11 replies to this topic

[Mason Grimm]

I'm sure a lot of parents are gonna cringe when they read this! My son is only 5 so I don't have to worry (yet).

How many of you out there wanna may joy juice? Legally?

Here is what you need!

1 Gallon Milk Container (Empty)
1 Gallon of Sparkling Spring Water (tap water will NOT work)
1 package of yeast (I use Campaign yeast)
3 lbs of honey
2 apples
2 sticks of cinnamon.
25 raisins
1 balloon

Anyways, pour 1/3 of a gallon of water into the milk container
Add 3 lbs of liquid honey (mead quality will reflect the honey that you used. Better quality, better taste)
Break up the sticks of cinnamon and put them in the jug
Add the 25 raisins (food for the year)
Add the yeast
Add the rest of the water until it fills the 1 gallon milk jug
Put the balloon over the top and poke a small hole to let the gas escape
Shake the container for 3-5 minutes to activate the yeast
Let sit for 2-3 months BUT I recommend racking it after a month then let sit for 2 months

Voila! You have a legal viking style mead (this is a holiday cinnamon apple cider mix I made YUMMY!!!!!)

[GaussDragon]

Considering what you and I pay for alcohol here in Ontario, I'm not surprised you're making your own booze.

[Belial]

Many thanks.

[VYCanis]

i've heard of people filtering moonshine through your run of the mill water filter pitchers (like britas) to improve quality, would that work with this?

[KnowBuddy]

VYCanis, on 05 December 2011 - 06:08 AM, said:

i've heard of people filtering moonshine through your run of the mill water filter pitchers (like britas) to improve quality, would that work with this?

Sure, it would work in the sense of removing some stuff by virtue of the activated carbon in the filter.

But this isn't a recipe for moonshine. It's a mead (honey-wine) recipe... more specifically, a melomel (honey-and-fruit-wine) recipe, so filtering is unnecessary (other than racking, which means removing the liquid from the lees [solid-ish bits of yeast, fruit, and whatnot]).

Although if you really want to try something like this, I'd recommend using a glass carboy (I've used food-safe plastic containers, though never a milk jug, and you get much better results with a glass container) and an actual water-filled airlock (the purpose of the balloon is to try to prevent air getting in and bringing organisms which can spoil the fermenting mixture, it should work reasonably well, but only after the fermentation advances far enough to start off-gassing continuously).

Also, I'm not sure why the OP says tap water won't work... I'd say it will work better than sparkling spring water. You will, however, need to aerate your water for 12-24 hours (like with an aquarium pump and airstone, or leaving it uncovered in a wide-mouth container as a last resort) to get rid of the chlorination in tap water which will kill the yeast needed for fermentation.

Edited by KnowBuddy, 05 December 2011 - 01:56 PM.

[ManDaisy]

Coconuts, Ginger, apples, rice, wheat, barley, peaches, Dried Dates (asian supermarket), are some other things you can use besides honey. And you can always just throw in batch of grapes. Citrus fruits I don't recommend. Plastic wrap is also a crappy sealer.

Edited by ManDaisy, 05 December 2011 - 02:13 PM.

[ninjawizard]

Epic. I've been thinking about trying my hand at brewing mead. This gives me inspiration

Thanks!

[Mason Grimm]

In my experience (in this area of Mississauga/Toronto etc) the chlorinated water can kill off a majority of the yeast long before the fermentation process is complete. I did two 1 gallon containers of identical ingredients except one had spring water and the other had tap water (since I ran out). The tap water simply would not ferment properly and I had attributed that to the chlorinated water since that was the only difference.

I've heard that boiling it for 5 minutes helps and aeration helps etc. etc. etc. but for me a .99 cent container of Sparkling Spring Water is the simplest solution, gives the purest water and simply allows me to move the process along a little faster. Waiting 3-6 months for the flavour to mellow is bad enough

I also agree with the carboy and water lock stopper for the carboy but I'm giving the brass roots instructions for those who may not have a wine store / beer brewing store near them or may not be able to afford the expensive of proper equipment. Think college kids in their dorm rooms

GaussDragon, on 04 December 2011 - 09:13 PM, said:

Considering what you and I pay for alcohol here in Ontario, I'm not surprised you're making your own booze.

Amen, Brother Gauss, amen!!!!!

Edited by Mason Grimm, 05 December 2011 - 03:22 PM.

[Helmer]

The wife and I used to occasionally have Mead shipped to us and Flavored meads (Forget the name of it, M something)
Until we found a local place that sold it, cheap.


Good stuff.

[Miles Tails Prower]

"Mead... mead... mead... Would it kill'em to get any beer now and again? Stupid bees... and their stupid honey."

[Xhaleon]

When you said "Joy Juice", I thought it meant a drink made from the collected sweat of a Mechwarrior who just experienced the joy of barely avoiding a giant ammo explosion due to crazy heat. Lots and lots of salty joy.

[Mason Grimm]

Xhaleon, on 05 December 2011 - 06:51 PM, said:

When you said "Joy Juice", I thought it meant a drink made from the collected sweat of a Mechwarrior who just experienced the joy of barely avoiding a giant ammo explosion due to crazy heat. Lots and lots of salty joy.

I'm not sure whether I am overjoyed that you put so much thought and imagination into your response or whether to be thoroughly disturbed by the results of said imagination