Mead

I want to try making this. I think I'll make a 5 gallon batch then break it down into 1 gallon containers; 1 gallon will be bottled right away, 1 I'll do a spices metheglin, 1 will be a herbs (bay, thyme...), 2 will be honey jack, but that will get split and half will be seasoned with spices.

Honey is $15/80oz at Meijer (0.19/oz) and on $55/gallon on amazon (0.43).

Use 18C/140oz honey for a 5 gallon batch. A 2:1 ratio would use 200oz.

Bochet is a variety where the honey is partially carmalized before brewing.

18 Cups = 13.5 lbs = 144 oz

Make up some labels that read "Valhalla: Witness Mead" with a picture of Nux on it.

Metheglin

I'd also like to try making Metheglin, which is spiced mead. Here's what I ant to try

• cloves
• cinnamon
• orange zest
• vanilla
• juniper (if I can find it)
• fennel

A handful of raspberries could add a great flavor and good color. I'd actually be inclined to add them after to keep more of the sweetness. Maybe backsweeten with a bit of maple syrup.

11/2018

Start on 11/7. I started with a smaller bucket because the large bucket was in use with a wine kit. I mixed 190oz honey with water until I had 4 gallons. The water was heated to 160F to sanitize. Once the temperature got down to around 110F I added the yeast. This is 17.8lbs, this might be a bit much, but if it ends up being a 6 gallon batch, it should be just about right.

The mead actually came out a little weak. Most of it got used to make metheglin that was seasoned with cinnamon, nutmeg and oranges. I also backsweetened with more honey. This came out really good, Lauren in particular liked it. Though it started fermenting int the bottle which caused some problems.

The final product was really good.

1/2019

Forgot to take notes, not sure exactly when I started. I bumped it up from 190oz to 240oz for the mead and that came out really well.

I seasoned it with oranges, nutmeg and cinnamon. Last time the pith left some bad flavors. So this time I peeled just the zest off and added that, then cut out the flesh and added that (and squished it a little).

6/2019

Making a batch of strawberry mead. See Strawberry Wine

12/2019

Started with 240oz of honey. I misread the hydrometer and over diluted, so it's starting at 12%PAV. I may need to bump it up a bit later.

I want to keep the oranges, nutmeg and cinnamon, but I also want to add a bunch of raspberries, probably 1lb frozen.