StillSmart

A couple of weeks ago, me and a friend experimented with making some honey wine (dunno if it qualifies as mead). As it happens it has turned out really rather well. We used:

2.5 jars Waitrose Essentials honey
200g muscovado sugar
Half grapefruit squeezed into then dropped into the bucket

Topped up to 4.5 litres with warm water to help dissolve the honey.

When the temperature dropped to about 25c we just used bakers yeast (it was all we had) and then added some dead yeast cells.

Once fermented out, we racked off and then added the remaining half jar of honey. We also dropped in a campden tablet and a teaspoon of potassium sorbate for good measure.

Left it for a few days and it cleared naturally crystal clear.

Really pleased with the result. Quite smooth and pleasant to drink.

Yeah, where does mead become wine?
Clarity? Alcoholic strength?

Robert.

Please don't start the mead v melomel v honey wine definition debate

The terms "mead" and "honey-wine" often are used synonymously. Some cultures, though, differentiate honey-wine from mead. For example, Hungarians hold that while mead is made of honey, water and beer-yeast (barm), honey-wine is watered honey fermented by recrement of grapes or other fruits.

A mead that also contains spices (such as cloves, cinnamon or nutmeg), or herbs (such as meadowsweet, hops, or even lavender or chamomile), is called a metheglin

A mead that contains fruit (such as raspberry, blackberry or strawberry) is called a melomel, which was also used as a means of food preservation, keeping summer produce for the winter. A mead that is fermented with grape juice is called a pyment

Blimey you know your meads,metheglin and the like there C... I've never done any of them but after reading the OP, I think I'll bang a gall together over the weekend.

Curmudgeon wrote:Please don't start the mead v melomel v honey wine definition debate

elderberry melomel is a real winner.

I can recommend the Mead at this Link

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~msbai ... DE_EAS.htm

It is by beekeeping friends who won many prizes with it. It is idiot proof to make, about 16%, and tastes brilliant.

The important thing is the yeast as you can get the proof a tad high, and bakers yeast will die of and leave an over sweet drink, thus use Madera or something on that line, Madera worked for me.