Where to buy mead?

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MitchK
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Where to buy mead?

Post by MitchK » Sat Oct 17, 2015 10:59 am

I'm curious about mead now through this whole homebrewing hobby (already have wine in progress, beer on tap, and the ingredients for a cider purchased) but I don't think I've ever actually gotten the chance to try a mead... Is there a particular store that carries it? didn't see any in NSLC last time I was in.

I don't like making things I haven't gotten to taste a "correct" example of before.

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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by spears104 » Sat Oct 17, 2015 11:37 pm

Midgard Meadery:

https://www.midgardmeadery.com/index.html


I haven't tried any, but I have heard many people praise his mead.
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Jayme
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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by Jayme » Sun Oct 18, 2015 2:03 am

How long have those guys been around for? Surprised I've never heard of them before.

I think Lunenburg County Winery has a mead - I tried and hated it many years back. Not sure if they even still make it. This is probably not overly helpful information haha.
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Juniper Hill
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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by Juniper Hill » Sun Oct 18, 2015 11:24 am

Jayme wrote:How long have those guys been around for? Surprised I've never heard of them before.

I think Lunenburg County Winery has a mead - I tried and hated it many years back. Not sure if they even still make it. This is probably not overly helpful information haha.
1+ please stay away from the LCW mead. It ain't good!

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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by mumblecrunch » Sun Oct 18, 2015 1:05 pm

Not much use unless you find yourself in Quebec, but if you happen to, SAQ carries a pretty good variety, all of them Canadian and, I suspect, mostly in-Province. There's a pretty good variety of sweet and dry meads along with sparkling and flavored (apple, blackberry, etc.) variations.

I tried a couple from Intermiel which were all interesting, but I really only liked the dryest one (which is normal; I'm not big on sweet wines in general). One of the ones I tried (wish I could remember which one) had a distinct funk to it that reminds me in hindsight of Brett. I thought it might be a flawed bottle, but since starting to brew I'm wondering whether that's an intentional thing from a wild fermentation.

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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by mthibodeau » Sun Oct 18, 2015 2:27 pm

I was in Fredericton last week and you can get a few around there as well
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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by MitchK » Sun Oct 18, 2015 7:50 pm

damn, I was hoping to get a response along the lines of "X brand is at bishops cellar/rockhead and is awesome"

I don't really leave the province ever (student loans and vacations are mutually exclusive...) so I may have to decide between brewing blind and making something I have never tried before or ordering a weird 30 dollar bottle of mead from cape breton through the mail...

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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by CorneliusAlphonse » Sun Oct 18, 2015 10:53 pm

homemade mead generally gets much better with age - usually >1 year is what i've heard for the minimum (though i also know people who drink it after only a few months). something to keep in mind.

the best one i've had was last winter, i had a homebrewed mead that was brewed back in 2002 or so. really really good.
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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by Juniper Hill » Tue Oct 20, 2015 11:56 am

MitchK wrote:damn, I was hoping to get a response along the lines of "X brand is at bishops cellar/rockhead and is awesome"

I don't really leave the province ever (student loans and vacations are mutually exclusive...) so I may have to decide between brewing blind and making something I have never tried before or ordering a weird 30 dollar bottle of mead from cape breton through the mail...
Go for it. Mead making is pretty straight forward and not crazy expensive. Try a 3 gallon batch to start. You don't even have to boil the honey!

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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by John G » Fri Oct 23, 2015 10:11 pm

Hey Juniper Hill, I'm enjoying some orange spice melomel I believe you gave me a few years ago - just popped the cork tonight. It's deelish! I can't remember what it was we traded, but thanks! :cheers3:

John

Edit: I just looked up my PMs and it was a Coleman cooler mash tun you picked up from me in November 2012. The melomel aged very well.

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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by Juniper Hill » Sun Oct 25, 2015 9:25 am

John G wrote:Hey Juniper Hill, I'm enjoying some orange spice melomel I believe you gave me a few years ago - just popped the cork tonight. It's deelish! I can't remember what it was we traded, but thanks! :cheers3:

John

Edit: I just looked up my PMs and it was a Coleman cooler mash tun you picked up from me in November 2012. The melomel aged very well.
Thanks John. Glad you enjoyed it. I'll have to crack open a bottle if I still have one. The recipe is the famous "Joe's Ancient Orange Mead". It is very easy to make.

http://beerandwinejournal.com/old-school-mead-recipe/

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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by IanWatson » Tue Oct 27, 2015 4:43 pm

If you want a simple introduction get the kit from NG. Even if you find you don't like it, you'll have no trouble finding friends and family who do.

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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by MitchK » Wed Oct 28, 2015 6:33 pm

I did just notice the kit but I think with what free fermenters I have at the moment and the amount of money I am willing to risk I'll be doing a one gallon, following the seemingly popular "joe's ancient orange mead" recipe kicking around the net.

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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by Hobbitfu » Thu Oct 29, 2015 7:59 am

Go to the "gotmead.com" forums. Lots of great info and recipes. Bray's One Month Mead (BOMM) is also popular and simple.

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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by MitchK » Thu Nov 05, 2015 9:24 pm

well I just started the JOAM recipe. We will see how it turns out. From beer experience I was a little wary since the honey wasn't boiled, nor was the orange, nor were the spices, nor were the raisins... I guess you're just really banking on the yeast taking over before anything else can?

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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by Hobbitfu » Fri Nov 06, 2015 8:27 am

Honey naturally has antibacterial properties and then yes banking on yeast pitched dominating any potential wild yeasts. Good luck! Fun to try new things

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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by MitchK » Sun Dec 20, 2015 7:49 am

Not only is my joam clear and probably going to get bottled before Christmas 'my girlfriend found a meadery in British Columbia while visiting her family and is bringing back half a dozen bottles.

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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by sleepyjamie » Sun Dec 20, 2015 2:44 pm

There is an awesome meadery here in alberta called fallentimbre. Next time I'm in NS I'll try and bring a few bottles for the club.


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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by sleepyjamie » Sun Dec 20, 2015 2:45 pm

MitchK wrote:well I just started the JOAM recipe. We will see how it turns out. From beer experience I was a little wary since the honey wasn't boiled, nor was the orange, nor were the spices, nor were the raisins... I guess you're just really banking on the yeast taking over before anything else can?
Don't boil the honey it's not required.


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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by MitchK » Sun Dec 20, 2015 2:49 pm

I didn't boil it and I think so far it's turned out fine.

I am interested in trying a bochet at some point though.

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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by sleepyjamie » Sun Dec 20, 2015 3:10 pm

There is a really good beersmith youtube episode from moonlight meadery. Check it out.


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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by Taylor Vanbrewer » Wed Dec 30, 2015 7:28 pm

Which BC meadery? Had a few things from tugwell this past trip and they were all pretty alright.
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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by MitchK » Wed Dec 30, 2015 10:42 pm

The mead came from a place in vernon. It's called "honeymoon meadery" and is run by a honey producer that goes by "planet bee". Their marketing is cheese as hell and their website looks like 1998. Haven't tried the mead yet.

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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by SFR709 » Fri May 06, 2016 11:55 am

Hey Mitch, how did your mead turn out? Did you like it? Did you ever find a place locally to buy mead?

Cheers,

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Re: Where to buy mead?

Post by MitchK » Fri May 06, 2016 1:12 pm

Embarrassingly enough i haven't gotten around to bottling it. It's just been bulk aging in a one gallon jug. Never found a local source.

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