Recipe

Apricot Spice Mead

(made on National Mead Day) 		the label
Batch Number:
 batch #030802a
Starting Gravity:
1.122
Final Gravity:
Ingredients:
            
Fermentables:  15 lbs wildflower honey
Other 1: 
8 oz ID Carlson apricot flavoring
Other 2: 
1 oz "mulling spices" - mixed cloves, allspice, star anise, orange peel and cassia (cinnamon)
Other 3:
 2 tsp Wyeast nutrient blend
Yeast:
 2 packets (10g) Lalvin EC1118 Saccharomyces bayonus ("Prise de Mousse")
Process:
  • boiled 3.5 gallons water
  • turned off heat and added honey
  • added nutrient blend
  • added mulling spices in a muslin bag
  • added apricot flavoring
  • cooled must into a 6 gallon plastic fermenter
  • oxygenated with bottled 02 and a aerating stone for 2 minutes
  • pitched yeast
  • racked after 7 days
  • bottled after 3 months
Notes:

(made on National Mead Day 2003)

This was grocery store honey bought in 5 lb jars - from two different michigan beekeepers.  The flavor is not as complex as honey bought directly from the beekeeper - no telling how long it was on the shelf in the grocery.  I did not worry about it very much ("Relax, don't worry...") especially since I was using a bottled flavoring instead of fresh fruit. 

The intention is for this to be a fairly sweet mead - probably a still one - a rarity for me since I generally prefer dry sparkling ones.