Well, after my first batch of mead went bad last Feburary, I've finally decided to get it a go again!
I was reading on a home brewer's forum about this mead that's been really popular and extremely simple called "Joe's Ancient Orange". Everything you need to make this can be bought at your local grocery store (besides an airlock which are only $1, but I figure you can find something that will work for one like a balloon and just release the air pressure often).
Here's the recepie:
Things you'll need -
1 gallon carboy (you can use a one gallon glass jug that apple cider comes in, just wash it really good)
Airlock & Bung (or a large balloon over the top, just remember to release the gas often)
1 large orange (washed really good to remove pesticides and particals - cut into 8ths)
1 vanilla bean (some people left this out)
1 whole clove
1 whole cinnamon stick
Handful of raisins
3 1/2 lbs honey
1 Teaspoon Flieschmans or Red Star dry Bread Yeast (yes, I said bread yeast! Seriously! No Joke!)
Remember to sanatize everything (I use One-Step sanatizer) before you start. Mix honey with warm water to dilute. Put water in carboy or glass jug. Cut the orange into 8 slices and stuff down into carboy (orange peel and all). Put in the vanilla bean (probably the most expensive item), clove, cinnamon stick, and raisins. Top off the jug with more water until it's 3 inches from the top. Cap the top (thats the nice about the apple juice jugs, just keep the cap and remember to sanatize it too) and just shake the heck out of it to aerate. Add the bread yeast, give it a swirl, put on the airlock, and stick in a dark place for 2 months! That's it! Don't touch it until then! When you rack it over to a bottling bucket you can filter it through cheese cloth to catch all the chunks of orange, raisins, and clove.
Just started mine 30 minutes ago and it's already bubbling away! Can't wait to try this sweet melomel mead!!!!!
Sean Kelly
Sean, that sounds nummy! Can I taste some?? Never had mead before!! Got my 1st sting today!! I'm so proud, just like a real beekeeper now! You'll have to bring the girls over to see my bees, chix & feed the koi! Jody
Sean,
That sounds like a simple enough recipe to try. I'm writing it down to try when my honey comes in. I'm all out of honey from last season. Let us know how yours turns out.
Kimbrell, you should try it now! I just picked up 5lbs of honey for $10 from the Kroger's west coast chain called Fred Meyers (kind of like a Walmart but smaller and better quality stuff). You only use 3 1/2 lbs, so it's a simple + easy + cheap recepie. Not like my last batch from Northern Brewer where I had to use 15 lbs of honey. lol
Jody, you're in for a treat if you've never had mead before!!!!! There's actually a pretty famous mead maker here in Washington called Sky River Mead. It's a little drive to the brewery out in Sultan, but their mead is something else! Their sweet mead is okay, the dry is great, and their semi-sweet is incredible. I've been having a real hard time finding their stuff though. None of the grocery stores carry it. I'm sure if you and I keep bugging the Bonney Lake Safeway they might break down and start stocking it. lol
Yeah, you can totally taste some when it's finished! Should be ready to drink by Brian Bray's party at the end of summer. :)
Congrats on your 1st sting! Feels awesome doesn't it! It's a totally different experience when the bees belong to you. lol Grace and I went to Wally's today for fish and chips and on the way back we tried to find your house (looked for the only beehive on the Old Buckley Hwy) but didnt see it. My mom said she saw it when she went into town the other day. Must have been looking on the wrong side of the road. You guys just built a new barn, right?
Back to the mead... Just checked on it (6 hours after the start) and it's at a rolling boil now with a heavy yeast head on top. I had my doubts about using bread yeast but it's doing the trick! It activated just as fast as champaign and desert wine yeasts I've tried in the past. Should be really interesting to see how it turns out! Looks great and smells awesome! I've got it stashed under the sink in our bathroom which now smells like cloves, vanilla, and cinnamon (almost smells like christmas in there!).
Sean Kelly
If you prick a balloon before it's inflated it will self regulate the out gas pressure. My brother, I, and some friends forgot the prick the balloon and drove a 2 inch cork through a ceiling. The gallon jug was a total loss.
I have made this before and it does turn out very nice. Its very sweet!!!! To sweet for my taste but many freinds really enjoy it. I have never had the oranges fall to the bottom so they need to be pulled before racking so cut them in small slices. I use a clean set of those machanical fingers. The thing you can buy at auto stores that consist of a plunger and 18" cable with a set of four metal fingers that come out and spead when depressed. Grab a orange slice and pull it up through the bottle neck
Danno,
I also heard it's really sweet. Should be interesting to try. At such a small batch, it's not big deal if it doesn't turn out right.
As for the oranges, I was told to just run the wine through a cheese cloth to filter the chunks, let that settle, and rack it once more before bottling. I cut my oranges into large slices and it will be pretty much impossible to get mine out without disturbing the wine.
Sean Kelly
what i do is remove the oranges. this will stir things up abit let it all settle out and bottle. I would be afraid of oxidation trying to strain it
here is a link to one that I am making now. this has been racked once and has been clearing for the best part of a year. It is now ready to bottle and is REALLY good!!! Crystal clear
http://www.ladybridget.com/m/chocmead.html
One of my favorite topics.
I just sampled some of our Apple Butter Cyser I started back in November when the local Apple Cider was pouring off the presses. It has clarified and although it is still a bit on the sweet side, it is wonderful. You can pick up the delicate honey flavor along with the Apple Butter and cinnamon. My wife didn't like that I spent 100 bucks to make this stuff but made the comment that we will be doubling the batch this coming fall.
Woohoo.... I knew she would come around.
If you want to check out the recipe goto http://www.applebuttercyser.com
Follow the recipe to include the specialty sugar. Yummy....... Oh yeah. This stuff will knock your socks off when it is done. It is like 20% ABV.
Danno,
Chocolate Mead?!!!! Now why didn't I think of that? Too bad it takes a year to make. I could go for a taste right now!
Scott, I have heard of Joe's Ancient Orange Mead before, I heard it is really wonderful. EXCEPT, I can't stand sweet things. I have to wonder if all meads are sweet, that would not be a good thing for me. I have four gallons of honey left over from last year's harvest and I want to get some mead going.
So, anyone got a mead recipe that is not sweet, if you do, please put it on the forum. I don't think that chocolate mead would suit my fancy, but it sounds beautiful for those that like chocolate. Looking forward to some mead recipes.
I read that site called "got mead" and there is really some interesting educating going on there about all the aspects of making mead. I have forgotten most of it by now though, hee, hee, but mead making is truly a most beautiful form of art. Have that beautiful and most wonderful day, our sun is shinin' today, haven't had much of that lately. Cindi
Cindi
To make a wine dry you need a hydrometer to measure the fermentables. All yeast will die at a known alcohol level or the point that it runs out of food. You would want to add just enough sugar or honey in this case that all sugar is converted when the mead reaches this level. This is a link to another forum on mead making. You can get alot of recipes and proceedures from this site
http://www.finevinewines.com//Wiz/forum/forum_topics.asp?FID=15
Danno, I have a hydrometer, thank you for that link, I will check it out, best of this wonderful day, Cindi
I want to suggest a mead making website to you all.
gotmead.com
Great site, has the most mead info of any website out there (self-acclaimed anyways)
Take a look, tons of forums, instructions, beginner info, etc etc etc
Just saw that Cindi already mentioned that site.
You can make meads dry without any sugar. Any yeast that will consume all the sugars won't be as sweet.
Hey,
IMHO bread yeast makes wonderful bread, but booze, not so much. There are specific mead yeasts, one for dry and one for sweet.
BTW mead making got me started in bees not the other way around lol
cheers
peter
ooptec
Anyone that has any experience making wine or beer know that yeasts are different but the author of this orange recipe makes it clear that you need to forget what you know and follow this recipe to the T. I have made this a couple of time for my VERY SWEET wine loving friends and it turns out great everytime.
Don't even need a hydrometer to make dry meads. Just use less honey and make sure it is thoroughly fermented before bottling - plenty of recipes for the amount. The real trick is going for something not too dry, not too sweet, not too strong. That takes a bit of skill (or sorbate).
make it dry, sorbate it and back sweeten to taste
Hi, I'd like to make up 2 wine sized bottles of mead. Can someone tell me what am I doing? No one seems to say how to make it other than add honey, water, and yeast (and others stuff if you like).
Now Do I want to boil the water first?
Do I want the Must mixed so it's a wine like liquid or can it still be mostly honey and glob around as honey mostly does?
Basically step by step can someone tell me what I should be doing and what to look for. I'm interested in a simple mead that doesn't take vary long to become drinkable, and also tastes good.
Thank you in advance.
MILTA, I think the word is "bump", hee, hee. You will get answers, now this post has come to the forefront again so it won't be overlooked. Good luck.....Beautiful and most wonderful day in this life. Cindi
Quote from: MrILoveTheAnts on June 21, 2008, 12:15:13 AM
Hi, I'd like to make up 2 wine sized bottles of mead. Can someone tell me what am I doing? No one seems to say how to make it other than add honey, water, and yeast (and others stuff if you like).
Now Do I want to boil the water first?
Do I want the Must mixed so it's a wine like liquid or can it still be mostly honey and glob around as honey mostly does?
Basically step by step can someone tell me what I should be doing and what to look for. I'm interested in a simple mead that doesn't take vary long to become drinkable, and also tastes good.
Thank you in advance.
Some people boil the water and dissolve the honey in the hot water. I feel that this will drive off some of the aroma. Others use campden tablets (sulfites) to disinfect - but this is not absolutely necessary. The guy that wrote the Compleat Meadmaker said he usually does not boil or use sulfites, and things turn out fine. If you are not going to boil or sulfite, I would suggest using a healthy dose of yeast to get things going in the right direction.
Last batch (which looks, smells and tastes good so far) I put the honey in a 5 gallon carboy and added about half the amount of water needed. I then swirled and swooshed it so that much (not all) of the honey dissolved. The rest of the honey dissolved fine while it fermented. (Many people believe that the must should be initially aerated so the yeast can grow aerobically before they switch into anaerobic mode - using room temperature water and shaking or swooshing to dissolve the honey does this.) Then I topped it off with water (not all the way - leave some space for the bubbles) and added the yeast and a little yeast nutrient, put the stopper with air-lock on it. Put it in a cool spot (75 d F) where it wouldn't get bright light, and it started bubbling away.
You might want to add some acid (lemon juice, tartaric acid crystals) and some tannin (I use green tea). The acid improves the chance of a good fermentation, and a certain amount of both acid and tannin make for a better tasting mead.
After about a month, I 'rack' the wine - carefully siphon off the wine but leave behind the yeast that is on the bottom. Add a little water to bring the bottle back up towards being full (reduce oxygen in the bottle) and let it go for another month or so, rack again. Repeat a third time, and the mead should be ready for bottling. If you have a wine filter system, or use bentonite clay or gelatin finings, you could bottle after one or two rackings and cut a few months off the process. You do need to be sure that the fermentation is complete and isn't 'stuck' - if there is a little fermentation in the bottles, you get sparkling mead. If there is a little more fermentation in the bottles, they could explode. So it is good to wait longer before bottling, at least until you are familiar with the process. Some people use hydrometers to measure the amount of sugar present before and after the fermentation to see if things are done - I have a hydrometer, but don't bother with it any more. After bottling, there is aging - some wines might be good at 6 months, but a year is usually better.
Only 2 bottles? One gallon will yield ~5 bottles.
Do you want a dry, sweet, or very sweet (dessert wine) product? I usually use 2 to 3 pounds honey per gallon to get a medium to sweet wine, with a decent alcohol level (12-14% estimated). But I have made some excellent meads using much more honey - it had a high alcohol content, and was very sweet but delicious.
Quote from: ooptec on May 14, 2008, 08:12:03 PM
Hey,
IMHO bread yeast makes wonderful bread, but booze, not so much. There are specific mead yeasts, one for dry and one for sweet.
BTW mead making got me started in bees not the other way around lol
cheers
peter
Peter,
I kind of got that from u about getting started in the bees....
So how often do u brew beer?
This forum got me started in brewing beer. Someone was looking for a honey beer recipe, and it got me interested. I've gone wild with it since then.
I hope to make some mead from my own honey soon. My homebrew club has some award winning meaders, so I've got some good folks to look to for advice. One guy made a fantastic toasted coconut mead. Unbelievable! I definitely prefer the drier meads to the sweet ones. Yeast selection has a lot to do with that.
For a couple dollars, I think it's better to invest in a good mead yeast than use bread yeast, which isn't selected to grow well in alcohol...that's probably why the mead turns out so sweet, the alcohol kills the yeast before it can fully ferment the honey.
Wow, where did my post go? It was here 2 days ago in response to MrILoveTheAnts questions. It was huge too! Man I hate it when that happens. lol Now I forgot what I said. lolol
Sean Kelly
What happens if you use More yeast? :-D
More yeast might get things off to a better start, but in the end, successful fermentations have the amount of yeast needed. Yeast divides rapidly (exponentially) and will level off once the sugar is converted to alcohol. So there is not much danger of adding too much yeast - an extra packet or two of yeast will cost a dollar or two, will help insure a good result, and wont change the flavor or quality.
Not racking the wine soon enough or often enough can make the wine a bit yeasty, but that is an issue regardless of how much yeast one starts with.
As Vetch stated that not racking can cause a yeasty flavor. what happens is when the yeast runs out of sugar (food) they will start eatting the dead yeast carcasses that have sunk to the bottom. Dont let this happen. It can wreck a good wine
Quote from: danno on May 15, 2008, 09:02:54 AM
ooptec
Anyone that has any experience making wine or beer know that yeasts are different but the author of this orange recipe makes it clear that you need to forget what you know and follow this recipe to the T. I have made this a couple of time for my VERY SWEET wine loving friends and it turns out great everytime.
I'm something of a heretic in meadmaking. I use lager yeast. A lot of the real meadaholics insist on wine or champaign yeast, but I've found lager to be a nice compromise between ale and wine yeasts. Higher alcohol than ale, less than wine and not as sweet, but not too dry. Worked very well in the cyser (cider and honey) I made.
I tried a sweet mead yeast and it was sweet alright. More of an apertif, sipping wine. I like something that maintains the flavor of whatever I've put in, has a good alcohol kick, but doesn't leave me rolling on the floor.
how do you get something that makes you rolling on the floor :roll:
Quote from: nepenthes on July 09, 2008, 01:36:33 PM
how do you get something that makes you rolling on the floor :roll:
I once bought the game twister, and that made me roll on the floor.
Oh, and if I was ever set on fire I would roll on the floor, too. I wonder if he's on fire... :-D
On a more serious note, I understand that many of you have grape vines, and I'm curious about what it takes to get them started and how long it takes to get grapes from them (I assume you get nothing the first year, but how many years does it take to get grapes?). I would like to plant a vine or two since the grapes in the stores are less and less ripe every year.
SgtMgr. About the grape vines. I am pretty sure that I read somewhere that when one purchases grape stock, it takes about 3 years to get a berry producing plant. I think that is pretty true. Do some internet research, I bet that there are some garden sites that you could get this kind of information from. I think it is like asparagus, it must form some pretty large root systems below ground before the fruit can be harvested. I am not positive,but this rings a bell in my mind. About 4 years ago I went to this vacant lot where a house had been torn down. My Cousin had told me to go and get some grape roots because the grapes in that place were beautiful. She said that they were large black grapes, no clue what type. I did plant these that year, and this year they are loaded with young grapes. So I think it does take quite a while. I have another grape vine that has small sweet grapes, the skins are sour, that took several years before it bore fruit as well. My only thing around here is trying to get the kids not the pick the grapes until I give them the ready word. I threatened them with horrible things (oops, did I say that? hee, hee) to come to them this year if they picked them and told them I would give them all that they wanted, if they would just wait for me to cut them clusters. I told them that they needed to be cut off the vines with scissors or pruners, pulling off the cluster will damage the plant and then there will be not grapes next year. We'll see if they are listening. I do have a slingshot, oops, did I say that, hee, hee. Others here may have more information that they could give to you. Beautiful day, beautiful life, all is beautiful on this wonderful world. Cindi
Quote from: nepenthes on July 09, 2008, 01:36:33 PM
how do you get something that makes you rolling on the floor :roll:
Make a moonshine still. But that will also put you in jail. It's treated the same as if you were making drugs. But you do it right it'll knock your socks off!!!
Sean Kelly
I know there is some way that you can legally have a moonshine still, I think it has to be registered and used for making fuel or something like that.
You can distill essential oils ;) ;)
http://www.keystonehomebrew.com/index.cfm?pgid=spirits
Quote from: SgtMaj on July 12, 2008, 10:52:51 PM
I know there is some way that you can legally have a moonshine still, I think it has to be registered and used for making fuel or something like that.
Not in the United States. I heard the same thing and decided to send a letter to the BATF. They said in many words.... NO! I work in the fuel industry and the refineries have posted alcohol permits from the BATF just so they can use and make denatured Ethanol.
Now you can legally buy, make, or own a moonshine still... you just can't use it.
Sean Kelly
Apple-Jack is the simplest, safest technique for increasing the alcohol content of a brew - 30% to 40% is typical.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Applejack_%28beverage%29
Quote from: Cindi on July 12, 2008, 10:03:12 AM
SgtMgr. About the grape vines. I am pretty sure that I read somewhere that when one purchases grape stock, it takes about 3 years to get a berry producing plant. I think that is pretty true. Do some internet research, I bet that there are some garden sites that you could get this kind of information from. I think it is like asparagus, it must form some pretty large root systems below ground before the fruit can be harvested. I am not positive,but this rings a bell in my mind. About 4 years ago I went to this vacant lot where a house had been torn down. My Cousin had told me to go and get some grape roots because the grapes in that place were beautiful. She said that they were large black grapes, no clue what type. I did plant these that year, and this year they are loaded with young grapes. So I think it does take quite a while. I have another grape vine that has small sweet grapes, the skins are sour, that took several years before it bore fruit as well. My only thing around here is trying to get the kids not the pick the grapes until I give them the ready word. I threatened them with horrible things (oops, did I say that? hee, hee) to come to them this year if they picked them and told them I would give them all that they wanted, if they would just wait for me to cut them clusters. I told them that they needed to be cut off the vines with scissors or pruners, pulling off the cluster will damage the plant and then there will be not grapes next year. We'll see if they are listening. I do have a slingshot, oops, did I say that, hee, hee. Others here may have more information that they could give to you. Beautiful day, beautiful life, all is beautiful on this wonderful world. Cindi
My parents had the same problem with the grapes not reaching maturity when I was growing up. Speaking from experience... even the threat of physical violence is not a major deterrant to kids picking grapes fresh off the vines. :evil: Even when not completely ripe, home grown grapes are at least a thousand times better than store bought grapes.
Quote from: Sean Kelly on July 13, 2008, 07:22:10 PM
Quote from: SgtMaj on July 12, 2008, 10:52:51 PM
I know there is some way that you can legally have a moonshine still, I think it has to be registered and used for making fuel or something like that.
Not in the United States. I heard the same thing and decided to send a letter to the BATF. They said in many words.... NO! I work in the fuel industry and the refineries have posted alcohol permits from the BATF just so they can use and make denatured Ethanol.
Now you can legally buy, make, or own a moonshine still... you just can't use it.
Sean Kelly
You sent the letter to the wrong people, should have sent it to the Evironmental Protection Agency on refining fuels. What is illegal under one scope is often legal under another. Proper appliance of use and law. The BATFE is focused on the illegal use and tax avoidance of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives. They have no jurisdiction over the refining of fuels or essential oils.
Heat isn't necessary to do anything in meadmaking, just like honey processing...it drives off the subtleties of the honey. The amount of yeast pitched and the proper care will ensure it outreproduces any of the nasties. Not much can live in 14%-20% alcohol, except the yeasts selected for that specific ability, and even those have to be nurtured properly.
I prefer dry wine, too, so a batch of mead for me has to have less honey (ie, less alcohol potential to kill the yeast) or a yeast strain that can ferment under a high alcohol load. I don't mind a semi-dry mead, though, and I just had a semi-sweet blueberry melomel that was unbelievable.
The downside to mead is that for most recipes, you have to be really patient, as it can take 6 months, a year, or more for the mead to age to a drinkable state. Young meads tend to be "hot" (high alcohol burn) which mellows with time. the Joe's Ancient Orange recipe mentioned earlier in the thread is designed to be drunk young, as it is fully mature. But don't deviate from the recipe! Even the slicing into 8ths of the orange is important...the pith exposure helps to balance the sweetness. The bread yeast dies at about 14% ABV, which gives the batch a nice kick, but makes a drink many people like. If you prefer drier, you can always ferment with a yeast that has more alcohol tolerance, then add honey to sweeten to taste (just be sure the yeast is dead!).
Speaking of mead... my "Joe's Ancient Orange" mead is done! Had my first glass yesterday and it was really good.... in a spicy strange way. Final gravity 1.050, about 11% abv. REALLY SWEET and has a kick from the clove and cinnamon.
As we speak I've got a batch of beer wort cooking on the stove. Chill bath in 30 minutes. Gunna be a "Cream Ale". My first attempt at beer. Wine is easy (especially mead), there seems to be a few more steps with beer. Always fun though and can't wait to try it! Should be ready in time for hunting season!!!
Sean Kelly
Unless laws changed recently, you can distill liqueur yourself. I haven't kept up with it for some time but according to the ATF, you can brew a limited amount of beer and distill for personal use. I believe the figure was 20 gallons and one liter, before having to get a permit and pay tax, but that was ten years ago. State laws also apply, but cannot supercede federal.
If you try, mind your distillation temps.. Too much heat and you'll distill out the bad byproducts of fermentation. Could give you a throbbing headache and reduce liver function, and maybe go blind.
Is home wine making legal?
Since 1978 the Federal Government has made home wine making legal.
However, there are some limitation. A household of two adults or more can
make up to 200 gallons of homemade wine annually. Single adult house-
holds can make up to 100 gallons of homemade wine annually. You may
also want to check with your state and local authorities to see if there
happens to be any other local restrictions in your area on home wine
making.
There are a few states that don't allow homebrewing...Utah and Georgia are two. I'm not sure if there are any others, but I seem to remember hearing that there are three states that don't allow it. Ironically, in those states, homebrew supply shops are not illegal...
Quote from: gspike on September 16, 2008, 08:35:24 AM
Unless laws changed recently, you can distill liqueur yourself. I haven't kept up with it for some time but according to the ATF, you can brew a limited amount of beer and distill for personal use. I believe the figure was 20 gallons and one liter, before having to get a permit and pay tax, but that was ten years ago. State laws also apply, but cannot supercede federal.
Distilling for human consumption is
not legal in any state. I have emails and letters from the ATF that say so. But currently there is a bill that's going through the House of Representatives (HR 3949 IH) that's trying to legalize it. You can see it at the Thomas page for the Library of Congress: http://thomas.loc.gov/home/thomas.html and do a search for bill HR 3949. It was submitted in Oct of last year and looks like nothing has been done with it yet. We need to let people know about this bill and remind our state politicians about it.
Sean Kelly
Sean, the way to get around it is to call it fuel instead. ;)
Quote from: SgtMaj on September 21, 2008, 12:28:54 AM
Sean, the way to get around it is to call it fuel instead. ;)
I understand you can just call it fuel, but I'd rather pass a bill that makes it legal once again like it was 100 years ago. I'd rather fix the problem than just putting band-aids on it. It makes absolutely no sense that I can brew a batch of corn mash legally but as soon as I concentrate it by evaporating the alcohol and re-condensing it, I'm now committing a felony! Just like my home made beer and wine, I dont want to sell it... so it's not like I'm ripping off the government! And do you know how hard it is to find a true corn whiskey that has NOT been aged in a charred oak barrel at the liquor store up here in Washington?
So instead of being passive and just looking for a legal "work around", I'd rather be an activist! Write your congressman and tell him you want to be a moonshiner but don't want to spend time in jail, classified in the same category as meth-lab chemists!
Sean Kelly
So it is completely illegal now?
Well there's a point to be made, that some things are more fun, Illegal.
Would you rather...
Bang up a copper still, deep in the mountains, on a cold crystal clear mountain stream. Fill every bucket you can beg, borrow or steal with stinking sour mash, for days...weeks...months. Cut wood and feed the endless fire in your still, watching the precious liquer, drop by drop fall into stoneware jugs. Praying that you can make make enough money to save the family farm, and make a better life for your family.If only the revenuers don't catch you.
Or you could write a letter to your congressman, which may or may not, be read by an overachieving ninteen year old unpaid intern, who probably knows enough to throw your letter away. Believe it or not, most politicans don't court the crazy moonshiner vote.
Quote from: gspike on September 22, 2008, 01:09:24 PM
So it is completely illegal now?
Well there's a point to be made, that some things are more fun, Illegal.
Would you rather...
Bang up a copper still, deep in the mountains, on a cold crystal clear mountain stream. Fill every bucket you can beg, borrow or steal with stinking sour mash, for days...weeks...months. Cut wood and feed the endless fire in your still, watching the precious liquer, drop by drop fall into stoneware jugs. Praying that you can make make enough money to save the family farm, and make a better life for your family.If only the revenuers don't catch you.
Or you could write a letter to your congressman, which may or may not, be read by an overachieving ninteen year old unpaid intern, who probably knows enough to throw your letter away. Believe it or not, most politicans don't court the crazy moonshiner vote.
It has ALWAYS been illegal federally since the prohibition.
I want to do both, make whiskey and promote legalizing home distilling.
I'm not a crazy moonshiner voter, I'm an American voter who enjoys home brewing.
Sean Kelly
Hey, no offense meant, my friend.
It's hard not to have a sense of humor about it. In my neck of the woods, every other guy over the age of 60 has a nice litte spot on a creek at his "hunting camp". The ATF isn't exactly combing the woods for them.
And by the way, I believe we all have a little crazy monshiner in us. ;)
Quote from: gspike on September 22, 2008, 02:28:33 PM
And by the way, I believe we all have a little crazy monshiner in us. ;)
Yes, you're right... I just want it legal so I could be even more of a crazy moonshiner! :evil:
Sean Kelly
Quote from: SgtMaj on September 21, 2008, 12:28:54 AM
Sean, the way to get around it is to call it fuel instead. ;)
Oh so wrong, because it is illegal for you to make the fuel by distillation unless you have been permitted by the atf, in which case you will be under intense scrutiny.
There is distilling equipment you can purchase for distilling water and essential oils. And oddly enough some have links for the people in New Zealand who purchase these items with directions on how to distill alcohol with it. But it is implored that it is illegal to do so in the US!! ;)
http://www.annapolishomebrew.com/shopSSequip.asp (http://www.annapolishomebrew.com/shopSSequip.asp)
http://www.stillspirits.com/webfiles/StillSpirits/files/25_L_SUPER_Reflux_Still_Ins_with_Z_Filter.pdf (http://www.stillspirits.com/webfiles/StillSpirits/files/25_L_SUPER_Reflux_Still_Ins_with_Z_Filter.pdf)
Quote from: Sean Kelly on July 12, 2008, 07:22:11 PM
Quote from: nepenthes on July 09, 2008, 01:36:33 PM
how do you get something that makes you rolling on the floor :roll:
Make a moonshine still. But that will also put you in jail. It's treated the same as if you were making drugs. But you do it right it'll knock your socks off!!!
Sean Kelly
moonshine stills are not illegal you merely need a permit from the government its around $200 and the homemade liquor must be for family use only, you cant sell it unless you get additional permits.
much easier and cheaper to get the permits for beer and wine production. :cheer:
Quote from: woodlawnfarms on January 31, 2010, 01:16:00 PM
Quote from: Sean Kelly on July 12, 2008, 07:22:11 PM
Quote from: nepenthes on July 09, 2008, 01:36:33 PM
how do you get something that makes you rolling on the floor :roll:
Make a moonshine still. But that will also put you in jail. It's treated the same as if you were making drugs. But you do it right it'll knock your socks off!!!
Sean Kelly
moonshine stills are not illegal you merely need a permit from the government its around $200 and the homemade liquor must be for family use only, you cant sell it unless you get additional permits.
much easier and cheaper to get the permits for beer and wine production. :cheer:
You are way off the mark, it is no way what-so-ever that you can legally make distilled spirits for human consumption. You can get a permit to make alcohol for on farm vehicle fuel, only, but it must be so designed that it is immediatly contaminated and made nondrinkable upon exiting the distilling unit. What you are refering to, is you can legally make up to 200 gallons per year of wine, and or beer for use of your immediate family, and this only if you are the head of a household, and for this to do it legally you do need that federal permit Many people make home made beer, and wine, but if they neglect to first get that permit from the feds, they are bootlegging, and are subject to arrest for making illegal alcoholic beverages..
The US Code and ATF regs are on the net..If you are going to state that it says this or that...just link to the one you are referring to. It sort of gets around the "he said, no he said" problem.
QuoteTITLE 27--ALCOHOL, TOBACCO PRODUCTS AND FIREARMS
CHAPTER I--ALCOHOL AND TOBACCO TAX AND TRADE BUREAU, DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY
PART 24_WINE--Table of Contents
Subpart C_Administrative and Miscellaneous Provisions
Sec. 24.75 Wine for personal or family use.
(a) General. Any adult may, without payment of tax, produce wine for personal or family use and not for sale.
(b) Quantity. The aggregate amount of wine that may be produced exempt from tax with respect to any household may not exceed:
(1) 200 gallons per calendar year for a household in which two or more adults reside, or
(2) 100 gallons per calendar year if there is only one adult residing in the household.
But then again Wine, beer and mead do not require distillation - merely fermentation and filtering.
Quote from: lakeman on January 31, 2010, 02:01:21 PM
You are way off the mark, it is no way what-so-ever that you can legally make distilled spirits for human consumption.
Unfortunately it is the same here in Australia. It is legal to buy a still if it's smaller than 20L (5.2 Gal) but only to distill water or make essential oils. This means that the home brew stores can sell them, and coincidentally also sell a 25L stainless steel bucket that just happens to have the same fitting as the still. Yeast, sugar, essences are all legal as they're 'just used to make wine, and flavour cheap store-bought vodka".
The problem is that most people ASSUME that if you can buy it at the shops it's legal, or they get told "it's legal to buy a <20L still". The fact remains that it is highly illegal to distill, with any sized still, any qty of ethanol for human consumtion.
Australia is also unfortunately bringing in laws to heavily restrict home fuel production, ie ethanol distillation and biodeisel production buy making it legal, but having to pay tens of thousands of dollars for a permit, plus ongoing inspection costs etc.
But as already stated, doesn't that all just make it more fun.............
Back onto the original topic of the honey mead:
I have found that if you don't want to wait for months and months for the mead to age, just use a very clean ale yeast, and control the fermentation temperature to keep it at it's optimal temp.
I have used Fermentis Safale US-05 (http://www.fermentis.com/FO/pdf/HB/EN/Safale_US-05_HB.pdf) which is the dry packet yeast version of Wyeat 1056 liquid yeast (http://www.wyeastlab.com/rw_yeaststrain_detail.cfm?ID=5) and have had good results on all 3 batches so far. The trick is controlling the temperature and keeping at as close to 19C (66F) as possible to keep it as clean tasting as possible, otherwise you get fruity esters that aren't real great with a mead. I am yet to try the Wyeast mead yeasts but that is my next variable to change.
Wyeast liquid yeast list here - check out the sweet and dry mead yeasts. (http://www.wyeastlab.com/rw_yeaststrain.cfm)
ML
It has been about a year since this thread was started... How did your Joes' Orange turn out?