well i decided yesterday to make my first mead. i got everything i needed from my LHS and got started around 3:30pm today. i live in dallas texas and we have been having warm weather. unfortunately for me that meant i was going to have problems. i asked for advice and was told to do a 5 minute boil to sterilize and get the wax out of the honey ( i know boil vs. no boil is a big argument so let's not get into that). i started my boil and timed out 5 minutes. while i was waiting i was inside getting the yeast ready. when i went back out...BEES! they were everywhere! i had about 20 on my mash paddle that i had used to stir the honey/water mixture. another 20 on my kettle lid and a ton on the pail that the honey was in. i'm allergic to bees so i screamed like justin and ran back inside.
I stood at the back door looking out for about 10 minutes before i decided that something had to be done. i got dressed in a heavy coat and pants. put on some leather gloves and a thick winter hat. as an added measure i found a fairly see through shirt and draped it over my head as a veil. figuring this would keep me at least somewhat protected i ventured outside to solve this problem.
i think i found every way possible to piss off bees. when i picked up the pail and lid (planning on taking them to the other side of the house) i dropped the pail and banged the lid against the table when i tried to pick it up. I dont know how much time most of you have spent with bees...but they do not like being dropped or banged. instantly i was covered in bees! i could see stingers poking through the thin shirt i had draped around me. i was both happy i had thought of this idea and upset that i couldnt find something thicker that was see through. it was about this time that i realized that i dont have a bee sting kit.
determined to finish this, i grabbed the pail and set off for the the other side of the house. remember that i have a shirt over my head. that prevents you from seeing anything but very brightly colored objects. a wooden fence is not a very brightly colored object. i walked straight into the damned thing. the particular area that i tried to walk through is in bad shape (worse now). when i hit it i heard a very loud creaking (which apparently bees dont like either as this sparked a new bout of flying and attempted stinging) and the fence started leaning out. with nothing i could do i just watched as it slowly came to a stop at about a 60 degree angle. i thanked god that it's still kind of standing and found the gate more carefully.
once the pail was taken care of i had no problem with the mash paddle. with my confidence boosted (marginally) i decided to try to finish this. i had stuck my immersion chiller into the must before it started boiling so i took that out and set it down. i grabbed the kettle lid to put it on so that no bees or other bugs would get into the kettle while i waiting on this invasion to pass. i had, however, forgotten that there were about 20 or so bees covering the lid. all i have to say is thank god for leather gloves. without them i would be in a hospital right now. as it was i still felt the stingers, but none of them were able to penetrate my skin. my right hand is still a little red in places and itches a bit, but i will survive. i banged the lid a few times to get the bees off (setting off the old ritual of bees flying and stinging my shirt) and covered the pot. i quickly turned off the burner and started to head inside. about halfway there i realized that i was covered in pissed off bees and was about to bring them into my home! my roommate (who is also allergic to bees) was standing at the back door laughing her head off until she realized the same thing. we started trying to figure out a way to get me inside without any stow-aways. eventually it was decided that i should hit my clothing several times and run to the front yard where there were no bees. then if i passed an inspection from her i would be allowed to enter the house.
this went well until i discovered to some idiot had left a plastic bucket and mash paddle on the side of the house. i went sprawling across the side yard cursing. my impromtu bee net flew off and i screamed (for the second time today) like a little girl. as quickly as i could i got up and ran for the front door. when i came crashing through the door my roommate ran for her room (apparently she watched me hit the deck through the kitchen window and knew what was coming). she yelled that she wasn't going to come out until i was absolutely sure that there were no bees in the house. miraculously there were none. that was the only good part of this story.
now it has been a little over 3 hours since in started and there are still angry bees flying around the kettle (which is still too hot for them to land on) and we have been stuck inside. i am hoping that since the sun is almost all the way down and the night is cooling off that i will be able to make a mad dash to grab the kettle and bring it in sometime soon. i will still try to ferment this, but i dont know when i will try to make another. if i do, rest assured that i will be using the no boil method.
just thought you would get a kick out of my brew session. hopefully this will open some eyes for people wanting to try their first mead. be prepared for the bees!
billy
