Mead

The most basic criteria is honey per gallon. 3 lbs of honey in 1 gallon recipe should make a 12% mead

1 tsp light malt extract should act as a yeast nutrient

Acid helps to keep the pH level low and ward off problems - 1 lemon?

Pasteurize at 150 to 160 for 20-30 minutes - COVER to keep flavors in.

Vanilla extact - approx 1 oz per gallon

Ginger - 1oz per gallon? Boil it? Ginger beer = 8oz per gallon.

http://www.oldwestbrew.com/basic_meadmaking.htm

http://www.stormthecastle.com/mead/index.htm

• • 3 lbs of orange blossom honey

  • Top off to 1 gallon water

  • Juice of 1 lemon

  • 1 pkg yeast

After 3 months, still had not completely fermented out.

http://hoptopic.wordpress.com/2008/07/03/traditional-orange-blossom-mead/

How do you make a Basic mead?

The following process describes the basic steps in making a dry, still, traditional mead.

Note: Many existing information sources describe making mead. However, the following steps incorporate

certain "new school" concepts such as:

• • Not boiling, or Pasteurizing, the honey

  • Not adding any type of acid pre-fermentation - only post-fermentation (if needed)

  • Not using additives such as Irish moss, or gypsum

  • Hydrating & proofing dry yeast before pitching

  • Staggered nutrient Addition

Recipe [5 gallons]

• • Honey - 14 Lbs (+ 1/3 cup)

  • Water - 4 gal

  • 10g ICV-D47 dry yeast

  • Yeast Nutrient - Red Star's SuperFood (SF), or Lallemand's Fermaid-K

  • Yeast Energizer - Diammonium phosphate (DAP)

  • Rehydration nutrient: Go-Ferm (only needed if using dry yeast)

  • Acid blend (post fermentation, if needed [to taste])

OG - 1.100 [nominal]; FG - 1.000 [or below]

Equipment

• • 6.5 gallon plastic primary bucket, with lid, & airlock

  • 5 gallon glass carboy, stopper, & airlock

  • A glass container for your starter (~ 1 gallon), stopper, & airlock

  • Hydrometer, thermometer

  • Long handled mixing spoon / paddle

  • Racking cane and transfer tubing

  • Sanitizer: Such as: Star San

  • 750ml wine bottles & corks

NOTE: Sanitize everything that comes in contact with, or anywhere near, the must (honey & water mixture) - hands, tools, etc..

Method

• 1. Rehydrate the 10g of dry yeast using GO-Ferm in the rehydration water [167 ml water & 12g Go-Ferm]. Caution! Do not use other nutrients! Fermax, Superfood, Fermaid-K, et.al. should NOT be added to the rehydration water. They are NOT the same as Go-Ferm.

  2. Prepare the Must by adding 2 gallons of water to your sanitized plastic primary bucket. Then heat another 2 gallons of water on your stove to 115°F, and remove it from the heat. IMPORTANT: If you do not remove the pan from the heat, the honey may scorch on the bottom of the pan.

  3. Now, add all of the honey to the heated water -mix well. You can ladle some of the hot honey/water mixture into your honey container to get all the honey out. Mix until all the honey is dissolved. The goal is to thoroughly mix 4 gallons of water with 14 pounds of honey. Add your warm honey/water mixture to your plastic primary bucket, and then add the Stage 1 Nutrients- stir-in to dissolve.

  4. The honey water mixture should be a little over 5 gallons. Check the mixture’s temperature and allow it to cool below 80°F – install an airlock during this cooling time, and from this point onward.

  5. AFTER the honey water mixture is BELOW 80°F, take a SG / Brix, & temperature reading and record these values with the date and time, then install the primary lid and airlock.

  6. Pitch the Yeast Pour the yeast slurry into your cooled mead mixture, and mix it in thoroughly with a sanitized mixing tool (spoon). Put the lid on your primary plastic bucket.

  7. Add additional nutrients as follows:

     • Stage 2: At active fermentation (when the Brix drops 2-3°) add the Stage 2 Nutrients - stir-in to dissolve.

     • Stage 3: At mid-fermentation (OG+FG)/2, - Add the Stage 3 Nutrients - stir-in to dissolve.

  8. First Racking (from bucket to carboy). When your SG reaches ~1.000, rack the mead to a clean, sanitized, 5 gallon glass carboy. Now the waiting

  9. begins. In the next few months (1-3+), more lees may form. At 1-3 month intervals, rack the mead off the lees until you have relatively clear mead. Some mead will be left behind and your final volume should be about 4.5 - 5 gallons.

  10. Bottling. When you are satisfied with the clarity of your mead you may bottle it (750 ml wine bottles & corks) and allow it to age. Once bottled, most mead should age 6-12 months before consumption. A mead only gets better with age, and should not spoil as long as sanitation was properly observed