I made this as my 3rd mead, followed your recipe, and my mind is blown!!! Mine came out at 11.7% abv and pretty sweet, but the flavor.... Holy crap!! And beautifully clear and golden. Thank you for being my intro to mead making 🙏🏼
I made an herbal mead with rosemary, thyme and bay and had a difficult time getting it to start...never thought of the antibacterial properties of the herbs! Duh!!!! Now I know how to fix it! Thanks!
Wow... This one is gold. Clarified beautifully, and even though it could wait another month or 3-6 for the flavors to mellow out, the roar of warm spices is something that will remind me of summer in the winter months. Thank you guys so much for sharing this one ❤
The spiced metheglin sounds amazing! I think you should come out with a recipe book. I will definitely buy it if you do. I'm trying this recipe now but with a few changed. 3 lbs. of orange blossom honey instead of 3.5 lbs. and I used 2 slices of freeze dried apples because I don't have yeast hulls. Thought it might help feed the yeast. I only used 1/2 pk. of Lalvin 71b and it started bubbling within 1 hour. OG gravity 1.124 Can't wait to try this one.
From a guy who actually lives in Yorkshire in the U.K. this warms my heart that this tea is in your brew. Best tea ever made. Only tea worth drinking. Maybe a tiny bit biased……love this recipe guys.
Just found y’all’s channel. This is awesome! So much more in depth and informative than other videos. I have subscribed and look forward to trying it myself and other brews.
When I first made the spiced metheglin I split the batch in conditioning and put half the batch on dried elderberries. It sat on the elderberries for about a month then went into bottles. I just opened a bottle after 7 months of bottle aging and it is incredible. Heady aroma, deep dark purple color, perfectly clear, and the mix of honey, spices, and elderberries is an experience! It is far better than any commercially made wine I've ever had. It's my first 10! Thank you! I would never have experienced this without you and all you guys do.
Very interesting. This is close to my apple pie recipe but I did not know that cinnamon sticks and cloves were antibiotics or that the yeast would have a hard time with it. I have never personally had a problem with it, but that is really good to know. Thanks!
I bought 2 bottles of Holiday Wassail juice from Aldi and just mixed it up yesterday. I bought it because it reminded me of this recipe. Only I added sugar but will step feed and final sweeten with honey.
Just racked this off the raisins, they started to break up after 10 days. Glad I did as it'd gone from 1.122 down to 1.008 (15.4%), left the yeast in to finish any potential fermentation because Mangrove Jack's M05 can go 18% By the Gods, does it smell awesome! The M05 really brought out the aroma and it's like a warm blanket on a cold winter day. Can't wait for it to finish out and age a little before I bottle and sink into the couch with a mug.
This recipe honestly sounds yummy I’d give it a shot once I’m given a chance As for your yeast activity- I got the same foamy yeast action too with the weird yeast that I used I’m glad my experiment is behaving well
Hi Brian and Danica: just wanted to tell you that I made your metheglin mead . My family is in love with it , so I’ve got 6 more gallons of it going . Thank you so much for the recipe. I’m also trying your ginger mead . Love you guys and your information you, you two take the time to give .thank you ! Thank you ! Keep your videos coming .💞🙏
This'll be the third mead I make, having just started it today. I used wine tannin and Fermaid-O in place of black tea and yeast hulls, but other than that I did my best to follow the recipe to the letter. I had a brain fart and added WAY too much honey initially, to the point I had to dump a little must down the drain so I had enough room to add water. The hydrometer was floating and the must wasn't even up to the point where the big bulb chokes down to the stem with the scale on it. I didn't think to pour it into a different container and save it until I'd already dumped it. Oh well, home brew is all about learning from mistakes haha.
I've got a 1kg bag of bread yeast that I use as "yeast hulls" by boiling some in a tiny bit of water before brewing. Kill off the yeast and it becomes basically the same thing as this nutrient being used in the video
Metheglin is the idea that got me fired up about meade in the first place. I tried something very similar to this two years ago, when I first started. But, I also used cardamom and saffron. it turns out I don't really like cardamom, and I've had no luck with saffron. I either cannot taste the saffron, or I get too much and it ruins the brew. So, thank you for a recipe that works. I was surprised by your surprise at fermentation starting within the hour, but I regularly use Go-Ferm and Fermaid-k. I usually start seeing bubbles within three hours. Seeing bubbles in less than an hour, while not an every time occurrence, is very satisfying.
Made this using lalvin k1- v1116 yeast because i had it and temps are coooler here in N.Y. active, steady, and stable fermentation start to finish. EXCELLENT recipe, thanks folks!
One thing I learned that doesn't get mentioned to often but I learned through doing a bunch of different fermentation projects try to avoid stirring any active yeast projects with a metal spoon or basically don't let metal touch it yeast doesn't like metal and might react weird or even die in contact with metal this includes with sour dough starters kombuchas and your brew base after you have added the yeast this is why wood plastic and glass is used in brewing. Distilling and cooking before you add yeast is fine if your worried about using a metal pot just add the yeast directly into your bucket or carboy
Some metals are nonreactive with yeast like stainless steel but a lot of the stuff we use especially utensils are made of mixed metals so I wouldn't risk it.
Derica and Brian, wish I had found this channel last year when I started my first attempts. You guys are the most informative people I have come across. I just started a 1gal’ batch of this mead. I didn’t have orange blossom honey, dehydrated orange zest or the same yeast. I substituted for wild mountain honey, fresh orange zest and used the premier blanc I had on hand. I ended up with a starting OG of 1.138, I look forward to seeing how it turns out.
I just finished up 2 separate batches following this recipe. One at 1.130 og the other at 1.120 og to see the difference. Now the hard part... THE WAIT! I appreciate everything the two of you do here. These are batch numbers 2 and 3 for me. Started my first in late October. Staying patient waiting for it to age some more. My first was a gallon of your traditional mead. Tasted the other day and it was GREAT. Just looking to let it age out a bit more. Thanks again guys! Keep the great info coming.
I put off making this one because i didnt think i would like it. I finally gave in and made it several months ago. And Brian, let me tell ya. Its probably my favorite mead i have made to date. So good. Very impressed.
@A i found it to be very good after just a couple months from primary fermentation. It did continue to get better for a couple months, then pretty much stabilized.
I’m such a novice. I don’t know if I’m making mead or starring in a hidden camera comedy show. I followed the recipe EXACTLY. 1.5 liters honey and so on. I don’t have yeast hulls, but I have bakers yeast, so I tossed half a teaspoon in with the steeping tea for 10 minutes. That was boiling, so I’m sure I killed it, just like I did my houseplants. Finally added as much water as I possibly could and got a reading, you’re going to love this: 1.171. It was off the chart before I added as much water as I could. I used a wine yeast and I’m hoping it really goes to town. Time will tell if I have something good or a mead version of Frankenstein’s Monster. All the love to you guys. Thanks for the adventure! ❤️
Haha same here man! I got 1.50 and 1.56 respectively, after adding as much water as I felt comfortable with. Using 71B, recalling hoping I can get the full 14% from it. Should still have some good sweetness, but not too much. If it stalls like theirs did, I think it’s going to be too sweet. Here’s hoping! Let me know how yours turns out!
After researching and compiling information for making mead, I had decided to do a seasonal spiced mead. Then, I stumbled across this. Thank you. Now I don't have to guess and figure it out. This is exactly what I was thinking. (just hadn't figured out quantities). You guys rock. can't wait to get it started!
I found this video earlier this year and started a batch in august I just bottled it last night and tried it slightly sweetened to 1.015 and oh my is it ever good im gonna open the first bottle on Christmas
Followed this recipe to the letter and got the same results! Imagine that! With a FG of 1.054, it is very sweet but SO delicious. So much so that I just started another 2 gallons. Since 3.5 lbs of Sweet Squeeze orange blossom honey gave us an OG of 1.138, I cut back to 3 lbs of honey which brought the OG to 1.122. For my latest batch I also substituted Fermaid-O for the yeast hulls and added bentonite for fining. Now the hard part... waiting!
I just racked the new batch that used 3 lbs of honey. FG was 1.028 so ABV is 12.7%. Same delicious taste but a bit less sweet! The bentonite did not result in a clear finish so I added some sparkalloid which works like magic! Within a couple of days it was crystal clear.
Love the content. Watching your videos is what got me into making Ciders and Meads a few months ago. Last month I got the idea for a spiced mead, similar to what you did here, and it seems to have stalled. 3 gallon batch 2/3 packet of Lavlin 71B 10 lbs of honey 2 lbs of fresh cherries (chopped and de-seeded) 1 lb of frozen cranberries (thawed and chopped) Ginger 3 cinnamon sticks Cardamom Allspice Cloves Orange peel 3 black tea bags I boiled the spices, orange peel, and tea bags. I let them cool before adding them to the mead. The mead started bubbling within a few hours, and stopped after about 2 weeks. At 3 weeks, I racked it off the fruit. Starting gravity was 1.072, estimated to be at 1.122 because of the fruit. When I racked it, the gravity was 1.080. 10 days later (today), it's still at 1.080 The flavor is surprisingly good, but way too sweat, and the alcohol content seems pretty low. Any ideas on how to get this going again? Thanks
Try a teaspoon and a half of yeast hulls or boiled bread yeast. It's also possible the spices stalled it. You didn't say how much ginger, cardamom, allspice and cloves, as all of those have antibiotic properties.
@@CitySteadingBrews I used about a thumb sized piece of ginger, sliced thin, which went directly into the mead. 1 tsp of ground cloves, 1.5 tsp of ground AllSpice, and 1 tsp of ground Cardamom. I didn't think about the antibacterial properties due to boiling, but I'll give the yeast hulls a shot. Thanks again
Started a batch of this spiced metheglin this afternoon. The 71B started foaming and bubbling before I could get the kitchen cleaned up (20 minutes max). That stuff starts fast! (OG=1.114 & 2g Fermaid-O)
I made a couple of batches of this this summer and recently tasted one of them. Spices were quite mild. I started another batch today and threw in a habañero for good measure.
Started a batch of this as my first mead ever. 3.5 weeks in, I'm racking and it's down to 1.005, making it 16.8%!!! It's so warming, and quite tasty even a bit drier.
This is very similar to a recipe I found online a couple years ago on Gavin Webbers UA-cam channel that he got from some Australian bee keeper website. It's a bloody brilliant recipe. He uses 1 whole orange and I did as well, but I think I'm going to try this variation. Thanks for posting.
Hi guys! First I want to say how much I enjoy your videos. I last made mead over 25 years ago and have learned how many things we did wrong (only had one drinkable brew in four tries). My wife has started keeping bees and my first thought was "Hmmm, what would I do with extra honey?" well... I've scaled down to 1-gallon batches and have been using 25-year-old honey (which takes a VERY long time to de-crystallize). ANYway - this is the second batch I'm making in all these years. The difference in what I've done compared to your recipe is that the honey is clover vs orange blossom, I'm using Fleishman yeast, and instead of yeast hulls, I made my own nutrient by boiling a packet of generic store-brand bread yeast. My original gravity was 1.144. I had no more room in the jar to dilute any further. Now, doing the math with the final ABV being approx 13% I come up with a final gravity of 1.045 which from what I've absorbed so far means it is going to be very sweet. I'm sure you've answered this in some of your videos that I have not yet seen, but how do I reduce the sweetness? Can I simply dilute in secondary? I do not think I mind a higher ABV, but if the yeast stops at 13% or thereabout, how do I "use" more of the sugar? I'll keep digging through your videos! Keep up the good work!
Diluting is the answer to too much sweetness. Yes. Or a higher tolerance yeast. Honestly though 1.144 is SUPER high to start with. That's gonna stall most yeasts. I'd dilute it.
@@CitySteadingBrews hopefully this makes sense and is correct... I first measured one of the fermenter jars and at the level of the current brew is 108oz (.84 gallons) so that explains some of the sweetness. I thought about how to do the math to determine how much water to add, and even though my brain kept saying it should be easy I gave up and did the following. OG was 1.144. let's say I was aiming for 1.030. so I was .014 too high. The reading today was 1.104. so assuming the same rate of fermentation I'd be looking for 1.090 today. I started mixing (this is only 4 days old, so not worried about adding O2) with water until I got this target. This did two things... Brought the level up to 1gal in the original jar (up to the neck...bottom of the screw at the top not really comfortable there but...) And I had about 4 oz left over... it was tasty. Is this reasonable or did I mess up somewhere? Thanks again!
OK, I started my metheglin on mother's day. I didn't have any yeast hulls so I went searching on google for some info. when I created the black tea in the hot water, I put half a back of 71b in the hot steeping tea, this created the hulls I needed.
Soylent green! lol. I love it when you guys throw in nerd references. Already starting to collect your t-shirts. You guys are great! I’m watching like 2 or 3 of your videos every morning at the gym.
I started this exact recipe yesterday. The only change I made was I added 2 tsp of candied ginger to get a bit of taste of your ginger mead added in. Rather excited for this one!
Follow up: Racked it to secondary and tasted it. It’s so good and, like yours, I can’t believe it’s only been three weeks. I can’t wait for this one to get to at least six months.
@@valiant545 Freakish timing! I was bottling this as you commented. ~7.5 weeks to bottling. OG 1.138, FG 1.035, 15.5 ABV. It is really good right now. I’m going to try to wait 6+ months before opening the first bottle. I have half a mason jar in the fridge to enjoy for now.
@@valiant545 Sorry, I failed to give brew dates. Started on 3/8/21. Racked to secondary 4/3/21 (slightly over 3.5 weeks). Bottling 4/28/21 (7.5 weeks total).
Brian and Derica, THANK YOU! You guys are awesome. I just tested my first batch of spiced metheglin at 28 days. It's gone from 1.114 to 1.018 (≈13% ABV) but there is still a little fermentation activity. But THE TASTE! It was phenomenal! It has the residual sweetness, the spices are forward mixed with the honey, and there is very little youth. And on the finish I GOT THE BISCUIT thing! Combined with the spice and honey it was a great combination. This one will definitely get made again!
Just finished putting together my attempt at this mead! It is in my closet in the dark, waiting, now. Here's hoping it starts bubbling soon, I'll keep you updated! Hoping to share this with my family at christmas this year, it'll be my second-ever mead. So excited to see how it goes!!
Aaaand the airlock's bubbling already! judging by the foam I think it really is already started! I did put fermaid-o in instead of yeast hulls since that seems to be more what you guys are using lately and it's less bulky for me to store - I'm in a pretty titchy apartment. So excited to see how it progresses!
@@deadkuma Just racked it and tasted it yesterday!! It taste amazing already, I would drink the whole gallon now if I didn't promise it for family christmas. On tasting I could detect a bit of carbonation-y fizz in it so I'm not sure if the yeast are fully done (forgive my sins, I haven't gotten a gravity reader yet), so I put it back in an airlock container just in case, but at just over 5 weeks it was definitely time to take it off the spices - some might find it too spiced at this level, I can absolutely feel the cinnamon in my throat after a drink, like you might with something like fireball, but I think it's perfect. So glad I went with this recipe!! exactly the kind of mead i like
Sounds exactly what I have been searching for, after how long did it have that fireball feel? thanks for the update anyways and I'd love to hear more! :) As a apiculture carer, I feel I'd definitely use this as the core recipe for a festivemead for family, friends and to warm people up at the Christmasmarkets 2024 as it will still need it's time. @@amberbydreamsart5467
Welp, used this for my first attempt, just put the dishes away. Can't wait to see how it turns out. Don't slap your forehead to hard but I broke the first rule, got impatient and used what I had available, subbing raisins for dried cherries. We'll see if I made a huge mistake :) OG =1.130 and like yours was very active within the hour. Thanks!!❤
I am so excited....just made this recipe ....OG 1.130 on the dot! can't wait to try.....hoping for Thanksgiving...but if not maybe we can have it at Christmas!! Thanks for the recipe!!!
Just racked this after 1 month being in primary. And its already amazing. It went up to 20%, and I might have added a bit too much honey.... looking forward to taste it during Christmas diner next year!
Just ordered the couple of things I needed to try this. ( Had most on hand already.) Sounds too good to pass up! Keep up the amazing job you do of making videos like this one.
Ok, started a batch of this today and dang does it smell good even before anything ferments. Slight alterations, used wildflower honey, a little more orange zest and K1-V1116 yeast since I had that on hand. Really looking forward to seeing how this one turns out.
Just started my own batch of this in a narrow-mouth gallon carboy; SpG came out to 1.146. It was already bubbling away within an hour, so I'm super excited to see how it gets on.
This metheglin was one of your favorites, and I love the comment on how they were used for health and medicine, going to extract some medicinal mushrooms and add it in at secondary.
I made this last summer so it would be ready for Thanksgiving, but of course I had to drink some. It was AWESOME!!! I have two bottles left and am very excited to drink another one with Thanksgiving dinner. AND, I have another 5 gallon batch in primary at the writing of this comment. 😊
I sought out this video because I have a plain basic mead that has finished brewing and it needs balance. I think I can use these spices as a post additive. There's a cinnamon black tea I like using called Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea that has dried orange vest. I've used it a couple times and I just throw in the whole sachet lol. But in the past, I've used it at the beginning, this is my first time trying it in post.
Started mine last night and it was bubbling away at hour 2. EC1118. Had a feeing before going to bed that I needed a blow off tube but chose to simply set inside a bucket. Easier mess to clean up this morning for sure. Airlock almost plugged with orange zest. Cleaned up and bubbling away. Can’t wait!
Your fab vids are helping me try out brewing new Mead flavors! Best drink ever!! You are my Mork&MIndy of brewing, fun, geeky sunshine and Mead in a bizzaro year! StaySteading!!
This sounds delicious! And I really like your new in-video banner ads that you’re doing for your channel promotional advertising. Their fantastic, fun, and they don’t take away from your information in the moment. Great choice. Oh, and I think your magic trick with the Spoon of Unusual Size was brilliant 😊
follow up with a question: With how rapidly the mead is fermenting, have you ever done a sour mead, using the active yeast from one batch to ferment the next?
There is multiple research on alcool ingestion before bed and some recent one seems to indicate that you might fall a sleep faster but your deep sleep curve will be impacted, making you more sleepy the next day. An other research can prove that it is wrong but it still nice to know.
OK, I'm following this one closely, I have watched this video and the other related videos more times than I care to think of. Biggest difference is I'm going to go for 5 gallons. Why so much? If it is good it wont last long between myself and my dad. and even more fun, it's my first mead. and me being the not quit sane person that I am I'm already planning on trying to make a mead that comes close to pecan pie.
Me a couple months ago: "hmm, black tea... I must have some somewhere...ah, 'chai spice' that’s black tea, right?....(a little time goes by...)Just tried it and holy kick in the face, Batman, maybe the tea didn’t add much flavor, but the chai spices are STROOONG! LoL! No complaints, I’m a newbie and I’m enjoying making weird sh*t! Maybe this OC spray can split up between some blander brews and age for a looooong time. Love your channel 👍👍👍
Hi Brian and Derica, I am happy to report that my first three Meads (Basic Mead, Coffee Mead and Metheglin Mead) are put together and happily fermenting. All started between the 23rd and the 28th (today). This past week has been a blast! Thanks for all of the amazing videos and good cheer! It has been a major uplift around here! I also just watched your Melomel Cherry chocolate Mead video last night with the Montana honey and the Tart Cherry Juice, both award winning products, and I am likely going to replicate that one (with vanilla bean) either soon or next (very soon.) I have been using tart cherry juice for medicinal values (as needed) for a few years now. Glad to see you bring that information to your viewers! Cheers!
About to start this recipie as my first foray into brewing since a botched attempt around 2011. Bought some orange zest from Amazon so here's hoping I don't end up with a vinegar flavor
Hey, Brian and Derica! I'm on a mission to get everyone to pronounce it correctly. People (wrongly!) use the voiceless "th", as in "thin" or "thick", vice the correct "th" (welsh = dd), as in "breathe" or "the". Metheglin is an anglisization of the Welsh word Meddyglyn. From another website: "The Welsh for mead is medd [pronounced "methe"] and meddyglyn came from a combination of meddyg (healing/medicine) and llyn (liquor)." Half of my family are Welsh, and I'm a proud Welsh speaker. :-) Pob hwyl!
Yes, you added more antibacterial stuff, agreed. Honey is a strong antibacterial. I've gone to making 3 gallons of mead at a time. I know, making a gallon when trying different types of mead is what you are doing. And I've seen you with larger containers. I could also see this being added to an ale. This sounds good.
Hi, Brian and Derica! Thanks so much for your content! You guys are the reason I started brewing. I watched probably 30+ of your videos before starting with your "First Mead" recipe on 11.11.20 which seems to be coming along well in secondary. I checked out some other creators and we like your minimalist approach better. Plus you guys are adorable and we love your nerdy energy! I also started a metheglin which I may need some assistance with. Starting spgr was 1.138 on 11.16.20. I racked it on 12.24.20. It still appeared to be brewing but you suggested separating it from the spices after four weeks or so. Spgr at racking was 1.068 = 9.45%. Since then it has not appeared to be active. The pressure became slightly positive but no bubbling in airlock. Tested again today, 1.2.21: 1.066 = 9.72%. 2 pts. in a week. Should I be worried about stalling? Should I let it sit for a while and see if it picks back up? Should I give it a boost? If so, how? TIA. Always love it when my bell lights up with your new vids! Matt and Natalya in Wisconsin
@@CitySteadingBrews Hi again. I added a packet of yeast on 1.5.21. It degassed a little but zero activity since. Wondering if my yeast died. Kept it in the fridge. The house is about 68 - not quite Florida weather.
I mostly brew beer. And I get 3lb blocks of Red Star yeast from Costco. Which gives me a fair amount of extra yeast to play with. So, on advice from a more experienced brewer I tried boiling yeast as yeast nutrient. I do equal amounts of yeast vs nutrient. I had originally gone asking for help because I had a beer that, although did brew, took quite a bit longer than all my other brews. After using yeast nutrient, BAM! Right in line with all my other brews, better maybe. So I can confirm that in most instances, yeast nutrient is a good thing!
i have just recently had fermentation and the airlock bubbling 15 minutes after pitching my yeast. i made a 1 gallon batch of mixed berry mead. 2 weeks ago. it was crazy i had never seen nor had any brew ferment and bubble the airlock that fast. i also just started a lemon ginger mead last week and with in the hour it was bubbling the airlock. and i was using a 5 year old pack of red star Montrachet yeast. it was nice to see that it can happen elsewhere and its not just with me hahahah. yeah with in about 15 minutes in i had a krausen ring forming and had to actually nock it down a bout the 3rd hour in. i would have definitely had a blow out.
Never made mead before so i started a batch on the 24/10/21 only time will tell. when I get round to bottling stage around xmas time, going to test a bottle every 3 mth after to get my preferred taste as every one has different taste, wish me luck :)
Hey Brian and Derica, I hope this message finds you well. I love watching yall on UA-cam! I made a yeast starter for a mead that I'm making in thinking it didn't start but just so happens it did start after all. Now I have a yeast starter, so I made good use of it using your spiced metheglyn recipe. I hope it turns out well, and I'll keep yall updated! I'm looking forward to more videos and possibly meeting in the future! Cheers!🍻
Thank you both for this mead. I made this about a month ago and rack (2 rack rule) and bottled it. The abv was 11.07% using the Lalvin 71B yeast. It’s tastes amazing. I ended up getting (4) 750ml bottles out of this recipe. You two are the best when making mead, wine, & beer. Thanks again, cheers and bottoms up! I’m also currently making Bourbon Bouchet. I’m dying to taste this one when it’s done. Thanks again.
Hey y'all, I'm putting this one together soon...so excited! Just wanted to let you know though your playlist for the Spiced Metheglin is out of order. The 1 and 2 are switched. Thanks for all you do. The quality and content of these recent episodes are much improved over the early ones...keep up the great work, and the forward progression.
Your channel is super informative and very useful! Great presenting and production all round - you should be very proud! Thank you for all of your help with my mead!
Just started my batch yesterday minus the yeast hulls and wildflower honey and comes out to about 1.130 I find it really interesting that following the recipe it comes out at such a different gravity. It’s bubblin good though and I’m excited for this one! Gunna take a bottle of the “my first mead” up to my brother-in-laws for thanksgiving
My husband has started wanting to give this mead as gifts we have one bottle left of 4. Soo we are going to make round two and probably double the batch. Thanks again for making straight forward easy to follow videos!
for me, it get my half gallons of cider starting within the hour. I have to go back and check every fifteen minutes to swirl so that the foam doesn't make it into the airlock. sometimes i don't make it in time. i mean the air lock is still doing its purpose it just looks pretty gross with all the yeast in it. i typically remove the air lock and wash it out then after about a day or so the fermentation settles into what i like to call regular fermentation which i don't have to watch. good drinkable half gallons of cider every 5 or so days, using a method similar to your 'brew it in the container you bought it in' apple cider. im happy with the result after 3 days of cold crashing after primary fermentation finishes after like 5 days.
Hello from Alaska! I have been watching a lot of Your videos, and I have been learning a lot. I'm new to wine and soon to be mead making. I started my first wine without a hydrometer, because I was told I could. After watching countless videos, I realize that is wrong. I am going to do this spiced one, but after I get a hydrometer. I Love to learn new things, keep putting the videos out, I'm enjoying learning from You both! Thanks!!
SG/OG 1.122. Two weeks in it's at 1.028. 12.6% abv which is a bit higher than I was expecting but that's the name of the game. Will check the gravity again next weekend.
Gravity still at 1.028 after 6 days. Racked into conditioning. Added another cinnamon stick to the new carboy because the cinnamon wasn't as strong as I wanted.
Metheglyns are honestly the brews I'm most interested. I don't actually drink cuz chronic inflammatory health issues, but your channel has really helped me understand my water kefir and combucha brewing a lot. Now maybe I'll try a Metheglyn finished with Licorice, white horehound, and maybe ecinacia for some homemade cough medicine and maybe one finished with lots of ginger and fennel for a digestive aid/nausea cure. And don't worry, I'm not dumb enough to try to replace actually important medicines or certified doctors, just NyQuil and Pepto, because they're gross.
Good video. I'm glad to see that other mad scientist besides myself exist. I usually add the zest to the secondary. Zest from 1/2 a grapefruit per 5 gallons of wine is a good measure.
Super green beginner here.....I made an "Acerglyn" and a "Metheglyn" combo mead the other day. 2 Lbs clove honey, 16 oz of pure vermont maple syrup, one cinnamon stick, 3 (whole) cloves and 5 allspice berries. Filled to the neck with purified water in a 1 gallon carboy (like the one you guys use). I added a half packet of Lalvin 1116... Starting gravity is 1.112...... My questions are: What do you call an Acerglyn/Metheglyn combo, and how do you think it will come out? LOL By the way, thank you guys for your channel. I've watched a lot of your videos in a short time.. lol... It has motivated me to take on another hobby and it is SUPER fun so far.
Hi folks. Any particular reason you're using the wide mouth instead of a carboy? I made the 'My First Mead' in a carboy which I ordered from Amazon a couple weeks ago. I want to make sure I'm not missing anything! Thanks for all the great videos. I can't stop watching!
As a Welsh person I think it's pretty cool to see something my ancestors would make all the time still being made half way around the world.
Your ancestors, my ancestors :)
Our ancestors
Yeah friend, they're ours too.
I made this as my 3rd mead, followed your recipe, and my mind is blown!!! Mine came out at 11.7% abv and pretty sweet, but the flavor.... Holy crap!! And beautifully clear and golden. Thank you for being my intro to mead making 🙏🏼
Yorkshire tea. Best tea in the known universe and probably beyond that.
The spiffing brit?
I'm glad someone said this I'm an absolute slut for tea and Yorkshire is by far my favourite 😂👌👌
@@therealreasons9141 that was my first reaction as well
Propper strong 😊
Tea, Earl Grey, Hot. Not sure if I used the right Grey or if it should be Gray but you should know what I mean.
I made an herbal mead with rosemary, thyme and bay and had a difficult time getting it to start...never thought of the antibacterial properties of the herbs! Duh!!!! Now I know how to fix it! Thanks!
Wow... This one is gold.
Clarified beautifully, and even though it could wait another month or 3-6 for the flavors to mellow out, the roar of warm spices is something that will remind me of summer in the winter months. Thank you guys so much for sharing this one ❤
I haven't even finished cleaning up my mess and it's already bubbling at 1.110... Nice
The spiced metheglin sounds amazing! I think you should come out with a recipe book. I will definitely buy it if you do.
I'm trying this recipe now but with a few changed. 3 lbs. of orange blossom honey instead of 3.5 lbs. and I used 2 slices of freeze dried apples because I don't have yeast hulls. Thought it might help feed the yeast. I only used 1/2 pk. of Lalvin 71b and it started bubbling within 1 hour. OG gravity 1.124
Can't wait to try this one.
So how did this turn out?
yeah, how did it turn out?
From a guy who actually lives in Yorkshire in the U.K. this warms my heart that this tea is in your brew. Best tea ever made. Only tea worth drinking. Maybe a tiny bit biased……love this recipe guys.
Just found y’all’s channel. This is awesome! So much more in depth and informative than other videos. I have subscribed and look forward to trying it myself and other brews.
Awesome! Thank you!
When I first made the spiced metheglin I split the batch in conditioning and put half the batch on dried elderberries. It sat on the elderberries for about a month then went into bottles. I just opened a bottle after 7 months of bottle aging and it is incredible. Heady aroma, deep dark purple color, perfectly clear, and the mix of honey, spices, and elderberries is an experience! It is far better than any commercially made wine I've ever had.
It's my first 10! Thank you! I would never have experienced this without you and all you guys do.
Yeah that does sound awesome!
Very interesting. This is close to my apple pie recipe but I did not know that cinnamon sticks and cloves were antibiotics or that the yeast would have a hard time with it. I have never personally had a problem with it, but that is really good to know. Thanks!
Clove, all spice, orange, cinnamon... That sounds like mulling spices. I love it.
when brian poured in the tea I lost it hahahahahah. Derica just talking about balences and brian messing around as usual. Great stuff!!!
Glad you enjoyed it
I bought 2 bottles of Holiday Wassail juice from Aldi and just mixed it up yesterday. I bought it because it reminded me of this recipe. Only I added sugar but will step feed and final sweeten with honey.
I'm excited for the probability of experimentation!
Just racked this off the raisins, they started to break up after 10 days. Glad I did as it'd gone from 1.122 down to 1.008 (15.4%), left the yeast in to finish any potential fermentation because Mangrove Jack's M05 can go 18%
By the Gods, does it smell awesome! The M05 really brought out the aroma and it's like a warm blanket on a cold winter day. Can't wait for it to finish out and age a little before I bottle and sink into the couch with a mug.
Really you should let it totally finish before racking, but you were close.
This recipe honestly sounds yummy
I’d give it a shot once I’m given a chance
As for your yeast activity- I got the same foamy yeast action too with the weird yeast that I used
I’m glad my experiment is behaving well
I just watched your 1year tasting of this mead and can’t wait to brew a batch😀
...I've been begging you all to explore some Metheglins since I've been watching!!!
Hi Brian and Danica: just wanted to tell you that I made your metheglin mead . My family is in love with it , so I’ve got 6 more gallons of it going . Thank you so much for the recipe. I’m also trying your ginger mead . Love you guys and your information you, you two take the time to give .thank you ! Thank you ! Keep your videos coming .💞🙏
Oregon
I got the same reaction when I dropped a whole pack of yeast and In a one gallon jug. You might want to think about putting on an overflow valve.
Was close! But it stayed constant without overflowing.
This'll be the third mead I make, having just started it today. I used wine tannin and Fermaid-O in place of black tea and yeast hulls, but other than that I did my best to follow the recipe to the letter. I had a brain fart and added WAY too much honey initially, to the point I had to dump a little must down the drain so I had enough room to add water. The hydrometer was floating and the must wasn't even up to the point where the big bulb chokes down to the stem with the scale on it. I didn't think to pour it into a different container and save it until I'd already dumped it. Oh well, home brew is all about learning from mistakes haha.
I've got a 1kg bag of bread yeast that I use as "yeast hulls" by boiling some in a tiny bit of water before brewing. Kill off the yeast and it becomes basically the same thing as this nutrient being used in the video
Yup, that's what I said in the video :)
Metheglin is the idea that got me fired up about meade in the first place. I tried something very similar to this two years ago, when I first started. But, I also used cardamom and saffron. it turns out I don't really like cardamom, and I've had no luck with saffron. I either cannot taste the saffron, or I get too much and it ruins the brew. So, thank you for a recipe that works.
I was surprised by your surprise at fermentation starting within the hour, but I regularly use Go-Ferm and Fermaid-k. I usually start seeing bubbles within three hours. Seeing bubbles in less than an hour, while not an every time occurrence, is very satisfying.
Anytime Ray!
"I fell asleep easier."
A lot of people will take that as alcoholism, for the wrongest reasons 😄
I have two or three drinks a week… hardly alcoholism! But yep, people think we are drunk all the time.
Made this using lalvin k1- v1116 yeast because i had it and temps are coooler here in N.Y. active, steady, and stable fermentation start to finish. EXCELLENT recipe, thanks folks!
If i wanted to scale this mead to 5 gal, can i scale up the spices proportionally and keep the same balance of flavors?
Yup, everything scales.
Thanks for asking this! Did you end up making a 5 gal batch? How did it turn out?
One thing I learned that doesn't get mentioned to often but I learned through doing a bunch of different fermentation projects try to avoid stirring any active yeast projects with a metal spoon or basically don't let metal touch it yeast doesn't like metal and might react weird or even die in contact with metal this includes with sour dough starters kombuchas and your brew base after you have added the yeast this is why wood plastic and glass is used in brewing. Distilling and cooking before you add yeast is fine if your worried about using a metal pot just add the yeast directly into your bucket or carboy
Some metals are nonreactive with yeast like stainless steel but a lot of the stuff we use especially utensils are made of mixed metals so I wouldn't risk it.
Derica and Brian, wish I had found this channel last year when I started my first attempts. You guys are the most informative people I have come across. I just started a 1gal’ batch of this mead. I didn’t have orange blossom honey, dehydrated orange zest or the same yeast. I substituted for wild mountain honey, fresh orange zest and used the premier blanc I had on hand. I ended up with a starting OG of 1.138, I look forward to seeing how it turns out.
How is it going?
I just finished up 2 separate batches following this recipe. One at 1.130 og the other at 1.120 og to see the difference. Now the hard part... THE WAIT! I appreciate everything the two of you do here. These are batch numbers 2 and 3 for me. Started my first in late October. Staying patient waiting for it to age some more. My first was a gallon of your traditional mead. Tasted the other day and it was GREAT. Just looking to let it age out a bit more. Thanks again guys! Keep the great info coming.
I put off making this one because i didnt think i would like it. I finally gave in and made it several months ago. And Brian, let me tell ya. Its probably my favorite mead i have made to date. So good. Very impressed.
Does it get better with age?
@A i found it to be very good after just a couple months from primary fermentation. It did continue to get better for a couple months, then pretty much stabilized.
I’m such a novice. I don’t know if I’m making mead or starring in a hidden camera comedy show.
I followed the recipe EXACTLY.
1.5 liters honey and so on.
I don’t have yeast hulls, but I have bakers yeast, so I tossed half a teaspoon in with the steeping tea for 10 minutes. That was boiling, so I’m sure I killed it, just like I did my houseplants.
Finally added as much water as I possibly could and got a reading, you’re going to love this: 1.171. It was off the chart before I added as much water as I could. I used a wine yeast and I’m hoping it really goes to town. Time will tell if I have something good or a mead version of Frankenstein’s Monster.
All the love to you guys. Thanks for the adventure! ❤️
Haha same here man! I got 1.50 and 1.56 respectively, after adding as much water as I felt comfortable with. Using 71B, recalling hoping I can get the full 14% from it. Should still have some good sweetness, but not too much. If it stalls like theirs did, I think it’s going to be too sweet. Here’s hoping! Let me know how yours turns out!
After researching and compiling information for making mead, I had decided to do a seasonal spiced mead. Then, I stumbled across this. Thank you. Now I don't have to guess and figure it out. This is exactly what I was thinking. (just hadn't figured out quantities). You guys rock. can't wait to get it started!
I found this video earlier this year and started a batch in august I just bottled it last night and tried it slightly sweetened to 1.015 and oh my is it ever good im gonna open the first bottle on Christmas
Followed this recipe to the letter and got the same results! Imagine that! With a FG of 1.054, it is very sweet but SO delicious. So much so that I just started another 2 gallons. Since 3.5 lbs of Sweet Squeeze orange blossom honey gave us an OG of 1.138, I cut back to 3 lbs of honey which brought the OG to 1.122. For my latest batch I also substituted Fermaid-O for the yeast hulls and added bentonite for fining. Now the hard part... waiting!
I just racked the new batch that used 3 lbs of honey. FG was 1.028 so ABV is 12.7%. Same delicious taste but a bit less sweet! The bentonite did not result in a clear finish so I added some sparkalloid which works like magic! Within a couple of days it was crystal clear.
Love the content. Watching your videos is what got me into making Ciders and Meads a few months ago.
Last month I got the idea for a spiced mead, similar to what you did here, and it seems to have stalled.
3 gallon batch
2/3 packet of Lavlin 71B
10 lbs of honey
2 lbs of fresh cherries (chopped and de-seeded)
1 lb of frozen cranberries (thawed and chopped)
Ginger
3 cinnamon sticks
Cardamom
Allspice
Cloves
Orange peel
3 black tea bags
I boiled the spices, orange peel, and tea bags. I let them cool before adding them to the mead.
The mead started bubbling within a few hours, and stopped after about 2 weeks. At 3 weeks, I racked it off the fruit.
Starting gravity was 1.072, estimated to be at 1.122 because of the fruit. When I racked it, the gravity was 1.080. 10 days later (today), it's still at 1.080
The flavor is surprisingly good, but way too sweat, and the alcohol content seems pretty low.
Any ideas on how to get this going again?
Thanks
Try a teaspoon and a half of yeast hulls or boiled bread yeast. It's also possible the spices stalled it. You didn't say how much ginger, cardamom, allspice and cloves, as all of those have antibiotic properties.
@@CitySteadingBrews I used about a thumb sized piece of ginger, sliced thin, which went directly into the mead. 1 tsp of ground cloves, 1.5 tsp of ground AllSpice, and 1 tsp of ground Cardamom.
I didn't think about the antibacterial properties due to boiling, but I'll give the yeast hulls a shot.
Thanks again
That’s a LOT of those spices. Try the hulls but likely they killed your yeast. If that still doesn’t work, pitch more yeast.
I made this with my grandfather 6 months ago, and I finally got to drink this, and it was amazing. Thank you!!!!
You are welcome!
Started a batch of this spiced metheglin this afternoon. The 71B started foaming and bubbling before I could get the kitchen cleaned up (20 minutes max). That stuff starts fast! (OG=1.114 & 2g Fermaid-O)
I made a couple of batches of this this summer and recently tasted one of them. Spices were quite mild. I started another batch today and threw in a habañero for good measure.
Started a batch of this as my first mead ever. 3.5 weeks in, I'm racking and it's down to 1.005, making it 16.8%!!! It's so warming, and quite tasty even a bit drier.
This is very similar to a recipe I found online a couple years ago on Gavin Webbers UA-cam channel that he got from some Australian bee keeper website. It's a bloody brilliant recipe. He uses 1 whole orange and I did as well, but I think I'm going to try this variation. Thanks for posting.
This is my own recipe. Not copied from anyone.
I love the TRBOS interludes, never gets old for me.
I love the fact that I subbed not to long ago and now I have years of content to watch
Hi guys! First I want to say how much I enjoy your videos. I last made mead over 25 years ago and have learned how many things we did wrong (only had one drinkable brew in four tries). My wife has started keeping bees and my first thought was "Hmmm, what would I do with extra honey?" well... I've scaled down to 1-gallon batches and have been using 25-year-old honey (which takes a VERY long time to de-crystallize).
ANYway - this is the second batch I'm making in all these years. The difference in what I've done compared to your recipe is that the honey is clover vs orange blossom, I'm using Fleishman yeast, and instead of yeast hulls, I made my own nutrient by boiling a packet of generic store-brand bread yeast. My original gravity was 1.144. I had no more room in the jar to dilute any further. Now, doing the math with the final ABV being approx 13% I come up with a final gravity of 1.045 which from what I've absorbed so far means it is going to be very sweet.
I'm sure you've answered this in some of your videos that I have not yet seen, but how do I reduce the sweetness? Can I simply dilute in secondary? I do not think I mind a higher ABV, but if the yeast stops at 13% or thereabout, how do I "use" more of the sugar?
I'll keep digging through your videos! Keep up the good work!
Diluting is the answer to too much sweetness. Yes. Or a higher tolerance yeast. Honestly though 1.144 is SUPER high to start with. That's gonna stall most yeasts. I'd dilute it.
@@CitySteadingBrews thank you!
@@CitySteadingBrews hopefully this makes sense and is correct...
I first measured one of the fermenter jars and at the level of the current brew is 108oz (.84 gallons) so that explains some of the sweetness.
I thought about how to do the math to determine how much water to add, and even though my brain kept saying it should be easy I gave up and did the following.
OG was 1.144. let's say I was aiming for 1.030. so I was .014 too high.
The reading today was 1.104. so assuming the same rate of fermentation I'd be looking for 1.090 today.
I started mixing (this is only 4 days old, so not worried about adding O2) with water until I got this target.
This did two things... Brought the level up to 1gal in the original jar (up to the neck...bottom of the screw at the top not really comfortable there but...) And I had about 4 oz left over... it was tasty.
Is this reasonable or did I mess up somewhere?
Thanks again!
OK, I started my metheglin on mother's day. I didn't have any yeast hulls so I went searching on google for some info. when I created the black tea in the hot water, I put half a back of 71b in the hot steeping tea, this created the hulls I needed.
Soylent green! lol. I love it when you guys throw in nerd references. Already starting to collect your t-shirts. You guys are great! I’m watching like 2 or 3 of your videos every morning at the gym.
I started this exact recipe yesterday. The only change I made was I added 2 tsp of candied ginger to get a bit of taste of your ginger mead added in. Rather excited for this one!
Follow up: Racked it to secondary and tasted it. It’s so good and, like yours, I can’t believe it’s only been three weeks. I can’t wait for this one to get to at least six months.
@@Thomas-cc1lj Sounds awesome! How long was it in primary for, and what did the ABV come out to?
@@valiant545 Freakish timing! I was bottling this as you commented. ~7.5 weeks to bottling. OG 1.138, FG 1.035, 15.5 ABV. It is really good right now. I’m going to try to wait 6+ months before opening the first bottle. I have half a mason jar in the fridge to enjoy for now.
@@valiant545 Sorry, I failed to give brew dates. Started on 3/8/21. Racked to secondary 4/3/21 (slightly over 3.5 weeks). Bottling 4/28/21 (7.5 weeks total).
@@Thomas-cc1lj Nice! Sounds like it all went pretty quick!
New favorite channel.
Wow, thanks!
Brian and Derica, THANK YOU! You guys are awesome.
I just tested my first batch of spiced metheglin at 28 days. It's gone from 1.114 to 1.018 (≈13% ABV) but there is still a little fermentation activity. But THE TASTE! It was phenomenal! It has the residual sweetness, the spices are forward mixed with the honey, and there is very little youth. And on the finish I GOT THE BISCUIT thing! Combined with the spice and honey it was a great combination. This one will definitely get made again!
That is awesome!
I just brewed this recipe, 4 gallon batch but with Thai wildflower honey and Voss kveik yeast. I hope it's almost as good.
Just finished putting together my attempt at this mead! It is in my closet in the dark, waiting, now. Here's hoping it starts bubbling soon, I'll keep you updated! Hoping to share this with my family at christmas this year, it'll be my second-ever mead. So excited to see how it goes!!
Aaaand the airlock's bubbling already! judging by the foam I think it really is already started! I did put fermaid-o in instead of yeast hulls since that seems to be more what you guys are using lately and it's less bulky for me to store - I'm in a pretty titchy apartment. So excited to see how it progresses!
And any update?
@@deadkuma Just racked it and tasted it yesterday!! It taste amazing already, I would drink the whole gallon now if I didn't promise it for family christmas. On tasting I could detect a bit of carbonation-y fizz in it so I'm not sure if the yeast are fully done (forgive my sins, I haven't gotten a gravity reader yet), so I put it back in an airlock container just in case, but at just over 5 weeks it was definitely time to take it off the spices - some might find it too spiced at this level, I can absolutely feel the cinnamon in my throat after a drink, like you might with something like fireball, but I think it's perfect. So glad I went with this recipe!! exactly the kind of mead i like
Sounds exactly what I have been searching for, after how long did it have that fireball feel? thanks for the update anyways and I'd love to hear more! :) As a apiculture carer, I feel I'd definitely use this as the core recipe for a festivemead for family, friends and to warm people up at the Christmasmarkets 2024 as it will still need it's time. @@amberbydreamsart5467
"Brian's new favourite" literally gets scored a ten
Welp, used this for my first attempt, just put the dishes away. Can't wait to see how it turns out. Don't slap your forehead to hard but I broke the first rule, got impatient and used what I had available, subbing raisins for dried cherries. We'll see if I made a huge mistake :) OG =1.130 and like yours was very active within the hour. Thanks!!❤
I am so excited....just made this recipe ....OG 1.130 on the dot! can't wait to try.....hoping for Thanksgiving...but if not maybe we can have it at Christmas!! Thanks for the recipe!!!
It is a lovely Holiday Mead. Thank you for watching!
Just racked this after 1 month being in primary. And its already amazing. It went up to 20%, and I might have added a bit too much honey.... looking forward to taste it during Christmas diner next year!
Just ordered the couple of things I needed to try this. ( Had most on hand already.) Sounds too good to pass up! Keep up the amazing job you do of making videos like this one.
Ok, started a batch of this today and dang does it smell good even before anything ferments. Slight alterations, used wildflower honey, a little more orange zest and K1-V1116 yeast since I had that on hand. Really looking forward to seeing how this one turns out.
Just started my own batch of this in a narrow-mouth gallon carboy; SpG came out to 1.146. It was already bubbling away within an hour, so I'm super excited to see how it gets on.
This metheglin was one of your favorites, and I love the comment on how they were used for health and medicine, going to extract some medicinal mushrooms and add it in at secondary.
I made this last summer so it would be ready for Thanksgiving, but of course I had to drink some. It was AWESOME!!! I have two bottles left and am very excited to drink another one with Thanksgiving dinner. AND, I have another 5 gallon batch in primary at the writing of this comment. 😊
how did the 5 gallon batch turn out. I am wanting to do a 5. did u change anything or just x5
First attempt of making mead and I picked this. 5 gal SP GR is at 1130. I hope this goes great for the renaissance fair.
I sought out this video because I have a plain basic mead that has finished brewing and it needs balance. I think I can use these spices as a post additive. There's a cinnamon black tea I like using called Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice Tea that has dried orange vest. I've used it a couple times and I just throw in the whole sachet lol. But in the past, I've used it at the beginning, this is my first time trying it in post.
Started mine last night and it was bubbling away at hour 2. EC1118. Had a feeing before going to bed that I needed a blow off tube but chose to simply set inside a bucket. Easier mess to clean up this morning for sure. Airlock almost plugged with orange zest. Cleaned up and bubbling away. Can’t wait!
Currently making this for my trip to the witches festival in northern Michigan!
Your fab vids are helping me try out brewing new Mead flavors! Best drink ever!! You are my Mork&MIndy of brewing, fun, geeky sunshine and Mead in a bizzaro year! StaySteading!!
This sounds delicious! And I really like your new in-video banner ads that you’re doing for your channel promotional advertising. Their fantastic, fun, and they don’t take away from your information in the moment. Great choice. Oh, and I think your magic trick with the Spoon of Unusual Size was brilliant 😊
Yay, thank you!
giving this recipe a try... ferment started just as quickly and w/o the yeast hulls. I look forward to how this tastes
follow up with a question: With how rapidly the mead is fermenting, have you ever done a sour mead, using the active yeast from one batch to ferment the next?
There is multiple research on alcool ingestion before bed and some recent one seems to indicate that you might fall a sleep faster but your deep sleep curve will be impacted, making you more sleepy the next day. An other research can prove that it is wrong but it still nice to know.
OK, I'm following this one closely, I have watched this video and the other related videos more times than I care to think of. Biggest difference is I'm going to go for 5 gallons. Why so much? If it is good it wont last long between myself and my dad. and even more fun, it's my first mead. and me being the not quit sane person that I am I'm already planning on trying to make a mead that comes close to pecan pie.
Me a couple months ago: "hmm, black tea... I must have some somewhere...ah, 'chai spice' that’s black tea, right?....(a little time goes by...)Just tried it and holy kick in the face, Batman, maybe the tea didn’t add much flavor, but the chai spices are STROOONG! LoL! No complaints, I’m a newbie and I’m enjoying making weird sh*t! Maybe this OC spray can split up between some blander brews and age for a looooong time. Love your channel 👍👍👍
Hi Brian and Derica, I am happy to report that my first three Meads (Basic Mead, Coffee Mead and Metheglin Mead) are put together and happily fermenting. All started between the 23rd and the 28th (today). This past week has been a blast! Thanks for all of the amazing videos and good cheer! It has been a major uplift around here! I also just watched your Melomel Cherry chocolate Mead video last night with the Montana honey and the Tart Cherry Juice, both award winning products, and I am likely going to replicate that one (with vanilla bean) either soon or next (very soon.) I have been using tart cherry juice for medicinal values (as needed) for a few years now. Glad to see you bring that information to your viewers! Cheers!
About to start this recipie as my first foray into brewing since a botched attempt around 2011. Bought some orange zest from Amazon so here's hoping I don't end up with a vinegar flavor
I am planning to make a similar mead with cardamon,star anise , cinnamon and clove.
Hey, Brian and Derica! I'm on a mission to get everyone to pronounce it correctly. People (wrongly!) use the voiceless "th", as in "thin" or "thick", vice the correct "th" (welsh = dd), as in "breathe" or "the". Metheglin is an anglisization of the Welsh word Meddyglyn. From another website: "The Welsh for mead is medd [pronounced "methe"] and meddyglyn came from a combination of meddyg (healing/medicine) and llyn (liquor)." Half of my family are Welsh, and I'm a proud Welsh speaker. :-)
Pob hwyl!
Yes, you added more antibacterial stuff, agreed. Honey is a strong antibacterial.
I've gone to making 3 gallons of mead at a time. I know, making a gallon when trying different types of mead is what you are doing. And I've seen you with larger containers.
I could also see this being added to an ale. This sounds good.
Hi, Brian and Derica! Thanks so much for your content! You guys are the reason I started brewing. I watched probably 30+ of your videos before starting with your "First Mead" recipe on 11.11.20 which seems to be coming along well in secondary. I checked out some other creators and we like your minimalist approach better. Plus you guys are adorable and we love your nerdy energy!
I also started a metheglin which I may need some assistance with. Starting spgr was 1.138 on 11.16.20. I racked it on 12.24.20. It still appeared to be brewing but you suggested separating it from the spices after four weeks or so. Spgr at racking was 1.068 = 9.45%. Since then it has not appeared to be active. The pressure became slightly positive but no bubbling in airlock. Tested again today, 1.2.21: 1.066 = 9.72%. 2 pts. in a week. Should I be worried about stalling? Should I let it sit for a while and see if it picks back up? Should I give it a boost? If so, how?
TIA. Always love it when my bell lights up with your new vids!
Matt and Natalya in Wisconsin
Matt, it's stalled. Sorry dude. But, you should be able to revive it with more yeast.
@@CitySteadingBrews Hi again. I added a packet of yeast on 1.5.21. It degassed a little but zero activity since. Wondering if my yeast died. Kept it in the fridge. The house is about 68 - not quite Florida weather.
Had myself a little taste before bottling today after starting this 4 months ago. it is so good and i know it'll only get better
I mostly brew beer. And I get 3lb blocks of Red Star yeast from Costco. Which gives me a fair amount of extra yeast to play with. So, on advice from a more experienced brewer I tried boiling yeast as yeast nutrient. I do equal amounts of yeast vs nutrient. I had originally gone asking for help because I had a beer that, although did brew, took quite a bit longer than all my other brews. After using yeast nutrient, BAM! Right in line with all my other brews, better maybe. So I can confirm that in most instances, yeast nutrient is a good thing!
Making some for my d&d group
i have just recently had fermentation and the airlock bubbling 15 minutes after pitching my yeast. i made a 1 gallon batch of mixed berry mead. 2 weeks ago. it was crazy i had never seen nor had any brew ferment and bubble the airlock that fast. i also just started a lemon ginger mead last week and with in the hour it was bubbling the airlock. and i was using a 5 year old pack of red star Montrachet yeast. it was nice to see that it can happen elsewhere and its not just with me hahahah. yeah with in about 15 minutes in i had a krausen ring forming and had to actually nock it down a bout the 3rd hour in. i would have definitely had a blow out.
Never made mead before so i started a batch on the 24/10/21 only time will tell. when I get round to bottling stage around xmas time, going to test a bottle every 3 mth after to get my preferred taste as every one has different taste, wish me luck :)
Hey Brian and Derica, I hope this message finds you well. I love watching yall on UA-cam! I made a yeast starter for a mead that I'm making in thinking it didn't start but just so happens it did start after all. Now I have a yeast starter, so I made good use of it using your spiced metheglyn recipe. I hope it turns out well, and I'll keep yall updated! I'm looking forward to more videos and possibly meeting in the future! Cheers!🍻
Thank you for demystifying Fermaid O i just bought some after watching!
Thank you both for this mead. I made this about a month ago and rack (2 rack rule) and bottled it. The abv was 11.07% using the Lalvin 71B yeast. It’s tastes amazing. I ended up getting (4) 750ml bottles out of this recipe. You two are the best when making mead, wine, & beer. Thanks again, cheers and bottoms up! I’m also currently making Bourbon Bouchet. I’m dying to taste this one when it’s done. Thanks again.
You're very welcome Anthony!
Hey y'all, I'm putting this one together soon...so excited! Just wanted to let you know though your playlist for the Spiced Metheglin is out of order. The 1 and 2 are switched. Thanks for all you do. The quality and content of these recent episodes are much improved over the early ones...keep up the great work, and the forward progression.
Love your videos, keep them coming. You are my primary reference.
Your channel is super informative and very useful! Great presenting and production all round - you should be very proud!
Thank you for all of your help with my mead!
Thank you and you are welcome!
I mixed up my batch today, I told my husband we should have great spiced metheglin in a year😀
Started this recently and it was bubbling within half an hour, didn't have Yeast hulls but added a bit of Ferm O
I am a 3d meader. I watch mead videos while making mead and drinking mead.
Just started my batch yesterday minus the yeast hulls and wildflower honey and comes out to about 1.130 I find it really interesting that following the recipe it comes out at such a different gravity. It’s bubblin good though and I’m excited for this one! Gunna take a bottle of the “my first mead” up to my brother-in-laws for thanksgiving
My husband has started wanting to give this mead as gifts we have one bottle left of 4. Soo we are going to make round two and probably double the batch.
Thanks again for making straight forward easy to follow videos!
for me, it get my half gallons of cider starting within the hour. I have to go back and check every fifteen minutes to swirl so that the foam doesn't make it into the airlock. sometimes i don't make it in time. i mean the air lock is still doing its purpose it just looks pretty gross with all the yeast in it. i typically remove the air lock and wash it out then after about a day or so the fermentation settles into what i like to call regular fermentation which i don't have to watch. good drinkable half gallons of cider every 5 or so days, using a method similar to your 'brew it in the container you bought it in' apple cider. im happy with the result after 3 days of cold crashing after primary fermentation finishes after like 5 days.
Hello from Alaska!
I have been watching a lot of Your videos, and I have been learning a lot.
I'm new to wine and soon to be mead making. I started my first wine without a hydrometer, because I was told I could. After watching countless videos, I realize that is wrong.
I am going to do this spiced one, but after I get a hydrometer.
I Love to learn new things, keep putting the videos out, I'm enjoying learning from You both! Thanks!!
I am going to bottle this tomorrow and have to say, it is so good.
I love you guys! My wife and i are going to try this
Just started my first ever mead/metheglin. OG is 1.122. Fingers crossed it turns out well!
SG/OG 1.122. Two weeks in it's at 1.028. 12.6% abv which is a bit higher than I was expecting but that's the name of the game. Will check the gravity again next weekend.
Gravity still at 1.028 after 6 days. Racked into conditioning. Added another cinnamon stick to the new carboy because the cinnamon wasn't as strong as I wanted.
Metheglyns are honestly the brews I'm most interested. I don't actually drink cuz chronic inflammatory health issues, but your channel has really helped me understand my water kefir and combucha brewing a lot. Now maybe I'll try a Metheglyn finished with Licorice, white horehound, and maybe ecinacia for some homemade cough medicine and maybe one finished with lots of ginger and fennel for a digestive aid/nausea cure.
And don't worry, I'm not dumb enough to try to replace actually important medicines or certified doctors, just NyQuil and Pepto, because they're gross.
I’m with you!
Good video. I'm glad to see that other mad scientist besides myself exist. I usually add the zest to the secondary. Zest from 1/2 a grapefruit per 5 gallons of wine is a good measure.
I've used this one in primary a lot. Seems to work well.
I’m just getting into home brewing and have been binge watching your videos. Really enjoying you two!
I SO INJOY YOUR VLOG GOING TO TRY TO MAKE SOME MEAD THIS WEEK END
Super green beginner here.....I made an "Acerglyn" and a "Metheglyn" combo mead the other day. 2 Lbs clove honey, 16 oz of pure vermont maple syrup, one cinnamon stick, 3 (whole) cloves and 5 allspice berries. Filled to the neck with purified water in a 1 gallon carboy (like the one you guys use). I added a half packet of Lalvin 1116... Starting gravity is 1.112...... My questions are: What do you call an Acerglyn/Metheglyn combo, and how do you think it will come out? LOL
By the way, thank you guys for your channel. I've watched a lot of your videos in a short time.. lol... It has motivated me to take on another hobby and it is SUPER fun so far.
Hi folks. Any particular reason you're using the wide mouth instead of a carboy? I made the 'My First Mead' in a carboy which I ordered from Amazon a couple weeks ago. I want to make sure I'm not missing anything! Thanks for all the great videos. I can't stop watching!
Just more room since we added chiles.