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Beckerhead Mead?

J

JWL

Joined
Jul 20, 2010
Messages
800
Greetings Beckerheads,

So I make mead. A lot of different batches. Most of what I make uses ingredients out of my local ecosystem, which kinda fits the Beckerhead ethos I suppose. I saw photos of a Kabar Beer from Bladeshow, and those pesky wheels in my head started a'turnin.

I derive a lot of knowledge and entertainment from this little corner of the Cyberspace Insane Asylum, and I want to do up a Beckerhead Mead in honor of it. This is in the early brainstorming stage at the moment, so I'd love any feedback on ingredients appropriate to a Beckerhead Mead.

A few notes:

  • I don't think steel ferments very well.
  • I'm not sure I can add bacon to a mead. Damn, I guess I could try....
  • I live in Maine, so any ingredient you suggest should be available here. Or if not, you should be willing to send it to me, and it should be in potable/consumable/fermentable condition by the time it arrives to me.
  • Of course, the Beckerhead Mead will be as strong as possible (probably 16% alcohol, or more if I can manage it), but should it be sweet? Dry? What do you think?

I look forward to your suggestions, and I assure you that several bottles of this will be put back for when I can (finally!) make it to a Beckerhead gathering.
 
I know there are a bunch of Beckerheads who like to guzzle mead like its beer ;)
 
Whoa, great idea! I don't know why usually goes in, but cloves sound nice.
 
Where in Maine? I've got a bunch of blackberry blossoms in my back yard that should be fat (fairly tart) berries in 6 weeks or so, here in NH across the river from ME. Let me know how you want 'em. I've used them for brewing beer, right into the fermenter (and chocolate and ...mmmm beer) ...so mead is mostly honey, right? You an apiarist?
 
JWL - I just looked @ your website (neat stuff!) and remembered that I also have an unlimited supply of rosehips (beach roses, should also be available soon), fwiw.
 
I (coffM coffE) have no clue who you're (coff D coff H) talking about... :D

but I think that, If the same principles of beer apply (think belgian) corriander and orange would be a good addition to the secondary (or tertiary) fermentation of a standard mead.

{strange idea #1} while it's true that steel doesn't ferment, Uncle E is quite fond of coffee... and coffee and honey doesn't sound bad. whilst honey+alcohol is a proven winner... more experimentation is needed first.

{Insane idea #2} tomatoes occur along with bacon on blt's and in chili (we love chili). They also contain a bit of sugar that is fermentable esp. with the addition of a 120* rest and powdered β-Amalase .


{how to really do it} just use your favorite Becker to help harvest the honeycomb used in the mead. And/or harvest any oak you need then char it to age the mead in after figuring out how to make a barrel.
 
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I'm near Gray and Auburn Maine, about 70 miles from the southern border with NH. I've used blackberries every year in my meads! Last year I added them, along with cranberries, to my Black & Cran Cyser (apple mead, or half hard cider half mead).

Yes, mead is honey + water + yeast, plus any additional ingredients you wish to add.

I kind of want to avoid using common mead ingredients, like berries and normal spices. Instead, I've been thinking about using ingredients that are usually used in bushcraft to some degree. For instance, I add chaga to just about every batch of mead I do -- it is great nutritionally, it seems to help the mead clear more quickly, and it just adds a vibe to the mead. Chaga is also known as tinder fungus and can be used as tinder for a fire.

Also, a lot of bushcrafters like to do pine needle tea, which gives a good amount of vitamin C. I've done spruce meads before, so maybe it's time I do up a batch of mead from pine needle tea.

Keep the ideas coming, folks!
 
Sure you can. It has a fair amount of weight though.... not sure what the rates are. And if UPS/FedEx/USPS pokes a hole in the container, they'll have a huge mess on their hands.... :-D
 
I can only volunteer to drink it. Perhaps even guzzle it like beer. But no promises.
 
my old mead recipe was 1 gallon honey - the darker the better - to 4-5 gallons water
1 large (foot long) cinnamon stick
a tablespoon or so of whole cloves
a large orange, frozen, thawed, then cut into 1/4" thick rings -- leave the peel on
1 tablespoon of instant tea (cheaper than malic acid and does the same thing -- does not add flavor)
boil the cinnamon & cloves with the honey and 6 quarts of water, skimming foam until there is no more foam formation.
pour into fermentation vat, add the rest of the water, and pre-conditioned yeast.

this produces a pretty dry mead (OK, it's really a metheglin) -- but the ABV is high enough you can add more honey when racking.
I would leave it in the fermentation vat for 3-6 months to self condition before racking.
first rack into clean gallon water jugs, add sorbate & honey to taste, let sit a week then siphon onto ceramic stoppered bottles.

In 5-6 gallon batches Montrachet yeast can survive up to 21-23% ABV. (takes 30-40 days of primary fermentation to get this far)
sulfates kill the yeast, but leave a nasty aftertaste and can cause migraines.
potassium sorbate retards yeast growth but does not kill it, so a high ABV is your friend.
 
1066vik, that is very close to the original mead recipe I was taught (honey, water, orange juice, black tea, plus seasonings), and red star Montrachet yeast is my favorite mead yeast. However, in my experience it doesn't go much above about 16%ABV -- in fact I'm not aware of any yeasts that will get above 19 or 20%. I usually let primary fermenation go for 4-12 weeks or more. I never use additives like sulfates or potassium sorbate.

Very cool!
 
+1! I liked how "hardy" the montrachet was -- it might start slow, but eventually it got to going.
Champagne yeast is another good one, but i preferred the Montrachet.

I need to dig out my fermentation vat and make a batch one of these days -- it's been WAY too long since I did any brewing.
 
Love some mead. I think this is an excellent idea. I like wintergreen in stuff. Probably would be truly awful in mead, but hey, you never know.
 
how about using "Autumn Olive" fruit? :) grows well up your way, eh?

oh yeah! good stuff...
 
how about using "Autumn Olive" fruit? :) grows well up your way, eh?

oh yeah! good stuff...
 
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