Nectar of the Gods Kit

Homebrew Heaven offers a mead making kit called Nectar of the Gods. It looks like a good starter kit to me.

If you have used this kit, would you recommend it, or would you say not to spend my money on it?

Thanks in advance!

Check around and see how much you will pay locally for 11.5 lbs of honey.
It may or may not be worth it at $62.

I can get a gallon of honey here (12 lbs) anywhere from $40 to $60, depending on the varietal.

If you are already making beer and wine, then you should already have all the other ingredients that come with the kit, so really you are just paying for the honey.

If you do think you will make more than one batch of mead, I absolutely recommend The Complete Meadmaker book. It is worth every penny I spent on it.

eta: I have not made the kit.

Here are the ingredients listed:

1 Container of Premium Pacific NW Honey (11.5 lbs. in all!)

1 Package of Homebrew Heaven's Mead Blend (Secret Stuff Maynard)

2 Packages of Wine Yeast - 10g minimum

1 Package of Campden Tablets (a sterilizing sulphite)

1 Package of Potassium Sorbate (a stabilizer)

1 Package of 2-part Wine Finings (a clarifier)

Click to expand...

Couple of things....no idea what the secret stuff is, I assume it is spices and herbs of some sort. So you don't even know if it is a flavor you will like or not. I personally like a little more control over my mead. Of course it could be energizer and nutrients, who knows.

I also only use campden if I am using fruit that I feel I need to sterilize.

I don't usually use finings on mead. I've found leaving it to do it's thing on its own is best and I've only had one that did not clear on it's own.

Also if you have a mead that is fed properly, you don't need two packages of yeast, you only need one. I'm assuming they include two so you can blow through all the sugars very quickly without providing energizer and nutrients.

I always add energizer and nutrients to my mead. You will end up with a cleaner taste and a much healthier fermentation (which helps avoid any off flavors).

Thank you, Jericurl! Your answer is just what I needed.

I think I will skip the kit, get the Complete Meadmaker book and go from there since I already have all the ingredients except the honey. There are quite a few beekeepers locally so I might be able to get a good price.

Again thanks!