Start by mixing the Metabisulfite in a large jug of water.
Don't use one with a metal lid, the fumes will eat it! (and your basement
will stink on humid days forever and your wife will yell at you and you'll
have to sleep on the sofa on said humid days and she won't let you have
the fan or pillows off the bed either) (like she never made a mistake in
her life, never forced you to eat one of her cooking disasters with a big
smile on her face and you had to smile as well while choking down something
slightly green that tasted like someone made a boot from a wet dog and
then wore it for years while working on a farm!!!!!)
But I digress...
This is what you will use to sterilize EVERYTHING!!!!!
Bathe EVERYTHING in the Metabisulfite and rinse it off with COLD water.
The metabisulfite can be reused for three months or so. Don't be afraid
to keep it.
With everything clean, you can start the cooking.
Mix the honey and the water in the pot (a 1 to 9 ratio
if you want to work outside my measurements) and bring it to a boil. This
is going to boil for 30 minutes or so. As the foam forms on top, skim it
off with your stainless steel spatula. This foam is the impurities in the
honey being cooked off and your mead will be better for it.
Once the foam stops rising you'll be ready for the ginger
and orange rind. Chop both finely and add them to the boiling honey. The
smell will fill your neighbourhood and eventually your neighbours will
come to recognize it and will drool in anticipation. Only let this boil
for another minute or so and then remove the heat.
CAREFULLY (because it splashes and it's very hot) pour
it into the primary. It is going to sit in here for a few hours until it's
room temperature so if you feel adventurous, make a second (and even a
third) batch until the primary is as full with as much mead as you want
to make. (or as you have bottles for)
Now you can go to bed.
DAY 2
The mead should be cool enough to touch by now. Float
your hydrometer (after sterilizing and rinsing it) into the mead. There
should be a chart on the side of it that will tell the soon-to-be alcohol
content. Mine is usually around 7 to 9 percent, stronger than most beers
but not as strong as wine.
Now the fun begins. Siphon the mead from the primary
into the secondary. If you're smart you will have bought a siphon tube
WITHOUT a pump and you'll have to suck the mead through. (don't forget
to sterilize the inside of the tube) This will get you 2 things, your first
taste of metabisulfite and your first taste of your mead.
Once the liquid is in the carbouy, spoon the remaining
chunks (there's no better word) in and pour in the yeast. Now attach your
fermentation lock.
The yeast will float on top at first but that's o.k.
Eventually it will begin to sink and all the good little yeast boys and
girls will come out to feast on the sugar, converting it into C02 and alcohol.
The C02 will be what you hear bubbling through the fermentation lock. (a
happy little sound if I've ever heard one)
Put your Secondary away in a wee corner out of direct
sunlight but keep it room temperature. (not in the basement. Your yeast
will die!)
As the weeks progress take more hydrometer readings.
The sugar content will go down and the mead will start to smell boozy.
It will also start to settle.
On the day your hydrometer reads 1.5 or 2 you can siphon
the mead into the bottles (don't forget the Metabisulfite!) Screw the tops
on but not too tight. There will be some fermentation going on in the bottle
and you want this, you mead will have a slight bubble to it like the tiny
bubbles in beer. If the lids are on too tightly you run the risk of your
bottles breaking because of the pressure building up inside. I can proudly
say I've not lost a bottle yet!
Take your bottles and store them somewhere dark and cool
where you can forget about them. They should be in a place that can get
wet. I put mine in an unused shower stall in the basement. If one breaks
the mess will just run down the drain. Unused laundry tubs are also good
for this.
After a month or so you can crack the first seal. If
it's good enough to drink have your neighbours over and let them sample
what they smelled cooking last month. The longer you leave it sit the better
it's gonna' be. After three months (so I'm told) it tastes like liquid
nectar.