MODERN
MEAD MAKING MADE EASY
Pat & Isobel McErlean
It is said that the making of mead is difficult and it should only be attempted by the most
experienced members of the wine maker’s guild. It is also put about that it takes many
years for mead to clear and mature.
This is no longer the case, modern methods have taken over and the making of good quality
mead that can be easily altered to the personal taste is now a reality.
The making of mead is not difficult and can be achieved by the novice wine maker quite
easily. This is an easy to follow recipe that does not require any fancy measuring or great
wine making skills
This recipe will produce 1 gallon of sweet mead from 4lb of honey.
BREWING
Equipment required
1 x 1gallon demijohn
Fermentation lock and bung
Funnel
Teaspoon
Siphon tube
Ingredients
3lb honey (Safeway Asda Tesco brands) [For real quality use local honey]
1 teaspoon Tartaric acid
2 teaspoons malic acid
Half a teaspoon Tannin
1/ Take all the above ingredients and pour them into the demijohn using the funnel.
2/ Add lukewarm water until the demijohn is about two thirds full.
3/ Now shake the demijohn vigorously to dissolve all the ingredients.
This must be done several times over a period of about an hour in order too dissolve all the ingredients
4/ Now leave the demijohn to cool to just above room temperature as to high a temperature will kill the yeast.
YEAST AND NUTRIENTS
Ingredients
1 B1 tablet
2 teaspoons yeast nutrient
I sachet of yeast (
1/ Crush the B1 tablet and add to the demijohn with yeast and yeast nutrient and shake until dissolved.
2/ fit air lock half filled with water
3/ store at room temperature for 3 to 4 days and then top the demijohn up with cold water to about an
inch from the bottom of the neck.
4/ place back in storage until fermentation is nearly stopped (takes over a minute for a bubble to pass
through the air lock. This can take 1 to 2 months.
FEEDING
Ingredients
Honey
The feeding of mead gives it its strength and taste and there are many different methods of doing this.
The method I use here suits my taste and that of most of my friends and at the end of the day I produce
mead and its derivatives to drink and enjoy
1/ empty about 1˝pints of the liquid from the demijohn into a jug
2/ add about ˝lb honey into the demijohn and shake vigorously on a number of occasions, until all the honey is dissolved
3/ top up demijohn using liquid that you removed from the demijohn in step 1
4/ refit air lock and place back in storage until fermentation nearly stops (month or so)
5/ repeat above process for a second feed
I feed my mead twice with ˝lb of honey each time, but there are many other connotations that are
used in order to alter the sweetness and strength, you just have to experiment.
Some people even miss the feeding out altogether and produce light mead in a very short time.
STOPPING FERMENTATION
When you are satisfied that the mead has stopped fermenting you must kill off any remaining yeast before clearing and bottling.
Ingredients
I
1 teaspoon potassium sorbate or other fermentation stopper
1/ crush
2/ add teaspoon potassium sorbate or other fermentation stopper and shake well.
3/ refit air lock
4/ leave for at least 48Hrs before continuing
CLEARING
This is probably where the biggest steps forwards in the making of meads and country wines have taken
place in recent years. At one time it could take over a year to clear some of the heavier country wine and
meads, now it can be done in less than 2 weeks.
Ingredients
Use a product with the trade name ( Kwik Clear)
This is a 2 part kit
Use the bottle cap as a measure
1/ shake bottle (A) and add 1 cap full to the demijohn and shake vigorously
2/ after a ˝Hr, shake bottle (B) and add 1 cap full to the demijohn and shake vigorously
3/ refit air lock
4/ leave to clear
5/ once mead has cleared and sediment has settled to the bottom of the demijohn, siphon clear mead
into clean demijohn, fit bung, and store for as long as you like. Mead can be drunk at this stage but a
little time does help and a good sleep should have a good awakening.
FAILURES
Mead is very forgiving when it comes to problems and I have made some whopping mistakes and got away with it,
so don’t panic when things are not just right.
Sometimes mead won’t stop fermenting or will not clear. In this case, as in most, I only had to repeat the last process.
Keep notes, all the information on what has been done to a demijohn can be recorded on the side of the demijohn with
a good black marker pen.
If you get really stuck phone the local home brew shop and they will probably have the answer.
CONTACTS AND
Contact and local supplier
14
EH7 5NW
Tel 0131 477 2543
Shop opens about 10am and closes about 5pm but is sometimes open to all hours as the home brew
fraternity use it as a meeting point and there is usually a wee bevy on the go.
(You usually get offered a sherbet or two when visiting this venue.)
Shop is closed on Sundays & Wednesdays
Making Mead
Bryan Acton & Peter Duncan
This is a 60 page booklet which covers all aspects of mead making. There is a lot of good stuff and food for
the inquisitive mind in its pages. Should keep you out of mischief for a while.