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RE: Ancient Orange Mead Recipe
The crazy thing about mead is you don't even need complicated or expensive materials. People brew it in recycled plastic bottles with a balloon as the air lock for example. Just poke a hole in the balloon to let the air escape.
If you can get honey, you can make mead. It really is that simple. I highly recommend people try it!
Do you find any taste variation using plastic? I'd prefer to use the glass jugs like you use. I wonder how much difference it makes, if any. I have 55 gal coated drums, but I wouldn't drink anything from them..ha
I have a friend that keeps bees all over Maryland. Even has a permit to have them in State parks. Honey shouldn't be hard to come by.
@Grow-pro A lot of people use a "Brew bucket" for their first mix and fermentation, prior to their first rack. Due to the wider opening it allows for better access to the mix, and allows easier mixing and adding of larger items to influence flavors. It doesn't change the end product taste, but for longer term aging and storage I would use a glass carboy like he has.
The "Brew Bucket" is the actual name brand that people use, usually 6 gallons and it looks like your average 5 gallon bucket with a lid, but it is made of food grade plastic, already has the hole and gasket in the lid for an airlock. They are also really cheap in comparison to the carboys. Then when they rack into the car boy it makes clean up easier, since you remove the top hose it out, clean it, sanitize and your back into making a new batch. I wouldn't age in plastic mainly because of what it could leech into the product, with prolonged exposure. Even bottled water has an expiration date, for the bottle, glass wont leach.
Awesome, thank you so much @mbrown121500. I'm searching around now for brew buckets. I found the stainless ones (a bit pricey, but they are sleek!).
But this is more in line with my current skill level:
Agreed, it definitely alters the flavor. I think everything tastes better out of glass. I order a lot of supplies from Uline and will check their prices on food grade buckets, but I'm half tempted to learn a bit more and save for the SS Brewtech setup. Might have to have a yard sale and raise some funds for another hobby..haha
Thanks again for your reply, it really helped!
I was mistaken, it wasn't brew bucket that I have, its an Ale Pail. The 6.5 gallon one is like twelve dollars, I wouldn't go stainless, that's more for beer since they have to boil and raise the temperature higher than the plastic ones would allow.
Until you start adding hops to your product and they require boiling, stick with plastic and glass. They are cheaper and easier to find than stainless steel, and don't ever go with aluminum it leeches horribly.
I'll be growing hops next year, for brewing, but I want to try my hand at making this mead first.
Think I'll stick to your advice and find a decent plastic bucket that's ready to rock n roll.
I have a ton of blackberries (enough to fill 5 gallon buckets up) and was considering also trying some blackberry brandy. I know that's getting way ahead, but I've got to figure out what to do with all of these.
You know I hate hops too as a man. Switch to mead and leave the estrogen for the women. haha ;-)
Yeah, picking up and shaking a stainless steel brewing vessel isn't going to be fun either.
Agreed aluminum wise. I avoid it as if it were poison... because it is.
Honestly, I don't think you're going to let it age much at first. You're going to want to drink it. haha Mine sit for three months, and then they magically disappear soon after between myself, the people in my family who drink it, and the bartering I do with the extra.
I like the glass bottles, but I worry about dropping them. Part of my process is picking the bottle up and shaking the crap out of it for a few minutes. That might be hard to do with a 6 gallon bucket??? The glass bottles are about 60 bucks for the big one.
Get the smaller 3 gallon ones though to start if you do decide on glass. That way they are far easier to shake up and carry to place in a dark area. I cannot prepare them in the same place as they are stored, so being able to carry them easily and safely is a big plus.
With the 6gal plastic buckets, if it's sealed well, I could take it for a spin on the trailer. That's how I mixed a lot of paint..lol link up the trailer to the tractor and cruse around the property for a few. It shakes me up, so I knew it would work well for that - it does. Shaking it by hand would be one heck of a workout!
I have seen those glass jugs around at many antique shops and consignment places - that's where I'm going to check.
Make sure you do not spend too much on an old bottle. The Italian glass new ones are cheap if you go to the store and don't pay shipping.
None. The downside to plastic is it's more prone to scratching, which makes it more prone to hosting infection. The downside to glass is how fragile it is, and lots of people wind up with injuries because of breakage.
I use plastic, even in my professional batches.
I have a couple 6 gallon glass bottles and doubt I'll ever buy more. They are a real bear to shake and carry. It is dangerous as you said too. The 3 gallon ones are easy to handle however.
You can get/make frames for the glass ones to help out a bit with the dangers. My next step will be stainless steel though.
Yes, I'm actually thinking of a simple counter setup. I'll leave the brew bottles on a raised counter to age. Then I'll rack/bottle them right from the counter top. There are so many ways to improve the process though, but I'm limited to not having a dedicated production location within my home or an out building... yet.
If you can get honey, I highly recommend you brew mead then. You'll not regret it...other than not starting sooner. I've spent thousands of dollars on alcohol over the years. It really makes me want to kick myself. You said you had a local guy that gives you beer for hops, right? That's a good bartering setup too!
I have six plastic left over deerpark spring water gallon jugs brewing now. I'll let you guys know how they work. They should work, and I don't even have expensive air locks. I'm using balloons on the tops.
Oh, I can get honey, no problem! And yes, a good friend of mine brews his own IPA and gives it to me, so long as I return the glass bottles! He grows hops and has a beautiful hops trellis about 18' high, but he has 3 kids and his yard is maxed out with toys and playground equipment.😆 He wants me to build a similar setup on a larger scale, on my property - for free beer, of course..haha I'm going to start planning the rig once this season is wrapped up. I'm not even doing fall crops this year because I have to start prepping beds for next year already.
I'm likely to go the resourceful route, like you, but that stainless can is calling me..HAHA Maybe after I get one consumable batch under my belt, then we'll see. If I can make something worth drinking with sourced household items & improvising a bit then I might spend a little coin to do it a little better.
I figure food grade plastic is still going to be a notch above the jailhouse toilet wine, right?
As long as it is food grade plastic, I wouldn't worry about it. The temperature never gets hot enough for anything to leech out into the liquid. I'm looking to get wooden brewing barrels too instead of using glass to be more "authentic."
For people just wanting to test the process, they could skip the expensive bottle. But... If you are sure you're going to brew something, not necessarily mead, the bottle is worth it. Worst case if you don't end up making beer, cider, or mead with it, you get a fancy upgrade to the change jar. ;-)
@finnian don't forget that with wooden barrels you will change the flavor, and you will loose a bit both for the "devils cut" what the wood absorbs, and the "angels share" what evaporates due to the wood expanding and constricting
Also, I really want to do barrels, but I need to figure out the easiest and most appropriate air lock system. Any ideas? I do not see barrels made specifically for mead anywhere. I'm also not sure how to add a spigot after the fact, or do I have to buy a barrel with the spigot installed in the beginning?
Do you think it is a bad idea? You know what I'm looking to do (set it and forget it). I am trying to duplicate ancient methods as much as possible too.
My plan (before we moved from VA) was to use old Bourbon barrels and age cider in that. It gives a good flavor and you get a little wood flavoring and a little bourbon flavoring added to your product, but that was experimenting with flavors. The only thing I can see that would push me away is the price of new barrels, and used barrels will change the flavor of your product.
You can test the flavor changes prior to using the barrels by adding toasted wood chips to the brew (sold at the brew store by you). That would give you a good indication of the end result flavor change.
That will have to be done wood chips wise. It's a very good idea, thanks! Yes, my eventual plan is to have barrels, and they will be placed in a cool dark place to age for years. I'm in this for the long haul.
I'm not going to want to do small barrels though. I'm thinking at least 6 gallon ones if not larger. If I can source enough honey to do it, I'll go way bigger.
Get spirals. Less to worry about getting out of your must, and lots more surface area than rods.
You also add tannin though, which you otherwise count on getting from any latent pollen in the honey.. not guaranteed.
Any negatives to using barrels in your expert opinion? You know a ton more about this art, and I want to use barrels. What would you suggest, or would you be against it entirely?
I want to duplicate the ancient process as much as possible, so that's my main reason for wanting to use barrels.
I also like the idea of setting them on their side to ferment, and drinking straight from that unmoved barrel in the future.