No need for aging?......

[fretlessman71]

I found this recipe a while back and wanted to see what the collective thought about it. I thought it would be a great way to "get my feet wet" in brewing and not have to wait 2 years for my mead to become drinkable. Please let me know what your thoughts are. Here's the link:

http://www.skotrat.com/skotrat/recipes/mead/recipes/18.html

[mlsuggs]

The recipe, as posted, should turn out fine. My comments:

Taste it as you rack. If it starts getting too dry for you, add more honey.

Many meads develop a medicinal taste, mainly as a result of a high-alcohol yeast (champagne) metabolizing *lots* of sugar. I'm not 100% certain what the use of an ale yeast will do, but I wouldn't think it would be bad. If you do get a harsh flavor (what I call "medicinal," some have also called it "jet-fuel"), it'll age out, probably in as little as 6 months for this recipe.

Try this with a varietal honey, and lighten up a hair on the tea--you should find this to be yummy...

Welcome to the wild world of meads!

--Michael

[fretlessman71]

Thanks Michael! Aren't there any other mead makers out there?

[sallad]

i've only made one mead (and its still in the fermenter, actually), but i can tell you what i've found..

i've reracked it a few times, more like every month or 2. i brewed it about 5 months ago i think, using a recipe similar to that but for 5gal and i added about 2.5lbs of blueberries.

each time i rerack i taste it. last time (about a month ago) its was up to nearly 11% ABV and had a noticable alcohol taste. its still tasted good, but it will certainly benefit from age.

so, i'd say that it looks like a great recipe, and a good way to try out mead. extra time certainly won't hurt. just make sure it has cleared before you bottle (unless you like gushers..) and if the first bottle tastes harsh, don't try a second one for a couple more months, and so on!

[toneyc]

I'm pretty new to it, myself. We're drinking the second batch, the third and fourth batches are still in the fermenters. The first batch was in the fermenter for 7 months, I think, and turned out great!! The second batch didn't make it that long and is a little sweeter. The third batch is waiting for the fourth batch to get far enough along to blend them.

:)
Toney.