We make our own drink. Beer, Wine, Mead, Shine, Cider, w/e

[Spent Brass]

I helped thread jack my own WTB thread so I figured we could move over here and be a little more respectable. Ninja, I have messed with a still before (not officially). Back in high school I got ahold of a nice labratory grade distillation collumn and a couple two liter beakers. Combine that with a hotplate some mollasses wert and champagne yeast. What a pretty mess. But now days its mostly beer for me. Did one batch of cider - that I screwed up somewhere... and I've never tried wine. Im thinking about getting some honey from the guy on the board selling it and trying to make mead next. Anyone ever tried making it?

 

[jms]

My son in law sells honey in 5 gallon buckets if you should need that much .I don't know how much he sells it for but if interested I will find out .P.M me.

 

[Spent Brass]

Definatley, I've never made mead before so Im not sure how much Ill need. Once I figure it out Ill let you know. Anyone have any experience with mead?

 

[CrkdLtr]

This thread could get interesting.

subscribed.

 

[RedNeckRuger]

I think it is like 1# honey per gallon. I made it one time, but the honey I used was pretty old.

edit...
here are some recipes.
http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/reques28.asp

 

[topgunz1]

If anyone makes some I want to try it. A friend and I were just discussing the other day Mead was pretty much the only form of alcohol we haven't tried.

 

[drumz2129]

I have been making wine for a couple years now. My uncle gave me all his supplies and equipment when he got out of it and I have been adding to it since. I have 4 3gallon batches of wine to bottle as we speak. Maybe I will get to it this weekend. It would be nice if small scale hobby distillation was decriminalized.

 

[Khyber]

I've made some mead. Its quite tasty.

 

[swamper]

When I was in Albuquerque, the local liquor store had some mead that was made in New Mexico. It was pretty good stuff. I haven't had any in awhile though. Talk of mead always reminds me of Beowulf.

 

[Spent Brass]

Khyber - Whats a normal recipe look like? Do you have to have a sugar adjunct? Did you spice it? Doesn't it have to age a while before it reaches maturity?
Drumz - Is wine making as simple as it sounds? I have a couple spare carboys and was thinking about a batch. With all my extra space I could bulk age it for quite a while with no problems.

Anyone have any awesome beer recipes? I've got an OctoberfALE in the ferment box right now. Traditional Octoberfest recipe with a California Ale yeast. SHould be kegged and on draft by our Octoberfest party.

 

[03protege]

Ive done a few wine kits and they come out very good. I usually add some fresh fruit to them to give it more body. Google jack keller, he has more wine recipes then you care to see. As a rule wine made from fresh fruits will generally take longer to age.

Most say to age meade at least a year.

But yes wine is much easier than beer and just as rewarding.

 

[CrkdLtr]

So what all is involved in making a basic / medieval style mead beside honey?

 

[RedNeckRuger]

Spent Brass...are you doing all grain brewing? I made my first OktoberFest last year and I must say...it was quiet tasty. The recipe below is my house pale ale:

10# 2 row
.5# 60L Crystal Malt
.25# Munich

1oz Magnum @ 60
1oz Cascade @ 30
1oz Perle @ 15


SafAle US-05 yeast

 

[drumz2129]

+1 on Jack Keller, I have been using his recipes to start from for a while now. He has a lot of great info from beginner to expert knowledge. It is easy to make a decent tasting wine, especially if working from a kit, however, it is difficult to make a great wine. There is a lot between a good wine and a great wine. I make all my wine from fresh fruit that I pick my self or friends/family provide, it is more time consuming than just opening a can from a kit, but the reward is much greater.

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/

 

[Khyber]

2 pounds of honey/gallon, zest of a orange + the juice of same, cinnamon stick - heat to 150 or so degrees degrees for 20 mins. let cool naturally. put in carboy, or use a "Mr Beer". add sweet mead yeast. Watch .. yearn, wait.. 3 months. Bottle, wait another couple months. Enjoy.
Use a beer calculator to determine how much more or less alcohol you want as an end result. Tells you how much honey to add. 2-3 pounds /gallon of water is typical. Also, might want to use non-chlorinated water.

 

[CrkdLtr]

2 pounds of honey/gallon, zest of a orange + the juice of same, cinnamon stick - heat to 150 or so degrees degrees for 20 mins. let cool naturally. put in carboy, or use a "Mr Beer". add sweet mead yeast. Watch .. yearn, wait.. 3 months. Bottle, wait another couple months. Enjoy.
Use a beer calculator to determine how much more or less alcohol you want as an end result. Tells you how much honey to add. 2-3 pounds /gallon of water is typical. Also, might want to use non-chlorinated water.

3 months? Holy Crap!


Sounds like some wonderful flavors though. Thanks.

 

[drumz2129]

3 months? Holy Crap!

3 months is nothing. Some wine is required to age 1 year minimum. I have some that is almost two years old that I am about ready to try. You might not think it matters, but 6 months will sometimes make a not so good wine taste pretty good, and another 6 will make it taste great.

 

[Pale Horse]

See, that's why I like cider. Two weeks from starting to drinking. I've got a mead recipe from England, if anyone wants it.

 

[Beeramid]

For those that have never tried mead, World Market usually has it on the shelves.

 

[CrkdLtr]

For those that have never tried mead, World Market usually has it on the shelves.

Good heads up. I would definitely want to try it before I waste money on supplies.