (yuck). Can this also be used to make mead or something else?

Thanks for any suggestion

[Rick]

You only need to post once. It will show up as a new posting so folks will see it. I took care of the other post.

As for the honey, I've never heard of honey going bad. I thought that stuff lasted for (literally) thousands of years. What kind of honey is it?

[Ole WV Coot]

Eight months??? How about three days tops? I am 1/2 Swedish but my other half rules. You guys drink strange stuff.

[Sam Reeves]

Eight months??? How about three days tops? I am 1/2 Swedish but my other half rules. You guys drink strange stuff.

I'm German, English and probably a little Irish. What ever yer other half is it can't compete with a long proud drinking heritage such as that.