Homebrew Mead Wine

[KevDen2005]

I think I just found another hobby I can't afford!

I'll just be buying Mead. If I start another hobby I won't be doing any of them.

[GilpinGuy]

I think I just found another hobby I can't afford!

I'll just be buying Mead. If I start another hobby I won't be doing any of them.

I'm trying small batches made in one gallon jugs. What is so awesome is that it is stupid easy and pretty damn inexpensive. The only "expensive" ingredient is honey, and you can get wicked exensive honey, but you don't need to. My first 3 gallons here cost me <$5 a gallon. (ETA: each gallon of mead cost me about $5 per gallon in supplies)

And for time, shit. I had my very first gallon made in about 15 minutes. Now it's just sitting and fermenting. Like I said, stupidly easy.

My brother brewed beer for a while and I helped him. It was a big PITA IMHO. Nothing against anyone who makes beer - keep doing it and trade me for some mead!
Like others wrote, spare time, spare $$ and hobbies have to be balanced.

[CS1983]

I made 5 gallons of cyser (mead, but with apple juice instead of water) and then proceeded to drink it all over a few months. I'm just NOW losing that weight lol.

[CS1983]

5 days into another 5 gallon batch of cyser in primary.

Basement consistently around 68* F.
Yeast: Premiere Cuvee (high temp stability, but yields more fusels at higher temps, so keeping lower than 70* = good)

Will rack to secondary fermentation at around 3 weeks or whenever fermentation slows as evidenced by airlock activity.

Plan to bottle in swing top bottles and use primarily for gifts.

Have some blackberry flavoring for bottling, but will figure ratio per 5 gal and drop down to how much per bottle and try one bottle first before potentially ruining all 5 gal. Only 2nd time, so never done a flavor before.

[GilpinGuy]

5 days into another 5 gallon batch of cyser in primary.

Basement consistently around 68* F.
Yeast: Premiere Cuvee (high temp stability, but yields more fusels at higher temps, so keeping lower than 70* = good)

Will rack to secondary fermentation at around 3 weeks or whenever fermentation slows as evidenced by airlock activity.

Plan to bottle in swing top bottles and use primarily for gifts.

Have some blackberry flavoring for bottling, but will figure ratio per 5 gal and drop down to how much per bottle and try one bottle first before potentially ruining all 5 gal. Only 2nd time, so never done a flavor before.

So cool, good luck! I got a $50 Amazon gift card for my b-day. Blew it immediately on a dozen swing top 16 oz. bottles, mini auto siphon and a hygrometer. I had to add $9, but still awesome.

[Hummer]

So cool, good luck! I got a $50 Amazon gift card for my b-day. Blew it immediately on a dozen swing top 16 oz. bottles, mini auto siphon and a hygrometer. I had to add $9, but still awesome.

A suggestion for those who want to acquire wine/beer/fermenting equipment on a budget. Search Craigslist frequently for winemaking, beermaking, etc. Over a couple years I outfitted my garage winery for a fraction of the cost for new. Carboys for $10-12, siphons, airlocks, brushes, testing equipment, an Enolmatic vacuum bottler, two new cider presses for 1/6 the cost of new, a grape crusher-destemmer, and an 80 liter bladder press. CL is the way to go for anything besides yeast and chemicals.

[CS1983]

GilpinGuy -- where in the heck are you getting honey for $5 a gallon? I'll totally drive to wherever that is on a weekend and get like 50 gallons for future use.

[GilpinGuy]

GilpinGuy -- where in the heck are you getting honey for $5 a gallon? I'll totally drive to wherever that is on a weekend and get like 50 gallons for future use.

I could have wrote that sentence better. I meant each gallon of mead cost me about $5 per gallon to make.

[CS1983]

I could have wrote that sentence better. I meant each gallon of mead cost me about $5 per gallon to make.

Ah. What's your per gallon cost on honey itself?

[osok-308]

I made 2.5 gallons of cider earlier this month. It tastes a bit more like champagne than I wanted, but still drinkable. Planning on doing a wheat beer this weekend. Home brewing can be very rewarding. I say this as I sip my homemade pale ale.

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