In Episode 20, Tysen and Allen answer the first 20 questions they received from the Podcast listeners. We touch on making peach session melomels, common meadmaking problems, the mead industry, starting a meadery, and even how Allen and Tysen first met.
We also feature a MeadMakr Spotlight with Blacksnake Meadery from Dugspur, VA. Steve and Jo welcomed Tysen and his family a few weeks back. Hear what they have to say about the meadery.
Have a burning question you’d like answered on the show? Let us know on twitter, facebook, or directly through our contact us page!
In episode 19, we tackle the topic of cysers with Dan Daugherty from Cidersage and Cider School and Matt Williams from Winemaker’s Academy. Recall from Episode 2 that cysers are simply meads made with apples and honey. Dan and Matt talk us through the apples you need to make cyser, where to find them, and how to process them for your mead.
Have you every wondered how B Nektar Meadery comes up with such great flavor combinations for their meads? Or how they encapsulate and idea into a final product? In episode 18 we ask them just that, and get some practical information for how you can do the same with your experimental mead ideas.
Episode 17 is a bit different from our previous podcasts. We’ve structured this as a *Bonus* episode, featuring some of the shorter content segments we’ve put together that did not justify a full regular episode on their own. In this *Bonus*, our main content is on planning a mead tasting, but we also have a MeadMakr Spotlight on Dan from CiderSage and CiderSchool, and Tysen mixes it up with a mead cocktail.
Sorry for reusing this image. Somehow we didn’t get any good photos from the actual tasting…
The first Saturday of August has been dubbed National Mead Day by the American Homebrewers’ Association. In episode 16, we change things up, presenting a recording of our 2015 Mead Day Mead Tasting, trying three traditional meads. Some of the guests were brand new to mead, others were a bit more experienced having made a few batches themselves. Grab a bottle and join us as we taste these meads. And be sure to check out our tasting cards and evaluation sheets to help you better describe your mead!
Lastly, if you are reading this within 36 hours of its release, be sure to listen to the GotMead Live internet radio show on Sept 1, 2015 at 9pm EST. Tysen and Allen will be on for an interview, and we’d love to hear from you! The dial in number is 818-921-4680.
Quote of the Episode:
For the people who like that kind of thing, that is the kind of thing they like.
And for a little history, Dave mistakenly attributes this quote to Yogi Berra. While the quote is often attributed to Abraham Lincoln, it really came from Artemus Ward (1).
Every meadmaker eventually encounters the problem of having too much mead. I know, it’s tough to consider; if you like drinking it how do you accumulate too much? Well, it happens, and when it does, you need a plan to get rid of it. One of the best ways I’ve come across is to host a mead tasting. You get the opportunity to show off your meads, get feedback on what everyone likes, and generally share the beverage with those who may have never heard of it. But how do you go about planning it? We’re here to help. Here are the 5 things to consider when planning a mead tasting.
Running the MeadMakr Podcast is a lot of fun. We try meads in every episode, with the opportunity to explore the variety available in the meadium (you can find the list of every mead tried here). But if you are just beginning your nectar-filled journey, what does mead taste like? And what resources are available to help the uninitiated become more familiar with this fabulous beverage? In this post, we’ll walk you through the mead tasting process and point you towards the best resources we’ve found to help us evaluate the beverages we so love, including some MeadMakr developed tasting sheets you can use for your next mead party!
In Episode 15, we talk with James Boicourt, meadmaker at Charm City Meadworks in Baltimore, MD about oaking your mead. We focus a lot on the commercial aspects of oak barrels, but there are some nuggets in here for the home meadmaker as well. And if you are interested in using oak on the home scale, check out this FAQ put together by Peter Bakulic, president of the Mazer Cup, and hosted by BJCP.
James’s thoughts on the best oak for mead (paraphrased):
In some of the preliminary oaking we’ve tested, we’ve found that a medium char American oak is a really good place to start. I mean, go figure, medium; your options are light, heavy, and medium. Medium has a lot of nice vanillins and works well with mead.
In this episode, we bring on Michael Fairbrother to discuss making mead consistently. Michael is the founder and head meadmaker at Moonlight Meander and the current president of the American Mead Makers Association. His number one tip, make more mead! Michael went so far as a homebrewer to make 60 batches a year to hone his chops. We also discuss yeast selection, batch size, and temperature control.
Michael’s thoughts on honey quantities in mead:
As soon as I got away from trying to think of things from a pound perspective to a ratio perspective, it all just clicked into place, like the magic key that opens the door. So 25% honey, 75% water or juice, depending on the ratio, is my de facto go to recipe for anything I want to make.
In Episode 12, we bring on none other than Ken Schramm, author of The Compleat Meadmaker and owner and head meadmaker of Schramm’s Mead (logo at right). Ken has been making mead for over 20 years, and his book has influenced many meadmakers who have gone pro in recent years. Our discussion starts with a focus on sourcing the best fruits for your mead, but transitions into Ken’s thoughts on using fruit to make great melomels.
Ken’s Philosophy for Balancing Melomels (paraphrased):
The balance of the finished mead is based on a proportional offsetting of the sweetness and the body from the honey with the character and the acidity from the fruit.
Listen to the audio for the rest of the discussion.
In Episode 20, Tysen and Allen answer the first 20 questions they received from the Podcast listeners. We touch on making peach session melomels, common meadmaking problems, the mead industry, starting a meadery, and even how Allen and Tysen first met.
In episode 19, we tackle the topic of cysers with Dan Daugherty from 
