# Just in time for the holidays



## aran (May 20, 2015)

i just started making mead this year! Actually really fun!!
Hows the lemon honey one?
Where did you get the great labels?
How long after you made it was it drinkable?
I have 4 gallons of plain honey mead bottled, and 1 gallon each of apple/orange/peach/mango/strawberry and blackberry bottled ( all just bottled in November)
I also have a 4 gallon batch of the JAO that i started a week or so ago in the fermenter.


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

I started all the mead the last week of December 2016 and the first week of so of January, 2017. All one gallon batches. They bulk aged all year long and I bottled them this week. They were drinkable earlier but I've had an extremely busy year and I'm just getting caught up. Had trouble with the corks a little bit but finally got the hang of it. The lemon is good. I chose NOT to sweeten it more so it has a little tart to it along with great body and a distinct honey flavor. It's GREAT over ice.

I made the labels using Avery 22826 labels and just found the graphics online. I used the Avery online software to set it up. 

I have two maple meads (one spiced, one not), one mixed berry mead, another BAOM, a show mead and a ghost pepper mead that I still have to bottle. That'll all be in January!


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## aran (May 20, 2015)

Thats great man! I will look into the Avery labels yours turned out really nice! Im with you the corking was challenging. I bit the bullet and bought an italian floor corker ( found on craigslist dirt cheap) and man its SOOOO easy and fast!

Where did the valencia ginger recipe come from ? I cant find it. You have me motivated to set some more meads brewing this weekend!!


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

I don't recall but I'll look at my mead log and post it. My daughter in law LOVES ginger so I made it for her!


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## Tweeter (Apr 19, 2017)

Nice job! Love the labels and bottle sealing. Clarity looks great too. I hope I am as successful in my first batch (still have another 9 months.)


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## Ravenseye (Apr 2, 2006)

Here's the ginger mead. I made a one gallon batch and adjusted the recipe down accordingly. In addition to this recipe I added:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/ginger-mead.274070/

- 3 Tablespoons dried valencia orange peel
- 2 Tablespoons dried pollen

I put the mashed ginger and valencia orange peel in a mesh bag and boiled it in 0ne cup of water for 10 minutes. I added that to the must. When I was all done adding ingredients, I hung the ginger bag in the must when I buttoned up the primary. After three weeks I racked to the secondary and pulled the bag. The rest is straightforward. I did back sweeten since it's meant to be more of a dessert mead. I don't recall how much I added but it has a warm body to it and a good flavor.


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