Post by Saltysplash on May 28, 2016 11:43:40 GMT
Does anyone else Brew their own firewater?
Being a good Heathen Ive just bottled my first batch of Mead. It still wants a couple of months if not longer to improve in the bottle but I did polish off a couple of bottles being an impatient type.
Equipment needed:-
1 demijohn
1 airlock and bung
1 syphon tube
sterilising tablets or liquid
sterilising bucket
Ingredients:-
1.5kg of pure clear honey
1 orange
10g wine yeast
a handful of raisins
water, preferably bottled as this will be sterilised.
Method:-
Sterilise everything, the demijohn bung and airlock, any pan you use to warm water, the syphon tube, spoon
and yes, wash and throw the orange in the solution as well.
Then, warm a couple of litres of water in a pan and add the honey. it needs to be warm enough to melt the honey but not too hot.
If its too hot it will shock and kill the yeast.
Stir the water till all the honey has melted and then add the mixture to the demijohn.
chop up the Orange and add to the demijohn and add the raisins. cover the neck of the john with clingfilm or a sterilised solid bung and give the mixture a damned good shake.
Add cold water to top the demijohn up to just where the thing starts to narrow.
make sure the mixture or Must, is no warmer than room temp and add the yeast.
swirl the contents gently to allow the yeast to mix.
Top up the mixture with water to appx 2" below the neck.
add a small amount of water or vodka to the airlock and fit it to the bung and then fit the bung onto the demijohn.
Place the demijohn in a place where you dont have to move it and not in direct sunlight.
The yeast should start to react with the honey in about an hour and you will start to see the airlock bubble away.
Leave the thing alone for 2 months.
After a couple of months or even shorter sometimes, the bubbles will slow down and the fruit will sink to the bottom.
once the airlock has stopped fully, (no bubbles for a minute) you can then either Rack the mead or put straight into bottles.
I racked mine first by syphoning into another demijohn and replacing the airlock. This agitation restarted the mix and I left it for a further two weeks before bottling.
When syphoning do not be tempted to get all of the mead out of the demijohn. you dont want to suck up any of the lees in the bottom.
Once bottled the Mead is ready to drink but it is better if left to mature over another couple of months, in fact the longer the better.
I got 7 grolsch style bottles out of my first batch and currently have two more demijohns bubbling away which should be ready for racking in July.
Its good stuff and very easy to make compared to wine making but dont forget to offer the first dram to Odin, or the God of your choice.
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Being a good Heathen Ive just bottled my first batch of Mead. It still wants a couple of months if not longer to improve in the bottle but I did polish off a couple of bottles being an impatient type.
Equipment needed:-
1 demijohn
1 airlock and bung
1 syphon tube
sterilising tablets or liquid
sterilising bucket
Ingredients:-
1.5kg of pure clear honey
1 orange
10g wine yeast
a handful of raisins
water, preferably bottled as this will be sterilised.
Method:-
Sterilise everything, the demijohn bung and airlock, any pan you use to warm water, the syphon tube, spoon
and yes, wash and throw the orange in the solution as well.
Then, warm a couple of litres of water in a pan and add the honey. it needs to be warm enough to melt the honey but not too hot.
If its too hot it will shock and kill the yeast.
Stir the water till all the honey has melted and then add the mixture to the demijohn.
chop up the Orange and add to the demijohn and add the raisins. cover the neck of the john with clingfilm or a sterilised solid bung and give the mixture a damned good shake.
Add cold water to top the demijohn up to just where the thing starts to narrow.
make sure the mixture or Must, is no warmer than room temp and add the yeast.
swirl the contents gently to allow the yeast to mix.
Top up the mixture with water to appx 2" below the neck.
add a small amount of water or vodka to the airlock and fit it to the bung and then fit the bung onto the demijohn.
Place the demijohn in a place where you dont have to move it and not in direct sunlight.
The yeast should start to react with the honey in about an hour and you will start to see the airlock bubble away.
Leave the thing alone for 2 months.
After a couple of months or even shorter sometimes, the bubbles will slow down and the fruit will sink to the bottom.
once the airlock has stopped fully, (no bubbles for a minute) you can then either Rack the mead or put straight into bottles.
I racked mine first by syphoning into another demijohn and replacing the airlock. This agitation restarted the mix and I left it for a further two weeks before bottling.
When syphoning do not be tempted to get all of the mead out of the demijohn. you dont want to suck up any of the lees in the bottom.
Once bottled the Mead is ready to drink but it is better if left to mature over another couple of months, in fact the longer the better.
I got 7 grolsch style bottles out of my first batch and currently have two more demijohns bubbling away which should be ready for racking in July.
Its good stuff and very easy to make compared to wine making but dont forget to offer the first dram to Odin, or the God of your choice.
