Richter and Suu's Mead Adventure!

[Suu]

Step 1: Find quick mead recipe online...

Gyrth's Quick or "Short" Mead
Ingredients
2 quarts honey
5 gal water
2 cups strong tea
1 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3-5 lemons
Mead yeast
   
A plastic sieve
wooden spoon
big pot
5 gallon jug or carboy
thermometer
all yours and everyone else's used coke or beer bottles

What follows is a step by step explanation from Duke Sir Gyrth Oldcastle of Ravenspur on exactly how he makes mead:

First, boil water. I make two batches at a time with a three gallon pot. Add honey on a one part honey to nine parts water basis. (Honey weighs 12 lb. to the gallon.) I use a quart per 2 1/2 gallon batch. Stir it about to dissolve the honey in the water. 7he honey will sink to the bottom of the pot and burn unless stirred at first. When the mixture is bubbling happily, a whitish scum will riser to the surface. Spoon it away.

Scum removal is a topic of controversy among brewers. Some maintain that complete removal is the only way to go,- others like myself skim until there's only a very little left. Suit yourself.

Remove from heat and add one cup of very strong tea (2 cups per 5 gallons) (From herein on I assume that the measurements are for 5 gallons of mead)), 1 teaspoon of ginger, 1 teaspoon of nutmeg, and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Then take 3-5 lemons, Slice them thin, and throw them in. Let the lemons steep in the must (must is what you call incipient mead) for 30 minutes; then remove the slices. The tea and lemon move the pH of the must towards one comfortable for the yeast.

Let the whole caboodle cool to about 80-85 degrees F. Then introduce your yeast to it, cap it with an airlock, and stand back. Afier 5 days taste it. If too sweet, let it continue; if too alcoholic (unlikely) add more boiled honey and water. Keep tasting daily until sweetness and alcohol balance each other out. Syphon it off into bottles and refrigerate. If not refrigerated, it will get progressively less sweet and slide irrevocably into undrinkability. Let stand 2-5 weeks. Drink and enjoy. it ties up refrigerator space, but tends to be worth it.

NOTE - When refrigerated the mead tends to settle, and at this point I find it advantageous to siphon again into clean bottles, seal tightly, and re-refrigcrate. It makes for a sweeter, more sparkling mead.

Step 2: Follow Directions, breaking into 4 parts since our pot wasn't big enough.

Step 3: Ferment as instructed. (Richter has pics.)

Step 4: Rack into bottles and refridgerate as instructed.

Step 5: Take some to New Years for a tasting.

Step 6: Let age moar in fridge.

Step 7. ?????

Step 8: PROFIT!

Look at how fucking clear this is even in a camera phone pic!



It has a spicy gingery taste (we used fresh ginger) and a smooth, dry finish with a light sparkle, but no heavy carbonation. It's PERFECT if you just want a refreshing, quick brew.

[Richter]

Fuckyeah.

I'm trying some as soon as I get home. 

[Suu]

Fuckyeah.

I'm trying some as soon as I get home. 

We should secondary more bottles too if we can.

[Triple Zero]

yaaaay!

do you have more pics of the brewing process? if so, please post

[Suu]

yaaaay!

do you have more pics of the brewing process? if so, please post

Richter does on his phone, I believe.

[Triple Zero]

perhaps this is time to try another sip of that crappy "wine" (-like-substance) i brewed a while ago. It's aged a bit, so it should be better right?

[Bebek Sincap Ratatosk]

Nice... we did two batches a few years ago, 5 Gallons of sweet mead and 5 of Methaglen, they took three months to work and about 6 months in bottles before they were drinkable... but they were AWESOME.

I shall have to haul out the carboy cap and bubbler, this recipe looks fun

[Suu]

Nice... we did two batches a few years ago, 5 Gallons of sweet mead and 5 of Methaglen, they took three months to work and about 6 months in bottles before they were drinkable... but they were AWESOME.

I shall have to haul out the carboy cap and bubbler, this recipe looks fun

Seriously. This stuff brews quick and it's AWESOME.

[Richter]

It takes a day or two to get perking, but otherwise it's pretty hard to fuck up.

I'm tempted to try a beer next.

[Triple Zero]

perhaps this is time to try another sip of that crappy "wine" (-like-substance) i brewed a while ago. It's aged a bit, so it should be better right?

eggrhrhrhgghhh it's better, but still really crappy.

i think i shall have to pour it down the drain.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

DO IT!

I kind of wish I hadn't given my kegerator to my ex. Time to build a new one.

[Jenne]

Sounds like a great recipe.  My brother's done cider (didn't work so well--couldn't get the carbonation quite right) and beer (he's done SEVERAL of these and gotten better each time).  He usually does some beer for Superbullshit, but I don't think he's gotten around to it this year.

Success, guys!