Meadmakers - what ingredients are hard to find?

[vykuza]

I'm considering extending out to providing ingredients and equipment that mead makers would find important. I stock DAP and will soon have Fermaid K and Go-Ferm. is there anything else hard to find, or you want to find in a convenient place?

Is it worthwhile me stocking honey in large quantities (for a good price) or do you prefer to source your own? How about varietals, how important is it? Are blends OK if the price is right?

What's good, and what should I avoid?

 

[TimT]

Dave, AKA Airgead could answer from much more experience than me (and his answers would be more relevant too since he's in the Sydney area).... but really, mead is pretty simple. Honey and water and yeast for starters; something later for tannins. I've always got the honey from our bees; and the tanniny stuff is pretty easy to find too. Cinnamon sticks, rose hips, etc....

Varietal honey could be useful. Light honeys like clover honey or orange blossom honey are often mentioned in recipes (rather than eucalypt honeys, which get universally poo-pooed).

Specific mead yeasts could be good; to this point I've just used champagne yeast, red wine yeast, or ale yeast.

Apart from that I dunno, it's all pretty simple really.

 

[vykuza]

OK, thanks TimT - I'll have a sniff around for bulk honey and mead specific yeasts. Seems I have most of the things already.