Mead Making: An 8000 Year Old Entheogen
- Buzzard

Mead

Mead is a fermented alcoholic beverage made of honey, water, and yeast. Meadhing is the practice of brewing honey. Mead is also known as "honey wine", even if it is considered a separate and distinct type of alcoholic beverage.

The history of mead may go back more than 8,000 years. A reference in the Vedas, the sacred book of the Hindus, cites honey as a sacred item as far back as the 8th century BC, and Aristotle mentions honey beverages in Greece in his time, when the word for drunk was "honey-intoxicated."

In Northern Europe, Mead was once very popular and often produced by monks in monasteries in areas where grapes could not be grown. It faded in popularity, however, once wine imports became economical. Especially partial to it were the Slavs, Norse, Russians and Finns. In Polish it is called miód pitny, meaning "drinkable honey". It was a favoured drink among the Polish-Lithuanian szlachta (nobility), and during the Crusades, Polish Prince Leszek I the White explained to the Pope that Polish knights could not participate in the Crusades because there was no mead or beer in Palestine.

The word "honeymoon" in English is supposedly traceable to the practice of a bride's father dowering her with enough mead for a month-long celebration in honor of the marriage.

Nomenclature
Honey

Alfalfa

Alfalfa is a legume with blue flowers. It blooms throughout the summer and is ranked as the most important honey plant in Utah, Nevada, Idaho, Oregon and most of the western states. Alfalfa honey is white or extra light amber in color with a fine flavor. The honey also has good body, which makes it a perfect table honey.
**Good for plain mead.**
Avocado

Avocado honey is gathered from California avocado blossoms. Avocado honey is dark in color, with a rich, buttery taste.
**Interesting addition to plain mead.**
Basswood

This tree is distributed from Southern Canada, to Alabama, to Texas. Basswood honey is often characterized by its distinctive biting flavor. The flowers are cream-colored and they bloom in late June and July. The honey is water-white with a strong flavor.
**Interesting addition to plain mead.**
Blueberry

Taken from the tiny white flowers of the blueberry bush, the nectar makes a honey which is typically light amber in color and with a full, well-rounded flavor. Blueberry honey is produced in New England and in Michigan.
**Good for plain mead.**
Buckwheat

Buckwheat plants grow best in cool, moist climates. The buckwheat plant prefers light and well-drained soils, although it can thrive in highly acid, low fertility soils as well. Buckwheat is usually planted in the spring. It blooms quite early and it yields a dark brown honey of strong, distinct flavor.
**Interesting addition to plain mead.**
Clover

Clovers are the most popular honey plants in the United States. White clover, alsike clover, and the white and yellow sweet clover plants are the most important for honey production. Depending on location and source, Clover honey varies in color.
**May be acceptable for plain mead.**
Eucalyptus

Eucalyptus is one of the larger plant genera with over 500 distinct species and many hybrids. Eucalyptus honey varies greatly in color and flavor, but in general, it tends to be a bold-flavored honey with a slightly medicinal aftertaste.
**Interesting addition to plain mead.**
Fireweed

Fireweed honey is light in color and comes from a perennial herb that affords wonderful bee pasture in the Northern and Pacific states and Canada. Fireweed grows in the open woods, reaching a height of three to five feet and spikes attractive pinkish flowers.
**Good for plain mead.**

Orange Blossom

Orange Blossom honey is often a combination of citrus floral sources. Orange is a leading honey source in southern Florida, Texas, Arizona and California. Orange trees bloom in March and April and produce a white to extra light amber honey with a distinctive flavor and the aroma of orange blossoms. **Good for plain mead.**

Sage

Sage honey can come from different species of the plant. Sage shrubs usually grow along the California coast and in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Sage honey has a mild, delicate flavor. It is generally white or water-white in color.
**Good for plain mead.**
Sourwood

Sourwood trees can be found in the Appalachian Mountains from Southern Pennsylvania to Northern Georgia. Sourwood honey has a sweet, spicy, anise aroma and flavor with a pleasant, lingering aftertaste.
**Interesting addition to plain mead.**
Tulip poplar

The tulip poplar is a tall tree with large greenish-yellow flowers. It generally blooms in the month of May. Tulip Poplar honey is produced from southern New England to southern Michigan and south to the Gulf states east of the Mississippi. The honey is dark amber in color, however, its flavor is not as strong as one would expect from a dark honey.
**May be acceptable for plain mead.**
Tupelo

Tupelo honey is produced in the southeastern United States. Tupelo trees have clusters of greenish flowers, which later develop into soft, berry-like fruits. In southern Georgia and northwestern Florida, tupelo is a leading honey plant, producing tons of white or extra light amber honey in April and May. The honey has a mild, pleasant flavor and will not granulate.
**Good for plain mead.**
Honey is a sweet and viscous fluid produced by honey bees from the nectar of flowers. It's significantly sweeter than table sugar and has attractive chemical properties for baking. Honey has a distinctive flavor which leads some people to prefer it over sugar and other sweeteners.

Liquid honey does not spoil. Because of its high sugar concentration, it kills most bacteria by plasmolysis. Natural airborne yeasts cannot become active in it because the moisture content is too low. Natural, raw honey varies from 14% to 18% moisture content. As long as the moisture content remains under 18%, virtually no organism can successfully multiply to significant amounts in honey, though, importantly, enough bacteria survive to make honey dangerous for infants.

Honey is as old as written history, dating back to 2100 B.C. where it was mentioned in Sumerian and Babylonian cuneiform writings, the Hittite code, and the sacred writings of India and Egypt. It is presumably even older than that.

Its name comes from the English hunig, and it was the first and most widespread sweetener used by man. Legend has it that Cupid dipped his love arrows in honey before aiming at unsuspecting lovers.

In the Old Testament of the Bible, Israel was often referred to as "the land of milk and honey."

Honey was valued highly and often used as a form of currency, tribute, or offering. In the 11th century A.D., German peasants paid their feudal lords in honey and bees wax.

Although experts argue whether the honeybee is native to the Americas, conquering Spaniards in 1600 A.D. found native Mexicans and Central Americans had already developed beekeeping methods to produce honey.

In days of old, honey has been used not only in food and beverages, but also to make cement, in furniture polishes and varnishes, and for medicinal purposes.

And, of course, bees perform the vital service of pollinating fruits, legumes, vegetables and other types of food-producing plants in the course of their business of honey production.

Honey bees must tap over two million flowers to make one pound of honey.

The average worker bee will make only one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey during its lifetime.

The color and flavor of honeys differ depending on the nectar source (the blossoms) visited by the honey bees. The color ranges from nearly colorless to dark brown, and the flavor varies from delectably mild to distinctively bold, depending on where the honey bees "buzzed."

In fact, there are more than 300 unique types of honey available in the United States, each originating from a different floral source. As a general rule, the flavor of lighter colored honeys is milder, and the flavor of darker colored honeys is stronger. Read about some of the more common varieties of honey in the United States in the table to the right.

Others include: Acacia, Apple Blossom, Aster, Black Button Sage, Black Locust, Blackberry, Blue Curl, Borage, Brazilian Pepper, Canola, Cat Claw, Chestnut, Cotton, Cranberry, Dandelion, Desert Blossom, Dzildzilche, Forest, Gallberry, Goldenrod, Hawaiian Christmas Berry, Heather, Huajilla, Huckleberry, Kiawe Knapweed, Lavender, Lehua, Loosestrife, Macadamia, Manuka, Manzanita, Mint, Mixed Flower, Mixed Sage, Palmetto, Pumpkin, Purple Sage, Raspberry, Rosemary, Safflower, Snowberry, Soybean, Star Thistle, Sumac, Sunflower, Tahonal, Tallow, Thyme, Vetch, White Sage and Wildflower

The National Honey Board maintains a very nice web site with pictures of flowers and descriptions of honeys: Honey Locator

Yeast

Some brewers use beer yeast to make mead, but most use wine yeasts which are often separated into four loose categories (champagne, white, red and sweet).

The following guide may help you decide which yeast suits your tastes. Remember that there is no RIGHT yeast. And (in my opinion) aging your mead tends to fade the unique characteristics that yeasts produce.

Champagne

  • Premier Cuvee, 45-95°, 18%, low floc, dry, Red Star
    This Prisse de Mousse strain is fast-starting, clean and neutral. A popular choice because of its consistently strong fermentation characteristics and high alcohol tolerance. The first choice for champagne and sparkling wines. Also good for restarting stuck fermentations.
  • Champagne EC-1118, 45-95°, 18%, low floc, dry, Lalvin
    The fermentation characteristics of the EC-1118 - extremely low production of foam, volatile acid and H2S - make this strain an excellent choice. EC-1118 demonstrates high osmotic and alcohol tolerance. Good flocculation with compact lees and a relatively neutral flavor and aroma contribution are also properties of the EC-1118. Recommended for all types of wines, including sparkling, and late harvest wines and cider. It may also be used to restart stuck fermentations.

White Wine

  • K1V-1116, 59-86°, 18%, low floc, dry, Lalvin
    A rapid starter with a constant and complete fermentation, capable of surviving a number of difficult conditions, such as low nutrient musts and high levels of SO2 or sugar. Wines fermented with the K1V-1116 have very low volatile acidity, H2S and foam production. K1V-1116 tends to express freshness of white grape varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Seyval. The natural fresh fruit aromas are retained longer than with other standard yeast strains. Fruit wines and wines made from concentrates poor in nutrient balance benefit from the capacity of K1V-1116 to adapt to difficult fermentation conditions. Restarts stuck fermentations.
  • Dry Mead, 55-75°, 18%, low floc, smack-pack, Wyeast
    Attenuative, low foaming with little or no sulfur production. Use additional nutrients for mead making. Mead, Fruit Mead, Herbal Mead, Dry Ciders, Cysers.
  • Pasteur Champagne, 55-75°, 17%, med floc, smack-pack, Wyeast
    Used in many white wine fermentations, and also some red wines. Also used for secondary fermentation of barley wine. Ferments crisp and dry, ideal for base wines in champagne making. Low foaming, excellent barrel fermentation and good flocculating characteristics. Dry White Wines, Spumante, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Pinot Blanc, Gewürztraminer.
  • French White Wine, 50-90°, 16%, low floc, liquid, White Labs
    Slight ester production, low sulfur dioxide production. Enhances varietal character. Good choice for all white and blush wines, including Chablis, Chenin Blanc, Semillion and Sauvignon Blanc. Fermentation speed is moderate.
  • Steinberg, 55-75°, 14-16%, med floc, smack-pack, Wyeast
    Classic German yeast from the Rheingau District produces full-bodied wines with great depth, dry smoky characteristics with a sharp finish, drier than Rudesheimer. Riesling, Sylvaner, Moselles, Liebfraumilch.
  • Pasteur Champagne, 59-86°, 13-15%, med-low floc, dry, Red Star
    Neutral flavor profile, recommended for dry wines. Despite the name, this yeast should not be used in sparkling wines (use Premier Cuvee).
  • 71B-1122, 59-86°, 14%, med floc, dry, Lalvin
    A rapid starter with a constant and complete fermentation that has the ability to metabolize high amounts (20% to 40%) of malic acid. In addition to producing rounder, smoother, more aromatic wines that tend to mature quickly, it does not extract a great deal of phenols from the must so the maturation time is further decreased. Used primarily for young wines such as vin nouveau, it has been found to be very suitable for blush and residual sugar whites. Partial metabolism of malic acid helps soften the wine. Also has the ability to produce significant esters and higher alcohol, making it an excellent choice for fermenting concentrates.
  • ICV D-47, 50-86°, 14%, med floc, dry, Lalvin
    A low-foaming quick fermenter that settles well, forming a compact lees at the end of fermentation. This strain enhances mouthfeel due to complex carbohydrates. Malolactic fermentation proceeds well in wine made with ICV D-47. It's recommended for making wines from white varieties such as Chardonnay and Rosé. An excellent choice for producing mead, however be sure to supplement with yeast nutrients, especially usable nitrogen.
  • Chardonnay, 50-90°, 14%, low floc, liquid, White Labs
    Dry wine yeast. Slight ester production, low sulfur dioxide production. Enhances varietal character. A good choice for all white and blush wines, including Chablis, Chenin Blanc, Semillon, and Sauvignon Blanc. Fermentation speed is moderate.
  • Montrachet, 59-86°, 13%, low floc, dry, Red Star
    Versatile all purpose wine yeast with complex flavors and aromas. Ferments strongly and has a high alcohol tolerance. Well suited to Chardonnays and other dry, full bodied wines.

Sweet Wine

  • Flor Sherry, 59-86°, 18-20%, low floc, dry, Red Star
    This yeast may be used for the production of sherry base wines, and must be used for the secondary, aerobic (submerged) sherry fermentation. It readily produces the aldehydes and acetals characteristic of true flor sherry.
  • Sweet Mead, 70-75°, 15%, low floc, liquid, White Labs
    This yeast is less attenuative than the champagne yeast, leaving some residual sweetness. Slightly fruity. Good for sweet mead, cider, blush wines, Gewurztraminer, Sauternes, and Riesling.
  • Steinberg-Geisenheim, 50-90°, 14%, low floc, liquid, White Labs
    German in origin, this yeast has high fruit/ester production. Perfect for Riesling and Gewurztraminer. Moderate fermentation characteristics & cold tolerant.
  • Cote des Blancs, 64-86°, 12-14%, low floc, dry, Red Star
    Also known as Epernay II. Recommended for meads and ciders, as well as fruit wines, particularly apple. Imparts a fruity aroma in both red and white wines. A slow fermenter. This strain will not ferment to dryness at the low end of that range, leaving residual sugar resulting in a sweeter wine.
  • Chablis, 55-75°, 12-13%, med floc, smack-pack, Wyeast
    Produces extremely fruity profile, high ester formation. Allows fruit character to dominate aorma and flavor profile. Finishes slightly sweet and soft. Fruity white wines. Chardonnay, Chablis, Ciders, Gewurztraminer, Chenin Blanc, and Pinot Gris.
  • Rudesheimer, 55-75°, 12-13%, med floc, smack-pack, Wyeast
    Produces distinct Riesling character. Rich flavor, creamy, fruity profile with nice dry finish and a hint of Riesling sweetness in the aftertaste. Rhine Wines, Fruity Ciders, Riesling, Ice Wine.
  • Sweet Mead, 60-75°, 11%, med floc, smack-pack, Wyeast
    One of two strains for sweet mead making. Leaves 2-3% residual sugar in most mead's. Rich, fruity profile complements fruit-mead fermentation. Use additional nutrients for mead making. Ciders, Cysers, Fruit wines, Ginger ale, Cherry, Raspberry and Peach.

Red Wine

  • Zinfindel, 60-85°, 18%, med floc, smack-pack, Wyeast
    Dominating, strong fermentation characteristics. Alcohol tolerant to 18% (v/v). Ideal for Zinfandel, pinot Noir, Syrah or any high sugar must. Good choice for restarting stuck fermentations.
  • Merlot Red Wine, 60-90°, 18%, low floc, liquid, White Labs
    Neutral, low fusel alcohol production. Will ferment to dryness. Vigorous fermenter. Well suited for Cabernet, Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon.
  • French Red Wine, 60-90°, 17%, low floc, liquid, White Labs
    Classic Bordeaux yeast for red wine fermentations. Moderate fermentation characteristics. Tolerant of lower fermentation temperatures. Rich, smooth flavor profile,
  • Pasteur Red, 64-86°, 16%, low floc, dry, Red Star
    This yeast is a strong fermenter and produces full-bodied red wines. Particularly well suited for grapes from the Zinfandel and Cabernet families.
  • Assmanhausen, 50-90°, 16%, low floc, liquid, White Labs
    German red wine yeast, which results in spicy fruit aromas. Perfect for Pinot Noir and Zinfandel. Slow to moderate fermenter which is cold tolerant.
  • Cabernet Red Wine, 60-90°, 16%, low floc, liquid, White Labs
    High Temperature tolerence. Moderate fermentation speed. Excellent for full-bodied red wines, ester production complements flavor. Also suitable for Merlot, Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc.
  • Bourgovin RC 212, 59-86°, 14-16%, low floc, dry, Lalvin
    A low-foaming moderate-speed fermenter. It requires high nutrient additions. Very low producer of hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and sulphur dioxide (SO2), it's recommended for red varieties where full extraction is desired. Lighter red varieties also benefit from the improved extraction while color stability is maintained throughout fermentation and aging. Aromas of ripe berry and fruit are emphasized while respecting pepper and spicy notes.
  • Pasteur Champagne, 59-86°, 13-15%, med-low floc, dry, Red Star
    Neutral flavor profile, recommended for dry wines. Despite the name, this yeast should not be used in sparkling wines (use Premier Cuvee).
  • Chateau Red, 55-90°, 14%, med floc, smack-pack, Wyeast
    Ideal for red or white wines, which mature rapidly with Beaujolais type fruitiness, and for bigger reds requiring aging. Low foaming, low sulfur production over a broad temperature range. Cabernet, Red varietals, Gamay Beaujolais, Zinfandel, Rhone, Burgundy and Pinot Noir.
  • Bordeaux, 55-90°, 14%, med floc, smack-pack, Wyeast
    Produces distinctive intense berry graham cracker nose, jammy, rich, very smooth complex profile, slightly vinuous. Well suited for higher sugar content musts. French Cabernet, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Petite Syrah, Rioja, and Valdepenas.
  • Chianti, 55-75°, 14%, med floc, smack-pack, Wyeast
    Rich, very big, bold, well rounded profile. Nice soft fruit character with dry crisp finish. Excellent choice for most Italian grape varieties. Barolo, Barbera, Barbaresco, Nebbiolo, Chianti, Valpolicella, Sangiovese.
  • Assmannhausen, 60-90°, 12-14%, med floc, smack-pack, Wyeast
    Red wine yeast from Germany with intense fruity characteristics. Ferments slower than most red wine strains. Enhances vinifera character in French American hybrids. Cold tolerant. Red German Wine, Riesling, Red varietals, Merlot, Red French American hybrids, Beaujolais.
  • Montrachet, 59-86°, 13%, low floc, dry, Red Star
    Versatile all purpose wine yeast with complex flavors and aromas. Ferments strongly. Well suited to Chardonnays and other dry, full bodied wines.

Other

  • Eau de Vie (Water of Life), 65-80°, 21%, low floc, smack-pack, Wyeast
    A very good choice for alcohol tolerance and stuck fermentations. Produces a very clean dry profile, low ester and other volatile aromatics. 21% alcohol tolerance. Cordials, Grappa, Barley Wine, Eau de Vie and Single Malts.
  • Sake #9, 60-75°, 16%, low floc, smack-pack, Wyeast
    Sake yeast #9 used in conjunction with Koji for making a wide variety of Asian rice based beverages. Full bodied profile with true Sake character. Sake, Nigori, Dai Gingo, Fruit, Plum Wine and Rice Beer.
  • Port Wine, 60-90°, 14%, med floc, smack-pack, Wyeast
    Mild toast and vanilla nose. Mild fruit profile with balanced depth and complexity. Very dry finish. Dry red and white wines, add brandy for classic ports. Used for big red wines and high sugar musts.
  • English Cider, 68-75°, 14%, med floc, liquid, White Labs
    Ferments dry but retains flavor from apples.
  • Cider, 60-75°, 12%, low floc, smack-pack, Wyeast
    Crisp dry fermenting yeast with big, fruity finish. Creates a nice balance for all types of apples, pears and other fruit or fermentables. Allows fruit character to dominate the profile.
  • Malo-Lactic Wine Culture, liquid, Wyeast
    Fresh liquid cultures of Leuc. Oenos ER1A and EY2D provided rapid and complete malic acid to lactic acid reproduction to balance and soften wines. This malo-lactic culture is suitable of a pH 2.9 or greater and cellar temperatures as low as 55 degrees.

 
How much honey (in a five gallon batch)?

The following table shows how much alcohol various amounts of honey can produce in a five gallon batch. It allows the mead maker to create a recipe based on dry vs. sweet preferences and the alcohol tolerances of commerical yeast strains.

My own experience suggests that careful feeding with nutrients allows virtually all commercial wine yeasts to go a couple points higher than the manufacturer advertises.

Approximate Alcohol Potential
(if the yeast could handle anything)

12 lbs honey (SG 1.085) = 10%
13 lbs honey (SG 1.092) = 11%
14 lbs honey (SG 1.099) = 12%
15 lbs honey (SG 1.106) = 13%
16 lbs honey (SG 1.113) = 14%
17 lbs honey (SG 1.120) = 15%
18 lbs honey (SG 1.127) = 16%
19 lbs honey (SG 1.134) = 17%
20 lbs honey (SG 1.141) = 18% 		Using a 14ish% alcohol tolerance yeast
(and using a timed nutrient addition)

less than 14 lbs honey = (Very Dry)
14 – 17 lbs = (Dry to Semi-Dry)
17 – 20 lbs = (Semi-Dry to Semi-Sweet)
more than 20 lbs = (Semi-Sweet to Sweet)

Yeast Nutrients

Honey is not a great food for yeast. It lacks nutrients. And without a more complete (nutrient wise) diet the yeast tend to be slower (thus extending fermentation, often by months or years), weaker (sometimes quiting well before advertised attenuation is reached), and more stressed (creating off-flavors).

Timed (or staggered) nutrient addition during the first half of the fermentation phase is THE BEST WAY to assure a complete and quick fermation. Take a look at the recipe example below for a suggestion of when and how much nutrients to add.

Note that adding nutrients at pitch, day 2 (when active fermentation occurs) and about day 5 (half-way point) as the example shows is just one method. This staggered nutrient approach is outlined here: Hightest's SNA Method

Semi-sweet show mead example recipes

3 gallon batch

11-13 pounds honey (SG 1.130)
enough water for 3-1/4 gallons
1 tsp Superfood® or Fermaid-K®
1 tsp DAP
Lalvin D-47 or Lalvin 71B-1122 (14% attenuation)
 5 gallon batch

18-21 pounds honey (SG 1.130)
enough water for 5-1/4 gallons
2 tsp Superfood® or Fermaid-K®
2 tsp DAP
Lalvin D-47 or Lalvin 71B-1122 (14% attenuation)
Mix everything except yeast extremely well. Rehydrate the yeast (if it's a dry yeast) according to the package, and pitch. Mix everything extremely well again. Really aerate the heck out of it.

Approximate time frames and nutrient additions...
  • 2 days after pitching: Add 1 tsp DAP (1/2 tsp if 3 gallons), and 1 tsp Superfood® or Fermaid-K® (1/2 tsp if 3 gallons). Mix well.
  • 5 days after pitching: Taste. Add 1-2 cup(s) honey if too dry. Add 1/2 tsp DAP (1/4 tsp if 3 gallons), and 1/2 tsp Superfood® or Fermaid-K® (1/4 tsp if 3 gallons). Mix well.
  • 1 month: Taste and rack. Add 1-2 cup(s) honey if too dry.
  • 4 months: Taste and rack. Add 1-2 cup(s) honey if too dry. From here on out, rack every 6-12 months.
  • 10 months - 5 years: If the taste is where you like it, and the mead is clear, and you haven’t seen any activity then bottle.

Notes

It pays to take good notes (with dates!). I can guarantee that recreating your masterpiece will be virtually impossible without them.

Gravity and/or Brix

I've made lots of mead using simple ratios (the weight of the honey and the volume of the liquid), and I think this is a fine way to start. But eventually mead makers should probably join the ranks of modern vintners by using gravity and/or brix readings to: The tools to measure gravity and/or brix are described elsewhere on the 'net. I will leave their investigation as an exercise to you. As an adjunct, there are good/useful spreadsheets which correlate amounts of honey, water, sugar, fruit juices and even malt (for braggots) with the probable gravity and/or brix readings. One such spreadsheet (thanks to Hightest) is available here: Honey.xls

Racking

You may want to transfer the mead to a secondary carboy, and leave behind some of the tired old yeasts. It used to be thought that old yeast lend "off-tastes" if kept around for months and months, but more current literature is suggesting this just isn't a huge problem with mead.

In any case, I would rack a couple times just before bottling (unless you're using a filter) to make sure your bottles don't have a big glop of yeast in the botton (very gauche).

When you rack, taste your mead. If it’s too dry you can always add some more honey – BUT REMEMBER – add more honey (or any ingredient) VERY SLOWLY or you may get a foam explosion due to off-gassing and pH differences.

Racking is also a good time to add fruits, juices, spices and/or oak chips.

How long?

In about a week you’ll have more than enough alcohol to get ripped, but it won’t win any prizes.

If you made a dry mead then you may be able to bottle in four months or so. However, if your mead is not dry then bottling early is not a good idea. Yeast can become obstinate little critters and just go to sleep, only to wake up inside your airtight bottle where they’ll start fermenting and creating carbon dioxide…

This is what’s known as a bottle bomb

So I’d suggest allowing your sweet mead to age for AT LEAST six months past ANY airlock bubbling and several rackings before you bottle. Practically speaking, this means that a sweet mead is AT LEAST a year long project before bottling, and can be much more.

Remember. You are creating the drink of the Gods. There are no shortcuts.

Be knowledgable. Be clean. Be patient.

Melomel (fruit mead) and Metheglin (spiced mead)

Mead is both super simple and utterly complex. One of the ways to increase meads complexity is to add fruits, fruit juices, and/or spices. Your mead is only limited by your imagination. How about a cherry-vanilla? Or maybe a peach-ginger? Or a lemon-saffron?

You might consider picking and juicing your own whole fruit, but beware that it can take quite a lot. For instance, in a 5 gallon batch you might use the following (added during secondary) to impart a "medium" amount of flavor...

apple cider = 4 gals (primary)
blueberries = 10 lbs
cherries = 8 lbs 		currants = 8 lbs
melons = 7 lbs
peaches = 8 lbs 		pears = 10 lbs
plums = 9 lbs
raspberries = 7 lbs
strawberries= 12 lbs

Here are three brands of vintner quality juices (no sugars, no perservatives)...
Alexander's Grape Concentrates
(46 oz) $16-$21 		Vintner's Harvest Fruit Bases
(96 oz) $25-$46 		Oregon Fruit Purees
(49 oz) $15-$18
Chablis
Chardonnay
Emerald Riesling
Gewurztraminer
Muscat
Burgundy
Cabernet Sauvignon
Gamay Beaujolais
Merlot
Pinot Noir
Zinfandel Blush
Zinfandel 		Apple
Apricot
Blackberry
Blueberry
Boysenberry
Cherry
Cranberry
Elderberry
Gooseberry
Loganberry
Marionberry
Peach
Plum
Raspberry
Strawberry 		Apricot
Blackberry
Blueberry
Cherry
Peach
Raspberry

One of the major questions is, "When should these other ingredients be added?" The answer is a bit convoluted but here are some rules of thumb:
Spices traditionally associated with mead include: allspice, chili pepers (capsicum), cinnamon, cloves, ginger, mace, mahleb, pepper, saffron, turmeric, anise, bergamot, cardamom, camomile, coriander, fennel, fenugreek, grains of paradise, hops, juniper berries, lavender, lemon balm, lemon grass, mint, poppy seed, rose, vanilla and lemon verbena to name just a few.

Sulfites

Added as sodium metabisulfite, both antiseptic and antioxidant, SO2 is the work-horse of winemakers. Some meaders use it from the very beginning (to avoid heating honey) and then again at each racking. Some only add at bottling time to ensure the stability of mead during aging.

Between 1/10 and 1/4 tsp (for a 5 gallon batch) at the beginning and at each racking is probably enough to ward against infection.

Many mead makers have consciously decided to eliminate sulfites from their meads (especially show meads). I say "more power to them". However, I'm not going to look down my nose at meaders who do use sulfite. The tradition just plain works, and if you enjoy modern wine you've definitely consumed small amounts of sulfites.

pH

During the lag and aerobic phases of mead fermentation, the yeast gathers the nutrients it needs from the mineral compounds and amino acids present in the honey. Once they've been absorbed by the yeast, the pH can drop (become more acidic) to levels that inhibit fermentation (below 3.0), especially if the must is an acidic melomel. Under these conditions the mead fermentation can drag on for months or even years.

The solution is to add a base such as calcium carbonate or potassium carbonate to raise the pH to between 3.7 and 4.6. Do so very carefully, a small amount at a time, with a couple weeks between additions to determine if the yeast are happier. Electronic pH testers can be had for less than $100, or if your mead is plain you can use simple paper test strips (dark melomels make this impossible).

Oak

I like oak. It adds complexity and depth. You can buy French roasted chips or pellets or staves, or you can pop for a real oak barrel. If you buy chips or pellets I would suggest rinsing and then steaming them in a collander before dumping them into your mead (several months into fermentation). You can leave them in as long as you like, just taste it every once in a while to see how it's progressing.

Oak’s only drawback is that it adds time before you can bottle. C’est la vie.

Balance

You may wish to adjust the “balance” of the finished mead. Sugars, acids and tannins create the corners of a sort of taste-triangle. When in balance, each element enhances the overall product.

Commercial acid-blend (which is more stable than lemon juice) can be added for some acidic bite. And strong black tea or commercial grape skin tannin can be added for that complex/furry mouth-feel.

Other "mouth-feel" additives include glycerin and lactose for body and substance.

Clarity

Your mead will (probably) eventually clarify on its own, but it can take while, especially if you’ve used fruits with lots of pectin. There are shortcuts. Several clarifying chemicals and preparations exist such as Bentonite, Gelatin, Isinglass, Sparkolloid and Super Kleer. You can also buy or rent an electric filter.

Some meaders are using Bentonite right from the start, and they're getting very good results. They'll mix in 1gm (about 1/4 teaspoon) per gallon just before pitching the yeast.

Sorbic acid (sorbate)

Sorbate is a non-toxic non-saturated fatty acid. It prevents yeasts from multiplying and from refermenting sugar but does not kill them. It is used to prevent the fermentation from restarting in sweet meads once fermentation seems to have stopped AND the mead is clear.

For amounts and directions, read the instructions that come with the potassium sorbate from your favorite brewing store.

Malo-lactic bacterial fermentation

Malolactic fermentation usually occurs shortly after the end of the primary fermentation. It is undertaken by a family of lactic acid bacteria which convert one of the two major acids found in wine/mead called malic acid, to another type of acid, lactic acid. Lactic acid tastes markedly less sour than malic acid. In addition lactic acid has a mouthfeel "softness" about it in comparison to the oft described "hard" and "metallic edged" malic acid.

Typically, malolactic fermentation is artifically started only on red wines destined for aging, selected white wines such as Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, and some ciders. Wines such as Gewurztraminer, Ehrenfelser, Riesling and other wines noted for their aromatic characteristics should not undergo malolactic fermentation, as they depend upon the malic acid to enhance their flavour components. They are also typically higher in acid than wines destined for table use as they also usually have residual sugar that offsets the higher acid.

If you'd like to start a malo-lactic fermentation, you may simply pitch a bacterial commercial culture (from White Labs) much like pitching yeast. This is done after fermentation and after the mead has cleared.

Sanitation

There are two solutions to avoid a bacterial invasion: having no bacteria in the first place or killing them when they show up. Or both.

So it is necessary to take great care of the cleanliness of the material to be used. Do not touch sensitive parts of the material (bottom of rubber stopper, inside of carboy and bottle necks, etc.) with fingers. Keep contact with air to a minimum to prevent bacteria from entering.

Conditions hostile to bacteria must be maintained: These conditions are unfavorable for yeasts as well but yeasts have been selected if not trained to withstand them. Wine yeasts can tolerate an alcohol content around 15 % (30 proof) but -- most -- bacteria cannot live when there is more than 2-4 % alcohol. Beer (8-10 proof) keeps for a few months, wine (25 proof) for years and brandies (80+ proof) forever. A vigorous fermentation produces alcohol quickly and within a few days the must becomes inhospitable for bacteria.

Cleaning

You can find these preparations at your local brew shop.

Five Star PBW® (Powdered Brewery Wash) is a patented alkali cleaner originally developed for Coors. PBW is designed to act as a soak or manual cleaner and I use it a lot.

Simply let dirty items soak overnight in PBW solution. After rinsing the next morning they will be shiny and clean. Never Scrub Again! PBW can effectively clean items that can't be reached with a brush or sponge, and is strong enough to remove impossibly thick, difficult soils.

One Step® is an environmentally sound no-rinse cleanser. Other powdered cleansers typically require rinsing due to their alkaline nature. One Step uses active oxygen to do its work. Simply add 1 tablespoon One Step per gallon of cold or warm water and dissolve. Rinse or soak equipment and bottles with the One Step solution, and use. For best results, insure that you have a 30 second contact time with the One Step solution.

Iodophor is another good sanitizing agent once the surfaces are cleaned that requires very small amounts (check the package) and doesn't have a lasting smell.

Bleach (1 tablespoon per gallon) also works very well as a sanitizer once the surfaces are cleaned, the difficulty is rinsing the smell of chlorine away.

Bottling Choices Utah Honey Sources
Cox Honeyland
1780 S Highway 89 - 91
Logan, UT 84651
(800) 877-1489
visit Cox Honeyland website.

Herb's Honey
1526 S 2500 S
Vernal, UT 84078
(435) 789-5712

Miller's Honey Company
3000 S West Temple
Box 65807
Salt Lake City, UT
(801) 486-8479
fax: (801) 486-8494
visit Cox Honeyland website.

Perry Farms
1162 N Main
Farmington, UT 84025
(801) 451-0931 		Dutson Honey Company
4521 S 4000 W
Delta, UT 84624
(435) 864-3158

Jones Bee Company
2586 W 500 S
Salt Lake City, UT 84104
(801) 973-8281

Monastery of the Holy Trinity
1250 S 9500 E
Huntsville, UT
(801) 745-3784

Phelps Honey Farm
329 E 1050 N
Bountiful, UT 84010-4513
(801) 292-0456

Wild Attitude
PO Box 743
Pleasant Grove, Utah 84062
(435) 789-5712
visit Wild Attitude website.
Utah Orchards
Alan Riley Orchards
450 Apple Lane
Payson, UT 84651
(801) 465-9411

McMullin Orchards
5625 W 12000 S
Payson, UT
(801) 465-4819
(801) 465-4015

Riley Orchards
1100 S Main
Payson, UT
(801) 465-9364

Springdale Fruit Company
PO Box 308
2491 Zion Park Road
Springdale, UT 84767
(435) 772-3822
Open: March 15 - November 15, 8:00am - 5:00pm
Directions: 3 Miles South of Zion National Park on Highway 9
Apples: Organic Fuji and Gala
Other Fruit: Organic Elegant Lady Peaches, Organic Summer Lady Peaches, Organic O'Henry Peaches, Organic Fairtime Peaches

West Hills Orchard
12126 S Redwood Road
Elberta, UT
(801) 321-4600
(801) 667-3579 		Ercanbrack Fruit Ranch
2070 S Main
Orem, UT
(801) 225-3459

Mountainland Apples
PO Box 667
Santaquin, UT
(801) 754-5601
(801) 754-3301

South Ridge Farms
720 West 900 South
Santaquin, UT 84655
(801) 754-5511
(888)-754-5511
fax: (801) 754-5451
visit Southridge Farms website. Most of the acreage at South Ridge Farms is planted into red tart cherries, we also raise several varieties of apples, and pears and berries. For the harvest time at our farm market we grow several acres of pumpkins, squash, gourds, and corn.

Three Mile Creek Orchard
345 S 300 E
Hyrum, UT
(435) 245-5845
References

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