[ngillman]

Hey guys,

I'm fairly new at homebrewing, but I think I've found my new hobby..

I've already brewed a batch of blonde ale and hard cider, but I want to try my hand at making mead next as I'm a fan of drinking it and I was able to get some nice local organic honey recently for a great price.

I had a couple of questions...I've been doing a lot of research and from what I've read so far, it seems meads typically take a long time to age vs beers. I was wondering what I can do or any recipes that take less time?

Not impatient or anything, just some of the stuff I've read say as long as 6 months to be ready to drink, I'd rather expedite things if I can.

I'm also confused about what yeasts to use. The guy at the homebrew shop told me to just use Champagne Yeast, which I bought a few packets since it was really cheap.

I already have the yeast nutrients.

I also think I would like a touch of sweetness, and rather not backsweeten if  I dont have to. Ive read that champagne yeast will ferment completely dry.

If I'm brewing a 1 gallon batch, how much honey should I use and what type of yeast (and how much) should I use? He told me to put the whole packet in, even though it says 1 packet is per 5 gal. I want something not completely dry, I'm not so much concerned about ABV, as I want something more accessible in terms of drinkabilty.

My local brew shop has a really nice selection of yeast. Is the champagne good, or should I use something else?

Thanks in advance gentlemen!

[erockrph]

Even though this guide is referring specifically for Melomels (fruit meads), the principles are applicable for all meads (the only difference is that I'd double the nutrient amounts for non-fruit meads, since you aren't getting any nutrients from fruit in those instances). This is one of the best guides out there. I still reread it every few batches:

http://www.bjcp.org/mead/melomel.pdf

Personally, I use Lalvin 71B for my meads. Any yeast will allow you to produce a sweet or semisweet mead without backsweetening, but you need to learn what its alcohol tolerance is for the meads that you're making. The only way to do that is a bit of trial and error, I'm afraid. For your first few batches, I'd shoot for an FG lower than what you'd like and then backsweeten to the level you're shooting for. You can always add sweetness to a mead, but you can't take it out if the yeast finishes higher than you'd like.

For 71B, my sweet spot for an OG is about 1.140. Different yeast strains will have different alcohol tolerance, so you need to do some testing. Most champagne yeasts are pretty alcohol tolerant, so I'd start at 1.130ish for your first batch. Figure out how much honey you need to backsweeten with, then add about 2/3 as much to your next batch at the beginning. By your 3rd or 4th batch you should have a good feel for what you like if you keep all the other factors the same (i.e., same fermentation temp and nutrient schedule).

Using staggered nutrient additions, you can have drinkable mead in 6-8 weeks. But these will be in the mid-teens ABV%, so they could always use some extra time to age and mellow out.

One more thing, you can't go by the manufacturer's recommendation for the yeast's alcohol tolerance with meads. Using proper staggered nutrient additions, you will generally exceed the yeast's listed ABV tolerance (sometimes substantially). For example, Lalvin states that 71B has a tolerance up to 14% ABV. My meads are typically around 16%, and you can get it up over 18%.

Honey can vary in sugar concentration a bit. 35 PPG is a conservative estimate. I usually start with that as a guideline, and take a gravity reading after I mix in my water. If I need to dilute it a bit, I do so at that time. I brew 1.5-2 gallon batches. I use a 6.5 gallon bucket for my primary, and mix the honey and water using the whisk attachment on my immersion blender. Make sure you have plenty of headspace in whatever fermenter you're using! The mead will foam up quite a bit as you aerate and add nutrients for the first week or so.

Good luck and enjoy. Meadmaking is pretty simple once you get the hang of it. And the results can be fantastic.

[pete b]

Eric gave you some great advice. I definitely recommend lavlin yeasts. I use their white wine varieties for mead and melomels with fruits like peach or pear and their red varieties for berry melomels. It really is better to wait but you can get a drinkable mead faster with the nutrient additions and a warmish (68-72) secondary fermentation. I do about 6 months at room temperature then rack to a tertiary carboy and put in the cellar for another 6-18 months.

[1vertical]

Using staggered nutrient additions, you can have drinkable mead in 6-8 weeks. But these will be in the mid-teens ABV%, so they could always use some extra time to age and mellow out.

One more thing, you can't go by the manufacturer's recommendation for the yeast's alcohol tolerance with meads. Using proper staggered nutrient additions, you will generally exceed the yeast's listed ABV tolerance (sometimes substantially). For example, Lalvin states that 71B has a tolerance up to 14% ABV. My meads are typically around 16%, and you can get it up over 18%.

Honey can vary in sugar concentration a bit. 35 PPG is a conservative estimate. I usually start with that as a guideline, and take a gravity reading after I mix in my water. If I need to dilute it a bit, I do so at that time. I brew 1.5-2 gallon batches. I use a 6.5 gallon bucket for my primary, and mix the honey and water using the whisk attachment on my immersion blender. Make sure you have plenty of headspace in whatever fermenter you're using! The mead will foam up quite a bit as you aerate and add nutrients for the first week or so.

Good luck and enjoy. Meadmaking is pretty simple once you get the hang of it. And the results can be fantastic.

This  ^^^  and it will help as much as anything for a fast finish. 
I wanted to recommend a yeast that I had great results with as well and that critter
was called Eau De Vie.  I currently have a 10 yr. old varietal that I sparkled and put in champagne bottles.
It is not a bad thing to give mead a Lot of time.

[ngillman]

Thanks for all the replies guys.. I've heard a lot of great things about the Lalvin, I think I'll pick some up... How much would. You recommend for 1 gallon?