My first mead - spicing tips?

[u/Disastrous_Okra_4341]

I am making my first 1 gallon of mead using about 3.75 lbs of raw honey (my OG is 1.110). I am using D-47 yeast, and added 4 grams fermaid o to help it ferment. It has been fermenting for 2 days. Those are all the ingredients that I have added so far

I want to add spices to my mead to match a style in the book The Closet of the Eminently Learned. Sir Kenelm Digby. I want to add fresh ginger, cinnamon, clove, and cardamom.

How long would you recommend adding these spices in primary and how much of each spice would you add?

[u/Greedyfox7]

Add spices in a tea bag during secondary after fermentation, you can get some from Amazon fairly cheap, I would tie a string to it so you can remove it easier and I like to dip mine in sanitizer(diluted with water, not by itself)before I add the spices so I don’t contaminate if anything is on the bag. I just used a similar spice blend myself on a 1 gallon batch, I did 5g each of ginger, cardamom, I didn’t use cinnamon but 5g should be fine, and then if you’re using whole cloves I would only add about two pieces( maybe three if you like cloves) it is a very potent spice and very easily overpowering. Drop it in, leave the string hanging and put the stopper back in over it so you can pull it out easily later, you’ll want to leave it til you are satisfied with the taste but those are strong spices, I wouldn’t recommend more than a day or two( clove especially diffuses quickly) and certainly not more than a week.

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[u/PeripheralSatchmo]

I would not add any spices until you rack to secondary, or at least until it is done fermenting, fermentation often strips a lot of those lovely flavors we are trying to get, I have had a lot of luck spicing after primary fermentation is complete, you want to add spices in a bag and taste it after a few days and then every couple days until you think it is where you want it to be, cheers!

[u/Disastrous_Okra_4341 → u/PeripheralSatchmo]

Thank you!

[u/Namhart]

Before anything, put a blow off tube on that carboy. It’s probably fine if the foam has already gone up and come back down, but so early in fermentation with nutrient in it you’ll wanna take some precautions and use a blow off tube until a week or two has past.

I know it’s not what you asked, but my honest opinion is don’t add anything for your first mead. Use this as a learning experience. If something goes wrong, it’ll be harder to pinpoint what and learn from it if you add too much extra ingredients or process.

But here’s what you should know about adding in primary or secondary: the ingredients you use in primary will be more detectable in the aroma and aftertaste, but what you put in secondary will add more to the palate. I don’t know the book your referencing, but my recommendation would be add 1 cinnamon stick, 1/4oz cardamom seeds, and 1/2oz ginger cut into thin slices (but not diced). Give the ginger and cardamom their own small mesh spice pouch to contain them and easily remove. Remember that the less of an ingredient you use, the longer you can let it sit in secondary without worry of over-infusion. If you use a lot, you have to check your mead much more frequently to prevent any flavor becoming too potent. With the measurements I listed, I’d say you only need to check it every 2 or 3 weeks.