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1/23/2013 -- Im a Home brewer, and i make a very Unique Mead/ Metheglyn. For my Best type of mead i use redstar ale yeast a very typcal yeast, but i was wondering if a cider yeast would give my mead a good profile that focuses on the Honey and herbs that uses while keeping a uniquely dry but sweet flavor. would this cider yeast give what i desire or would . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Flavors are hard to describe, but easy to identify upon tasting. Your perception is probably different than mine. But that said, have you tried the Wyeast Mead Yeast (both sweet and dry versions)? Links to products are given below.
It sounds like you prefer beer yeasts in your mead. One that I would like to try is the Safbrew T-58. It is . . .
3/18/2012 -- a friend of mine is using a bread yeast to make his mead is this gona produce a good wine or should he use some thing else
Response From Homebrew Heaven: That is really a bad idea in my opinion. Particularly when there are quality mead yeasts available. Those are liquid cultures known to produce quality meads.
Some dry wine yeasts are also favored by mead makers. See below for links to the favorites.
10/14/2010 -- How fast is Lalvin D47?
I've been making mead with Champagne yeast that leaves a strong yeast taste and can take 6 months to finish.
The Premier Cuvee Wine Yeast sounds like another option for a cleaner taste. How does it compare in speed. Or is there a beer yeast that would be quick and still clean tasting?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: The relative "speed" of yeast strains depends on many factors other than the strain used.
Typically, the champagne yeast would be fast acting and neutral in flavor profile. Perhaps there is something else going on..?
D47 yeast would usually be slower than champagne yeast, but a good choice nonetheless.
Premier Cuvee is about the . . .
7/3/2009 -- Since the Wyeast sweet mead liquid yeast packet says it is enough for 10 gallons; Is it ok for me to just double the amounts on everything else and make a 10 gallon batch of the NOTG all at one time since I have a primary fermentor that is large enough for all of it?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Certainly. That will work just fine!
11/18/2008 -- I was researching mead and i stopped by a local meadery and he said for a five gallon batch that primary would probably take between 2-4 months and the entire process will take a year. is this true? Does leaving sit too long in primary damage it? Thank you i love the QnA pages
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Making mead takes patience, clearly, but putting a time on it like your local fellow is just not possible.
How long will it take? It depends on the fermentation temperature, the amount and quality of the nutrients added to mixture, the amount and quality of the honey itself, the type and quantity of yeast, and probably 100 other factors. . . .
11/9/2008 -- I know it is recommended to use yeast starters, which I do when making beer. Normally I use DME to make my starters, but this time I am making a mead and am worried that DME might alter the flavor. Can I use priming sugar instead of DME (if so how much)? Or will DME be just fine? Thanks for the help.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, corn sugar could be used, but why not use a little honey? I think that is a better choice.
8/1/2008 -- HI, I would like to try to make mead. Do I need to buy a "Beer Kit" and do you sell instructions for this? I have only made whiskey with a still. Beer and mead making is COMPLETELY NEW. Please help with some info and tell what I need to buy. Thank You,,,Paul
Response From Homebrew Heaven: A great way to get started in making mead is with these two products:
Nectar of the Gods Mead Kit
http://store.homebrewheaven.com/Product550
This is the ingredients, instructions etc to make a nice traditional mead.
For the equipment, we recommend our 5 Gallon Complete Wine Making Kit. It has all the hardware...fermenter, test equipment . . .
5/2/2008 -- I've brewed four of your beer kits with great success, thank you. I live in New York City, and with summer approaching I’m sure the temperatures will be well above 75. Is there a something, perhaps wine, that will ferment properly at higher temperatures? I’m predicting between 80 and 85 degrees. I’ve heard Mead might, but the one Mead . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes! Red wines and meads, especially, are fermented warm. Cabernets, Merlots, Pinot Noirs etc etc work out nicely. Meads too!
Don't let the fact that your first (and only?) taste of mead was too sweet for your tastes. Mead can be made dry as well. With our Nectar of the Gods Mead Kit you actually sweeten to taste (if you like) AFTER fermentation. . . .
4/29/2008 -- We tried this mead kit and loved it. Now we want to try a cyser. A lot of what I have been reading says to rack/bottle once it clears up. Do you have any guidelines for how long meads/cysers should ferment? Thanks for the help.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: In short, no.
Here is the thing...MANY MANY MANY factors play into how long a fermentation will take. Here are just a few:
Sugar (honey) concentration
Strain of yeast used
Fermentation temperature
Nutrient level present
Type(s) of nutrients
Temperature variations during fermentation
Amount of yeast used
Mineral content of water . . .
1/26/2008 -- I live about an hour (if traffic is good) from the address on your website. Do you have an actual store or is everything here based solely online?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, we have an actual brick-and-mortar store in Everett, WA. People actually walk in and buy stuff!
Our address is:
Homebrew Heaven
9109 Evergreen Way
Everett, WA 98204
Here is a video of our shop:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1a5fKvv8XI
Heck, you can actually call us on the phone, too! It's 425-355-8865. A person will . . .
1/24/2008 -- what kind of yeast would you recommend for hydromel(also refered to as mead?)
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Why not a mead yeast? We have two available in the Mead Making category. Here is a link to those products:
http://store.homebrewheaven.com/Category40
11/13/2007 -- I want to make your Nectar of the Gods kit but I have one question. I see it contains 11 pounds of honey but I have seen videos of mead makers using up to 30 pounds of honey for a 6 gallon batch. That confuses me. Why such a monsterous disparity?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: I wouldn't go that high (30 lbs), personally. First of all, it would take FOREVER to ferment, the alcohol level would necessarily be very high, and it would probably leave a great deal of residual sweetness because the yeast can't tolerate alcohol levels that high. If you want to add an additional pound or two to our kit, I see no problem . . .
2/26/2007 -- boil the honey or not to boil the honey?
I recently made your "Nectar of the Gods" kit and have really enjoyed it. I am now getting ready to venture out of a ready made kit. Every recipe I come accross says to boil the honey in water for 15 minutes. Your kit didn't say that and so I didn't do it. Is it really neccessary? I understand the . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: The "Boil / No Boil" controversy has been raging for many years in the mead making world. Personally, I am of the No Boil Brigade.
My reasoning is:
1) The delicate aromatics found in honey aren't boiled off
2) The sanitizing argument isn't valid. The alcohol produced by fermentation is a strong anitbacterial agent. Besides, if you . . .
9/5/2006 -- I know using fresh ingredients is pretty much always better, I was thinking on using some prepackaged spices originally for mulling cider for my mead. They contain the basics (Orange peel dryed, clove, allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg) Is this a good idea or should a get them each separatly? If it's ok, this packages are made for 2 gallons of cider. . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, mulling spices are a nice touch to a mead. Pre-package should be fine.
I would go easy on them, however, and use about 1/2 of what you would use in a wine. You want the delicate mead flavor to come thru, after all.
8/4/2006 -- I recently cultured some yeast from an excellent bottle of homemade mead that was aged eight years in the bottle(originally made from sweet mead yeast in the gold foil pack). It was a naturally sparkling mead that had never had any preservatives (other than hops) added. The yeast came alive well, and I did a test batch of cyser. I tasted . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, I have done this and even stranger things. No worries at all, it will ferment just fine.
2/21/2006 -- I haven't made mead yet, but am planning to. I want to use Rose petals in the mix just to add a "nose" quality. When should I add them, and about how much should I use for 5 gallons?
Oh, and the reason is my daughters middle name is Rose, so this is sort of a tribute to her. Also, I've read recipes using Rose petals, so it's not a totally . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Haven't done it myself, but here is a recipe I found:
Rose Mead (Rhodomel)
- submitted by Pavel314
10 pounds of honey
3 pints fresh rose petals
1.25 teaspoons citric acid
1.25 teaspoons grape tannin
5 yeast nutrient tablets
1 cup honey that was sitting around the cellar (I probably just didn't want to waste it.)
5 gallons . . .
12/30/2005 -- Hi I just made my first batch of mead . I used Yeast #3184, how well will it work with HIGH potential alcohol reading. My reading was about 22%?
thanks
shawn
Response From Homebrew Heaven: It won't go THAT high. You can expect only about 14%, and only if you have sufficient nutrients. You can expect a pretty sweet mead unless you add another yeast also, like champagne yeast. It will go to about 18%. That still leaves aobut 4% residual sugar. Another option is to water it down some, and make a larger batch...
12/13/2004 -- I am interested in culturing yeast... how would you recommend that I best go about doing this?
How long can yeast be kept inactive, and how would you recommend that I best go about storing yeast long term?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Culturing yeast is not difficult. Most yeast strains can be stored for several months without any problem. There are cases where the same strain has been kept alive for over a hundred years. This is at a brewery, of course, but you can do it too. The "secret" is sterilization of everything that comes into contact with it.
Yeast cells are . . .
12/6/2004 -- what kind of yeast do i use for a cordial?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Usually, you don't. You infuse fruits and other things with spirits, like vodka or brandy.
11/27/2004 -- I've been making beer for some time now, and I'm ready to make the jump into meads. I was thinking about making a batch of your Nectar of the Gods mead, but I would like to make both a carbonated and still mead out of the same batch. Any ideas on what I need to do? Also I was going to use your sweet mead yeast, how can I keep the sweet flavor . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: You would need to completely ferment your mead, and clarify it, but you CANNOT add the potassium sorbate at the end for the carbonated portion. It will not carbonate if you do. It will retain some sweetness, but if you add additional sugar (in addition to the priming sugar), it will continue to carbonate and you risk exploding bottles. I advise . . .
10/11/2004 -- I've made a pyment (mead with fruit) using homegrown grapes. The grape concentrate was added to the honey-water mixture towards the end just long enough to pasturize. Mead nutrient was also added at that time. Once the mixture was forced cool (75-80 degrees F), the Wyeast Sweet Mead Yeast Package was added. It had been swelling for about . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Mead is nothing like beer, it is often SLOW SLOW SLOW to ferment. It sounds like it is working, just slowly. Get used to it. It may continue like this for months. Repitching won't help, but more nutrients may.
8/31/2004 -- I am planning on bottling my first batch of mead, and have a question. For the "I'm drinking now" batch, I'm just going to use bottles with caps. For the aging batch, should I use bottles with corks? This batch is not carbonated, but future batches may be. Can I still use a corked bottle?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: For a still (uncarbonated) mead, corks are good, and so are caps.
For carbonated meads, do NOT use corks. They will push out, unless you wire them down. Also, be sure to use bottles that are designed for internal pressure, like beer bottles or champagne bottles.
6/18/2004 -- We just received our Mead kit and are excited to begin. Two questions: 1) We ordered the Sweet Yeast and yet the Mead kit comes with wine yeast. Should we use both yeasts or just the sweet? 2) According to the package, the sweet yeast is sufficient for 10 gallons but we are set up for only 5 gallons. Can we use all of the sweet yeast . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: 1) The Kit contains a dry wine yeast as "standard". I would save that for a batch of wine, and just use the liquid yeast you ordered.
2) Using more yeast is not a problem at all. It will just start up faster, and finish sooner is all. No worries.
4/25/2004 -- I was looking into making my first batch of mead. I have done tons of my own beer, but have yet to venture outside of beer. I am interested in your mead kit, and also ordering honey from the northwest area since I am originally from there. So here are the questions. I am leaning towards a sweet mead(possibly a melomel) when will you have the . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: We now have the sweet mead yeast back in stock. Order away!
I suggest making a still (uncarbonated) mead or melomel. That is the traditional way. Many people do make a carbonated mead, however.
3/17/2004 -- what is mead???
Response From Homebrew Heaven: A drink made from fermented honey. Yum! It has a long, interesting history.
3/10/2004 -- What is the difference between a dry mead yeast and a sweet mead yeast?? Also if you make mead with a basic wine yeast will it turn out ok?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Both mead yeasts are actually liquid cultures. The dry mead yeast finishes out with a less residual sugar, so it is less sweet than the sweet mead yeast.
Yes, many fine meads are made with wine yeasts. The true mead yeasts, however, seem to accentuate the honey flavor more than the wine yeasts do.
2/16/2004 -- It has been about 4 days since I mixed the ingrediants and put the mead into my primary fermentor and I have not seen any evidence of fermentation. It is rather cold where I live (50-60 degrees) and the mead is in my shed. Will this ruin the mead or just take a really long time to ferment before I can transfer it to the carboy?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: There is no harm to the mead, but yes, it will take a very long time to ferment. Mead likes it warmer than that.
We have a supplemental brew heat pad that would work nicely for applications like this. Here is a link:
http://www.nexternal.com/hombre/?Target=products.asp&ProductID=1129
2/4/2004 -- About how long will I have to wait before I can drink my mead?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Mead is one of those drinks that just gets better with age. Figure 6-8 weeks to ferment it. After that, we recommend at least 3 months aging...BUT if you can stand to wait a year it is much better. Try putting a few bottles aside from each batch so that you always have some well aged mead on hand!
12/28/2003 -- Hi, I recently received a "Nectar of the Gods" kit. I'm planning to make the mead in the next day or two. In going over the kit components I noticed that there are two packets of dry yeast (both the same). Do I use both packets even though the label says one packet is sufficient for 5 gallons?
Thanks for your assistance!
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, go ahead and use both packets. Mead is slow to ferment, and this extra addtion helps somewhat.
10/24/2003 -- I just like to say that I enjoy making your mead kits. I have made "gallons" of it and it never last long. My friends drool over it. The best thing that I found out is to disolve the honey in all the water or juice before I put it my fermenter.
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Thanks for the kind words about our kit. We like it too!
10/21/2003 -- I have recently started my first batch of mead using the Wyeast Sweet Mead Yeast. After combining the Honey,water and mead blend and allowing the mixture to cool to 75 degrees I pitched the yeast. Unfortunately there seems to be little or no sign of fermentation after 7 days. Is the reaction less obvious than when brewing beer or is my fermentation . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Mead is known to ferment very very slowly, and especially so when using the liquid yeasts. The fermentation is nothing like beer at all. It may be fermenting, but if it's in a bucket, it may be giving off CO2 at about the same rate that the bucket leaks. Hard to say.
The mead blend actually contains a little bit of Epsom salts, but there . . .
10/18/2003 -- If I wanted to make a cyser, and used your Nectar of the gods mead making kit, how much Apple Fruit Wine Base would I need? If I don't need the full 9.5 lbs., could I divide it between batches?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: I would use about half of it. You could use the whole can, but you can expect your cyser to be very strong, and sweet if you do. If you divide the fruit base, be sure to seal up and refrigerate the unused portion.
10/16/2003 -- What equipment do i need besides the mead kit to make mead?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: If you want to make a traditional (still, non-carbonated) mead, we recommend the Wine Making Equipment Kit. If you are looking to make a carbonated mead, the Intermediate Equipment (Beer) Brewing Kit is a better choice.
8/22/2003 -- I am going to make my first attempt at making mead. How important are campden tablets in this process and how do I use them?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Campden tablets (sulfites) have two uses when making meads.
They are often used prior to fermentation to kill (or at least stun!) wild yeasts and bacteria. If you do this, allow 24 hours before adding yeast. This is less important if your honey is pasteurized, of course. If your honey is "wild" I would use them for this purpose. It is . . .
8/5/2003 -- I'm attempting my first batch of mead (or anything for that matter), and am having a great time, but have a few questions. When I'm ready to bottle my mead, is it better to cork it into wine bottles or can I cap it into 12oz. bottles? In either case, how much head space should I leave in the bottle? Do I need to do anything else before or . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Glad to hear you're having fun with it. So do we!
A traditional mead (like our Nectar Kit) is treated like a wine...corked into wine bottles. You CAN however put it into beer bottles if you like, however. If you are making a sparkling (carbonated) mead, I would definately use strong beer bottles and caps. For corks, leave about 2"-2.5" headspace . . .
7/12/2003 -- Sirs,I make a tasty lemony pilsner beer.My equipment is geared to the five gallon batch.My brother,a viking buff saw you'r mead kit over my shoulder and asked if I could brew a batch as mead is very prevelant in Celtic lore.Will my beer equipment suffice to do you'r kit. And
yes I do Know my spare fermenter will be tied up as mead usually . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: Yes, it will work just fine. It's very easy to make, it just takes longer than beer.
6/30/2003 -- I am a novice home brewer and recently purchased a Mead Kit. I followed the directions and everything looks to be ok. Within 8 hours, I could hear the CO coming out. My only question is: Right now, all the honey has settled tot he bottom. Is this correct or is there something I chould be doing to get it off the bottom?
Response From Homebrew Heaven: This is correct. Don't worry, the yeast will "seek out" the honey and go to work on it. It takes some time, is all.
6/25/2003 -- I am a novice when it comes to wine making. I am about to get started however, and need some advice before placing my order.
I plan to make "Mead" for my first batch. Other than Item "H24" in your catalog, do I need to order the Mead Blend or Mead Yeast, and if so, which yeast.
I will also be ordering complete kit. I believe the mead . . .
Response From Homebrew Heaven: I would probably go with the 5 gallon wine equipment kit and when you want to make the 6 gallon wine kits, get a 6 gallon carboy at that time.
The H24 Mead kit has everything you need (including the mead blend) to make it.
Sometime it can take a few months, especially in cooler weather, for the mead to ferment out. So when your mead is in . . .
6/11/2003 -- Since I've had a few successful batches of wine made (my friends think so) I was wanting to know does this kit come complete or is there any other additional equipment or ingredients I need to purchase for this..Thank you
Response From Homebrew Heaven: This kit provides all the ingredients, as well as instructions, for making a great mead. It does NOT contain any equipment, or bottles. If you have been making wine, you probably have the necessary equipment.
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