# First "successful" batch of mead!



## BeeGhost (May 7, 2011)

Congrats! Hope it turns out great!

One thing my buddy did to rejuvenate the yeast is tubed in oxygen for one minute on day two and three. You can buy the bottles at hardware stores in the section with hand held torches. He is a brew master and a clean freak so he sanitized EVERYTHING! He also uses filtered water. I'm sure I would have made vinegar if I didn't have him helping me with Vance G recipe!


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

Congratulations on a good start! I hope you enjoy the result. I just brought home thirty gallons of bottled 'spring' water and will start several batches this week. Only I don't like meads...so these batches will ultimately become honey vinegar...which I do think tastes good!


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## Steven Tervort (Feb 16, 2012)

Anyone take it a step further to turn it into vinegar? I have been toying around with the idea of making honey vinegar next fall.


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

Steven Tervort said:


> Anyone take it a step further to turn it into vinegar?


Ridiculous idea!
(check my previous post)


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## Steven Tervort (Feb 16, 2012)

beemandan said:


> Ridiculous idea!
> (check my previous post)


Haha, I noticed a mead maker post a new thread and jumped at the opportunity to ask and missed your post somehow.  So I guess its not really a complicated process and I understand the basics (I think). When you are making the vinegar, how do you tell what the acidity level will be in the end? Obviously completely new to this but would really be interested in getting a recipe/process that I can use my first time trying this. I don't want to kill myself by culturing some strange flesh eating bacteria, or something.


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## Intheswamp (Jul 5, 2011)

Tom, what was your recipe? Doing a traditional?

Ed


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

Steven Tervort said:


> would really be interested in getting a recipe/process that I can use my first time trying this


Everything you might want to know about making honey vinegar…..well…almost everything.
http://archive.lib.msu.edu/DMC/Ag. Ext. 2007-Chelsie/PDF/e149.pdf



Steven Tervort said:


> When you are making the vinegar, how do you tell what the acidity level will be in the end?


You hit the nail on the head with concern about the proper acidity. Too little and it will go bad…too high it’ll have a big bite (and nearly take the enamel off of your teeth). If you plan to sell it…you’d better know how much acid.
I spent countless hours….dredged up forty year old college chemistry….and figured it out. The only way to accurately measure the percent acid (5% if you plan to sell it) is to use a process called titration. And the rest….I’ll leave up to you to discover.
Good luck.


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## Steven Tervort (Feb 16, 2012)

Thanks beemandan, My wife thinks I am crazy with all of the side hobbies that come from keeping bees. She really thought I was crazy when I told her I was going to try making honey vinegar. I love vinegar and put it on everything so making it myself seemed like a great idea(I do not plan on selling anything at this point). Thanks for the link, I am trying to digest all of the material I can on the subject before I actually attempt this next fall... Any additional information that anyone would be willing to share would be greatly appreciated.


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## beemandan (Dec 5, 2005)

Steven Tervort said:


> My wife thinks I am crazy


And, of course, she's right. But then look around you....you're in good company.


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## AndBee (Jul 16, 2012)

Steven Tervort said:


> Anyone take it a step further to turn it into vinegar? I have been toying around with the idea of making honey vinegar next fall.


You may have already seen this one, but it also looked interesting. 
http://www.squidoo.com/honeyvinegar


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