Pumpkin Spice Mead

Tis the season! When everything is pumpkin spice these days, why not make a pumpkin spice mead?

From my original readings on recipes, I saw you could use either a real pumpkin, cut up and bake for an hour (and bake some sweet potatoes too), or use canned pumpkin like Libby's. However, as I read further, I found that adding vegetables like pumpkin and potatoes really doesn't add much to the flavor of the mead and it's really the spices that make the taste.

For that reason, I decided to follow a recipe I found on HomeBrewTalk.com from Tattooed Viking who eschewed using pumpkin and just used spices. You can find the recipe on the Recipe tab.

I'm fermenting the mead in the spring water jug because, as Bray Denard, PhD (of Bray's One Month Mead -- BOMM -- fame) says, it's just one less thing you have to sanitize. I think I overfilled it, despite following the instructions Bray provides, and I will probably have a blowout, but I'll keep an eye on it and be ready to act if necessary. Check out the Mead Log to see what exactly went into Mead No. 11.

I also made No. 12, too, which for the moment is just a simple mead. Whether or not I add fruit or something to it in the secondary remains to be seen, but I've decided what I really like about mead is just its plain, simple flavor. I've had a few other styles of mead that were either spiced or otherwise flavored and though enjoyable, they're not as good as my go to Carroll's mead. So I think most of the mead I'll be making from now one will be plain.

With that said, I do plan on making a hydromel next. I just learned about what this is, and it's apparently a lower alcohol content mead that's ready to drink in about 2 months. While there's always a BOMM I could make and drink in a month thereabouts, a hydromel sounds more up my alley. I'll give it a shot and see.