Episode 261 - Corrections and Tweaks for a Bad Batch
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This week Jeff and Chris chat about what to do when your batch just isn’t going your way. Topics include how to diagnose a bad batch, what kind of problems you can correct and what kind you simply have to walk away from, as well as a handful of approaches to enhancing a batch when it could be going better.
The Mead House Podcast is sponsored by Bacchus & Barleycorn! Use our discount code MHP10 for all your shopping and supply needs! Thank you Bacchus & Barleycorn!
Jeff and Chris dive into a wide variety of topics related to how to store your mead – with opinions on closures, types of bottles, labels. wax seals and heat shrink closures, plus a sidebar on bulk aging your meads as well.
The Mead House Podcast is sponsored by Bacchus & Barleycorn! Use our discount code MHP10 for all your shopping and supply needs! Thank you Bacchus & Barleycorn!
Jeff and Chris take a deeper dive on fermentation vessels for making mead – Preferences, pros and cons, the whole nine yards.
The Mead House Podcast is sponsored by Bacchus & Barleycorn! Use our discount code MHP10 for all your shopping and supply needs! Thank you Bacchus & Barleycorn!
In this episode, Jeff walks Chris through the process of how to judge a mead at competition, giving all kinds of insights on processes, flavors, faults and philosophy for judging and appreciating meads along the way. But what unlabeled surprise does Chris have in store for both of them?!
The Mead House Podcast is sponsored by Bacchus & Barleycorn! Use our discount code MHP10 for all your shopping and supply needs! Thank you Bacchus & Barleycorn!
Episode 257 - Mead Competitions and Mead Categories
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Jeff and Chris talk about entering, volunteering and judging at competitions, how to enter, how to get involved, and how much fun it can be to be a part of the event! Stories and anecdotes get shared, and then the guys move on to covering the specific categories used by the BJCP for competition as well as some tips to make sure you get entered into the right one.
The Mead House Podcast is sponsored by Bacchus & Barleycorn! Use our discount code MHP10 for all your shopping and supply needs! Thank you Bacchus & Barleycorn!
Jeff and Chris dive in to the topic of what it takes to get started making mead, a topic both of them have been asked about countless times recently.
They start with a run down of the gear it takes to get rolling, all of which is available at your local homebrew store, or at our sponsor Bacchus & Barleycorn! Use our discount code MHP10 for all your gear and brewing related needs! Big thank you to Bacchus & Barleycorn!
Then Jeff runs down the Mead House 8% Starter Mead – a simple recipe you can follow to get started making a nice traditional mead and begin your journey into the world of making mead at home!
The Mead House 8% Starter Mead Recipe
Ingredients:
2-3# honey, a basic cost-effective variety is fine here
1 gallon bottled spring water
1 packet Lalvin 71-B wine yeast, this recipe only requires 2 of the 5 grams.
1.12g Fermaid K OR 2.24g Fermaid O
1/8th tsp Potassium Metabisulfite
1/2 tsp Potassium Sorbate
Proof 2g 71-B in a quarter cup of lukewarm (70-80 F) spring water, set to one side and observe for yeast activity.
Start with approximately 2# honey in your gallon jug. Fill the jug most of the way to the top with spring water. Mix honey vigorously and use a hydrometer to dial in specific gravity to 1.065, filling the jug to about half way up the neck. Once yeast is proofed and is displaying activity, add to the honey & water mixture along with yeast nutrient. Seal with a bung and airlock and let sit at ambient indoor temperature.
After 2-3 weeks, expect to see diminished activity in the airlock and the mead begin to clear. Use your hydrometer to read gravity and determine that the yeast has completed its fermentation. Mead can be racked to a secondary container at this point, this lower ABV will likely not require secondary aging, if fermentation has been complete and the mead has been moved off the yeast detritus, Potassium Metabisulfite and Potassium Sorbate can now be added to stabilize, wait 24 hours before adding additional honey for backsweetening and bottling.
A simple starting recipe to get moving and get started making great mead. Yields approximately one gallon of traditional mead.
Ingredients:
2-3# honey, a basic cost-effective variety is fine here
1 gallon bottled spring water
1 packet Lalvin 71-B wine yeast, this recipe only requires 2 of the 5 grams.
1.12g Fermaid K OR 2.24g Fermaid O
1/8th tsp Potassium Metabisulfite
1/2 tsp Potassium Sorbate
Proof 2g 71-B in a quarter cup of lukewarm (70-80 F) spring water, set to one side and observe for yeast activity.
Start with approximately 2# honey in your gallon jug. Fill the jug most of the way to the top with spring water. Mix honey vigorously and use a hydrometer to dial in specific gravity to 1.065, filling the jug to about half way up the neck. Once yeast is proofed and is displaying activity, add to the honey & water mixture along with yeast nutrient. Seal with a bung and airlock and let sit at ambient indoor temperature.
After 2-3 weeks, expect to see diminished activity in the airlock and the mead begin to clear. Use your hydrometer to read gravity and determine that the yeast has completed its fermentation. Mead can be racked to a secondary container at this point, this lower ABV will likely not require secondary aging, if fermentation has been complete and the mead has been moved off the yeast detritus, Potassium Metabisulfite and Potassium Sorbate can now be added to stabilize, wait 24 hours before adding additional honey for backsweetening and bottling.
Same episode as debuted Thursday – reposting to try and downstream it to Spotify and our podcast distribution network
New Year, New Mead House Episodes coming now!
Jeff returns to the Mead House with new co-host Chris. The guys introduce themselves, talk about their history with making mead and plans for the podcast moving forward.
The Mead House Podcast is sponsored by Bacchus & Barleycorn! For all your homebrew related needs, use our discount code MHP10 for all your shopping and supply needs! Thank you Bacchus & Barleycorn!
Jeff returns to the Mead House with new co-host Chris. The guys introduce themselves, talk about their history with making mead and plans for the podcast moving forward.
The Mead House Podcast is sponsored by Bacchus & Barleycorn! For all your homebrew related needs, use our discount code MHP10 for all your shopping and supply needs! Thank you Bacchus & Barleycorn!
This week we talk to John Jacob, 2nd place winner of the Iron Bee 2021. Visit John at https://oldsolbees.com/
Please continue to support the show…
Thanks for keeping the Mead House podcast free with your continued support, we appreciate all our listeners. Get a set of keys to the mead house, help keep the Mead House podcast free by subscribing to Patreon, when you do, Jeff will send you some great gifts! When you become a subscriber, you’ll have access to some great interviews from guests here at the Mead House.
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