wine Anybody ever made honeywine ?

Yep, title says it all! I would like to make some honeywine with hot peppers in it but I don't know where to start. I make my own beer (with a pre-mixed commercial solution) and so far, it's easy. But making alcohol ''from scratch'' seems a little more difficult.

Right now for the beer, what I do is take the mix, add water and yeast and let it sit for a primary fermentation then , after a couple of days, I put the beer in a carboy and let it sit untill beer is clear. I bottle it with some priming syrup and Voila!

So for the honeywine I'm a little lost... Dou you guys have an easy recepie? What are the steps and ingredients? Is that the same method as the beer?
Any input would be appreciated, Thank you!

Marc
 
Yes, I have made 3 gallons of honey wine before. I don't remember exactly, but it was something like 15lbs of honey, some grape tannin, maybe some citric acid and champagne yeast. All you have to do is bring the water to a boil add the honey and other ingredients, add it to your carboy and let it cool until you can add your yeast. Let it ferment in a cool dark place for like 6 weeks then transfer to another carboy and let it sit for another few weeks and then bottle in wine bottles. I remember it being strong like 20% alcohol and it took around 3-4 months for the bite to calm down. After that it turned out pretty good. I have always heard that the stuff was notorious for bad hangovers so only drink a little at a time.
 
Check this link. That will get you started. Credit to the Maltose falcons website and WHO (Westchester Homebrewers Organization)

http://www.maltosefalcons.com/blogs/deacon/my-traditional-mead-recipe

Staggered Nutrient Addition;

Staggered Nutrient Addition SNA
1) Rehydration at 104°F with Go-Ferm or other organic rehydration nutrient at a rate of 1.25 grams nutrient per gram of yeast. This is a must when using any dry yeast. For both Mead of Beer
2) Addition of 3 grams (approximately 0.75 teaspoon) Fermaid K, plus 4 grams (1 teaspoon) DAP per 5 gallons of must with a vigorous aeration at the end of the lag phase (six to 12 hours, at the start of obvious fermentation activity. For gravities above 1.125, increase these amounts by an additional 25 percent.
3) addition of 1 gram (0.25 teaspoon) DAP, plus 1 gram (0.125 teaspoon) Fermaid K with a vigorous aeration at 12-hour intervals until 50 percent sugar depletion or five days, whichever occurs first.
 
for the local homebrew club, i do EDGE projects, the last 3 we have done have been mead so if you have any specific questions just throw em in the Ask Wheebz thread
 
If you mean mead? Yes.

Your biggest problem will be obtaining honey that isn't treated with fungicides. More than likely you need to go directly to the beekeepers rather than think honey from Costco will do. Yeast is a fungus and so it's important you get fungicide free, as many of them will not boil off.

A second hurdle is that light kills it. I made a great batch once but it got moved into sunlight when I was away and it had to be destroyed.

Because there is little acidity or tannins in the honey it is very susceptible to infection. I advise adding a little tartaric acid and boil a few sticks of rosemary and add to the must.

You can buy mead yeast in small quantities from white labs (white labs.com) or wyeast (wyeast lab.com)
 
Few things you to know...

1- You need good natural honey, and you need to pasteurize it if it is not. That means you heat it at a certain temp for a certain amount of time. I'm not sure of the temperatures right now.. I have information at home. I could tell you in a few hours. That is killing the wild yeasts present in the honey, but since it doesnt boil, you dont loose flavor.

2- to calculate the amount of honey needed, there's a formula. 25grams of honey per 1L wanted per 1% alcool wanted.
If you want a 5 gallons (19Liters) at 10%, you will need 25g x 19L x 10% = 4 750g of honey, what means 10.5lbs

3- You need to add yeast nutrients, since there is not much of what yeast need to grow in honey. Adding an Mead Acid blend will help to balance acid and clarify too. You can find a premixed pack at a homebrew supply store. PM if you want more precise info.

4- If you want to add fresh fruits (or peppers), you might want to add something to kill the wild yeasts of those fruits. They sell what they call Campden caps. It is just what you need if using fruits.

Enjoy!
 
I just boil the water with the honey---15 lbs to 5 gallons for 12.5% alcohol; and add some acid (citric or tannic) and yeast nutrient that you can get anywhere that does brewing. Then throw in some boiled cut peppers for flavor.

There are a lot of people around who want to boost their ego with all kinds of fancy methods and exact recipes but they are all meaningless and a waste of time to try and figure out or do. Wine making is EASY. Boil everything up to a rolling boil and throw in yeast when luke warm; cover----end of story.

I have a B.S. in Chemistry and have been making beer and wine personally and professionally for 40 years---It is not rocket science. The only reason to add acid and nutrient to honey wine is because there is nothing much in honey or peppers for the yeast to consume and propagate. Most all fruit can be used just as they are with the exception of blueberries which need a little nutrients added. Most of all vegi's wine need acid and nutrients; except tomatoes which are a fruit really.

Enjoy and have no fear
 
There is actually a certain chemical produced from honey boiling. I can't for the life of me remember what it is called at gone one am... It might be only relevant to beer brewing.
I will research tomorrow if I get some downtime at work.

But most professional brewers (who I learned that info from) can tend to just over think things rather than just get things done!

I agree it needs boiling, particularly for mead. Cleanliness is godliness for booze, nothing is cleaner than boiling sugars!
 
ive done it both ways, boil and not

i prefer boiling, as should you all

or you can use potassium metabisulfide, let it sit for 24 hours, then pitch your yeast if you dont want to boil it
 
Honey that is local and natural without any additives or introduced fungicides/antibacterial compounds are best. Raw honey that has not been pasteurized, clarified, or filtered—provided it is of the highest nutritional quality and safety—is your best choice. Look for honey that states "100% pure on the lable or buy it from a farm market who has their own bees.

Raw honey, for example, contains small amounts of the same resins found in propolis. Propolis, sometimes called "bee glue," is actually a complex mixture of resins and other substances that honeybees use to seal the hive and make it safe from bacteria and other micro-organisms. Honeybees make propolis by combining plant resins with their own secretions.

I do not normally boil the honey I use because heating honey in the microwave alters its taste by increasing its hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) content and boil may also increase the HMF as well. Other phytonutrients found both in honey and propolis have been shown to posssess cancer-preventing and anti-tumor properties. These substances include caffeic acid methyl caffeate, phenylethyl caffeate, and phenylethyl dimethylcaffeate. Researchers have discovered that these substances prevent colon cancer in animals by shutting down activity of two enzymes, phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C and lipoxygenase. When raw honey is extensively processed and heated, the benefits of these phytonutrients are largely eliminated.

http://www.whfoods.c...odspice&dbid=96 also recommends Honey to be stored in a cool dry place and it will keep almost indefinitely. One reason for this is that its high sugar content and acidic pH help to inhibit microorganism growth. Honey that is kept at colder temperatures tends to thicken, while honey that is kept at higher temperatures has a tendency to darken and have an altered flavor. Also; Do not feed honey-containing products or use honey as a flavoring for infants under one year of age; honey may contain Clostridium botulinum spores and toxins that can cause infant botulism, a life-threatening paralytic disease. Honey is safe for children older than 12 months and adults.

I would NEVER add potassium metabisulfide (Campdon Tablets) to any wine that you want to be natural product; or for use by sulfur sensitive persons where it may cause severe allergic reactions. Many people are allergic to sulfur and sulfur drugs; so keep that in mind when sterilizing or introducing the chemical into your wine. The chemical reacts to create sulfur dioxide gas (SO[sub]2[/sub]) which is an anti-organic anti-bacterial agent which will kill all bacteria and yeasts and the SO2 will remain in solution during consumption of the wine. 24 hours will not eliminate the SO2 and Sulfur allergic people will have adverse reactions with doses lower than 30 parts per million. So that chemical should never be used to do anything other than sterilizing a containter followed by a good rinse and drain.

If for some reason like you want to add sugar to a wine it is better to add the surplus sugar before the frementation; not after the fact. Yeast will naturally fall down to the bottom of the carboy as the wine finishes over a few months. If you carefully rack the wine above the sediment and do not disturb the yeast then there will be very little yeast in your bottled wine. But yeast is not bad---it is a good food product and I enjoy drinking new wine with the yeast still in solution.
 
HMF! that's what I couldn't remember the name of! Haha.

metabisulphide isn't always as good as some people think. Alot swear by it, I gave up using it six months after starting home brewing many years ago.

Bees are basically rats with wings and pick up all sorts of wild yeast bacteria etc, boiling will kill off the nasties that metabisulphide can't - its range is very limited, it's not a kill all like sodium hypochlorite (although no one likes bleach in their wine) ;)

Honey is so low in acidity that it becomes a petri dish for anything.
Hard cider on the other hand is so acidic it requires little sterilisation cause yeast thrives and bacteria doesnt

I'm with balac on the metabisulphide issue too. I used to get a rash handling it was more than any of the industrial grade products I've used.
If it messes with my skin, why would I ingest it?
 
I have made lots of mead. Being a reenactor of viking age, I usually keep it really simple using only ingredients that we know was around in Scandinavia at that time.

Can't remember the exact measurements right now, but basically it is a lot of honey, water, a little yeast and also some berries or apples, sometimes herbs too. I boil the honey with water removing the foam that forms on top, let it cool, add yeast together with the fruit, and leave the stuff in a warm place. After a while I remove berries ect. When it stops fermenting I move it to a cooler place to let it clear, then bottle the mead.

Sometimes people get a scared look on their faces when I tell them about the brews I also do with no added yeast, just the natural ones on the surface of apples and berries. They have turned out really great so far and is one of the first ting my friends ask for when we meet on events! "Have you brought some of the real viking mead??"

The last few batches I made was not viking style, but had citrus and spices, that was fun too. I have also wanted to try using chilis and just ned to learn more about what kind and how many before I give it a go.
 
What reenactment group are you with BareMig?
 
I currently have a mead going that will be mixed with others brews to similate a 10th century Rus drink.
I've made a few meads from "The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened".
 
I am not in any group, have been for years but perfere to be on my own and go where I want. Contacts and friends in the viking world here make sure I get invited anyway ;-) I dye with plants, cook, sew, make some pottery, other stuff. Are you a reenactor yourself?
 
I have no mead going at the moment. The Rus drink sounds interesting! Where does the info on that come from?
 
Sorry, I don`t know that title, The Closet... What kinds of mead?
 
Reminds me, I made a mead/beer-like brew some years ago, a reconstruction of a drink found in a famous danish oak coffin grave dated to the bronze age, the grave of Aegtvedpigen. Experimental archaeology. Tasted awful! Hope you have better luck! ;-)
 
I am a member of the SCA.
 
The Rus drink is from the bylina "Dobrynya and the Dragon", which is presumed to be from the 10th to 12th century. It is equal parts wine, beer, and mead. I've found the recipe/account printed in Russian in 1818, and in English in 1886.
 
The Digby book can be found here: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16441/16441-h/16441-h.htmhttp://www.gutenberg.org/files/16441/16441-h/16441-h.htm 
I've made the "Small Metheglin", and a version of the "Hydromel as I Made it Weak for the Queen Mother". I've also used it for inspiration in many other batches.
 
Hi Baremig, when it comes to adding Chilies to Alcohol just remember that a little goes a long way. That means like 1 Fatalii or maybe 1/2 of a Bhut to a 5 gallon batch. you can use more but that first sip might just burn more than your going to want for a drink.
 
Skal,
RM 
 
I make an Atomic Fireball Mead that seems to be pretty popular with the NCHF crowds every year.  It's fun to do...but I can't drink a whole lot of it at any given time.  Perfect for a festival with small pours. 
 
The recipe is in the book Radical Brewing.  I assume it's also on the AHA web site or on various forums.
 
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