Cool, how is the commercial mead? I have a few meads that are 25-26 years old and are so damn smooth and all you taste are the berries or oranges!! Raspberry honey mead that was made in 1990 that is unbelievable! Only have 1 bottle of that left! But a bunch of others from every year since!
Easy mead recipe for anyone that wants to try a small 1 gallon batch
3.5 lbs honey(Clover honey from the grocery store will do)
fleischmanns bread yeast
balloon
empty gallon plastic jug
1 large orange cut into small wedges to fit the hole in the jug
25 raisins
1 cinnamon stick or 1 whole clove
1) rinse the jug and balloon with a mild bleach solution and rinse thoroughly!
2) add the honey to the jug, add the cinnamon stick and raisins to the jug, add the orange to the jug. Fill 3/4 full of spring water or tap water. Put the lid on and give it a good shake to mix the honey up with the water(submerge the honey in a warm water bath to thin). Take the cap off and dump the yeast right on top and give it a swirl so all the yeast is under the oranges. Put the balloon on the top of the jug(this is your air loc) The next day, use a sewing needle and poke the balloon 1 time so the gas has a place to escape. Put this in a dark place, a closet or somewhere dark and cool. Do Not Touch IT UNTIL THE MEAD HAS CLEARED!! DO NOT TOUCH IT! Once its cleared, its ready to bottle and drink! I pull the cap and cut a small hole in the top of the cap, place several layers of cheese cloth over the head of the jug and screw the cap on. Place your mason jars in a row, flip the jug upside down and poke a small hole in the bottom of the jug, so the mead come out slow. Fill your jars with little to no head space and cap em off. Its ready to drink in a few weeks! Good stuff and will get ya pretty lit with a spliff to boot! Enjoy!
I cant take credit for this recipe, but have simplified it for the folks that want to try a small batch and dont want to go spend a bunch of money on brewing supplies. here is the link to the recipe and if you are interested, just look at some of the recipes on this site. They are all good, but the traditional above is the best i have had and so simple!
http://gotmead.com/blog/recipe/joes-ancient-orange-clove-and-cinnamon-mead/