How We Made 30% ABV MEAD!
City Steading Brews・45 minutes read
To create a 30% ABV Mead, start with Wildflower honey and water, adding yeast nutrients and Red Star Premier Blanc yeast for fermentation. Monitor and adjust the mead until desired alcohol content is reached, potentially requiring additional time and interventions.
Insights
- Creating a 30% ABV Mead involves meticulous steps such as using specific ingredients like Wildflower honey, monitoring fermentation with Red Star Premier Blanc yeast, and carefully adjusting the mixture until the desired alcohol content is achieved.
- The final product of the Mead, sweetened with American Honey from Star Farms, offers a luscious, complex taste profile with hints of honey, floral notes, and citrus, demonstrating the versatility of the recipe for customization with various spirits like rum or Everclear.
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Recent questions
How do you create a 30 ABV Mead?
To create a 30 ABV Mead, start with 3.5 pounds of Wildflower honey and 96 fluid ounces of water to make a full gallon. Use warm water to melt the honey, add yeast nutrients, and mix well. Measure specific gravity, use Red Star Premier Blanc yeast, and monitor fermentation. Degassing, adjusting, and potentially adding rum and Everclear are key steps to reach the desired alcohol content.
What yeast is recommended for fermenting Mead?
Red Star Premier Blanc yeast is recommended for fermenting Mead, known for reaching 18 ABV. It is crucial to monitor fermentation activity and take regular gravity readings to ensure the process is on track.
How can you enhance the flavor of Mead?
To enhance the flavor of Mead, consider adding honey from a viewer to sweeten the mixture. This can improve the taste and make the Mead more enjoyable, potentially leading to the creation of a rum and Mead cocktail.
What is the ideal ratio for a rum and Mead cocktail?
The ideal ratio for a rum and Mead cocktail is 75% Mead and 25% non-Mead, with honey as the main sweetener to maintain the Mead theme. This combination can create a luscious, sweet, and complex drink with a balanced flavor profile.
How can you prevent further fermentation in Mead?
To prevent further fermentation in Mead, the mixture can be fortified by adding rum or Everclear. This step eliminates the need for pasteurization and stabilization, ensuring that the desired alcohol content is maintained without any additional fermentation occurring.
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Summary
00:00
Creating High Alcohol Mead: Step-by-Step Guide
- To create a 30 ABV Mead, start with 3.5 pounds of Wildflower honey and 96 fluid ounces of water to make a full gallon.
- Use warm water to help melt the honey and mix it thoroughly in a sanitized container.
- Add yeast nutrients (2.5 grams of Fermato dissolved in water) and optional wine tannin or black tea for complexity.
- Mix the ingredients well to aerate the must, crucial in the initial fermentation stages.
- Measure the specific gravity with a hydrometer, aiming for around 1.120 initially.
- Use Red Star Premier Blanc yeast, known for reaching 18 ABV, to ferment the mead.
- Monitor fermentation activity through airlock bubbles and take regular gravity readings.
- If fermentation stalls, add yeast hulls as a nutrient to help restart the process.
- Degassing the mead by shaking it helps yeast thrive in a cleaner environment.
- Continue monitoring and adjusting the mead until it reaches the desired alcohol content, potentially requiring additional time and interventions.
13:35
"Perfecting Mead: Achieving 30% ABV Success"
- Fermentation can take up to five weeks, depending on the recipe, with a starting gravity of 1.120.
- Gravity has only decreased slightly to 1.016, indicating ongoing fermentation.
- Degassing is recommended to prevent off flavors, achieved by swirling the mixture.
- Premier Blanc yeast has brought the ABV to 14%, with a target of 30%.
- The volume of the mixture is crucial for accurate ABV calculations.
- To reach 30% ABV, a combination of rum and Everclear is added carefully.
- The final ABV calculation results in 30.34%, meeting the target.
- The mixture is tasted and found to be strong, requiring additional honey for sweetness.
- Honey from a viewer is used to sweeten the Mead, enhancing the flavor.
- The Mead is deemed drinkable and enjoyable, with potential for a rum and Mead cocktail.
27:50
"American Honey Mead Cocktail with Rum"
- The honey used is American Honey from Star Farms in Pleasant Hill, Oregon, sourced from an apiary.
- Honey is added to sweeten the mixture, aiming for a strong, viscous, and sweet taste reminiscent of mead.
- The cocktail primarily consists of 75% mead and 25% non-mead, with honey as the main sweetener to maintain the mead theme.
- Rum-based cocktails are preferred, with the choice of using molasses over sugar to enhance the flavors in the brew.
- The mixture is fortified to prevent the need for pasteurization or stabilization, ensuring no further fermentation can occur.
- The gravity reading of 1.012 indicates a moderate sweetness level, influenced by the added alcohol content.
- The aroma and flavor profile of the cocktail include honey, floral notes, ethanol, and a hint of citrus, resembling a whiskey or rum.
- The taste is described as luscious, sweet, and complex, with a balance of sweetness, acidity, and astringency.
- The cocktail is noted for its lack of fermented honey bitterness, likely due to the high alcohol content overpowering it.
- Suggestions are made for using 190 proof Everclear for a different flavor profile, with the cooked notes possibly coming from molasses.
43:13
"Friendship, Ratings, and Rum in Mead"
- Admins in Canada and England are close friends, not just administrators, for VIPs, with a surprising floral and honey character in their Wildflower mead.
- A rating system from 1 to 10, with 11 for exceptional cases, is used to evaluate drinks, with a high ABV mead scoring well.
- Adding rum to boost alcohol content can eliminate the need for pasteurization, with Everclear being a cost-effective option, but pasteurization is recommended for sweetened meads.
- The mead recipe, with its complexity and depth, can be customized with different spirits or flavors, like a Jack Daniel's Honey or Wild Turkey version, offering a versatile and enjoyable brewing experience.
