Stan Wood's Mead Log

Mead Making Resources

  • Mead Lovers Digest Listserv Group: Use mead-request@talisman.com for [un]subscribe/admin requests. Digest archives and FAQ are available at http://www.talisman.com/mead.  NOTE: Digest appears when there is enough material to send one. Send ONLY articles for the digest to mead@talisman.com.

  • Books (available at Amazon.com):

    • The Compleat Meadmaker: Home Production of Honey Wine from Your First Batch to Award-Winning Fruit and Herb Variations by Ken Schramm
    • Brewing Mead: Wassail! In Mazers of Mead by Robert Gayre, Charlie Papazian, Robert Gayre Of Gayre And Nigg, Charles Papazian (Contributor)
    • Mad About Mead!: Nectar of the Gods by Pamela Spence
    • Making Mead Honey Wine: History, Recipes, Methods and Equipment by Roger A. Morse, Mary A. Scott (Illustrator)
    • A sip through time : a collection of old brewing recipes
      by Cindy Renfrow
  • And check out Vicky Rowe's Gotmead.com website!
  • One of the best single (free) references on the Internet I have found: http://www.honey.com/downloads/makingmead.pdf (I use this handout when giving mead classes or demos)

Abbreviations used in this log:

Cider & Juice

  • AC - Louisburg Cider Mill Apple Cider (Gerbes)
  • DRAC - ________________ Apple Cider (?)
  • SAC - Louisburg Cider Mill Spiced Apple Cider with Spices (Gerbes)
  • LAC - _____________ Apple Cider (?)
  • MAJ - Musselman's Apple Juice (Sam's Club or Super Walmart)
  • MAC - Musselman's Apple Cider (Walmart or Gerbes)

Honey Type

  • BW - Buckwheat honey - 60# pail (Dutch Gold Honey)
  • GB - Gibbons Honey from Ballwin Mo (Walmart)
  • GM - Grandma's brand raw clover honey (Sam's Club)
  • HB - Hollenbeck's honey from Kirksville - very rich and dark
  • HW - Honey's Worth brand honey (Sam's Club)
  • PWH - Local honey purchased from Phil Wood
  • MS - Spring Tree Pure Maple Syrup - Grade A Dark Amber (Sam's Club)
  • SB -Sue Bee brand (Sam's Club)

Yeast & Other

  • RSPC - Red Star Pasteur Champagne Yeast (5 gram packets)
  • RSPrCu - Red Star Premier Cuvee Yeast (5 gram packets)
  • EC1118 - Lalvin EC-1118 Yeast (5 gram packets)
  • YN - Yeast Nutrient (tablespoons)

Miscellaneous

  • g. - Gallon
  • NFM® - No Fuss Method. Simply pouring the honey into the carboy on top of the water or apple cider and dumping a yeast starter on top. No pasteurizing or anything.
  • NFM2® - Modified No Fuss Method: I've taken to pouring a half gallon of AC or water into a pot and heating slightly while dumping 5 lbs of honey in and mixing well - this prevents the honey from making a thick layer on the bottom of the carboy especially in winter when the house is pretty cold.
    •
  • The batches that are all gone are here.
  • See my pickled egg experiments too.
   
Batch #75 - Sack Cyser
Ingredients:  Began:  - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked:  Bottled:
Notes: 

Status: 
Batch #76 - Sack Cyser
Ingredients: 15# SB, 5 g. Water, 4 YN, 4 RSPC Began:  - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked:  Bottled:
Notes: 

Status: 
Batch #77 - Sack Cyser
Ingredients: 15# SB, 4 g. AC, 4 RSPC Began:  - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked:  Bottled:
Notes: 
 

Status: 
Batch #78 - Sack Cyser
Ingredients: 15# GM, 4 g. AC, 4 RSPC Began: 09/24/05 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 10/23/05 +Bentonite, 05/02/06 Bottled: 03/27/06
Notes: 

Status: 
Batch #79 - Sack Cyser
Ingredients: 10# SB & 5# GM, 4 g. AC, 4 RSPC Began: 09/25/05 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 10/23/05, +Bentonite, 01/29/06 Bottled: 02/24/06
Notes: 

Status: 
Batch #80 - Sack Cyser
Ingredients: 15# GM, 4 g. MAJ, 3 RSPC Began: 10/23/05 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 11/29/05, 01/29/06 Bottled: 02/20/06
Notes: NFM2®
 

Status: 
<
Batch #81 - Sack Cyser
Ingredients: B46, B47, B49, B50, B51 Began: N/A
Racked: 02/23/06 Bottled: 08/18/06
Notes: 

Status: 
<
Batch #82 - Sack Cyser
Ingredients: 15 GM, 4 g. Water, 6 Fleishman's Bread Yeast (1/4 oz pkgs) Began: 02/27/06 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: ?, 08/29/06, 11/20/06, 01/28/07 Bottled: 07/28/07
Notes: 

Status: Bottled
<
Batch #823 - Sack Cyser
Ingredients: 10# local, 7.5# GM, 4 g. water, 4 RSPrCu, 1 cup dried hops, 1 tblspn dried juniper berries Began: 04/26/06
Racked: 05/27/06, 08/30/06, 11/20/06, 01/27/07 Bottled: 07/28/07
Notes: Very heady aroma of hops.
11/13/09 - Sweet & Great

Status: Bottled
<
Batch #59 - Sack Cyser Methlegin
Ingredients: 12# HB, 5# GB, 4 g. MAC, 3 RSPrCu, + 1 Chaucer's and 2 similar spice packages Began: 10/28/06 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 11/19/06, 01/27/07 Bottled: 07/28/07
Notes:  07/28/07 - Sweet & Great at Bottling
11/13/09 - Sweet and Great

Status: Bottled
<
Batch #60 - Cinnamon Sack Cyser
Ingredients: 12# HB, 5# GM, 4 g. MAC, 4 RSPrCu, 8 cinnamon sticks Began: 10/29/06 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 11/19/06, 01/27/07 Bottled: 02/17/07
Notes: 02/17/07 - Sour - too early to tell
11/13/09 - Sweet and good

Status: Bottled
<
Batch #61 - Cinnamon Sack Cyser
Ingredients: 12# HB, 5# SB, 4 g. MAC, 4 RSPrCu, 8 cinnamon sticks Began: 12/30/06 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 01/27/07 Bottled: 03/10/07
Notes: 03/10/07 - Sweet but too early to tell
01/10/10 - Sweet and good, extreme honey aftertaste

Status: Bottled
<
Batch #62 - Cinnamon Buckwheat Cyser
Ingredients: 10# HB, 7.5# BW, 4 g. MAC, 4 RSPrCu, 8 cinnamon sticks Began: 04/09/07 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 06/04/07 Bottled: 07/29/07
Notes: 01/10/10 - Sweet & Great

Status: Bottled
<
Batch #63 -  Cinnamon Buckwheat Cyser
Ingredients: 10# HB, 7.5# BW, 4 g. MAC, 4 RSPrCu, 8 cinnamon sticks Began: 04/09/07 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 06/04/07 Bottled: 07/28/07
Notes: 01/11/10 - Sweet & Great

Status: Bottled
<
Batch #64 - Buckwheat Cyser
Ingredients: 10# SB, 7.5# BW, 4 g. MAC, 4 RSPrCu Began: 05/02/07 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 06/04/07 Bottled: 07/27/07
Notes: 01/15/10 - Sweet & OK

Status: Bottled
<
Batch #65 - Cinnamon Buckwheat Cyser
Ingredients: 10# SB, 7# BW, 4 g. LAC, 3 RSPC, 8 cinnamon sticks Began: 07/12/08 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 08/02/08, 10/01/08 Bottled: 11/14/08
Notes: 01/15/10 - Sweet, OK

Status: Bottled
<
Batch #66 - Buckwheat Cyser
Ingredients: 10# SB, 7# BW, 4 g. LAC, 3 RSPrCu Began: 07/12/08 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 08/02/08, 10/01/08 Bottled: 11/14/08
Notes: 01/20/10 - Sweet and OK

Status: Bottled
<
Batch #67 - Lithuanian Mead 2
Ingredients: 17.5# Sams, 4 g. H2O, 4 EC1118, 1 cup dried hops, 1 tblspn dried juniper berries Began: 08/05/08
Racked: 09/09/08 Bottled: 11/14/08
Notes: 11/03/09 - Dry, not so good
01/21/09 - Mark Abbott liked it

Status: Bottled
<
Batch #68 - Buckwheat Cyser
Ingredients: 17.5# BW, 4 g. MAC, 4 EC1118 Began: 10/01/08
Racked: 11/14/08 Bottled: 01/03/09
Notes: 01/221/10 - Sweet, OK

Status: Bottled
<
Batch #69 - Buckwheat Cyser
Ingredients: 17.5# BW, 4 g. MAC, 4 EC1118 Began: 10/01/08
Racked: 11/14/08 Bottled: 01/03/09
Notes: Sweet, OK

Status: Bottled
<
Batch #70 - Buckwheat Cyser
Ingredients: 17.5# BW, 4 g. MAC, 4 EC1118 Began: 10/01/08
Racked: 11/14/08 Bottled: 01/03/09
Notes: Sweet, OK

Status: Bottled
<
Batch #71 - Buckwheat Cyser
Ingredients: 12.5# Sams, 5# buckwheat, 4 g. MAC, 4 RSPC Began: 10/04/08
Racked: 01/04/09 Bottled: 09/01/09
Notes: Sweet, OK

Status: Bottled
<
Batch #72 - Buckwheat Cyser
Ingredients: 12.5# Sams, 5# BW, 4 g. DRAC, 4 RSPrCu Began: 10/04/08
Racked: 01/04/09 Bottled: 08/31/09
Notes: Sweet, Great

Status: Bottled
<
Batch #73 - Cyser
Ingredients: 17.5# Sams, 4 g. MAC, 4 RSPrCu Began: 10/05/08
Racked: 01/04/09 Bottled: 08/31/09
Notes: Sweet, Awesome

Status: Bottled
<
Batch #74 - Cyser
Ingredients: 17.5# Sams (?), 4 g. MAC, 4 RSPrCu Began: 10/04/08
Racked: 01/04/09 Bottled: 09/01/09
Notes: Sweet, Awesome

Status: Bottled

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January 22, 2010