Looking for mead recipe sugestions that people like and yeast sugestions also. What are good nutrient additions and any other useful info that you would like to pass on would be great.

Don-

I just made a quick 2.5g batch of a smaller, sweet orange blossom mead last night with 5lbs of honey. This is my first batch, was a last minute kinda thing and we're hoping it'll be drinkable in 6 weeks for my wife's birthday party. Her brother was going to make some mead for her 21st birthday but it never panned out so I figured it was worth a shot for her 30th.

As far as process goes, go out and buy "The Compleat Meadmaker" by Ken Schramm and listen to the mead podcast with him on The Jamil Show (Brewing Network). The book was written in 2003 and it really helped me out and totally walks you through the process. The podcast provides some updates from Ken, such as staggering nutrient additions, that should get you up-to-date with new school procedures.

Tonight I'm going to make the other 3g with 10lbs of orange blossom honey. It should be a pretty big one and I'll be adding a vanilla bean when it's done fermenting.

Just don't use the flavor extracts. I used them on mine, which is now 3 years old and its turned from a raspberry flavor to a coconut. Nothing wrong with the flavor, just strange when you are expecting raspberries.

Patience is the key here....

For a batch of semi-dry (or semi-sweet, depending on your palate) mead, I go with the 3:1 ratio of 3 pounds of honey to 1 gallon of water. It gives you a starting gravity around 1.120 and, using a wine yeast like Lalvin D-47 (very popular) it will typically get you down to about the 1.002 - 1.010 range.

There are two methods I know of for making mead...the easy way and the hard way. Directions are as follows:

Easy Way
Pour in honey...ALL of it
Add some of the water...let it splash
Add Fermaid-K per bottle instructions (1/4tsp per gallon)
Add some more water...again, let it splash
Add RE-HYDRATED yeast to fermenter
Add remaining water...let it splash some more!
Put airlock on and watch (and wait)...fermentation should start pretty quick (less than 24 hours).

Splashing is poor man's aeration...if you have an airstone or access to oxygen, use some - it won't hurt! Do NOT mix the honey and water...let it stay layered!
After a day or so, you will actually be able to see the yeast "dancing" on the top of the honey layer. Once all the honey is gone off the bottom of the carboy (or bucket), then rack to secondary to clear.
This method takes about 6-8 months (including racking) to have a drinkable mead...it will improve more with age.

Hard Way
Mix Honey and Water in bucket (or carboy)
Stir the crap out of it to mix (and aerate)...do NOT let it separate
Stir in Fermaid-K per bottle directions
Add RE-HYDRATED yeast
Airlock and sit back until fermentation starts, then follow an SNA (Staggered Nutrient Addition) and aeration (I know it sounds odd) until the 1/2 sugar break (half of starting gravity is gone - ex. 1.120 SG gets to 1.060) - requires checking gravity twice DAILY. Once the gravity has held steady for three or more days, then rack to secondary to clear.

This method has not been confirmed to produce better meads (some will swear it does - I won't argue the point), but wine makers use this method to great success and mead is closer to wine than beer. That said, this should make a good to great mead in about 1 - 2 years.

I will not specify which method I use, just know that I have been making mead since early 2009 and have already won two awards (at the 2009 HHHC). Not bragging, just giving a strong hint as to my method!!

To learn more about SNA's and their exact process, I recommend doing a search for it and also check out Gotmead.com...they push the SNA method on that site, but be careful to follow their posting rules - the moderators can be jerks.

Hope this is helpful!

You don't 'cook' it? Every mead I have ever made I bring up to temp and scrape the foam off. I usually let it sit around 160 degrees for 20-30 minutes (sometime even higher) and watch as all the legs and wings and crap float up to the top. I have never heard of just simply mixing the water and honey and letting it go.

What is fermaid k?

Fermaid K is yeast nutrient. A lot of people believe that 'cooking' the honey degrades the flavor.

Jeff-
Cooking the honey is like using a secondary w/most beer- do it if you are bored and want to spend time unnecessarily.

Also, honey isn't full of minerals that yeast need For a healthy fermentation (unlike wort) so you need to supplement the honey with them via DAP (diamonium phosphate aka yeast nutrient) and Fermaid K. You can pick that stuff up at STW&B for about $2-$3/bottle.

The "bee parts" actually provide nutrients for the yeast, so I don't even think about raising the temperature. They flocculate out just like the yeast, so they don't end up in the final product.

Oh, and Fermaid-K is a nutrient for the yeast...has some DAP in it along with other goodies that help make the yeast happy and perform better.

Awesome. Thanks for the tips guys. I have some honey sitting around that I planned on using for a mead but was waiting to get the time to cook it. Guess I won't this time and I'll be making some mead today.

Yeah, don't bother cooking it...it saves time and keeps the honey flavor and aroma more intact (jury is still out)!!

Hope it turns out great, Jeff!