Brewing Mead B)

[Oisterman]

So, I've been playing Skyrim and it has been pulling out my inner viking. I've had a craving for mead since I got it, and I figured why not brew some up? Its stupidly simple.

This gallon probably cost about $14 to make. 3lb of honey ($8) champagne yeast ($1) a few lemons ($3) gallon of spring water ($1) and cloves ($1).

If you try to buy mead, even the cheap stuff, theres no way in hell you're gonna get a gallon (4 liters) for under $15 lol. You'd be lucky to get 1 liter. If this goes well, I'll be doing a 5 gallon batch that takes much longer to make (more authentic probably) but this is just a tester that was super stupidly simple to make.



It'll be drinkable December 15th, but I'll definitely let it sit a lot longer.

I know I promised a few of you a video on how to make riot punch, and I promise, I'm still on it. The stupid home brew store doesn't stock the yeast anymore and I have to order it online. I just have been pretty broke lately with the holidays and shit, but its still in my plans

[gratscorpio]

I spy a bottle of jameson +rep for good taste sir.

That is all


scorpio

[Oisterman]

<3 reciprocated. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm, so good. One of the VERY few liquors I refuse to mix.

[Bryan]

gimmie that copy of heavy rain :3

[Raiyne]

Had a hunch this would be about Skyrim.

That is so awesome, haha.

[Kw1q51lv3r_Vorian]

Not so much unfortunately. My buddy Htown got me a beer kit from this place for my birthday...they DO have sodas.

http://www.mrbeer.com/category-exec/category_id/179

I'm guessing you could get away with just a refill kit...

http://www.mrbeer.com/category-exec/category_id/13

It was real easy to do the beer, I can't imagine this would be much different. I've always wanted to try to make some soda (mainly gingerale). :3

sounds interesting. i gotta provide the sugar myself, eh? I'll probably either leave it out or subsitute it some Equal or Splenda or some kind of swe-

Argh, fack, I live halfway around the world. It'll take like two weeks to reach me.

But some googling did yield me something a little better.

http://www.truetex.com/carbonation.htm

[Darkhell153]

Ah, make sure you let it ferment in the shade, sunlight can greatly distort the taste of alcohol.

[Squallion]

Ah, make sure you let it ferment in the shade, sunlight can greatly distort the taste of alcohol.

This.
Also, totally just logged in on this account for the first time in...years i guess to comment on this. ****ing christ oister, I remember you telling me your setup was ****ing ghetto but i never imagine you would actually be using a freekin' hobo jug and a balloon, fack. Btw, I finally got my master brewer certificate =D haven't talked to you in a while, scrub.

Here's some tips if anyone else wants to try making this:
Jugs like he's using.... yeah no. Go to a local specialty beer store, what that sells DIY kits and shit, and get yourself a beer DIY kit, the one with the large plastic jug(you can go for glass if you want, but it will make no difference mead wise), not bucket. these come with a pressure valve, disinfectants, cleaning kit, stirring s**** (long *** plastic one) and plastic hoses.

Ok, another thing that super misleading about oister's picture, he's using a glass jug, and its full. he's using a balloon, so its safe. with a proper closed jug with a valve, if its to full, the valve wont be able to exhaust, and you risk explosion, which is totally not cool.

Now, bottling.(im gona try to explain this as best as i can, but im french so bear with me) This is something a lot of people overlook when making home mead, but it has huge advantages, aside from aesthetics. If you leave it in the jug, you're not removing the lees (that thick layer of gunk at the bottom....a lot of people who home brew just mix it in and drink it) this will keep making its alcohol content rising, make it more carbonated, and alter the taste with time.
If you take the time to bottle it, using hoses to siphon it out(just like you'd siphon gas out of a car!) and bottle it without the lees, you can let it age a couple months(make sure you remove the lees if your gonna do this though, or else your totally facing risk of explosion again, seriously. I had 2 bottles explode, in a wine rack, while i was away for a week. The floor was disgusting.), you're gonna end up with a pretty amazing product in the end, bubbly like champagne, not to sweet and without that whiskey like alcohol taste cheap ghetto mead has.

Bonus points: since mead recipe is so ridiculously simple, and near impossible to mess up, you can have fun with it, by adding fruits(peach or apple are great), ginger if you want to give it an extra kick. there's a lot you can play with. though, remove the lees if you do this, no one wants a chunk of month old peach that has melted into a half solid into their cup.

[Oisterman]

Yeah the first time my dad ever brewed beer back in the day he bottled too early and that shit exploded all over my PC haha.

I'm just doing this ghetto batch until I'm sure I like it, when I go for the 5 gallon I'll prolly pick up one of those big *** jugs at the homebrew store.

I knew if you were lurking it'd make you log in Haha. Nice to hear from ya mannnnn.

[Neil]

SQQQUAAAAAaaaaaLLLIONNNNNNN

[Squallion]

SQQQUAAAAAaaaaaLLLIONNNNNNN

Murx! How gay have you been?