I just got in to this hobby and while ago I made the beginner mead with your recipe. I had no idea what mead tasted like and didn't know what to expect. Now last weekend we drank it with my friend. It was really good and actually reminded me of my favourite wine and something we call in Finland "sima" a May day "vappu" drink similar to mead but with more inexpensive ingredients and lower alcohol content. The only problem with the mead in my and my friends oppinion was that it was too sweet. Tomorrow I am going to make another mead batch along with a cider batch and I'm going to use this recipe for the mead. I'm also going to use your recipe for the cider. Thank you for getting me in to this hobby!
LOL 5 weeks too funny, great looking mead...Thank you for the recipe, I made the honey mead you had from last year with the raisins, black tea, orange peel and kirkland honey in January of 2024. It actually came out well for my first honey mead and has been bottled since then. I did a 3 gallon batch for sharing with others and just to have more available.
Alright this video changed my mind. I was planning on making my fist mead with just water and honey and yeast. But the tasting of this one convinced me to make this recipe instead. It’s exactly what I want out of a first brew where it is a base. I can change the recipe from there for my later brews. And I like dry wine. So this is really perfect for me. Thank you.
Smiling! Just started my first 2 batches, one grape wine, the other cider. Done this a few years back, but more Kombucha than wine or cider. Trying to do it right this time, using Star San, and was very surprised how little I used per quart spray bottle, this stuff will last for years. Smiling! 73
Question: What happens to all that bejesus that gets shooken out? - recycled? - lost to reality? - moves to higher plane? - morphs into random slim on the outside of containers?
When i use a 1 gallon jug, due to the neck size I mix the honey and water into a carboy and then pour into the jug. Then the reading can be taken, yeast added and water topped off and a final shake if needed. I'll have to try a dry mead.
Hey guys. I'm a bit stuck on something and would really appreciate your insight. First off, thanks so much for this channel. It's opened me up to the hobby and I've really enjoyed getting into my own mead-making. To date, I've fermented maybe 20 gallons or so. I've got six gallons going at the moment and I've got a question for you regarding safety. I over-filled one of my fermenters -- didn't count on the volume the brewer's bag full of blackberries would take up -- and now some of the mead has bubbled up into the airlock. To clear it out, I'd have to remove the airlock and since I'm only two weeks into the initial fermentation, I'm concerned about compromising the zero-oxygen environment. Do you have any advice for me on what to do to make sure the batch isn't compromised? I considered using suction to empty the airlock while leaving the fermenter lid sealed, then replacing the neutral spirit in the airlock (I use vodka). Not sure if that would be minimal enough O2 exposure, or if maybe you have a better idea? Any reply would be greatly appreciated. And again, thanks for all the TH-cam videos; love the content!
My wife and i recently asked about starsan foam in our five gallon batch, its taken off like a wild fire! Smells and looks great! I have a further question, usually we use gallon fermenters as you have taught us to do. (thanks for your wisdom!) Ive a gathering planned for all hallows eve, and all who contributed to the ingredients for the five gallon batch asked to keep it traditional as possible. Even to the "bung", three layers of cheese cloth, tied VERY thoroughly, then folded back upon itself and retied. Further covered with a sanitized fresh washcloth and tied the same way, which is then folded back on itself twice, tied between folding... The gist is this, without a fluid airlock, i am unsure of when to test next. Simply because of the intricate and extremely time-consuming method we used to air lock the brew. Any advice?
I wouldn't risk that. Just use an airlock. The truly traditional way was a large open pot in the kitchen that everything fell into. Best to keep it clean and safe rather than risk an infection and ruin the whole batch.
I buy honey from a bee supply place near me in Brisbane Australia and at AU$12/KG and this is cheaper than you can buy real honey from the supermarket, I avoid most honey in supermarkets here as I can get real honey from a few places.... Supporting local small businesses helps the community 😅 On another point, I was a little surprised there was no fermaid-o added, did you find extra nutrients are generally not needed?
This is an older video, re-edited, but... I'll be honest, we don't always add nutrients and haven't seen much difference unless you're after higher ABV meads.
I have a mead going right now. Planning on diving it into 3 parts when it goes dry - normal, spiced (kind of like your fruit cake recipe), and fruit. I can't decide what fruit to use though. Do you have any suggestions? Maybe about what fruit tends to go well eith meads or what type, anything wouldnbe helpful.
Could you say that the yeast choice you made contributed to the efficacy of the finished product after 5 weeks. It seemed the attributes of the yeast also contributed to the drink-ability of the mead so soon.
Hi guys, just wondering. I dont think you have made video on how to make a beer strength mead. Like a dry fizzy mead around 5%. Am i right in thinking it would be the same process but around half the honey. And use a beer yeast? I would love a video on this. Basically i want to drink mead instead of beer (sometimes). Any help would be amazing. Thanks
Is it normal to have a “brownish tan” kind of sludge or coating on the glass about a 1/4 -1/2 inch above the fluid level? :Been fermenting for about 24 hours, 3 lbs honey, 3/4 teaspoon yeast nutrient, 1/4 teaspoon tannin, full pack of lalvin k1-v1116, orange zest, starting volume 1.092
you might want to consider trying white tea if that is something you can get it has so far given me the thickest mouthfeel with least bitterness and astrigency teawise
Well... this just convinced me to "de-bottle" and backsweeten my mead. Already 4 months old and just tastes acrid dry... Any thoughts on the best way to do this?😅
@@CitySteadingBrews excellent thank you, i started one last week and forgot the tea 😂i made an irn bru mead as my first one and put it on my channel Absinthea it was pretty good!
I recently got into the hobby of making mead. I mistakingly added 6lbs of honey to my Cyser. Do I dump it out or let it go, and see what happens? Thanks
You shouldn't dump it... but how large of a batch? Did you take readings? You can split it and dilute with water though and get it to a more reasonable gravity. Shoot for 1.100 or a little below.
@CitySteadingBrews it's roughly one gallon all in. I did take a reading, and the hydrometer didn't register any numbers. It hardly sank at all. I will take another reading and get back to you. Thanks
Yeah... that is double the honey for a gallon and with apple juice added it won't ferment much if at all. I would dilute it down to 1.100 at most. Plus side, you may have close to a three gallon batch now.
I do not like the taste of like I am chewing on tree bark this is why I don't drink wine. What type of mead would you suggest or type of wine that does not have that nasty tree bark feel in it?
I don't really know what you're experiencing then, maybe excess of tannin? This is not an overly tannic mead, so maybe worth a try, but only if you prefer dry to sweet.
@@CitySteadingBrews well I had a what is called German dessert wine and it didn't have any of that tree bark feel to it and it was not sweet. It was like drinking a wine where the fruit was more forward and didn't leave that dry or tree bark feel in the mouth. I had this while I was in Germany and can not find it anywhere. But I do like a German beer called 1878 I love dark beers and wheat beers. I have had mead before but they must not have strained it because it had a lot of floaty things in it
I just got in to this hobby and while ago I made the beginner mead with your recipe. I had no idea what mead tasted like and didn't know what to expect. Now last weekend we drank it with my friend. It was really good and actually reminded me of my favourite wine and something we call in Finland "sima" a May day "vappu" drink similar to mead but with more inexpensive ingredients and lower alcohol content. The only problem with the mead in my and my friends oppinion was that it was too sweet. Tomorrow I am going to make another mead batch along with a cider batch and I'm going to use this recipe for the mead. I'm also going to use your recipe for the cider. Thank you for getting me in to this hobby!
Happy to help!
Wow!😮 Gifted three half gallon jars of honey. She's definitely a super fan of your channel!
Yup! She's a sponsor of the show!
I’m at the age that if someone gifts me half gallon jars of honey, they’re my people forever! Forget traditional gifts. 😄 Great video guys, thanks!
So true!
Long time home brewer, 20+ years... love watching you two. I've learned a bunch over the last 6 years
Glad we can still help!
You two never get old, enjoy every piece of enriching (atleast in enriching my blood alcohol) content you put out!
LOL 5 weeks too funny, great looking mead...Thank you for the recipe, I made the honey mead you had from last year with the raisins, black tea, orange peel and kirkland honey in January of 2024. It actually came out well for my first honey mead and has been bottled since then. I did a 3 gallon batch for sharing with others and just to have more available.
Just finished my first mead with one of your recipes. Thanks so much for your wisdom and entertainment. Could not have done it without you. 😀👍🍺
Great job! Glad we could help.
Alright this video changed my mind. I was planning on making my fist mead with just water and honey and yeast. But the tasting of this one convinced me to make this recipe instead. It’s exactly what I want out of a first brew where it is a base. I can change the recipe from there for my later brews. And I like dry wine. So this is really perfect for me. Thank you.
Smiling!
Just started my first 2 batches, one grape wine, the other cider.
Done this a few years back, but more Kombucha than wine or cider.
Trying to do it right this time, using Star San, and was very surprised how little I used per quart spray bottle, this stuff will last for years. Smiling!
73
Hahaha.. I always forget my OG reading too! Great video, thanks!
Nice easy no fuss video 😊
Glad you liked it
Awesome vid as always! I bet it be real nice carbed!
Sounds great! 😊
Two TRBOS dances and a (2) Holy Grail shirt(s)... not to mention what seems like an absolutely delicious dry mead. Not a bad Saturday morning.
Thank you for your work.
You're totally welcome.
Question:
What happens to all that bejesus that gets shooken out?
- recycled?
- lost to reality?
- moves to higher plane?
- morphs into random slim on the outside of containers?
It goes off to fulfill it's own destiny.
I love the Star Wars/Monty Python shirt, Derica
When i use a 1 gallon jug, due to the neck size I mix the honey and water into a carboy and then pour into the jug. Then the reading can be taken, yeast added and water topped off and a final shake if needed.
I'll have to try a dry mead.
I miss seeing the awesome backdrop sheets.
When it comes to introducing air into primary fermentation for the yeast, can we also use a Baster? Just force empty air into the fermenter that way?
It's not very effective but sure.
LIKE IT :D
Hey guys. I'm a bit stuck on something and would really appreciate your insight.
First off, thanks so much for this channel. It's opened me up to the hobby and I've really enjoyed getting into my own mead-making. To date, I've fermented maybe 20 gallons or so. I've got six gallons going at the moment and I've got a question for you regarding safety.
I over-filled one of my fermenters -- didn't count on the volume the brewer's bag full of blackberries would take up -- and now some of the mead has bubbled up into the airlock. To clear it out, I'd have to remove the airlock and since I'm only two weeks into the initial fermentation, I'm concerned about compromising the zero-oxygen environment. Do you have any advice for me on what to do to make sure the batch isn't compromised? I considered using suction to empty the airlock while leaving the fermenter lid sealed, then replacing the neutral spirit in the airlock (I use vodka). Not sure if that would be minimal enough O2 exposure, or if maybe you have a better idea?
Any reply would be greatly appreciated. And again, thanks for all the TH-cam videos; love the content!
If it's fermenting, opening the lid isn't going to hurt anything.
@@CitySteadingBrews You're awesome, thanks so much! And huge thanks again for turning me onto this hobby. It's been a blast!
My wife and i recently asked about starsan foam in our five gallon batch, its taken off like a wild fire! Smells and looks great!
I have a further question, usually we use gallon fermenters as you have taught us to do. (thanks for your wisdom!)
Ive a gathering planned for all hallows eve, and all who contributed to the ingredients for the five gallon batch asked to keep it traditional as possible.
Even to the "bung", three layers of cheese cloth, tied VERY thoroughly, then folded back upon itself and retied.
Further covered with a sanitized fresh washcloth and tied the same way, which is then folded back on itself twice, tied between folding...
The gist is this, without a fluid airlock, i am unsure of when to test next.
Simply because of the intricate and extremely time-consuming method we used to air lock the brew.
Any advice?
I wouldn't risk that. Just use an airlock. The truly traditional way was a large open pot in the kitchen that everything fell into. Best to keep it clean and safe rather than risk an infection and ruin the whole batch.
@@CitySteadingBrews SETTING UP A BLOWOFF TUBE SET UP ASAP TYVM
I buy honey from a bee supply place near me in Brisbane Australia and at AU$12/KG and this is cheaper than you can buy real honey from the supermarket, I avoid most honey in supermarkets here as I can get real honey from a few places.... Supporting local small businesses helps the community 😅
On another point, I was a little surprised there was no fermaid-o added, did you find extra nutrients are generally not needed?
This is an older video, re-edited, but... I'll be honest, we don't always add nutrients and haven't seen much difference unless you're after higher ABV meads.
@@CitySteadingBrews this makes a lot of sense and good to know, thanks
I have a mead going right now. Planning on diving it into 3 parts when it goes dry - normal, spiced (kind of like your fruit cake recipe), and fruit.
I can't decide what fruit to use though. Do you have any suggestions? Maybe about what fruit tends to go well eith meads or what type, anything wouldnbe helpful.
Any fruit. Use what you like.
What is your favorite ABV to end up at on average? Just in general.
Normally 9-15 is our range. No specific one is our favorite really.
2 gallons of honey and 8 gallons of water! 🤠👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
I'm new to making Meade. How do you get the inside of the tubing dried after cleaning of sanitizing? Or does it matter?
You don't dry anything after sanitizing.
Would putting it in blueberries in secondary be best? I really want the blueberry flavor to come through
You might want our blueberry mead videos...
th-cam.com/video/o5fW0nhxUWw/w-d-xo.htmlsi=AHExLOoBr2WbZ2sv
Could you say that the yeast choice you made contributed to the efficacy of the finished product after 5 weeks. It seemed the attributes of the yeast also contributed to the drink-ability of the mead so soon.
Not really. Most any yeast could do that.
Watching today, 9/21/24. And yall said maybe oaking it. How long would you suggest? Maybe 2-3 weeks?
Depends. If you use small chips they extract more quickly than larger chunks so it's something you want to keep an eye on.
Hi guys, just wondering. I dont think you have made video on how to make a beer strength mead. Like a dry fizzy mead around 5%. Am i right in thinking it would be the same process but around half the honey. And use a beer yeast? I would love a video on this. Basically i want to drink mead instead of beer (sometimes). Any help would be amazing. Thanks
th-cam.com/video/TueowhdIF1A/w-d-xo.htmlsi=JpJYj2DS7ro05YD2
th-cam.com/users/results?search_query=session+mead+city+steading
@@CitySteadingBrews thanks! Perfect!
Black tea .cinnamon and coves to personal taste!
Is it normal to have a “brownish tan” kind of sludge or coating on the glass about a 1/4 -1/2 inch above the fluid level?
:Been fermenting for about 24 hours, 3 lbs honey, 3/4 teaspoon yeast nutrient, 1/4 teaspoon tannin, full pack of lalvin k1-v1116, orange zest, starting volume 1.092
It's probably what is called kreusen. Mostly just foam and proteins leftover and dried. Nothing to worry about.
Awesome!! Thank you so much for a quick response. Your channel has been extremely helpful with my education on brewing mead!
you might want to consider trying white tea if that is something you can get
it has so far given me the thickest mouthfeel with least bitterness and astrigency teawise
I could. I actually like white tea, but don't find it as tannic as black tea. Interesting you do, must be different brands/regional differences.
@CitySteadingBrews I tried a republic of tea Jasmine the other day... not really my cuppa tea *buh dum tis*
Well... this just convinced me to "de-bottle" and backsweeten my mead. Already 4 months old and just tastes acrid dry...
Any thoughts on the best way to do this?😅
As you said, just debottle and sweeten. Just be as careful as you can about oxidation.
do you think it would be ok to put the tea in after primary once racked? or just use oak for tannins?
Yes, you can do either.
@@CitySteadingBrews excellent thank you, i started one last week and forgot the tea 😂i made an irn bru mead as my first one and put it on my channel Absinthea it was pretty good!
I recently got into the hobby of making mead. I mistakingly added 6lbs of honey to my Cyser. Do I dump it out or let it go, and see what happens? Thanks
You shouldn't dump it... but how large of a batch? Did you take readings? You can split it and dilute with water though and get it to a more reasonable gravity. Shoot for 1.100 or a little below.
@CitySteadingBrews it's roughly one gallon all in. I did take a reading, and the hydrometer didn't register any numbers. It hardly sank at all. I will take another reading and get back to you. Thanks
Yeah... that is double the honey for a gallon and with apple juice added it won't ferment much if at all. I would dilute it down to 1.100 at most. Plus side, you may have close to a three gallon batch now.
@ernestbogue7921 yeah, put that into a three gallon container and add two gallons of water and you're still making a 12% abv mead roughly.
Thank you very much, I will let you know how it turns out. Hopefully, I can save it. Right now, it's alcohol syrup.
How much black tea did you use in that cup?
One teabag.
Do you think it was worth the year wait?
I would say yes.
Wow you gave it 9 when it was young and 5 when it was old
Tastes changed probably more than the beverage.
Have you ever tried using Manuka Honey I know it's expensive, but it's supposed to be the best honey in the world from what everyone says
We have not, mostly because it's stupid expensive so making even a one gallon mead would be ridiculously pricey.
5 WEEKS!!
I Always make mine DRY!! But a lot of people like mead sweat!
I usually measure out 12 cups of water in a gallon of mead
That's 96 ounces. Same as we did.
@@CitySteadingBrews honestly I never thought about ounces per cup
I do not like the taste of like I am chewing on tree bark this is why I don't drink wine. What type of mead would you suggest or type of wine that does not have that nasty tree bark feel in it?
I don't really know what you're experiencing then, maybe excess of tannin? This is not an overly tannic mead, so maybe worth a try, but only if you prefer dry to sweet.
@@CitySteadingBrews well I had a what is called German dessert wine and it didn't have any of that tree bark feel to it and it was not sweet. It was like drinking a wine where the fruit was more forward and didn't leave that dry or tree bark feel in the mouth. I had this while I was in Germany and can not find it anywhere. But I do like a German beer called 1878 I love dark beers and wheat beers. I have had mead before but they must not have strained it because it had a lot of floaty things in it
The butanicals should add something in decent amounts
at 24.51 you put 0.079 on screen as Sp Gr of Alcohol. Actually it is 0.79, which is what you said.
Oh, derp!
5 weeks 🙃
You must bring us a... shrubbery
:)