• 15 lbs. light clover honey
• 4 tsp. acid blend
• 6 tsp. yeast nutrient
• Water to make 5 U.S. gallons
• Wyeast Sweet Mead liquid yeast* OR 2 packages champagne yeast
• Gruit: crushed fennel, anise, caraway, clove seeds

Makes 5 U.S. gallons

This recipe assumes the brewer is familiar with standard brewing procedures. If in doubt, consult your local homebrew shop.

*read instructions far in advance of brewing

Approximate original specific gravity 1.120 - 1.130

Instructions

Note: Proper sanitization is extremely important in any brewing endeavor, and cannot be overemphasized. Failure to properly sanitize will cause your mead to become infected with bacteria and will ruin the taste. Sanitize everything that will come in contact with your mead, and even those items that may not (like the airlock, blow-off tube, etc). The author recommends a strong sulphite solution or, preferably, Iodaphor, a very convenient iodine sanitizer.

Making the Wort

Bring two gallons of water to a boil. Remove water from the heat and stir in honey, acid blend, and yeast nutrient. Return to the heat and boil vigorously for 15 minutes. Add two gallons of cold water to a sanitized carboy . Using a funnel, pour the hot honey water into the sanitized carboy and top up with cold water to make five gallons. Follow instructions on yeast package exactly for adding yeast. It is recommended to stir the wort thoroughly before adding the yeast in order to aerate and provide plenty of oxygen for the yeast to do its work. Proceed with Fermentation and Bottling below.

Fermentation and Bottling

It is recommended to carry out the fermentation in a closed vessel to avoid bacterial contamination. The use of a drilled rubber stopper with a blow-off tube leading out from the carboy to a catch bucket allows the blow-off (or foam) to be expelled. Allow your mead to ferment at 65 to 75 F and away from any direct light. Primary fermentation requires 6 to 10 days. This should be a very vigorous fermentation. After primary fermentation, rack to a secondary (sanitized) fermenter. At this time the hose can be removed and a standard airlock on the carboy can be used. Secondary fermentation takes six weeks. After this time, if the mead is clear rack it into another sanitized container, add gruit*, and bottle, taking care not to splash the mead during bottling, as the introduction of oxygen at this time is a detriment to the taste of mead. If the mead is still cloudy, rack to a sanitized container and use finings (see your local homebrewer for their recommended finings). Rack, add gruit*, and bottle when cloudiness disappears.

*Adding Gruit

Aging the Mead

Very young mead is rather vile to the taste, but it will become very good with age. Wait at least a month before you taste your mead, but try to age it for several months. Mead flavor improves for up to two or three years.