9 replies to this topic

[Zeus50]

So i did a search and couldn't find what i was looking for. I am looking for a 1 gallon vanilla mead recipe.

I found lot of spiced vanilla, but i'm looking for a straight vanilla recipe.

Anybody?

[Steve mead]

Make a standard mead, once fermentation is complete and the mead is clear add some high quality vanilla extract a few drops at a time until the desired flavor is achieved. I would think a teaspoon in a gallon would be quite noticable.

[Zeus50]

I was thinking of putting a vanilla bean in during fermintation. My plan is as follows


3.5 lbs honey
1 tbsp yeast nutrient
1 whole vanilla beans
Red Star Montrachet yeast or should i use 1118?


thoughts?

[Steve mead]

The amount of vanilla flavor is not as controlable, thus the mead is not repeatable.

[back yard vines]

I made this a few months ago. It is too early to tell how good it will be. I found this on Jack Keller's blog or web site. I don't recall.

Vanilla Mead (5 gallons)

• 9 lbs of mesquite honey
  
• 1 tblsp gypsum to harden up the water a bit
  
• 4 ounce bottle of Madagascar vanilla extract
  
• 6 tsp yeast nutrients
  
• Champagne yeast

Hydrate the yeast in a cup of lukewarm water. In a separate container, dissolve the yeast nutrient in another cup of lukewarm water. Mix the honey in two gallons hot water in a primary and stir well to dissolve the honey. Then add three gallons minus two cups of cool water and stir some more to mix ingredients and oxygenate the water. Add the yeast and yeast nutrient. Cover and ferment 7 days. Transfer to a glass carboy and fit airlock. Allow to ferment out (30-45 days). Taste. If too dry, stabilize and add another cup of honey, stir, and taste again. Wait 10 days and rack and top up. Allow to bulk age 60 days and rack into bottles. Age 1-2 years (the improvement between one and two years will astound you). [Adapted from a traditional recipe]

I scaled it down to a 3 gallon batch.
Back Yard Vines

[saramc]

I recently started a 3 gallon batch of this:

1 gallon recipe
2 cans of Welch's Niagara White Grape Juice Concentrate
HONEY (shoot for SG of 1.090) [using Orange Blossom]
1 tsp. of Pectic Enzyme
1 tsp. of yeast nutrient
Spring water to 1 gallon
4-6” FRESH vanilla beans, split in half length-wise (reserve 2 for later addition)
½ ounce oak chips, optional
YEAST OF CHOICE (I used a Sweet Mead yeast)


Follow your basic mead making steps. Add 2 of the vanilla beans as soon as you transfer to secondary. Remove those beans after 8 days, then add the 2 remaining beans and the oak chips. Can top up with white grape juice OR use "water to 1 gallon + 3 cups" and you should have just enough for topping up when necessary--but have a spare 750ml bottle available to hold the excess until top up is needed.
Taste at 6 weeks and remove beans/oak if satisfactory. If vanilla/oak is not removed at 6 weeks, I recommend tasting weekly..but 6 weeks should be satisfactory.
Your preference for dry, semi-sweet, sweet. Again, follow your basic rules of winemaking for racking, sweetening, bottling, etc.

**My recipe is an adaption of a Vanilla Wine recipe shared with me from Jim of Twin Maples in Arkansas.

I would love to know what you end up doing.
Sara

[Zeus50]

thanks for the replies!

[deb_rn]

I added vanilla beans to a Cherry Wine during aging and it was fantastic. I would think the flavor would be lost if it was added too soon.

Debbie

[Zeus50]

wow, finally got around to racking this 1 gallon batch and holy vanilla taste!!... i'm hoping it smoothes out with aging...

i'll keep you posted.

The final recipe

3.5 lbs honey
1 tbsp yeast nutrient
1 whole vanilla beans
handful of raisens.
Red Star Montrachet yeast or should i use 1118?

[TwinMaples]

Sara, thanks for the mentioning me on the recipe. I appreciate that!

You've reminded me that I only have about 3 bottles of vanilla wine left, and that I need to make more. I've never used Welch's WGFC on a mead before. I'll have to try your vanilla mead recipe.

Jim
.

I recently started a 3 gallon batch of this:

1 gallon recipe
2 cans of Welch's Niagara White Grape Juice Concentrate
HONEY (shoot for SG of 1.090) [using Orange Blossom]
1 tsp. of Pectic Enzyme
1 tsp. of yeast nutrient
Spring water to 1 gallon
4-6” FRESH vanilla beans, split in half length-wise (reserve 2 for later addition)
½ ounce oak chips, optional
YEAST OF CHOICE (I used a Sweet Mead yeast)


Follow your basic mead making steps. Add 2 of the vanilla beans as soon as you transfer to secondary. Remove those beans after 8 days, then add the 2 remaining beans and the oak chips. Can top up with white grape juice OR use "water to 1 gallon + 3 cups" and you should have just enough for topping up when necessary--but have a spare 750ml bottle available to hold the excess until top up is needed.
Taste at 6 weeks and remove beans/oak if satisfactory. If vanilla/oak is not removed at 6 weeks, I recommend tasting weekly..but 6 weeks should be satisfactory.
Your preference for dry, semi-sweet, sweet. Again, follow your basic rules of winemaking for racking, sweetening, bottling, etc.

**My recipe is an adaption of a Vanilla Wine recipe shared with me from Jim of Twin Maples in Arkansas.

I would love to know what you end up doing.
Sara