I mentioned this one yesterday, when I was commenting on existing wine and mead recipes that used chocolate. Here it is in its entirety:
Chocolate Mead aka Liquid Sex Mead
Lord Rhys, Capten gen y Arian Lloer, Barony of Andelcrag, Midrealm
This recipe may be quoted, borrowed, copied, or stolen by anyone under three conditions.
1. As the originator of this recipe please offer me credit as such.
2. No money may change hands specifically for this recipe. Give it freely to any who ask in the spirit in which I give it to you.
3. It may be put into any SCA newsletter, SCA publication, or website, paid subscription or public domain only after due notification to the originator.
WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!
The originator of the recipe is not responsible for hordes of chocolate-crazed women attacking your encampment in search of chocolate mead, or Foreign Royalty sending knights to drag you into their court at Pennsic to demand bottles and recipes. All local women must now see my lady, Angelline la Petita, for a sample if you can talk her out of it. I am not allowed to carry around an open bottle anymore.
Basic Procedure
The basics of mead brewing should be mastered before performing any advanced projects. This recipe assumes a standard 5 gallon batch of mead using a 4 parts water to 1 part honey mixture (Must). – editor’s note: take a look at my Simple Mead Recipe for an introduction to mead making basics.
If you prefer your mead boiled, do so before adding any cocoa from this recipe as the foaming will remove the chocolate from the mix. Boiling is optional in mead and if you would like the pro’s and con’s, please ask. I personally boil nothing in mead making.
To your standard must, before adding the yeast, add 16 oz of Cocoa Powder (Nestles works great). Mix well before adding yeast. You will notice a lag in the start of the yeast; however this is common and due to the oils in cocoa. It will start bubbling madly in a few days, but never as much as normal mead.
Finishing and Aging
THIS STEP IS VERY VERY VERY IMPORTANT!
Cocoa contains a number of different very bitter oils that must be given time to break down. After the bubbling slows down put your fermenter/carboy away for one full year. Keeping the airlock on and checking the water level in it on occasion. Any other method of removing the oils will result in the loss of that little enzyme that the ladies are so fond of.
At the end of that year, rack the mead once to remove sediment and sweeten to approx. 1.030 on a hydrometer (semi-sweet) or to taste. I use Camden to kill the yeast at this point. Put the mead away for a second year. After the second year bottle normally. It will be clear, but very dark.
Some production notes: This mead leaves a very light aftertaste of chocolate that many people will not be able to identify readily. However the other effects of chocolate, i.e. org*smic like pleasure is there. In the original test one of the samplers didn’t care for it, only one identified the flavor and tried to steal the bottle, and the other 28 thought it good with comments ranging from “very good” to “OH MY GOD!”. I make five gallons each year to share with friends, and that is all due to space from brewing. I used an apple flower honey, but any light honey should work. Just avoid heavy flavored honeys that might overpower the chocolate. In addition brew down only once, a heroic (high alcohol) mead would likewise overpower the delicate flavor.
Additional Note: The current batch now aged over two years has increased in chocolate flavor and smoothed very very very well. I no longer serve chocolate mead at less then two years of age. The Ladies of the Barony deserve nothing less then the best.
Final Note: If you let the mead age a third year some lovely Lady will force you to marry her in order to hoard the supply. My Lady Angelline has even received copies of this recipe in email, telling her she just has to try this out.
This mead is best served to the one you love ice cold, in candlelight, with a bowl of fresh strawberries for dipping. And privacy would be recommended.
Comments back to me are most welcome and maybe sent to LordRhys@gmail.com
FAQs
A typical mead batch consists of 15 pounds of honey for a 5 gallon mead batch. In this example, you have 3 pounds of honey per gallon of must, so your potential alcohol by volume is about 15%.
What is the ratio of honey to water for mead? ›
The ratio of water to honey depends on the type of mead you want to make. For a dry mead, the ratio is 4 parts water to 1 part honey; a sweet mead is 2 to 1. Kluz likes his mead sweet, so he typically uses 1 3/4 gallons of honey and tops it off with 3 1/4 gallons of water.
How long does 1 gallon of mead take to ferment? ›
The fermenting process depends on various factors, like temperature, the amount of honey, the type of yeast, and the presence of additives and nutrients. Depending on how active the yeast is, it will take around 2 to 6 weeks.
How to make mead like a Viking without yeast? ›
Mix water and honey in a wide-mouthed vessel. Room-temperature water and honey are already at the ideal temperature for fermentation, so there is no need to heat the must (unfermented mead). You can warm the water to help dissolve the honey, but don't boil or pasteurize, as this kills off wild yeast and nutrients.
What happens if I add too much honey to mead? ›
If you put in a bunch of honey and you get enough yeast (the right kind of yeast where it ferments all the way out) then you'll have a really dry, high alcohol champagne-like mead. You can use less honey to make a lower alcohol mead. Using less honey might make it a little bit more dry, though not necessarily.
How much mead will 1 lb of honey make? ›
The ratio ranges from 1 lb. honey per gallon of water for a very light "soft-drink" to 5 lbs. per gallon for a sweet dessert wine. The less honey, the lighter the mead, and the quicker it can be made.
Why does no one drink mead anymore? ›
Why did it fall out of favor? There were some new tax laws, as well as an increased availability of West Indian sugar in the 17th century that made honey harder and less necessary to obtain. But it was also the rise of other alcohols—namely beer and wine—that really did it in.
What type of honey makes the best mead? ›
Orange Blossom Honey
It's also a great base product which can be experimented with endlessly by adding some distinct subtle flavors to it. Orange Blossom honey is a good reliable choice for mead production, so you really can't go wrong if this is the type of mead you produce your mead with.
Should I boil my honey for mead? ›
(Some recipes call for boiling the honey, which makes for a cleaner, quicker ferment. However, many of the aromatic oils that are characteristic of the different flower honeys are boiled off as well in this process. Either method will make you mead.)
Should you stir mead while fermenting? ›
Stirring twice a day is generally sufficient (if you have a fast fermentation, you might want to stir three or four times a day).
Traditional meads usually require six months to 2 years for the flavors to mellow and smooth and any off flavors to diminish. Melomels or fruit meads can take six months to 5 years for the flavors to fully integrate and the tannins and acids to mellow. Metheglin or spiced meads are quicker, six months to a year.
How long after making mead can you drink it? ›
(You really should make more than 14 ounces - that's just one nice drink.) Generally no. Mead brews much more slowly than beer. Generally a batch of beer will take 10–14 days to finish primary fermentation (most of the activity happening in the first 2–3 days), while mead will take 3–6 weeks.
Can I put honeycomb in mead? ›
While using comb honey can add micronutrients that help your yeasties ferment more cleanly, there isn't anything inherently better about adding the comb itself. In my experience, a little wax doesn't bring anything of value to the mead.
Do you need raisins for mead? ›
Many older recipes use raisins for their “yeast nutrient” however raisins are now treated with Potassium Sorbate which is a yeast inhibitor. Yeast health is very important when making mead, it ensures you have enough healthy yeast cells to ferment the strongest mead.
What did Vikings use to flavor mead? ›
Did Vikings Add Other Ingredients to Mead? Flowers, fruit, herbs, and spices were certainly added to mead.
How much honey do I add to 5 gallons of beer? ›
A good place to start experimenting is with one to two pounds of honey per 5-gallon batch (~0.5–1 kg/19 L) of mid-gravity beer. One pound (0.45 kg) will tend to impart a fairly subtle flavor, while two pounds (0.91 kg) will yield a much more pronounced and noticeable contribution.
How many pounds of fruit do I need for 5 gallons of mead? ›
A good starting point with most fruits is about 3 pounds of fruit per gallon of mead, though I have been known to use 5 or even 6 pounds of fruit. Fruit blends can produce some great-tasting meads.
How much fruit do I need for 5 gallons of mead? ›
There really isn't a rule of thumb saying, “Add 3 lbs of every type of fruit to get a light flavor and 6 lbs of any fruit to get heavier flavor”. Different fruit gives different amounts of flavor. That is why this is so helpful. All of these additions would take place in Secondary and all are for 5 gallons of mead.
How many pounds of honey are in a 5 gallon bucket? ›
Depending on the variables it should run somewhere 11.5 and 12 lbs. per gallon. Most any 5 gallon bucket should have enough headspace to hold 60 lbs.
