Honeysuckle mead

[CrealCritter]

So my wife an I were picking tomatoes in the garden when she caught scent of the second blossoming of honeysuckle we got in droves growing wild about the property. She then said "honey?" Now I know this ask. So I said "yes?" She then said "can you make wine out of honeysuckle?" I said "yes if its edible and doesn't move you can ferment it and before you even ask yes I'll make you a wine out of honeysuckle but let's try a mead instead of wine". So here goes a try at honeysuckle mead. I smell so pretty now -:lol

Recipe:
Yield: 1 Gallon (5 - 750 ml bottles)
6 cups honeysuckle flower petals (loosely packed)
7.5 pints of water / 2 lbs honey
2 tsp acid blend
1/8 tsp wine tannin
1 tsp yeast nutrient
Champagne wine yeast

 

[CrealCritter]

Isn't a mead made with flowers called a metheglin?

I suppose it is if honeysuckle is considered a spice??? So I guess I'm going to try and make honeysuckle metheglin.

https://www.stambrose-mead-wine.com/about/types-of-mead/
METHEGLIN
"Meads that are made with spices such
as nutmeg or cinnamon. Sometimes considered to have medicinal benefits."

Amazingly honeysuckle blossoms seeped in simmering water is quite sweet all by itself. No wonder honey bees love it.

 

[CrealCritter]

Working on a label, I thought this would be funny.

 

[CrealCritter]

Starting gravity 1.070 or approx 10% alcohol by volume. This will increase, I'll add more honey as ferment goes along.

Interestingly, it has a dark brown color from me caramelizing the honey a little bit. I'm shooting for a deep golden color with vanilla notes, toffee flavor and a touch of honeysuckle sweetness.

When I hold the jug up to the light, it's a nice amber color where the light shines through.

I'm really curious what the champagne yeast will do with the color. It does taste delicious, right now like super sweet toffee candy, so fingers crossed for a nice honeysuckle buchet bumetheglin.

BTW... I still smell very pretty -:lol

 

[CrealCritter]

I'm sorry you can't smell or taste this honeysuckle mead. My wife "smells like honeysuckle and alcohol but it tastes like honey with just a little bit of alcohol, her eyes got real big and said this is really good"

The yeast has most definitely died of alcohol poisoning. So there is no sense in trying to restart it when it's "really good" as is. I'm going to bottle in swing tops for my wife.

Clear in the dusty gallon jug

Test test 😋 to me... it smells like honeysuckle and tastes like vanilla on the front and finishes with mild honey taste and warming going down.

So to answer the question... How long does it take to make a really good mead at home? I would say, oh about 2 1/2 years or so.

Jesus is Lord and Christ 🙏❤️🇺🇸

 

[Britesea]

Isn't a mead made with flowers called a metheglin?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Good luck with that - can't wait for your progress notes.

 

[Mini Horses]

Amazingly honeysuckle blossoms seeped in simmering water is quite sweet all by itself. No wonder honey bees love it

My goats love honeysuckle! While they do eat the flowers, what they like are the young leaves. So if flowers are on those vines they eat them! I have a lot of honeysuckle!! It will take over like Kudzu. Hard to get rid of. Some vines die after being defoliated but, then you have dead vines everywhere! It loves a fence. Hard to cut it all off, too.

I always thought mead was a honey brew but never knew you also flavored it. Nice.

 

[CrealCritter]

Time to rack and add more honey to my wife's honeysuckle mead. I'm not used to quick ferments with massive amounts of lees. Honey must not have a lot of fermentable sugars, just look how deep the lees is in the bottom of the jug just after 7 days fermenting.

Smells like a ladies drink, kind of curious what it tastes like at this stage of the game. Lightened up a bunch too.

 

[CrealCritter]

Want to know what's crazy? This gallon of mead is still fermenting, it's been 87 days since I started it. When will it stop and clear, who knows... Surely the yeast has got to give up the ghost sooner rather than later. I mean at 17.7% abv it's got to be getting close now