I've been interested in trying to make a mead and being that it seems quite easy to do, I figured I'd give it a shot. My only question is can I make the mead in my MB kegs? Or is it something that I should have it's own container for? I guess the same question goes for cider too. Are these things that shouldn't be mixed with MB kegs used for beer?

I think you'd be safe with either one of those. the LBK is just a plastic fermenter really, a good washing will get rid of anything left behind by the mead or cider.

The only problem is how long you want your keg tied up with non-beer. Having multiples can help in this regard :-). Meads can take a while, depending on the procedures you're using.

Jon_TWR is a good person to talk to about meads and ciders.

i have an applewine, a brochet/cyser, and fruit cider all in LBKs right now, my straight meads i have in 1gal glass carboys only because i didnt want them to tie up a larger vessel 6 months in and the buggers still havent dropped clear

I have never made mead, but from what I understand there is a lot of transferring to get it clarify. Which could be a problem. I could be wrong, just from what I remember reading.

I have made a braggot (2/3 honey, 1/3 malt). The fermenter is fine structurally. I think that is your question...ya?

I was just more concerned about off flavors getting stuck around in the plastic. I know root beer can cause problems like that and I didn't know if it was the same for cider and meads.

Nope. There's nothing as punchy in ciders and meads as root beer extract. After pretty much any brewing, cold water rinsing thoroughly apparently can help keep from setting flavors into the plastic, and an OxyClean Free soak will further help.

To get rid of any odors, I've done 4qt water and a heaping tblsp of Baking Soda. Let it sit overnight and took care of any/most smells. Another (less expensive) option to you.

Yup, meads and ciders don't have nearly the strength of odor that root beer does, so the Mr. Beer fermentor is fine.

I did a blueberry melomel in the LBK, and it did take a lot of racking to get it to finish out (I was pushing the yeast well neyond its alcohol tolerance, and I racked it in a very splashy manner, so the extra o2 introduced, along with nutrient I added, really helped it to keep going).

But as Jacy mentioned, it can tie up a fermentor for a good long time--which is why I usually use my LBKs for these kind of batches, and use my larger fermentors for beer.

Or you could be like me, who will be going for Short Mead, but that's going to have to get stashed in the fridge so it doesn't turn into bottle bombs.