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):
- Ken Schramm’s The Compleat Meadmaker: Home Production of Honey Wine from Your First Batch to Award-Winning Fruit and Herb Variations ($13.97)
- Brewing Mead: Wassail! In Mazers of Mead by Robert Gayre, Charlie Papazian, Robert Gayre Of Gayre And Nigg, Charles Papazian (Contributor)

And check out Vicky Rowe's Gotmead.com website!
One of the best single (free) references on the Internet I have found: http://www.nhb.org/download/factsht/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)
SAC - Louisburg Cider Mill Spiced Apple Cider with Spices (Gerbes)
MAJ - Musselman's Apple Juice (Sam's Club or Super Walmart)
MAC - Musselman's Apple Cider (Walmart or Gerbes)

Honey & Other

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)
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.

Comments & Questions to MeadMan@eswood.com
http://www.eswood.com/mead/index.html
November 10, 2005

Batch #26 - Eric's Blended Cyser
Ingredients: AC, RSPC, spices: cinnamon, ??, thyme	Began: June 1999
Racked: 01/28/00, +BE 04/25/00	Bottled: 11/02/00
Notes: Combined a 3 g. (cinnamon) and two 1 g. (?? & thyme) batches of mead into a single 5 g. carboy. Eric doesn't remember too much detail about the origins of these meads except they are probably cysers with various spices, including cinnamon. At bottling had very potent aroma. Originally bottled in wine bottles, I transferred it to 16-oz swing tops in the summer of 2003. 10/20/03: Sweet. Very potent high octane mead. Very tasty. Jan 2007: Sweet & Awesome, I think it's starting to decline but not much
Status: Bottled

Batch #27 - Cinnamon Sack Mead
Ingredients: 14# HW, 2.5# PWH, 1# sorghum, 4.5 RSPC	Began: 02/12/00 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 03/12/00	Bottled: 10/01/00
Notes: Another dual batch. Wanted a sweet mead with overtones of sorghum. 10/22/03: Sweetish. Has a sherry-like flavor. Jan 2007: Sweetish & OK, still has the sherry flavor
Status: Bottled

Batch #28 - Cinnamon Raspberry Sack Mead
Ingredients: 14# HW, 2.5# PWH, 1# sorghum, 4.5 RSPC	Began: 02/12/00 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 04/12/00 +5 oz. JD Carlson raspberry flavoring	Bottled: 09/24/00
Notes: Wanted a sweet mead with overtones of sorghum and raspberry. 10/29/00: They loved it at Archon. 09/25/03: Dry. Subtle aftertaste of raspberry. Jan 2007: Dry & Good, nice flavor of raspberry but has peaked and should be finished off
Status: Bottled

Batch #29 - Sack Mead
Ingredients: 15# HW, 4 g. AC, 4 RSPC	Began: 03/25/00 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 04/25/00, 01/11/01	Bottled: 01/22/01
Notes: Dual sized batch 09/20/03: This mead simply sucks. Maybe it will get better over time. Also used to top off B31, B32, B33 & B34. Jan 2007: Finally made it to Dry & OK instead of Sweetish & Sucks
Status: Bottled

Batches #30 - Sack Mead
Ingredients: 15# HW, 4 g. AC, 4 RSPC	Began: 03/25/00 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 04/25/00, 01/11/01	Bottled: 01/22/01
Notes: Dual sized batch, same as B29 09/20/03: This mead simply sucks. Maybe it will get better over time. Also used to top off B31, B32, B33 & B34. Jan 2007: Still Sweetish & Sucks
Status: Bottled

Batch #37 - Sack Cinnamon Buckwheat Cyser
Ingredients: 10# HW, 5# BW, 4 g. AC, 4 RSPC, 4 cinnamon sticks	Began: 11/02/03 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 03/25/04	Bottled: 04/05/04
Notes: Made using the No-Fuss Method® (NFM) Nov 2005: Sweet & Great Jan 2007: Sweet & Good, time to kill it off!
Status: Bottled

Batch #38 - Sack Buckwheat Cyser
Ingredients: 10# HW, 5# BW, 4 g. AC, 4 RSPC	Began: 11/03/03 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 03/25/04	Bottled: 04/06/04
Notes: NFM® Nov 2005: Sweet & OK Jan 2007: Sweet & OK, but slightly off flavor
Status: Bottled

Batch #39 - Sack Cinnamon Buckwheat Cyser
Ingredients: 15# BW, 4 g. AC, 4 RSPC, 8 cinnamon sticks	Began: 11/04/03 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 03/25/04	Bottled: 04/07/04
Notes: NFM®. At bottling had a sweet, unfinished taste 12/18/04: Still raw but very sweet and tasty, This ought to be a very strong and sweet mead when it ages the roughness out. Nov 2005: Sweet & OK Jan 2007: Sweet & Awesome
Status: Bottled

Batch #40 - Sack Cinnamon Buckwheat Cyser
Ingredients: 15# BW, 4 g. AC, 4 RSPC, 8 cinnamon sticks	Began: 11/04/03 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 03/25/04	Bottled: 04/07/04
Notes: NFM® At bottling had a sweet, unfinished taste 12/18/04: Still raw but very sweet and tasty, This ought to be a very strong and sweet mead when it ages the roughness out. Nov 2005: Sweet & OK Jan 2007: Sweet & Awesome
Status: Bottled.

Batch #41 - Sack Buckwheat Cyser
Ingredients: 10# HW, 5# BW, 4 g. AC, 4 RSPC	Began: 05/02/04 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 06/07/04, 01/14/05	Bottled: 01/30/05
Notes: NFM® Crystal clear at second racking. Nov 2005: Sweet & Great Jan 2007: Sweet & Great
Status: Bottled

Batch #42 - Sack Cyser
Ingredients: 15# SB, 4 g. AC, 4 RSPC	Began: 05/02/04 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 06/07/04, 01/14/05	Bottled: 01/31/05
Notes: NFM® Added a bit of tea at second racking to help clear it. Still fairly cloudy. Cleared before bottling. Nov 2005: Sour & Sucks. Maybe it will improve. Jan 2007: Very Dry & OK. Time to finish it off. Perhaps its the tannins from the tea which makes it slightly bitter.
Status: Bottled

Batch #43 - Sack Cyser Methlegin
Ingredients: 15# SB, 2 g. AC, 2 g. SAC, 4 RSPC	Began: 12/24/04 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 03/18/05, 07/22/05	Bottled: 07/29/05
Notes: NFM® Slow to start, cold climate of house is not helping I'm sure. After two or three days it began to ferment nicely. Stirring daily to help honey dissolve into must. Cold temp is keeping it pretty thick. In the winter I guess I should at least heat the honey and cider in a pot to mix it better. 01/13/04: Still very steadily bubbling along. 05/19/05: Very cloudy. Nov 2005: Sweet & Great Jan 2007: Sweet, Spicy & Awesome, the addition of the SAC really helps and is such an easy way to add spiciness.
Status: Bottled

Batch #44 - Sack Cyser Methlegin
Ingredients: 15# SB, 2 g. AC, 2.5 g. SAC, 4 RSPC	Began: 01/13/05 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 03/23/05	Bottled: 07/16/05
Notes: NFM2® This time I'm heating the apple cider a bit while adding the honey so it will dissolve. 05/19/05: Almost completely still - will rack soon. Nov 2005: Sweet & OK Jan 2007: Sweet, Spicy & Awesome. Just as B43.
Status: Bottled

Batch #45 - Cherry Sack Mead
Ingredients: 15# SB, 5 g. Water, 4 YN, 4 RSPC	Began: 03/23/05 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: N/A, N/A, 10/30/05	Bottled: 11/01/05
Notes: NFM2® Added 4 oz of Cherry Flavoring after second racking. At last racking it was sour smelling. Nov 2005: Dry & OK. Jan 2007: Dry & OK, with an interesting cherry flavor.
Status: Bottled

Batch #46 - Sack Cyser
Ingredients: 15# GM, 4 g. AC, 4 RSPC	Began: 09/19/05 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 10/23/05, +Bentonite	Bottled: 05/26/06
Notes: NFM2® The Grandma's brand of honey label reports it's raw and the while it tastes better than the Sue Bee it appears it slows the clearing of the mead. B47 below cleared weeks before all the other batches using GM. Jan 2007: Sweet & Awesome
Status: Bottled

Batch #57 - Chocolate Banana Sack Mead Experiment
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: Took off very quickly. After second racking (08/29/06) added 1 banana extract and 2 chocolate extracts. The chocolate made the mead almost black. Ought to be interesting. Also added a little of the leftover B56. 01/24/07: Too dry and the banana and chocolate flavor is not distinct enough so plan to add 1 more each and a pound or two of honey. +1 more banana
Status: Bottled

Batch #58 - Lithuanian mead (Lietuviskas Midus)
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.
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
Status: Bottled

Batch #47 - Sack Cyser
Ingredients: 15# SB, 4 g. AC, 4 RSPC	Began: 09/24/05 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 10/23/05 +Bentonite, 05/02/06, 12/10/05	Bottled: 1/10/06
Notes: NFM2® I think that B47 cleared much faster than B48 because it used the more highly processed Sue Bee brand. Previous test: Sweet & OK Jan 2007: Sweet & Awesome. Doesn't have the spicy kick like B43/44 but real tasty.
Status: Bottled

Batch #48 - 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: NFM2® Jan 2007: Sweet & OK
Status: Bottled

Batch #49 - 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: NFM2® I think that B49 cleared faster because it used some of Sue Bee brand too. Previous test: Sweetish & OK Jan 2007: Sweet & Great
Status: Bottled

Batch #50 - 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® At bottling: Sweetish & OK Jan 2007: Sweet & OK
Status: Bottled

Batch #51 - Sack Cyser
Ingredients: 15# GM, 4 g. MAJ, 3 RSPC	Began: 10/23/05 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 11/29/05, 01/31/06	Bottled: 02/23/06
Notes: NFM2® At bottling: Sweetish & OK Jan 2007: Sweet & OK
Status: Bottled

Batch #52 - Cinnamon Sack Cyser
Ingredients: 15# GM, 4 g. MAC, 3 RSPC, 6 cinnamon sticks	Began: 10/03/05, Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 11/30/05, 02/3/06	Bottled 03/27/06
Notes: NFM2® At bottling: Sweet & OK Jan 2007: Sweet & Good.
Status: Bottled

Batch #53 - Cinnamon Sack Cyser
Ingredients: 15# GM, 4 g. MAC, 3 RSPC, 8 cinnamon sticks	Began: 10/03/05, Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 11/30/05, 01/31/06	Bottled 02/22/06
Notes: NFM2® At bottling: Sweet & OK Jan 2007: Sweet & Good
Status: Bottled

Batch #54 - Sack Cyser
Ingredients: 15# GM, 4 g. MAC, 4 RSPC	Began: 01/03/06 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 05/29/06	Bottled: 08/26/06
Notes: NFM2® Jan 2007:
Status: Bottled

Batch #55 - Sack Cyser
Ingredients: 17.5# GM, 4 g. MAC, 4 RSPrCu	Began: 02/18/06 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 03/18/06	Bottled: 05/28/06
Notes: NFM2®. Had some comments that my sweet mead was not sweet enough, so trying the Premiere Cuvee yeast this time with an additional 2.5 pounds of honey. Jan 2007:
Status: Bottled

Batch #56 - Blended Sack Cyser
Ingredients: B46, B47, B49, B50, B51	Began: N/A
Racked: 02/23/06	Bottled: 08/18/06
Notes: The remains of several batches all mixed and allowed to settle. Jan 2007:
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
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
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:
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:
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:
Status: Bottled

Batch #65 - Cinnamon Buckwheat Cyser
Ingredients: 10# SB, 7# BW, 4 g. AC, 3 RSPC, 8 cinnamon sticks	Began: 07/12/08 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 08/02/08	Bottled: No
Notes:
Status: In Secondary

Batch #66 - Buckwheat Cyser
Ingredients: 10# SB, 7# BW, 4 g. AC, 3 RSPrCu	Began: 07/12/08 - Primary: 6 g. carboy
Racked: 08/02/08	Bottled: No
Notes:
Status: In Secondary

Batch #67 - Lithuanian Mead 2
Ingredients:	Began:
Racked:	Bottled:
Notes:
Status: