STEP BY STEP BEGINNER'S GUIDE

 

This will walk you through the steps in making a traditional mead.

Use the suggested honey addition listed above to reach your desired sweetness level.

 

 

CLEAN & SANITIZE

Cleaning and sanitizing all of your equipment (bucket, spoon, hydrometer, thermometer, measuring cups, etc) is the first step you always want to take. Basically, anything that your mead or even yeast will come in contact with should be free of contaminates. Some commonly used products in the homebrew scene are PBW (cleaning) and Star-San (sanitizer).

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REHYDRATE YOUR YEAST

If you are using dry yeast as most mead makers do, this is an extremely important step that will dictate the success of your mead. In short, rehydrate your dry yeast in the right amount of 104F water along with the proper amount of Go-Ferm. A very detailed overview of this process can be found on our Yeast Handling page. 

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DILUTE YOUR HONEY

Common practice is to add in your measured amount of honey first, and then top off with water until you reach your starting batch size. Best thing to use for this is a bucket with graduated gallon markings! Tip: Don't be afraid to add in a little warmer or hot water first, just to help you get that honey diluted a little easier.

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PITCH YOUR YEAST

Always make it point to avoid adding your yeast before it is at least within 18F in temperature of your must (honey & water mix). Adding it in at any greater of a temperature difference can risk killing off your yeast due to temperature shock. Again, our Yeast Handling page provides a good technique for prepping your yeast before pitching.

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TEMP CONTROL

Keeping fermentation temperature within your yeast strain's preferred temperature range is always a good idea. Keeping your fermentation vessel in a cool place in your home, like a cold basement floor, is usually a decent alternative if you do not have a method of precise temp control. In warmer regions or seasons where there isn't exactly a "cool spot", stick to using yeast strains that do well in slightly warmer conditions. A catalogue of commonly used yeast strains can found here for your perusal. 

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NUTRIENT ADDITIONS

This is what makes the difference between a mediocre mead that might take a year or more of aging, and a spectacular mead that can be ready to drink within 1-3 months. It will also mitigate risk of developing any off-flavors or fusel alcohol production. In short, we recommend using the TOSNA method for nutrient additions. Follow the instructions on our TOSNA Calculator for how much of what to add. A lot more detailed information on this can be found on the Nutrient Additions page.

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RACK OFF YEAST

Transferring your mead off of the sediment at the bottom of your fermentor once fermentation is complete is a recommended step. While there are some yeast strains that can offer benefits to prolonged sur lie aging, leaving your mead on others will result in unwanted off-flavors.

 

CLARIFICATION

Some mead makers like to allow time to clarify their mead. Others who are not so patient use clarification agents. Some of the more commonly used and effective clarification agents are Super-Kleer, Bentonite and Sparkaloid. 

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* Links for products mentioned above are simply for quick reference. Always support your local homebrew supply shop!

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