Learn How to Brew Mead From Honey
 Mead
is made by fermenting honey, and is one of the oldest known alcoholic beverages,
dating back thousands of years. The ease of production and the availability of ingredients made it a popular choice among nobles and peasants alike. Honey
is combined with water and yeast along with other additives or flavors to produce
traditional mead, or any one of a number of variants like cyser (mead with apples),
pyment (mead with grapes), or Metheglin (mead with herbs
and spices). A personal
favorite of mine is mead spiced with raisins and cinnamon sticks, it is delicious
chilled or warm.
If you are ready to brew your first batch of mead, you can get started more easily
than you might think. With a few items
around the house and less than $10
worth of supplies from
the grocery store, you will be ready to get started.
Here is what you will need:
1 gallon spring water in a plastic jug
2-3 pounds unprocessed honey
1 packet bread yeast
1 new balloon
Start the yeast per the instructions on the packet, typically, you will add the
packet of yeast to ¼ cup warm water. If the yeast begins to foam within 30
minutes it has activated and is ready to go to work for you. Heat 1/2gallon
of water in a large pan and pour the other half gallon into another storage container
for use later. Once the heated water starts boiling, remove it from
heat and
pour in your honey. If you prefer dry wine, add
2 lbs honey or if you prefer sweet wine add 3 pounds honey. Mix thoroughly and add additional spring water to the pan to help bring the temperature down to
90f or less. Once the liquid has cooled, pour it into the original jug and
continue adding water until it is a few inches from the neck. Shake the jug for
5 minutes to aerate the mixture, then add the yeast. Poke a hole in the balloon
and use it to cover the opening in the jug. This will keep oxygen out, but
allow CO2 to escape. Store the jug in a cool dark place for 1 month.
After the first month has passed, the mead can be transferred to wine bottles for
additional aging. This process won’t deliver the greatest quality of mead, but it
will introduce you to the process and give you
an idea of the unique taste of mead.
If you decide to pursue brewing further, $50 in equipment will put you well on your
way to brewing high quality mead.
If you would like to
learn more about brewing mead or find great mead recipes, visit
www.makemead.net
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