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MEADMAKING

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MODERN MEADMAKING
BY BRAD SMITH

M
ead, which is a fermented
beverage made from honey,
is arguably one of the oldest
alcoholic beverages. Vessels
found in China dating back to 7000 BC
have organic compounds consistent
with fermented honey and rice. Mead
was the revered “nectar of the gods”
in ancient Greece and the “drink of
kings” throughout history, though
it has faded to obscurity in modern
times.
For homebrewers, mead is a great
addition to complement your other
fermented offerings. Many of your
guests may have never tasted a good
quality mead or melomel (fruit mead),
but almost everyone enjoys this sweet
beverage. Using some modern meth-
ods, mead is also relatively easy and
quick to make, and you can use equip-
ment you already have on hand for
homebrewing.

Photo courtesy of National Honey Board

MODERN MEADMAKING
TECHNIQUES
When I started homebrewing back in
1987, the fermentation of mead was
a very slow process, taking 12 to 18
months for a mead to fully ferment
and age. Honey has antibacterial
properties and is poor in nutrients,
particularly nitrogen, resulting in a
very slow fermentation. rietal itself. the beehives. There are at least 40
Over the last 10-15 years, however, The variety of honey and strength widely available honey varieties, and
meadmakers have made significant you use will largely determine the your local area or country may have
advancements in speeding the fer- flavor of the finished mead. Honey additional variants.
mentation and aging process through varieties are determined by the blos- In the US, a lot of honey produc-
a combination of techniques and uti- soms the bees feed and pollinate. For tion is still done by small, indepen-
lizing yeast nutrients. It is now pos- example, I enjoy the flavor of orange dent beekeepers. The National Honey
sible to complete a primary fermen- blossom honey with fruit meads. Or- Board runs a honey locator at http://
tation in two weeks or less, even for a ange blossom honey is made from [Link]/honey-locator that can
high-gravity mead. Some low-gravity bees that pollinate orange trees, and help you find local honey in your area.
meads can be enjoyed in as little as a this variety also makes a nice show In addition, many commercial ven-
month, and even high-gravity meads mead. Another honey varietal I en- dors sell honey in bulk; 60-lb. (27-kg)
can be cleared and aged within three joy is Tupelo, which is made by bees pails typically offer the best price and
months, though many will continue that pollinate white (Ogeche) Tupelo volume for a serious meadmaker.
to improve with age for years to come. trees in the swamps of the South- Once you have found a source
eastern US for two weeks every for your honey, the next decision to
CREATING A MEAD RECIPE spring. Other varieties such as clover make is how sweet you want to make
For the first time meadmaker, I rec- or wildflower can have more varia- your mead. The basic guidelines for
ommend making a straight honey tion in flavor depending on where straight mead is based on the final
mead, also called a show mead, as it specifically the honey is harvested gravity, which is mainly a function
highlights the flavor of the honey va- and the mix of flowers found near of the original gravity and the alco-

1 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
hol tolerance of the yeast used. Dry set residual sweetness in the honey. articles recommend heating your
mead is generally below 1.010 finish- Variants like loganberry, elderberry, honey and fruit (if making a fruit
ing gravity (FG), semi-sweet runs up and boysenberry also work well. Un- mead), or heating the must. Today,
to about 1.020 FG, and sweet can run fortunately, many sweet and stone the vast majority of meadmakers mix
into the 1.030s, though very sweet fruits like peaches, strawberries, the honey and water at room temper-
“sack” meads may be as sweet as plums, etc... tend to ferment away ature before pitching yeast.
1.040. leaving very little fruit flavor in the I recommend using a large plas-
finished mead. tic fermenting bucket for primary
RESIDUAL SWEETNESS fermentation, just as you would for
One critical point to understand when FRUIT MEADS (MELOMELS) homebrewing. You will need to de-
making any mead is the fermentabil- AND ADDING SPICES gas the mead twice a day during the
ity of honey and the concept of resid- In order of preference, I always try to early stages of fermentation, and
ual sweetness. Honey is composed of work with fresh, ripe, whole fruits first this is much easier in a bucket than
a variety of simple and complex sugar as they provide the biggest, freshest a carboy.
chains and will ferment to a dry fin- flavor impact. Fruit juices, particu- For melomels with fruits like
ish much like grapes ferment into dry larly pure fruit with no preservatives blackberries, raspberries, or currants,
wine. The implications of this is that, can also work very well. I generally it is often best to freeze the fruit first,
in general, yeast will continue to fer- stay away from purees only because which will break down the cellular
ment away almost 100% of the sugars they are very difficult to separate walls. I typically wash, dry, and then
in your mead, leaving a very dry bev- from the mead resulting in quite a bit freeze the fruit on a cookie sheet. Af-
erage with a final gravity below 1.000. of loss. I prefer to add all of my fruit in ter the fruit is frozen you can bag it to
The dry mead won’t taste much like the primary. prevent freezer burn if you are not us-
sweet honey, as it has almost no re- As with straight honey meads, fruit ing them immediately. When you’re
maining sugars. meads will generally ferment very dry ready to make your mead, thaw the
If you want a semi-sweet or sweet finishing below 1.000 specific grav- fruit. You will have much less waste
finish to your mead you need to use ity (SG) unless you make the effort to in the fermenter if you bag the fruit in
one of two methods. The first is sim- introduce residual sweetness. I per- a large grain bag before adding it, just
ply starting with an original grav- sonally prefer to make a high-gravity as you would for dry hopping. Bagging
ity high enough to exceed the alcohol mead and ferment it to its alcohol the fruit also makes it very easy to re-
tolerance of the yeast. In this case, tolerance. Keep in mind that many move after a few weeks.
the yeast will ferment until it reaches big “fruit bomb” meads require addi- When mixing the mead to cre-
its alcohol tolerance level and then tional residual sweetness to offset the ate your must, the critical point is to
stop and leave residual sweetness be- acidity and tannins from the fruit and hit your target original gravity. With
cause the yeast itself can’t tolerate may therefore need an even higher software or an online mead calcula-
the high alcohol environment. Wine finishing gravity than sweet meads. tor you can calculate the amount of
yeasts used in mead generally have a Many of my big fruit meads finish in honey and water needed. I generally
high tolerance of 15% ABV or more, so the 1.030s and even 1.040s if using add the bulk of the honey and all the
this means starting with gravity that acidic fruits. water and then slowly add the re-
may be 1.100–1.150 to end up with If you are making a mead with maining honey until I reach my target
meads in the 0.996-1.040 final grav- spices, it is often best to make the gravity. When working with real fruit
ity range. mead and then create an infusion or you can crush a bit of fruit to get juice
The other option you have to make tea from spices and add them to taste and measure the gravity of the fruit
a semi-sweet or sweet mead is back to get the best balance of flavor. juice to get an accurate number be-
sweetening. This method involves For yeast, my go-to mead strain is fore mixing it. Keep in mind when you
adding both sulfites and sorbates to Lalvin 71B Narbonne dry wine yeast, mix fruit in with the mead it will of-
inhibit fermentation after your mead which many commercial meadmakers ten come in a bit below your predicted
is complete and then adding addi- use exclusively for all of their meads. gravity until the fruit dissolves into
tional honey or sweeteners to bring it This yeast performs particularly well the must.
up to your target final gravity. Many in fruit meads in part because it can When measuring high gravity
mead purists avoid this method as the process some malic acids common meads: Always use a hydrometer in-
fresh honey added does not have the in fruit, and also it has a predictable stead of a refractometer to measure
same flavor and finish as residual fer- attenuation of just over 15% which is the gravity. Refractometer equa-
mented honey added in the primary. important for reaching a target final tions used to adjust for fermenting
For large fruit meads, I’ve found gravity and residual sweetness level beer or wine simply do not work well
that fruits high in acidity and tannins critical for these fruit meads. and you will get an inaccurate read-
such as raspberries, blackberries, tart ing. A hydrometer, as long as it has
cherries, red and black currants, and PREPARATION OF a scale high enough for your start-
cranberries work best as they provide INGREDIENTS ing gravity, will work well through-
the acidic/tannic structure to off- Many older meadmaking books and out fermentation.

2 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
YEAST PREPARATION
Because most meads have a very
high starting gravity, yeast prepa-
ration is very important. If you try
pitching dried yeast directly into a
high gravity mead you can shock the
yeast due to an effect called osmotic
shock. The sugar will pass directly
into the cell before the yeast is in a
state to regulate its cell wall resulting
in a strong shock that may even kill
the yeast cell. To prevent this, dried
yeast should be added to warm water
at about 104 °F (40 °C) with Go-Ferm
yeast nutrient at the manufacturer’s
recommended dosing rate of 1.25
grams of Go-Ferm per gram of yeast.

Photo by Aaron Lee

Next, slowly bring the temperature of
the mixture down to the temperature
of your mead must by adding small
quantities of must, making sure you
don’t change the temperature of the
must more than 5-10 degrees °F (5 from an oxygen tank or small weld- If your pH drops too low, you will need
degrees °C) at a time. This gives the ing tank (make sure it is food-grade), an alkaline additive to raise the pH
yeast the nutrients and time needed then direct injection is the best op- back above 3.4. My preferred addi-
to adjust to the high gravity must tion. I use an aeration wand for about tive is potassium bicarbonate, which
before pitching. two minutes with pure oxygen for a comes in a powdered form. Since it is
If you are using liquid yeast, os- typical 5-gallon (19-L) batch of mead. difficult to predict the buffering ca-
motic shock is much less of an issue, White Labs also recommends a sec- pacity of the must, the best approach
but I do recommend using a yeast ond injection of oxygen at the 12-hour is to add a little at a time. I generally
starter as high gravity musts certainly point for high-gravity musts (above mix in 1⁄2- to 1-tsp. increments (into
benefit from a high yeast cell count 1.080 SG). a 5-gallon/19-L batch) and then wait
and active yeast culture. an hour or two for the chemistry to
MONITORING THE settle before measuring and adding
AERATION OF THE MUST pH DURING FERMENTATION more if needed.
Proper aeration of the must when When you prepare the mead must, In the later stages of fermentation
pitching is probably even more criti- the pH should be in roughly the 3.6- the pH will often slowly rise, and at
cal for a mead than a typical beer. 4.2 range. The pH of the must will that point you will not need any ad-
Yeast will very quickly absorb the often drop once fermentation enters ditional additives and can stop moni-
oxygen during the early growth stage, an active phase. If the pH drops be- toring the pH daily.
resulting in a robust fermentation. low 3.4 it can start to affect the speed
There are two methods for aerating of fermentation, and if your pH falls DEGASSING
your wort: Vigorous stirring, and di- below 3.0 it can actually inhibit fer- THE MUST DURING
rect oxygen injection. mentation and also stress your yeast. FERMENTATION
Vigorous stirring is usually done As a result, monitor the pH of the As the mead ferments it builds up a lot
with a wine-whip (degasser) device must with a pH meter once a day dur- of carbon dioxide. Much of the carbon
or paint stirrer driven by an electric ing early fermentation to make sure it dioxide will end up in solution within
drill, which you can find at most well- stays above 3.4. the must as carbonic acid, which can
stocked homebrew and home wine- Monitoring pH is particularly im- actually inhibit fermentation. To pro-
making suppliers. This is the same portant if you are using a large por- mote rapid fermentation, meadmak-
setup you will use over the next week tion of acidic or tannic fruits. Fruits ers now “degas” the must twice a day
or so to degas the must while it is fer- such as black currants and cranberries during active fermentation.
menting. Stir the must at high speed have a pH as low as 2.4 and can signif- To degas the must, I use a simple
with the wine-whip near the surface icantly lower the pH of the must, in- wine whip and electric drill as dis-
to get as much oxygen as possible into hibiting fermentation. Straight honey cussed earlier. Vigorous degassing
the must, and continue for at least meads are less likely to reach very low running a cordless drill at high speed
one or two minutes. pH levels, but I still monitor them just to get all of the CO2 out of solution
If you have access to pure oxygen to be sure. can result in a huge amount of foam

3 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
on the top of bucket, which is why I for hydrating yeast earlier, but the ment to completion within the first
recommend using an oversize 8-10 Fermaid O amount is governed by the two to three weeks. I’ve done a few
gal (30-40 L) bucket, even if you are nitrogen requirements of the yeast, very high-gravity meads that have
making a 5-gallon (19-L) batch. original gravity of the must and batch taken a bit longer, and it is not a bad
There is some controversy over size. The formula for grams of Fer- idea to let the mead sit for a month
whether it is good to add additional maid O is: or so before adding clarifying agents
oxygen by splashing at this point. and sulfites.
Some meadmakers say that the ad- Fermaid O = BS x YR x Brix / 5 When working with fruit and cer-
ditional oxygen will be metabolized tain yeast strains like 71B Narbonne, I
by the yeast to promote fermenta- BS = Batch size in gallons generally try to separate the fruit and
tion. The counterpoint is that fruits, YR = Yeast requirements. This is 0.75 primary yeast from the mead as I get
in particular, are prone to oxidation for low nitrogen, 0.90 for medium, close to completion of primary fer-
so adding free oxygen may not be and 1.25 for high nitrogen strains. mentation. Depending on how much
a good idea after fermentation has sediment accumulates, I may rack it
progressed. While I don’t have the fi- For practical purposes Brix and Pla- again before attempting to clear it.
nal answer, I generally avoid splash- to are the same, so for example a While a bucket works well for active
ing too much when working with big 1.140 SG show mead would be fermentation, I recommend racking
large quantities of fruit and focus on 32.2 Brix/Plato. My go-to yeast, Lal- to a closed glass or plastic carboy with
degassing instead. vin 71B/Narbonne, is a low-nutrient an airlock for aging as many meads
Most sources recommend you con- strain and I generally make 5 gallons are still subject to oxidation.
tinue degassing until about 2⁄3 of (19 L) of mead at a time. So, running The mead will not clear until fer-
the sugar has fermented away. This the numbers I have, the equation is: mentation is 100% complete. My
means that when you get 2⁄3 of the way personal choice for clearing a mead
to your expected final gravity you stop 5 gal. x 0.75 x 32.2 / 5 = 24.1 grams is Super Kleer KC Finings, which is a
degassing, though I will often degas two-part clearing agent consisting
one final time after fermentation is So my total Fermaid O requirement of kieselsol and chitosan. If you have
entirely complete because I prefer would be 24.1 grams, which I would access to refrigeration, you can cold
still meads (no spritz). then divide into four additions of 6 crash your mead, which will certainly
grams each. clear it more quickly.
STAGGERED For big fruit meads, only half the Once I’m certain my mead is 100%
YEAST NUTRIENTS amount of nutrient is often needed fermented, I also add a small quantity
The addition of staggered yeast nu- because the fruit itself may have a (1⁄8 to 1⁄4 tsp.) of potassium metabisul-
trients — small nutrient additions substantial contribution of nutrients. fite (sulfite), which is a preservative.
added during fermentation — liter- For more information on this meth- These sulfites help to stabilize the
ally revolutionized meadmaking over od, Google “TONSA 2 Mead” and you mead and also aid in preventing oxi-
the last 15 years by allowing mead- can find the original source article dation during aging. You can also add
makers to make mead in months in- as well as online calculators to as- potassium sorbate if you plan to back
stead of years. A variety of nutrients sist in determining your of nutrients sweeten your mead with additional
have been used in that time, though addition requirements. honey or sugars.
most provide critical nitrogen needed The other popular nutrient sched- After you’ve added your clar-
to promote a rapid fermentation of ule for mead is called TiNOSA (Tai- ity agents and sulfites, it mainly is
the honey. lored Inorganic Staggered Nutrient a waiting game while the mead ages
The current “state of the art” nu- Additions). It follows a similar sched- and clears. Your mead, which may
trient schedule is called TONSA-2 ule but uses Fermaid K in the place of taste something like rocket fuel im-
(Tailored Organic Staggered Nutri- Fermaid O, as Fermaid K is generally mediately after fermentation, will
ent Addition) and uses Fermaid O, easier to find and less expensive than mellow significantly over time. Most
an organic yeast nutrient, along with Fermaid O. Finally there are several meads I’ve made are quite drinkable
the Go-Ferm addition discussed ear- older nutrient schedules that use ei- within 90 days, though a few with
lier in the section on hydrating yeast. ther Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) very tannic/acidic fruits took a bit
Go-Ferm is added when hydrat- or a combination of DAP and Fermaid longer to age out. I generally keg my
ing the yeast, and then Fermaid O is O. These are still in wide use includ- mead at low pressure without carbon-
added in equal size increments at 24, ing by some commercial meadmakers ation, though you can certainly bottle
48, and 72 hours after pitching, and and you can find details for either us- it, or even carbonate it if desired.
lastly at either one week or when the ing a quick web search.
2
⁄3 sugar break is complete. In my ex- Brad Smith is the author of Beer-
perience, this combination can re- CLEARING AND Smith homebrewing software and
sult in a complete fermentation even FINISHING YOUR MEAD host of the BeerSmith podcast on
for a high gravity mead in as little as If you’ve handled the yeast nutri- iTunes. He has nearly three decades
two weeks. ents and degassing properly to this of experience brewing beer and
I covered the Go-Ferm addition point, your mead should usually fer- mead at home.
4 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
SINGLE-VARIETAL
MEADMAKING BY MICHAEL FAIRBROTHER

I
n its simplest form mead is a fer-
mented beverage made from hon-
ey and water. The key to making
fantastic meads is your honey, so
don’t think of honey as a generic in-
gredient — it’s so much more.
Honey is a complex mixture of
sugars, flavors from the pollen as
well as trace enzymes, minerals, vita-
mins, and amino acids. The majority
of the honey found in grocery stores is
Wildflower honey, which is a blend of
different honeys made with the goal
of producing honey that is consistent
in flavor and color. This type of hon-
ey is not the same as the Wildflower
(or other varietal) honey you can find
from a local beekeeper, which isn’t
likely to be a blend, and will differ
based on time of year harvested, rain-
fall, and the types of flowers the bees
visit. Store-bought honey is fantastic
for making melomel (meads made
with the addition of fruit); however I

Photos by Charles A. Parker/Images Plus

highly recommend using a single va-
rietal honey, which is a type of honey
derived predominantly from the nec-
tar of one flower, for making tradi-
tional meads.

VARIETAL HONEY
Bees are efficient; they fly to the
closest flower sources possible look-
ing for nectar. So when a beekeeper
places a hive in a given field and har-
vests the honey after the bloom, the honeys can be compared to varietal Water is as critical as the honey
result is that flower’s varietal honey. wine in terms of annual climactic selection, using spring water or other
The color, flavor, and even aroma of changes. The same flower bloom- water that is free of chlorine and bac-
a particular variety of honey may dif- ing in the same location may produce teria is essential. If you have very hard
fer depending on the nectar source of slightly different nectar from year- water consider diluting a percentage
flowers visited by the honeybees. The to-year depending upon temperature of your water with distilled or reverse
colors may range from nearly color- and rainfall (bees don’t go out looking osmosis (RO) water.
less to dark brown, the flavor may for nectar when it’s raining). To locate As with brewing, the yeast you
vary from delectably mild to distinc- specific varietals of honey available use will make all the difference to the
tively bold, and even the aroma of the near you, try visiting the National mead you make. I would avoid using
honey may be mildly reminiscent of Honey Board’s Honey Locator web- Champagne yeast as it tends to dry
the flower. site, [Link] out the mead too much. My go-to
There are more than 300 unique yeast strain for mead making is Lalvin
types of honey available in the United MAKING VARIETAL MEAD Narbonne 71B-1122 dry yeast, which I
States alone, each originating from a Other than the honey, the other key use commercially for everything we
different floral source. As a general elements to making a good single- make at Moonlight Meadery in Lon-
rule, the flavor of lighter colored hon- varietal mead (or any mead for that donderry, New Hampshire. As a home
eys is milder, and the flavor of darker matter) are water, nutrients, yeast, mead maker I have also had success
colored honeys is stronger. Varietal and yeast health. with Lalvin ICV D-47 dry yeast. You

5 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
also have many good choices on mead of the must, mix the nutrient blend, tion, the proper nutrients, cleanliness
yeast from White Labs, and Wyeast, then SLOWLY add it back to the fer- and patience, you can make a world-
including White Labs WLP720 (Sweet menter. Once the nutrients are added class mead that will express the nu-
Mead/Wine Yeast) and Wyeast 4184 then begin to slowly stir the must to ances of your honey.
(Sweet Mead) or 4632 (Dry Mead). release the main portion of the CO2
Healthy yeast and temperature gas. After the foaming subsides you VARIETAL HONEY CHOICES
control are essential for running a can begin to stir more vigorously. Mix Some of the honey varietals that I like
clean mead fermentation with less the must well enough to introduce to use for meadmaking include: Tu-
chance of off-flavors or the produc- plenty of oxygen into the fermenting pelo, Orange Blossom, Star Thistle,
tion of higher alcohols (fusels). Hon- must. Cranberry, Almond, Brazilian Pep-
ey does not have the same amount of percorn, and Arizona Pecan Blossom.
yeast assumable nitrogen (YAN) as MEAD METHODOLOGY As with many ingredients, the more
you would find in malt or fruit, which Most of the traditional mead recipes honey you buy the better the price
is important as the yeast needs this that I make, especially when making a break you can negotiate, even on a
to stay viable throughout fermenta- varietal mead, follow this ratio: 1 part small scale. You can expect to pay
tion. When making mead, it is also honey, 3 parts water. Using that ratio, more than $8 per pound for honey. I
essential to add the yeast nutrients it’s easy to scale down or up a batch purchase the majority of the honey
over the course of several days. This as needed. This should get you in the for Moonlight Meadery from Dutch
process can be as simple as taking range of a 1.120 starting gravity (SG). Gold in Pennsylvania and they have
the total amount of nutrients needed In a recent mead experiment I sourced been very helpful to us as we have
for the batch and dividing into four 3 lbs. (1.4 kg) of 60 different types of grown.
parts, adding one portion of nutrients honey, added 1.5 quarts (~1.5 L) of wa- I am not a fan of Buckwheat or
every 24 hours until they are gone. ter, and made several different vari- Pumpkin Blossom honey, and I also
This process is known as “staggered etal meads. An experiment like this can’t say that I am overly thrilled
nutrient additions” and provides the is a good way to put all those 1-gallon with Heather Blossom honey ei-
key nutrients to the yeast cells dur- (3.8-L) growlers you have collected to ther. These varietals of honey tend
ing their growth phase. Think of it as work as mini-fermenters, as single to taste extremely earthy when they
giving the new generations of yeast varietal honey is expensive. It’s also are fermented. I have customers at
what they need when they need it. I a great way to make sample batches the meadery who absolutely adore
also use a slightly different method at of mead with different varietals of that earthiness, but for me it’s a bit
the meadery, which is a little simpler honey to find the ones you like. In my challenging — it’s really up to you as
(and good for making multiple large base recipe on page 22, find the honey a mead maker to decide what you like
batches), where I add the last nutri- you like best and follow the directions and then use it.
ent addition at the 72-hour mark, to make a full 5 gallons (19 L). Here is a list of some of the most
instead of at 30% depletion of sugar. For a “regular” sized batch (5 gal- common honey varietals you may be
As you become a more experienced lons/19 L) of mead, you will need (at able to buy near where you live, and
meadmaker, you can experiment with minimum): A 6-gallon (23-L) food- my thoughts on using them for mead
nutrient additions to find what works grade fermenter with a lid and airlock making:
best for you. (what you use to brew beer is fine), a
I prefer to use Fermaid K (yeast 5-gallon (19-L) secondary fermenter Alfalfa: A white or extra light amber-
energizer) and Go-Ferm (an organic (a glass or PET carboy), 15 lbs. (6.8 kg) colored honey. It has a mild flavor and
yeast nutrient) for adding the addi- of a varietal honey, at I said earlier aroma that is reminiscent of beeswax.
tional nutrient requirements of the about water), yeast nutrients, your It’s OK for meads, but not extremely
yeast during mead fermentation. An chosen yeast, a calibrated hydrom- popular.
alternative to Go-Ferm is diammo- eter setup, a siphon, and of course
nium phosphate (DAP). All of these your cleaning and sanitizing agents Almond: A great candidate for making
nutrients should be available at your of choice. The meadmaking process is into mead. It is light in aroma and its
local homebrew or home winemaking more akin to making wine than beer flavor has a slight nuttiness. Almond
supplier. The choice of what to use is — no boiling – so you can leave your honey is one of our meadery’s most
up to the mead maker; as long as the brewpot to the side for this project. requested single-varietal meads, and
yeast have nitrogen and oxygen they also my mother’s personal favorite.
will continue in the growth phase. VIVA VARIETAL
Once the yeast cells have grown, get The complexity of making single va- Arizona Wild Mountain Pecan Blos-
out of the way and let them do what rietal mead is much like making fine som: This is a deep, dark honey with
they do best — ferment sugar into wine — choose a good honey source lots of malt-like character, which
ethanol. and keep the meadmaking simple to may appeal to homebrewers. It fer-
Tip: When adding yeast nutrients let the honey character shine through. ments into a wonderfully rich mead
to your must (unfermented mead) you Source the best, most interesting that will have the color of a brown ale
want to start off by pulling a 1⁄2 cup honeys and with a clean fermenta- and taste distinctive and delicious.

6 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Avocado: This honey is dark amber in Cranberry: The color of Cranberry a complex floral, herbal note. When
color with notes of caramelized mo- honey is medium to dark amber, with fermented, Tupelo has a spicy finish
lasses. It is a robust flavored honey a slight red tint. Berry notes are also that is very distinctive. Tupelo is ex-
with a little bit of nut character. evident. It has a deep complexity tremely expensive honey that is very
when fermented out, and the berry difficult to come by in large quanti-
Blackberry: A light colored honey notes fade a bit, but it is quite deli- ties, however.
that finishes with a nice floral note. It cious in a mead.
is excellent for making into mead and Michael Fairbrother began making
leaves a hint of the berry note. Orange Blossom: Put this varietal in mead in 1995 and opened Moon-
your “must make mead with” list. light Meadery in Londonderry, New
Basswood: A very light colored honey, Orange Blossom has strong citrus Hampshire in 2010. He helped de-
identified as water white. Basswood is notes that are fantastic in mead. It velop and has taught the meadmak-
fantastic for making meads and has is very light in color and has a cit- ing course at The Honey and Pollina-
an herbal note with a clean finish. rus-like character. I prefer to make tion Center at the Robert Mondavi
Orange Blossom honey into a semi- Institute at-UC Davis and is a past
Blueberry: The aroma of Blueberry sweet mead. President of the American Mead
honey is reminiscent of green leaves Makers Association.
with a light citrus note. The honey has Raspberry: Another very light honey
a moderately fruity flavor that finish- that works great in meads. There are
es with a light buttery note. It is well not as many berry notes in Raspberry
suited for making into mead. as Blackberry honey, but it is light and
it finishes clean with little need for
Buckwheat: A very dark honey, which acidity adjustments.
when raw tastes like a cross between
molasses and malt. When it is fer- Star Thistle: Light to extra light am-
mented out in a mead . . . well that’s ber in color, with the slightest green-
another story; it is (how do I put this) ish cast. It has some anise notes in
very pungent and dominated with aroma and flavor, and it makes for a
earthy notes. I personally find the wonderful mead.
aromas overwhelming in a mead, but
some people like it. Tupelo: Light amber in color, with

7 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
SESSION MEADS
BY JASON PHELPS

T
here is not currently a stan-
dard definition for session
mead; the very use of the term
itself is a matter of some dis-
pute, depending on who you talk to.
However, based on the commercial
meads available in the market bear-
ing this designation there are a couple
of things one can expect from a ses-
sion mead. First, session meads have
an alcohol level that is typically 50%
or less of their stronger siblings —
generally coming in between 6–8.5%

Photos by Charles A. Parker/Images Plus

ABV, making them much lighter in
body and texture than dessert-style
meads.
Secondly, session meads also tend
be quite a bit drier in comparison to
dessert meads, and many are objec-
tively dry, meaning they have no re-
sidual sugar. Session meads are of-
fered in a broad range of flavors, and
with each new release it seems there
is no limit to the ingredients and cre-
ativity being brought to bear, however of session meads that are worth dis- honey. While balance is the goal for
the dryness is a common thread tying cussing. Maybe most conspicuously, well crafted beverages, it is also prac-
them together. the lower amount of alcohol in a ses- tical to expect that a strawberry ses-
The final key aspect of session sion mead changes how one can ap- sion mead will be strawberries first in
meads is that they are packaged as a proach consuming it. This character- the nose with honey providing back-
carbonated beverage. For me person- istic opens up the possibility of casual ground notes.
ally, the carbonation in session meads consumption by the glass and over a Dry, unflavored session meads
is what brings them together and longer period without the downside will follow the flavors of the base
makes them such an appealing bev- of intoxication. honey, which can span quite a range.
erage. The lower alcohol, drier finish, The overall lighter profile, dry- A recent batch I made was from a base
and range of flavors are wrapped up ness, and carbonation of session of clover and mesquite honeys, which
nicely with the crisp, prickly texture meads can also make them even more made it grassy, minty, and slightly
of CO2 bubbles. food-friendly than other styles of fruity. When it was fermented dry it
Another term that readers may see mead, another great motivation for was mostly grassy, almost grain-like,
used to describe what I have defined making your own session mead or with hints of mint and fruit. I’ve also
as a session mead is hydromel. This seeking out commercial versions. found that wildflower honeys make a
term is most often used in competi- great start for session meads. After
tion settings, or by those who have SENSORY ANALYSIS OF fermentation, these meads typically
mead judging experience. Specifi- SESSION MEADS end up with subtle notes of flow-
cally, hydromel is used to categorize The aromas of traditional (unfla- ers and fruit, but can be quite bland.
meads that are less than 7.5% ABV vored) session meads will be subtle in Additions of fruits and/or spices will
from those that are stronger. comparison to dessert meads, but de- then bring everything together.
Now that we have a working defi- spite that, it would not be unexpect- Session meads are typically light
nition of session mead, let’s consider ed that you might describe a session in body, but unless they are very low
why we would make one. Of course mead as floral, fruity, herbal, earthy, ABV (<5%) they shouldn’t taste out-
we don’t really need a reason to make or in other terms similar to ones used right watery. Until a session mead
a session mead any more than we for the base honey itself. Once you is carbonated the light body is really
need a reason to make mead in the add flavors it should be assumed that obvious and can underwhelm. The
first place, but there are some genu- the additions will be obvious and may addition of carbonation brightens up
ine motivations for the production in fact be more perceptible than the the aromas and flavors and adds a

8 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
fanciful texture. zation. I have employed this process is favorably viewed as a yeast that will
several times, but not enough to truly soften the profile, reducing the time
INGREDIENTS be able to suggest how to decide when required for aging.
Ingredient selection for session it would be best used. I have observed
meads is not fundamentally different that meads with primary additions SAFALE US-05 is an ale yeast, but it also
than that for any other mead, but the like tea, hibiscus, and other spices works very well on mead fermenta-
volume of honey and fruits used will might work better this way. tions. US-05 will ferment well, but
be significantly less than for dessert Like any other style of mead, the slowly, below 60 °F (16 °C), but I’ve
meads, which does pose a couple po- addition of fruits and/or spices is a found it works best at 62–64 °F (17–18
tential challenges. choice that a meadmaker has in their °C) without the production of un-
For session meads the starting and toolbox. Session meads with addi- wanted esters, phenolics, or fusel al-
final gravities are much lower, which tions of fruits and spices can be re- cohols. Known for its neutral profile,
means we aren’t putting a lot in the ally fantastic. Just imagine an ice US-05 won’t typically impart any of
must and we will be fermenting all cold, light bodied, and carbonated its own character at cooler tempera-
of the sugars that we do include out mead with flavors of strawberry and tures, allowing for the honey and oth-
to dryness. lemon on a hot day. The applica- er ingredients to show through. There
With this first challenge in mind tion of fruit and/or spices in ses- is no reliable alcohol toxicity data for
there are a couple different approach- sion meads is similar to that of oth- US-05, but my experience has shown
es that can be taken to produce a deli- er meads, but bear in mind that you that 13–14% potential alcohol would
cious session mead. At the 2017 Ma- won’t need as much because the base not be unexpected.
zer Cup I caught up with Joey Zumalt mead is so much lighter. Almost any Champagne yeasts are very com-
from Kaw Point Meadery in Kansas fruit can be used to flavor session mon recommendations for mead
City and asked him what his preferred meads, and combinations like berries fermentations. I feel this is very bad
method of creating session mead and lemon, peach and ginger, or or- advice, especially for new meadmak-
bases was. He suggested using a good ange and vanilla can create even more ers. These yeasts are powerhouses
all-around honey, like clover, orange interesting results. with high alcohol tolerances and the
blossom, or wildflower, fermenting propensity to create lots of fusels and
it dry and then using fruits and spe- YEAST SELECTION higher alcohols, even at relatively
cialty honeys to add aromas, flavors, Yeast selection for the fermentation cool temperatures. Unless you are
and textures to the stable mead. I’ve of session meads is pretty straightfor- truly doing a high-gravity fermen-
employed this approach several times ward. The potential alcohol of a fer- tation, above 1.160 for example, and
with great success. Used this way the mented session mead is low enough still want to retain 5% or more resid-
base honeys don’t necessarily need to for most yeasts to reliably complete ual sugar, I don’t recommend these
be unique or specifically characterful the process. Without the alcohol tox- yeast strains for session meads.
because you are going to layer addi- icity of the yeast to consider you are Yeast selection does have an im-
tional flavors on top. left with temperature, nutritional pact on the final product, and some
Another approach would be to requirements, and any special attri- yeasts and yeast management tech-
select a varietal honey that is more butes a yeast might typically impart niques can also help with the percep-
characterful and ferment it dry with to make the decision. Mixed strain tion of body. Some yeast strains and
the expectation that the more unique fermentations are another area that fermentation conditions can produce
attributes of the honey will show meadmakers are working in, but that more glycerol, an odorless sugar alco-
through in the finished product. This is a topic for another article. hol that tastes sweet and is perceived
decision would be most applicable There are several yeast strains that to be smoother and fuller than etha-
for session meads with no added in- I use to ferment mead. Let me share nol. Lalvin 71B-1122 is on the high
gredients or lightly spiced versions. a bit about my “house strains,” if end of the glycerol production scale,
For this method, honey varietals you will. one reason it is a popular choice for
like blackberry and raspberry would winemakers.
provide much more resulting charac- LALVIN 71B-1122 is a great all around
ter in a session mead base. A honey yeast for me. It has a lower alcohol RESIDUAL SUGARS
like buckwheat would also work this toxicity, typically around 14.5% ABV, Because we aren’t using a lot of fer-
way, but buckwheat honey can some- and ferments clean at cooler temper- mentables and aren’t leaving much, if
times have an overwhelming charac- atures. I typically employ it at 62–64 any, residual sugars as an immediate
ter (barnyard & urea), which makes °F (17–18 °C), and have noticed once result of fermentation, session meads
for a great example of understand- you get down to 58–60 °F (14–16 °C) it are typically much lighter in body
ing your ingredients before starting a will be very slow or may actually stall. than stronger, sweeter beverages.
new project. It does have higher ability to metabo- Practically, this should be the obvious
A third method would be to fer- lize malic acid than other wine yeasts, and expected outcome, but I’ve heard
ment a strong mead and then dilute and it can extract more esters and meadmakers lament the lack of body
it to the target volume after stabili- phenols from meads/wine musts so it in lighter meads more than I expect-

9 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
After adding a re-hydration agent to water at 110 °F (43 °C), add dried yeast to the mixture when the temperature drops to 104 °F (40 °C) or
below to allow it to re-hydrate and start to bloom. Then add a little honey or must 10 minutes later.

ed. Adding sugars to dramatically in- can improve the overall profile of a dration, aeration, degassing, stag-
crease the body of a finished session mead similarly as they are used for gered nutrition, and stabilization
mead won’t create a balanced, enjoy- the production of wine. Both of these (learn more about these techniques
able mead. Session meads shouldn’t additives most noticeably create at: [Link]
be watery and thin, but they could smoother outcomes, but will also en- 1624). Because the typical session
easily seem that way when compared hance the body, and when it comes to mead fermentation will be shorter it
to another style. So what do we do to session meads and a pursuit of more is extremely important to be prepared
retain body in our session meads? body or the perception of it, a little to manage these processes in a com-
Lighter, carbonated meads re- more smoothness can go a long way. pressed timeframe.
ally only taste balanced with residual I would recommend the application of Building up your mead must is a
sugar up to around 5%. After that the these two products in different musts pretty straightforward activity. Using
carbonation struggles to balance the based on their contents, where Opti- a large-mouth carboy or plastic buck-
density of the sugar and keep the Red will be best suited for red/dark et, measure out the honey and any
mead bright. Ideally, I find that 2–3% fruit meads and Opti-White more fruit juices you wish to use. In order to
residual sugar is a nice sweet spot suited for pale fruited or traditional achieve approximately 6.5% ABV from
(pun intended) where balance is easy session meads. a dry ferment I have been using 1.4
to achieve, especially in fruited meads Now that we’ve reviewed poten- pounds of honey to each gallon (~170
where the tartness and acidity of the tial ingredients and how they might g of honey per L) of initial volume.
fruit needs a bit of buffering, but the influence the outcome of a session Add some hot tap water (just enough
sugar helps express the flavors of the mead, let’s dig into how to use these to get the honey liquefied after mix-
fruit. When I back-sweeten a mead ingredients to make them. ing) and mix up the ingredients. Once
after fermentation I will typically use mixed, top off to your target volume
honey, fruit juices/purees or other MAKING SESSION MEADS with cool tap water.
sugars like agave nectar. Making a session mead is not much Leave space if you are adding
different than any other kind of whole fruit in primary, and also con-
ENZYMES mead, but with a lower starting grav- sider that for every ten pounds (4.5
There are also winemaking enzymes ity the fermentation of session meads kg) of whole fruit you are adding about
that are worth considering for the will typically be much shorter (a week 1 gallon (4 L) of water, which should
production of mead. I’ve experi- to ten days) than a stronger bever- be factored into your starting volume.
mented with both of the winemaking age. Session meads should be made For most of my session mead recipes
enzymes Opti-White and Opti-Red using techniques typical to other I prefer to use my fruit in secondary.
from Scott Labs and found that they mead styles, including yeast re-hy- I do this because I want to retain all

10 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
the aromas, flavors, sugars, and acids pect to see an active fermentation was a dry traditional mead, then go
of fresh fruit or juice in the finished in anywhere from a couple of hours straight to clarification, or even pack-
product. There is no right or wrong up to a day. I typically see the onset aging if the mead is clear enough for
answer, and experimenting with dif- of fermentation in 4-6 hours. Once your tastes. If fruit, spices, and/or
ferent techniques is the best way to fermentation begins, it’s time to fo- some sweetness are desired this is
find a process that works best for you. cus on degassing and nutrition. There where you can finish the mead with
At this point you have a must ready are a number of common protocols these additions. Fruit juices and pu-
to ferment. Preparation of the yeast is for mead fermentation nutrition, and rees work really well at this stage,
up next, and after pitching the yeast for the most part you will find success but whole fruit is also a possibility.
you will want to get your fermenta- with any of them that employ a stag- There is really only one key aspect to
tion vessel closed up and sealed with gered nutrient addition method. The keep in mind, you really don’t want
an airlock. calculation of the amounts of nutrient to add too much of anything and risk
Yeast preparation for any type of and timing of additions will be based losing the subtle honey character.
fermentation is one of the key steps on gravity, volume, and the pace of As mentioned previously, you also
that should be taken to guarantee a fermentation. want to keep an eye on the amount
successful outcome. There are many During the fall and winter months of sugar added because above 4–5%
techniques documented in books in my home state of New Hamp- residual sugar makes finding balance
and on the Internet, but after nearly shire is when I tend to do the majority in the finished, carbonated product
15 years of fermentation experience I of my fermentation. This is both more challenging.
have standardized around the use of a because the ambient temperature in Once clear, I like to keg and force
yeast re-hydration agent and a short my house is in the low 60s °F (~17 °C), carbonate my session meads. There
re-hydration process prior to pitch- which is great for fermenting in con- are other options like bottle condi-
ing. When using a yeast re-hydration tainers without any other tempera- tioning, but that will only apply to
agent it is recommended practice ture control, but also because our dry sparkling meads. Anything with
to follow the usage guidelines for three season porch, which hovers residual sugar will need to be kegged
optimal results. The simple process, in the low 30s °F (~0 °C), makes for in order to be carbonated. Once keg-
also covered in step-by-step detail a great place to cold crash finished ged, any method of carbonating the
at the earlier link, is to warm wa- meads. I use cold crashing to speed keg will suffice. If I leave a keg on with
ter to 110 °F (43 °C) and add your re- the flocculation of yeast and pre- my typical service pressure it will take
hydration agent and stir. Once the cipitation of sediment prior to sta- about 1 week to fully carbonate.
temperature comes down to 104 °F bilizing the mead. In the warmer
(40 °C) or below, the yeast is added months I use a temperature controlled FINAL THOUGHTS
and allowed to hydrate and start to refrigerator to ferment and cold Session meads are quickly mov-
bloom. After 10 minutes I typically crash, but that doesn’t provide nearly ing from a relatively obscure style to
also stir a small amount of honey or enough space to have many projects a very mainstream mead offering.
my prepared must into this solu- going on concurrently as I am known Making them is not that much dif-
tion to give the yeast something to to do. ferent than other meads, but where
eat. You should see obvious activ- Once a cold crashed mead looks to the outcome is lighter and more aus-
ity in about 20 minutes after adding have cleared, I will rack off the clear- tere it makes sense to understand
the yeast. ing liquid and leave the entire cake of what to expect for both the process
Yeast amounts vary from one sediment behind. To this newly racked and the finished product. Session
meadmaker to the next, but in the mead I add potassium meta-bisulfite meads still provide a great blank can-
last couple years I have arrived at a and potassium sorbate to prevent vas for creativity and experimenta-
typical regimen based on the gravity continued fermentation. In standard tion, and the addition of carbonation
and volume of the mead working un- winemaking practice completely dry can add dimension that really makes
der the “yeast is cheap” mantra. For wines/meads that are being stabi- them shine!
session meads I will use 2–3 grams of lized and will not be back-sweetened
yeast per gallon (4 L). I acknowledge do not need potassium sorbate as Jason Phelps is a longtime home-
that these amounts may exceed the part of the stabilization addition. I brewer and meadmaker. In 2017
5- to 11.5-gram sachet sizes com- typically add both when I am mak- he and his wife opened Ancient Fire
monly sold at homebrew shops and ing session meads because it is rare Mead & Cider, a producer of meads,
recommended for 5–6 gallon (19–23 that I do not add something that has ciders, and wines in Manchester,
L) batches. Think of it this way, the a small amount of fermentable sugar. New Hampshire.
yeast you add are the workers who After a couple days, during which I
will get the job done. Making sure you will check to see if there is airlock ac-
have enough workers and that they tivity, I will then proceed to add any
are well fed will definitely have a pos- secondary additions.
itive impact on the outcome. With a fermented and stable ses-
Now that you’ve prepared and sion mead base there are many op-
pitched your yeast, you should ex- tions of what to do next. If the goal

11 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
FRUIT MEADS
(MELOMELS) BY BRAD SMITH

I
enjoy a good mead as much as
anyone and there are some great
lower-alcohol meads being made
commercially. For my money,
though, you can’t beat a high-gravity
mead made with a ton of fresh fruit
or berries like those produced by
Schramm’s Meadery. It is my favorite
mead style, bar none.
This article will focus on a single
style of mead — the high-gravity
fruit mead, which meadmakers call
a melomel. This style is made from
just fruit and honey, combined with
a high alcohol level of 14% or greater.
The purest examples are made from
whole fruit, honey, and water, but are
carefully fermented to achieve the
proper balance of residual sweetness,
fruit flavor, and alcohol.
In some ways, melomels present
the ultimate fermentation challenge.
Not only are you working with chal-
lenging ingredients like whole fruit
and honey, but you may be starting
fermentations at gravities of 1.160
(35.7 Plato) or higher, which places
unusual stresses on the yeast dur-
ing an extended fermentation. Yeast
health, proper yeast nutrition, and
the application of modern meadmak-
ing techniques are critical to creating
a great melomel.

BIG MEADMAKING
PRINCIPLES
Some guiding principles drive the for-
mulation of a big fruit mead. Without
the right fruits providing the balance
between the fruit, sweet honey, and
high alcohol levels you will just end
up with bad mead.
Achieving this balance starts with Meadmakers use residual sweetness
BALANCING TANNINS, choosing the right fruits. For a high- from the honey to balance the tan-
ACIDITY, SWEETNESS, alcohol melomel, I prefer to work with nic fruit flavors. Fruit sugars are all
& ALCOHOL fruits that are high in tannins or acid- simple sugars that will ferment rap-
The first principle of big meadmaking ity such as tart cherries. Much like idly away. Honey also will ferment
is to balance the tannins and acidity tannic grapes are critical to making completely if left on its own, though
from the fruit against residual sweet- a robust red wine, these tannic fruits it does so more slowly. To achieve re-
ness from the honey and alcohol from provide the structure and fruit flavor sidual sweetness in a finished mead,
the fermentation. If any of these for the melomel. Softer, subtle, less therefore, we use a lot of honey so
three are out of balance you will get a tannic fruits may work fine in lower- we drive the alcohol level beyond the
mead that is too sweet, too tannic, or gravity meads but will fade badly in tolerance level for our yeast strain.
too boozy. this style. We literally feed the yeast cells until

12 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
they die from too much alcohol. The If we consider the alternative of FRUIT PUREE
sweetness left after this alcohol tol- adding the fruit in the secondary, we I don’t recommend most fruit purees.
erance level gives us residual sweet- can see that it works against us in a While fruit puree works well for add-
ness. Alcohol also plays a role in the high-gravity mead. Adding fruit after ing an accent flavor to a beer, they
perception of sweetness, and a great fermentation means we need to aim are very difficult to separate from a
mead balances alcohol, sweetness for a higher starting gravity prior to mead. The problem is that you need a
and tannins/acidity. fermentation. Given that the yeast lot of fruit to make this style of mead,
All of this is to say, you must pick a is already stressed at 1.140–1.160+ and using that much puree makes it
particular yeast strain, fruit type, and starting gravities, raising it further is hard to separate the puree sediment
honey amount needed to achieve the not a great idea. from mead, resulting in high losses.
perfect balance. That said, if supplementing puree in
WORKING WITH FRUIT the case when you don’t have quite
TARGETING A As I mentioned in the previous sec- enough fruit, this problem is mini-
FINAL GRAVITY tion on principles for a high-gravity mized. If using puree, the key is rack-
The residual sweetness in a finished mead, the first challenge is pick- ing many times.
mead depends on your final gravity. ing the right fruit or fruit combina-
To get this balance, meadmakers talk tion. I recommend choosing tannic or CANNED FRUIT
about targeting a specific final grav- acidic fruits for this particular style. AND FRUIT WINE BASE
ity as well as original gravity. For big I’ve had the best luck with fruits like These are mostly whole fruit pieces
fruit mead at 15% alcohol, the starting black or red currants, raspberries, and juice that are canned. I did make
gravity will be 110 points (0.110 SG) or blackberries, tart cherries, logan- a lovely loganberry mead from canned
more higher than the finishing grav- berries, elderberries, and other dark wine base by bagging the fruit in a
ity. So if we are targeting a 1.042 final tannic fruits. Blueberries and tannic grain bag and simply lifting it out af-
gravity, the mead and fruit must start grape varieties are also good if you ter a little over a week in the fermen-
at 1.152 or higher. can work with whole fruit as most of ter. It isn’t quite the same flavor as
The meadmaker’s challenge, then, the tannins come from the skins of fresh fruit, but it works. Bag your fruit
is the fermentation equivalent of the berries. in a mesh bag for easy separation.
leaping off a tall diving board and I don’t recommend using soft
landing in a small bucket of water. fruits like peaches, pears, plums, etc. WHOLE FRUIT
You manage your recipe and fermen- as these simply don’t have the tan- Fresh, whole fruit provides the best
tation to hit your target gravity. nins or acidity to provide the struc- flavor and quality, though it does re-
Adding to the challenge is the fact ture needed for a big melomel. While quire some preparation. I prefer to
that the amount of residual sweet- an experienced meadmaker can bring clean, dry, and freeze my fruit before
ness needed will vary depending on these flavors out, they are much use as it breaks down the cell walls
the choice of fruit, the fruit’s acidity/ harder to balance in a high-gravity and makes the fruit easier to ferment.
tannin levels, and how much fruit is mead. They work better in lower- I typically clean it with tap water, then
used. Something like a big tart cher- gravity meads. dry it on cookie sheet trays before
ry mead might only need to finish You can get fruit in several forms freezing and bagging it. When I make
around 1.034 while a mead made with including juice, fruit concentrates, the mead I will thaw the fruit out by
a lot of black currants might need a fi- fruit puree, canned fruit, and fresh immersing the bags in warm water
nal gravity in excess of 1.048. So a big whole fruit. In every case, fresh whole first, then I will put all of the fruit in a
tannic fruit mead might have a fin- fruit will give you the best boost of grain bag before adding it to the must.
ishing gravity higher than the start- flavor, but not all of us have access The grain bag lets me remove the fruit
ing gravity for many beers. to the large quantities — often 18 when needed — typically 1 to 2 weeks
lbs. (8.2 kg) or more — of whole fruit after fermentation starts — and also
ADDING FRUIT IN PRIMARY needed to make a 5-gallon (1-L) batch lets me lift the bag when I need to de-
VS. SECONDARY of mead. gas the must during fermentation.
While there is a great debate among When using any kind of fruit, I rec-
beer brewers about when to add fruit, FRUIT JUICE AND ommend using pectic enzyme. Pectic
for these high-gravity meads I rec- JUICE CONCENTRATES enzyme helps break down the pectin
ommend adding all of the fruit and These are by far the easiest to obtain and complex sugars in fruit that can
juice up front in the primary. There is and use. You simply add fruit juice to lead to an overly thick mead. Use 1⁄10
a simple reason for this: Fruits have your must up front and let it ferment tsp. per pound (0.45 kg) of fruit or 1⁄2
a much lower gravity than honey and out. Choose only top shelf pasteurized tsp. per gallon (4 L) of juice.
are more fermentable, therefore they fruit juices with no preservatives as
dilute the must. So if we add the fruit the preservatives can kill your yeast. DETERMINING FRUIT
up front we are actually lowering the I’ve had good success with Knudsen BRIX VALUES
starting gravity required for the mead brand juices, which are available in One significant challenge when work-
and we can account for this from 1-quart (1-L) jars from many grocery ing with fruit is determining the sugar
the beginning. stores and online suppliers. content, which is traditionally mea-

13 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
Target Final Gravities of Melomels From Brad Smith
Fruit Used Final Gravity Notes
(Actual)

Raspberry 1.036 Fairly tart, could use a bit more sweetness

Blackberry 1.043 Slightly sweet, but delicious

Black Currant 1.047 Slightly tart, wine-like. Great!
Loganberry 1.040 Fantastic, well-balanced
Tart Cherry 1.036 Well-balanced
Currant, Cherry, 1.042 Well-balanced
Raspberry

sured in degrees Brix. For juices and when both are at 12 °Brix. style so you want something clean
many extracts this is pretty simple to Both of these vary somewhat. If and neutral.
do as you can just use a hydrometer or I’m using a stone fruit like tart cher-
refractometer. This number becomes ries, I would use more fruit or juice HOW MUCH HONEY TO USE
important when finalizing your origi- than with something as highly tan- I’ll say it again, the key to making a
nal gravity. nic/acidic as black currants. Similarly large fruit mead is the right balance
For whole fruit, what I do is extract a low-Brix fruit juice or wine base between alcohol, tannins/acidity, and
some of the juice from the fruit, usu- would require a larger fruit addition residual sweetness. This balance is
ally just taking some of the juice that — so I might push it up to 2 gallons driven primarily by the final gravity
pools in the bottom of the bucket I (8 L) of fruit with only 1.5 gallons (6 L) as it determines the residual sweet-
use to prepare and bag my fruit. After of honey. ness and residual sweetness counter-
knowing the Brix, you can then use acts tannins/acidity.
that number to make final adjust- HONEY CONSIDERATIONS In the next section I’ll cover yeast,
ments to the recipe to hit your origi- Honey selection and determining the but to target a given final gravity you
nal gravity target. right amount of honey for a given need to know the alcohol tolerance of
fruit is the next consideration when your yeast. For a variety of reasons, I
HOW MUCH FRUIT TO USE developing a melomel recipe. use Lallemand 71B Narbonne, which
It takes a lot of fruit and honey to has an alcohol tolerance of about
make a mead in this style. My general SELECTING A 15.1%. This corresponds to a drop in
rule of thumb is approximately 1.15 HONEY VARIETY specific gravity of 0.110 to 0.112 if I
parts honey to 1 part fruit by weight. There are well over 60 honey varieties properly manage my fermentation.
Honey obviously has a much higher readily available in the US and prob- So I will start my fermentation 110
starting gravity so in terms of over- ably hundreds worldwide. The variety to 112 gravity points above my target
all sugar content, the honey provides is determined by the blossoms the final gravity.
approximately 80–90% of the fer- bees feed from. I can’t cover them The final gravity (FG) depends on
mentables. So I might use something all, but my rule of thumb is for a fruit the fruit’s acidity/tannin level. The
like 17 lbs. (7.7 kg) of blackberries in mead it’s best to choose something chart at the top of this page includes
a 5-gallon (19-L) blackberry mead sweet and relatively clean rather than some of the meads I’ve made and
along with nearly 20 lbs. (9.1 kg) a strongly flavored variety that may their target final gravities. Many of
of honey. detract from the fruit flavor such as these were determined after exten-
For fruit juice, you can actually do mesquite honey. sive research and experimentation.
the same calculation by volume. I use My personal go-to variety is or- Keep in mind when looking at
roughly equal volumes of fruit juice ange blossom as it is pleasant, floral, the chart that if I gave you a 1.042 FG
and honey, so if I was adding 1.5-gal- and goes well with almost any fruit. I sweet mead made just from honey it
lons of honey, I might include 1.5 gal- generally stay away from wildflower would be much too sweet and cloying
lons of fruit juice (or 1 liter to 1 liter). and clover honey as these can vary for most people’s taste. It’s the fruit
One gallon (4 L) of juice is approxi- in flavor quite a bit. The honey itself tannins and acidity that provide bal-
mately equal to 8 lbs. (3.6 kg) of fruit is usually not the focus of this mead ance, and more tannic fruits like black

14 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
currant require a lot more sweetness
to offset them.
To get the original gravity (OG) of
any of the meads in the chart we add
the number of gravity points corre-
sponding to the alcohol tolerance of
the yeast used. So for the 71B Nar-
bonne strain, we add 0.111 to these
numbers to get the original gravity. So
for tart cherry this works out to 1.036
+ 0.111 = 1.147 as the original gravity.
For black currant we get a very high
1.047+0.111=1.158 OG.
Once you have the target OG and
FG you can use software to estimate
the amount of fruit/honey needed
based on their respective sugar con-
tent. Alternately, you can also add the
fruit and some water first and then
slowly raise the OG using honey (18
lbs. of honey is roughly 1 gallon, or 2
kg is roughly 1 liter if you find it easier

Photo by Jason Phelps

to measure by volume).

TIME TO FERMENT
Because we are working at very high
starting gravities, yeast selection, nu-
trition, and yeast management are all Degas twice a day during fermentation until your fermentation is two-thirds complete.
important for creating these meads.
If you don’t pay close attention to all it to be remarkably consistent in fer- YEAST NUTRIENTS
you will end up with a stuck or very menting high-gravity meads. I recommend using the TOSNA-2
slow fermentation. (Tailored Organic Staggered Nutrient
PROPER YEAST Addition) mead nutrient schedule.
YEAST SELECTION HYDRATION AND AERATION TOSNA-2 uses four additions of Fer-
Since both honey and fruit will fer- Due to the insanely high starting maid O yeast nutrient at 24, 48, and
ment dry if left to their own devices, gravities of this style, you can’t just 72 hours, and 7 days (or 1⁄3 remaining
the alcohol tolerance of the yeast is sprinkle the yeast on top and ferment sugar break). A typical 5-gallon (19-
what gives us residual sweetness. it out. Dry yeast cells will suffer from L) batch would use four additions of
Alcohol itself also plays a role in the osmotic shock from the high sugar about 5 to 8 grams of Fermaid O for
finished balance. If you choose a yeast content as they are unable to regu- each addition. A mead with a high
strain with too high or low of an alco- late the cell wall properly before they percentage of fruit would use only
hol tolerance it won’t be balanced. For are hydrated. slightly less based on fruit content.
me the ideal level seems to be around The manufacturer recommends I covered this in greater detail in the
14–15% ABV. hydrating your yeast in lukewarm story “Modern Meadmaking” in the
My go-to yeast strain for this style (104 °F/40 °C) water mixed with Go- October 2017 issue of BYO and you can
is Lallemand 71B, a dry yeast isolated Ferm yeast nutrient. Mix the Go- find more information on TOSNA-2 at
and selected by the INRA (National Ferm and water first, then mix in the [Link].
Agricultural Research Institute) in yeast and slowly add small amounts
Narbonne, France. This strain is also of must to the mixture until you are DEGASSING YOUR MUST
known for fermenting fruity rosé within 10 degrees °F (5 °C) of your AND REMOVING FRUIT
wines and semi-sweet whites because must temperature. During active fermentation you need
it produces long-lived aromas that You also want to aerate the must, to degas your must to get rid of excess
result from the synthesis of relatively ideally with pure oxygen, before CO2, which can build up as carbonic
stable esters and higher alcohols. It pitching. I use a slightly longer aera- acid and inhibit fermentation. I pre-
not only has the roughly 15% alcohol tion period as oxygen will not be as fer doing the primary fermentation in
tolerance level we are looking for, but soluble in the high-gravity must as a bucket for this reason as it gives me
it also has low nutrient requirements with lower-gravity beverages. I will easy access and space to degas.
and an ability to metabolize some of often aerate again at 12 hours, as the A wine whip or wine degasser at-
the harsh malic acid found in many growth phase is usually much longer tached to a power drill works well for
fruits into lactic acids. I’ve also found due to the high gravity. this process. If applicable, I lift the

15 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
bag of fruit from the must when do- Rack the mead once or twice more The 350 mL “dessert wine” bot-
ing this. Stir gently at first as it is easy during aging until it is completely tles are the perfect size for these big
to release so much gas that the foam clear. I use glass carboys for aging to fruit meads as you rarely need a full
spills over the top of your bucket. reduce the chance of oxygen spoiling wine bottle in one sitting. They make
Continue degassing twice a day down the mead. I also add a small bit of CO2 unique gifts as well, since few people
to the 1⁄3 sugar break, which is the gas to the top of the fermenter to pro- have experienced this style them-
point at which 1⁄3 of your 110 expected vide a blanket preventing oxidation. selves and it has enough complexity
gravity points remain. Add potassium sulfite, which acts and sweetness to appeal to many.
You also want to push the fruit as an antioxidant and preservative,
down twice a day (called punching once the mead has reached its fi- Brad Smith is the author of Beer-
down the fruit cap) as you don’t want nal gravity and has been transferred. Smith homebrewing software and
the floating fruit to dry out or spoil. A good starting point is 1⁄4 tsp. in a host of the BeerSmith podcast on
Remove the fruit bag after about 7–14 5-gallon (19-L) batch, though you iTunes. He has nearly three decades
days, or rack the mead away from the may need one more small addition of experience brewing beer and
fruit to a second fermenter. Leaving before bottling. mead at home.
the fruit in too long can result in fla-
vor and haze issues. BACKSWEETENING
AND ADJUSTING GRAVITY
MEASURING GRAVITY I don’t backsweeten or cut my meads
AND MANAGING pH DURING unless I’ve made a mistake. I’m not
FERMENTATION a fan of the flavor that unfermented
At the high gravities we are working honey adds. However, if you do come
at, refractometers simply don’t work in low on your final gravity or the
well. Use an old-fashioned glass hy- mead is too tart, you can backsweeten
drometer instead, which you can san- with fresh honey or a sweeter mead,
itize and leave in the bucket during using the Pearson’s square to calcu-
fermentation if you like. late the amount needed. Before you
Managing pH levels is also a prob- do that you need to add sulfites and
lem with many fruits, particularly sorbates to inhibit further fermenta-
those high in acidity. When you start tion. Add the potassium sulfites first,
fermenting, the pH will drop rapidly and then some potassium sorbate at
and if you have a lot of acidic fruit it the rate recommended by the manu-
can drop well below 3.0, which can in- facturer on the package.
hibit or even stop fermentation. Give it another day or so before
To counter this, use a pH meter, adding fresh honey to backsweeten
particularly during early fermenta- the mead. You can either calculate the
tion, to measure the pH. If the pH amount of honey needed to raise the
drops below about 3.4, add potassium final gravity a few points or perform
bicarbonate to raise the pH back to an bench trials by pulling a measured
acceptable level. For a 5-gallon (19-L) sample of your mead and add mea-
batch, add about 1 tsp. at a time and sured amounts until you determine
wait a few hours to take another mea- the right proportions.
surement as it can take some time for If your mead is too sweet and cloy-
the pH to stabilize after the addition. ing you can try to thin it using clear,
Using the TOSNA-2 nutrient sched- flavorless liquor such as vodka. Vodka
ule, pH management, and degassing, has a lower gravity than water and
it is possible to complete the bulk of thinning it with liquor won’t risk re-
fermentation in as little as two weeks. starting fermentation. Obviously you
Some high gravity or highly acidic can only lower it a few points before
fruits can take a week or two longer. you run the risk of upsetting the alco-
The mead at this point will have a dis- hol balance, but this can help if your
tinctive “rocket fuel” flavor to it but mead is too sweet.
this will fade during aging.
Transfer the mead after it gets AGING
within 5 gravity points of its final These big fruit meads get better with
gravity to separate the mead from age in most cases, and can be enjoyed
the fruit and yeast sediment. Once for years if properly stored. I prefer to
you get down to your final gravity you keg my meads initially and then bot-
can consider adding finings such as tle some as gifts or to pack away for
Super-Kleer to aid in clearing. long-term storage.

16 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
HOLIDAY MEADS
BY JASON PHELPS

S
easonal drinking traditions are
a really interesting subject to
delve into, as holiday parties
and family gatherings often
open people up to new beverages that
aren’t available or of interest dur-
ing other parts of the year. There’s
also the added excitement around
family traditions, which may seem
unique to your family, but they often
have common traits shared much
more broadly. No matter who you
are, where you are from or what you

Photos by Charles A. Parker/Images Plus

celebrate, there are common themes
with the liberal usages of herbs,
spices, and fruits, as well as unique,
scarce, or prized ingredients in the
holiday beverages from wherever you
hail. Now that is something we can
all celebrate!!

MAKING YOUR BEST

HOLIDAY MEADS
Because of the extra attention paid derstanding this means recipes can cider
to the details of our holiday gath- be great guides, but focusing in on 25 g 71B-1122 wine yeast
erings and celebrations we should that “perfect” outcome requires your Yeast rehydration agent
expect holiday meads to be their best skills in the process. Loving the mead Yeast nutrients
selves as well. Well appointed, while is part of the desired outcome. Stabilization additives
an interior decorating term, came to To that tune, I’m going to share Peels of two large oranges
mind as I was trying to explain the with you four of my favorite meads 5 cinnamon sticks
additional allure and hopes for a truly that I consider perfect for the holi- 10 dried berries of allspice (roughly
great holiday mead. Great holiday days. Note that all of these recipes crushed)
meads will have structure, body, have flexibility to adjust the amounts 3 whole cloves
rich flavors, and a balance between of spices, fruits, and other ingredi- 3 vanilla beans (split and scraped)
the ingredients and attributes that ents, as well as the techniques used
conceptually make sense, but they when making them. I will outline my
should also be accessible. We plan basic procedure, but feel free to fol-
to use fruits and spices liberally, and low your own traditional process and
the best holiday meads should be adapt the recipe as you feel comfort-
expressive with characteristics that able.
are distinguishable to make that mo- Spices are the most immedi-
ment of tasting memorable. ate example of a theme for holiday
The path to a great holiday-in- meads. I love apple pie. I mean, who
spired mead is one of trial and error. doesn’t? How about a mead that
Working with ingredients that may tastes like liquid apple pie?
be particularly expressive like pep-
percorns, anise, or clove, even with
short contact times, requires some
I’LL HAVE THE PIE
(5 gallons/19 L)
finesse. Time is the hard detail that
OG = 1.138 FG = 1.025
can be monitored, but taste is king
ABV = 14.5%, est
because the variance of many ingre-
dients, even in the same quantities, INGREDIENTS
means it has to taste right before it 16 lbs. (2.3 kg) honey
can just be made on a schedule. Un- 3–4 gallons (11.5–15 L) fresh-pressed
17 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
 I like wildflower honey for apple time is needed, or even if you want to
meads, but keep in mind that all add more of any of the spices used.
honeys will impart their unique If adding more, I most often remove
character to mead, so you can search the existing spices and add a fresh
for different honeys that really sing dose of anything I want more of. I
with apples and spices! Mesquite and also typically use a nylon straining
buckwheat honeys are interesting bag to contain citrus peels, whole
alternatives, the character of each spices, hops, and other small items
being fully expressed in the final to make their removal easier.
product. You can also put a caramel Mead has a treasure trove of
apple twist on a mead like this just by contextually specific words that
caramelizing some of the honey prior typically describe a specific style of
to the ferment. This can be done by mead. In this case, I’ll Have The Pie
heating a small amount of honey is a melomel, which means a fruit
in a large saucepan (leave space for mead, but it is also technically a
expansion as the honey rolls, creat- cyser, a fruit mead made from apple
ing foam) over medium-high heat and honey, as well as a metheglin,
until it begins to brown and takes on a spiced/herbed mead, because of
a candy-like flavor. A long-handled the addition of spices. This makes
spoon and gloves are advised when this particular mead a hybrid of both
stirring your caramelized honey this fruited and spiced meads, a very
way as hot honey splatter can be very common intersection in mead!
painful. I love the season in which the
In this recipe, the honey and cider holidays of Thanksgiving, Christ-
are mixed together from the onset mas, and New Years are celebrated.
and fermented. The added focus on spending time
My typical meadmaking process socially means groups of people are the mead will be dry and should be
would be to use the yeast rehydra- looking for experiences to try new racked off the lees to a clean con-
tion agent to prep the yeast before and interesting twists on flavors tainer and stabilized. The pears and
pitching, and then a staggered nutri- inspired by the season wherever they dried elderflower can then be added.
ent addition regimen (with degas- are. We think of foods with differ- Remove these when the flavor is at
sing) to feed the ferment for the first ent “classic” flavors right away, but the level desired, which could be as
few days. Depending on the time of don’t forget the drinks! short as 3–5 days for the elderflower.
year and temperature in my house, I To finish this mead, mix the remain-
may or may not choose to place the
fermenter in a 64 °F (18 °C) temper-
PEAR & GRAPE COCKTAIL ing honey with water and add that
and the Chardonnay juice to a final
ature-controlled space. Once the MEAD volume of 6 gallons (23 L).
fermentation is complete I always (6 gallons/23 L) This pear and white grape mead
use both potassium sulfite and po- OG = 1.067 FG = 0.997 was inspired by a cocktail that con-
tassium sorbate as stabilization ad- ABV = 7%, est (final, 9% after ferment) tains pear vodka, white wine, and St.
ditives, whether I filter the mead or Germain liqueur. The aromas of the
not. All of these additions are based INGREDIENTS drink alone can elevate your mood.
on volume and there are a number of 6.4 lbs. (2.9 kg) honey I’ve always associated pears with
choices for the types and sources of Water to 4.5 gallons (17 L) Christmas gatherings in my family,
nutrients that can be used. 12 g QA23 wine yeast so I think this mead is a great fit for
The fermentation should arrest Yeast rehydration agent holiday entertaining.
near the target final gravity (FG), Yeast nutrients With this recipe we’ve got anoth-
after which the spices and orange Stabilization additives er hybrid melomel/metheglin, using
peels can be added. The spices and 12 lbs. (5.4 kg) pears (cored and both the fruit and spice to blend into
peels should be removed once the chopped) the final result.
flavor is as desired. I will often check 0.3 oz. (8 g) dried elderflower Mid-winter celebrations come in
in 24-hour increments. To my taste, 18 fluid oz. (30 mL) Chardonnay juice many forms, and I’ve seen quite a
I often find the flavors I am seeking (25 °Brix) few mead recipes designed for Yule
just after three days. For stronger 1.5 lbs. (0.68 kg) honey festivities. While not true for all of
meads, additional contact time with Water to 6 gallons (23 L) these recipes, quite a few contain a
spices allows for the development lengthy list of components, almost
of robust flavors to balance with The honey and first fraction of like a tincture for cocktails. Here’s
the alcoholic strength and potential water are combined and fermented. my take on a herbed/spiced mead
sweetness of the mead. Use your The initial volume will be 4.5 gallons made to usher in the new winter
own taste to decide if more contact (17 L). Once the fermentation stops season.

18 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
 an herbal character, but the orange off during a vigorous fermentation.

SPICED ORANGE MEAD and raisins balance that with some

fruitiness, and the black pepper pro-
Dried elderflower is pretty delicate
and I won’t risk losing the aromas
(3 gallons/11.5 L)
vides a streak of earthy spiciness to from it during a ferment. Cacao nibs,
OG = 1.127 FG = 1.020
make the outcome that much more on the other hand, are much more
ABV = 14%, est
interesting. I’d call it a metheglin, “durable” and might be something I
INGREDIENTS even with the orange peel and rai- would use in both primary and sec-
10.5 lbs. (4.8 kg) mix of clover and sins. Their attributes are used much ondary. Here’s an interesting tip: The
basswood honeys more as a spice in this mead than you necessary contact time for cacao nibs
12 g Côte des Blancs wine yeast might see elsewhere. in particular is long enough that put-
3 orange peels ting them in from day one starts the
1 fresh sprig of thyme WHEN TO ADD THE clock for them earlier in the process.
3 tsp. peppercorns (roughly cracked) FRUITS/SPICES Can spices interact with the
6 bay leaves We’ve exercised several different fermentation? While there is a pos-
3 lbs. (1.4 kg) golden raisins techniques with the fruits and spices sibility of some ingredients experi-
Yeast rehydration agent in the recipes up to this point. In I’ll encing unusual bio-transformation
Yeast nutrients Have The Pie the fruit (cider) was when applied to an active fermenta-
Stabilization additives fermented and the spices were added tion, I’ve never seen any warnings
in secondary. In the Pear & Grape about this that gives me reason to
Cocktail Mead all the fruit and spices be concerned about doing it. Defi-
were reserved for secondary, and nitely watch out for anything with
finally for the Spiced Orange Mead preservatives in it, and some dried
we added everything right up front. fruits are heavily sulfited, which will
How do you decide when to use the impact the yeast if there is enough
ingredients? sulfite on them.
Ultimately this may come down Spices can be also added in doses,
to preference, but when you are first another aspect of control, with the
starting out it makes sense to try the goal of working towards an end
different techniques so you can un- result with a much reduced risk of
derstand how they might be differ- overshooting it. With this you can
ent. Keep in mind that you can, and manage the contact time and the
should, still consider contact time no amount used, as well as wield mul-
matter when you use most ingredi- tiple doses of fresh spices, something
ents. This means that the impact will that longer contact times with the
still be “x” days of time regardless of same initial spices can’t always pro-
whether it is during or after fermen- duce. There is a lot of opportunity to
tation. It is also worth remembering experiment here.
that any sugar added during primary
will likely be fermented. A LITTLE GOES A LONG WAY
Over the nearly 15 years I had The next recipe is a good example of
been homebrewing I ended up de- a little bit of something going a long
veloping a couple basic concepts for way. The first time I made candy cane
how I made different types of meads. vodka for use as a tincture I broke
For most of the draft-style meads up two boxes of candy canes into a
For this mead everything goes in (carbonated, lower-alcohol) I tend to 1-quart (1-L) mason jar and covered
up front — more on this topic shortly flavor them in the secondary. Meads them with vodka. By the time the
— and a straining bag to hold the containing either apple and grape candy canes finally broke down the
herbs/spices is again recommended juices were often co-fermented with vodka was pink and had a very strong
to make removal easy. Mix the honey the honey, but most others tended candy cane flavor. It didn’t take more
and water together, add the spice to have the best presentation when than a small splash to flavor a cup of
bag, and get the fermentation going. raw fruit was steeped with or without hot chocolate or a cocktail with the
Check the flavors after a week or so spices in secondary. The bold flavors peppermint blast from candy canes!
and remove the spices when you have and freshness is what makes this This candy cane vodka-infused
the desired flavors. Once the ferment technique stand out for me. chocolate mead was made as a small
is complete the mead can be stabi- For more traditional meads countertop batch as a homebrewer
lized and ideally given a short time to (higher in alcohol, non-carbonated) some years ago. We made it a few
age in bulk. I found I would vary the technique months before Christmas and we
This mead is definitely a bit more depending on the type of ingredi- poured it right from the 1-gallon (4-
savory than the other recipes so far. ent, and most often how likely the L) carboy we had aged it in during our
The thyme and bay leaves do impart delicate aromas might get blown family Christmas gathering!

19 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
 from this project (this is a good time tinctive flavors available in spirits,

CANDY CANE & CHOCOLATE to remind everybody that good note

taking is important when you are
mixers, and bitters can create some
incredibly complex drinks. But, have
MEAD playing with new recipes!), but I you ever considered using meads in
(3 gallons/11.5 L) vaguely recall I started with 1⁄2-oz. cocktails?
OG = 1.134 FG = 1.027 (15-mL) increments in a 1-gallon (4- There are all kinds of “rules” out
ABV = 14%, est L) batch, mixing it well in between to there for making cocktails, and they
make sure I didn’t overshoot my goal all make sense. I’d like to hone in on
INGREDIENTS with the peppermint. just a couple that can help support
11 lbs. (5 kg) wildflower honey While this example might be at some mead cocktail experimentation
Water to 3 gallons (11.5 kg) an extreme end of the spectrum of at home:
15 g Côte des Blancs wine yeast intense flavors, it is also a good ex-
Yeast rehydration agent ample of something to keep in mind 1. Cocktails should be balanced, so
Yeast nutrients when using spices; a little bit often the strong (spirits), weak (juice,
Stabilization additives goes a long way. Furthermore, once mixers), sour, and sweet com-
3 oz. (85 g) cacao nibs (lightly toasted you get the flavors from the spices ponents should work together in
right before use) in, you can’t remove them. You can harmony.
Peppermint vodka blend an overly spiced mead down
to mellow the spice component, but 2. Only stir cocktails that contain
with that comes other changes de- just spirits (mead included), but
pending on the composition (alcohol, you can shake cocktails when fruit
sweetness, flavors) of the meads juice or other non-carbonated
used to blend. mixers are involved. This is really
to promote the clean, clear visuals
ENTERTAINING WITH YOUR of this type of drink, but shak-
HOLIDAY MEADS ing does introduce oxygen, which
Of course we can always pour our- can dull delicate aromatics rather
selves a glass of a delicious holiday quickly.
spiced mead, but since the season
calls for family gatherings and house 3. Ice used in cocktails should be
parties why not use your holiday clean and fresh. As the ice melts
meads to take your drinks game to the water becomes part of the
the next level? drink. It needs to taste good.
Mulling or serving mead warm
with spices is not as popular as it may 4. Meads we might use in cocktails
have once been, but is an interest- have alcohol in them so I recom-
ing option to serve mead for the mend backing off a half shot of
holidays. The outcome can often be alcohol when initially making
positive — maybe try a warm version any cocktails with mead. You can
The honey and water can be mixed of the apple pie mead recipe shared always add it back if you feel like
and fermented. Once the fermenta- in this article to make it taste like a it needs the additional alcohol for
tion is completed the mead can be fresh apple pie right out of the oven, balance.
racked and stabilized. Slightly toast- or even a mulled cider. The simple
ing the cacao nibs before using them starter is to slowly warm a sweet, Since I’ve hopefully gotten your
helps to activate the chocolate and strong mead up in a saucepan with mind turning with how meads can be
get it ready to impart its flavor to the a couple cinnamon sticks. Serve the used as cocktails, I guess I’d better
mead. These are added after stabili- mead in a ceramic mug with a cin- share a recipe. Here is one I’ve come
zation in this recipe, and allowed to namon stick for a warm, fragrant to know well.
steep in the mead for several weeks, drink to push the cold winter weather At Ancient Fire Mead & Cider in
but the ultimate goal is for the mead back for a time. This is an ideal drink Manchester, New Hampshire we
to taste nicely of chocolate, so the when gathering around the fire pit on make a 7% ABV, draft-style mead
timing and even the choice to use a cool night! flavored with both apple and ginger
more nibs is open for personal inter- During the holiday season people that is named With Malus. When we
pretation. Once the chocolate flavor are looking for new and interesting make this we use 30 lbs. (13.6 kg) of
has been achieved the mead can be twists on adult beverages. Cocktails fresh ginger in each batch. The result
racked off the nibs and then flavored are very popular and there are two is a ginger-beer level ginger pro-
with the candy cane vodka. Less is obvious reasons. Firstly, cocktails file, so it makes for a great swap in a
more here, but use as much as you are a more potent potable, which Moscow Mule (which is traditionally
need to put it right where you like. I can definitely elevate an occasion, made with ginger beer). Our part-
couldn’t find a documented amount and secondly, the breadth of dis- ners at The Flight Center Beer Cafe

20 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
in Nashua, New Hampshire actu-
ally make the Ancient Flight Mule
cocktail, their riff on a Moscow Mule
using our mead — they even use a
copper mug to serve it! You can make
your own version of this cocktail with
this recipe:

MOSCOW MULE MEAD

COCKTAIL
INGREDIENTS
2 shots vodka (I like Tito’s because it is
a bit sweet)
1
⁄2 shot lime juice
6 fluid oz. (175 mL) semi-sweet ginger
mead
Ice

Pour the liquids over ice in a rocks

glass or a copper mug if you want to
be completely traditional. Stir to mix.
Garnish with a lime wedge and even a
sprig of mint.

THINKING ABOUT YOUR

NEXT HOLIDAY MEADS
At this point you’ve probably got all
kinds of ideas swirling around in your
head for holiday-themed meads.
While they also drink well out of sea-
son, something about timing them
when the flavors are at the front of
people’s minds really makes them
sing!
With the stronger mead recipes
shared here, some time in the bottle
can absolutely help them further
develop drinkability so why not plan
ahead and start making meads for
next year’s holiday gatherings? As
you sit around the table with your
family and friends this holiday
season let the flavor combinations
inspire you to make something that
celebrates your holiday traditions!

Jason Phelps is a longtime home-

brewer and meadmaker. In 2017
he and his wife opened Ancient Fire
Mead & Cider, a producer of meads,
ciders, and wines in Manchester,
New Hampshire.

21 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
MEAD RECIPES
FAST MEAD to your satisfaction, you can bottle or
keg, carbonating if you choose.
gravity, rack into a carboy and add the
potassium metabisulfite and potas-
(5 gallons/19 L) sium sorbate. Allow this to sit for 1–2
OG = 1.126 FG = 1.035 days to ensure any active fermentation
ABV = 13.9% KEY LIME SESSION MEAD completes. Prepare Sparkalloid in 8 oz.
(227 g) of boiled water for clarification
(5 gallon/19 L batch)
This is a simple and straightforward OG = 1.054 FG = 0.997 (prior to back purposes. Add the remaining honey
mead recipe that should have your fer- sweetening) (mix with a little hot water to liquefy),
mentation finished within a few weeks. ABV: ~7.6% key lime juice, and Sparkalloid. Mix
well. The gravity at this point should
By Brad Smith By Jason Phelps rise to about 1.010.
Once the mead is clear, or as clear
INGREDIENTS INGREDIENTS as desired, it can be kegged or bottled.
18 lbs. (8.2 kg) Orange blossom 7.1 lbs. (3.2 kg) mesquite honey Mead can be left still or carbonated to
honey 1.75 lbs. (0.8 kg) mesquite honey (for 2–3 volumes of CO2.
2 packages Lalvin 71B-1122 backsweetening)
Narbonne yeast 15 g Lalvin 71B-1122 yeast
12.5 g Go-Ferm (when hydrating)
6.2 g Fermaid-K (at 24 hours)
18 g BSG Startup™ (yeast re-hydration)
7.5 g BSG Superfood®
BLACKBERRY MEAD
(5 gallons/19 L)
6.2 g Fermaid-K (at 48 hours) 2.5 g diammonium phosphate (DAP) OG = 1.154 FG = 1.045
6.2 g Fermaid-K (at 72 hours) 24 fl. oz. (0.7 L) key lime juice
ABV = 15.1%
6.2 g Fermaid-K (at 7 days or the 1⁄3 1.6 g potassium metabisulfite
left sugar break) 3 g potassium sorbate
By Brad Smith
1 package Super Kleer KC Finings 1 Tbsp. Sparkalloid
0.3 tsp. potassium metabisulfite 3
⁄4 cup corn sugar (if priming)
INGREDIENTS
STEP BY STEP STEP BY STEP 16.7 lbs. (7.6 kg) blackberries
Add honey to 3 gallons (11 L) of room Place honey in a large fermenting 20 lbs. (9.1 kg) orange blossom
temperature water in a large (8- to bucket. Add 1.5 gallons (5.7 L) of hot honey
10-gallon/30- to 37-L) water. Mix until the honey is well 0.5 oz. (14 g) GoFerm
fermenter. Stir the honey and water diluted. Top off to just shy of 5 gallons 1.25 tsp. pectic enzyme
mixture well and top up with enough (19 L) with cold water and mix well. 1 tsp. potassium bicarbonate
water to make 4.7 gallons (18 L), sav- Mixing is the simplest form of aeration, 3 packages Lalvin 71B-1122 yeast
ing a liter of space for your yeast. but if you have a setup to aerate with 16 g Fermaid O
Prepare the yeast by adding it to a forced oxygen this can also be used. 65 mL Super Kleer KC finings
liter (0.2 gal.) of warm water at about Prepare your Startup™ or other 0.28 tsp. potassium metabisulfite
104 °F (40 °C). Add 1.25 grams of Go- yeast re-hydration agent in 12 oz.
Ferm per gram of yeast. Slowly bring (340 g) of 110 °F (43 °C) water. Add STEP BY STEP
the temperature of the mixture down the yeast when the temperature drops Slowly stir honey with 2 gallons (8
to the temperature of your mead must below 104 °F (40 °C). Let it sit for 10 L) of warm water, making sure it all
by adding small quantities of must. minutes. Add 1 Tbsp. of the prepared
dissolves to create the must. Put fruit
When the temperature is acclimated, must and stir in the yeast. Allow this
in a grain bag and mash it slightly,
add the yeast slurry to the fermenter to sit for another 10 minutes. Activity
collecting juice as well. Add the whole
and stir vigorously. should be obvious a few minutes after
Monitor your pH throughout fruit grain bag and residual juice to the
mixing the last time.
fermentation. If the pH drops below Once the temperature of the must must.
3.4 add an alkaline additive, such as and the rehydrating yeast are within 18 Prepare 150 mL of warm water with
potassium bicarbonate, to raise the pH °F (10 °C) of each other the yeast can GoFerm addition in it and then slowly
back above 3.4. Degas the must during be pitched into the must and the mix in yeast. Slowly add must to the
fermentation using a wine whip regu- bucket can be sealed with an airlock. yeast-GoFerm mixture until you get its
larly until about 2⁄3 of the sugar has One third of the BSG Superfood® temperature within 10 °F (5 °C) of the
fermented away. Add your fermenta- and DAP should be added at 24, 48 must. Aerate the must with oxygen and
tion nutrients at the intervals indicated and 72 hours after yeast was pitched. an aeration stone or wand if available.
in the ingredients list. Following A vigorous degassing with a spoon/ Pitch the yeast-GoFerm mixture into
primary fermentation, add potassium paddle should be performed before your must and add the pectic en-
metabisulfite, and fine your mead with each nutrient addition. zyme.
Super Kleer. When your mead is fined When the mead reaches terminal When working with whole fruit it
22 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
can take several hours to get an accu- STEP BY STEP By Michael Fairbrother
rate gravity reading, so after some time Slowly stir honey with 2 gallons (8 L)
has passed, check the gravity. If needed, of warm water, making sure it all dis- INGREDIENTS
add a bit more water or honey to get to solves to create the must. Stir in fruit 15 lbs. (6.8 kg) varietal honey
your target starting gravity and volume. juice. Prepare 150 mL of warm water ~3.75 gallons (14 L) water
You can optionally aerate a second with GoFerm addition in it and then 4.5 tsp. Go-Ferm
time at 12 hours using oxygen. slowly mix in yeast. Slowly add must 2.5 tsp. Fermaid K yeast energizer
During active fermentation you to the yeast-GoFerm mixture until you Fining agent (optional)
need to degas the must twice a day get its temperature within 10 °F (5 Potassium sorbate (optional)
using a wine whip or similar device. At °C) of the must. Aerate the must with 2 packets (10 g) Lalvin Narbonne 71B-
each of these occurrences, make sure oxygen and an aeration stone or wand Lalvin 71B-1122 yeast
to also punch the cap down by im- if available. Pitch the yeast-GoFerm
mersing/rotating the fruit bag so the mixture into your must and add the STEP BY STEP
top of it does not dry out. Add 4 grams pectic enzyme. When working with Brew Day:
of Fermaid O nutrient at 24 hours, 48 whole fruit it can take several hours Clean and sanitize all of your ferment-
hours, 72 hours, and the 7-day point. to get an accurate gravity reading, so ing equipment.
If you have a pH meter, monitor the after some time has passed, check the Fill a sink or cooler with hot tap
pH daily and add a tsp. of potassium gravity. If needed, add a bit more water water and soak the honey container(s)
bicarbonate (more if needed) if the pH or honey to get to your target starting to make the honey easier to pour. I
drops below 3.5. gravity and volume. You can optionally don’t recommend using boiling water,
Remove the fruit bag between aerate a second time at 12 hours using just be patient. If your honey is crystal-
7–14 days or when you notice that it oxygen. lized, don’t worry — all raw and natural
is beginning to blanch (turn white). During active fermentation you honey crystallizes over time, with the
After 2–3 weeks most of the fermenta- need to degas the must twice a day us- exception of Tupelo blossom honey,
tion will be over. At this point, transfer ing a wine whip or similar device. Add especially in colder temperatures.
to a secondary to separate the mead 4 grams of Fermaid O nutrient at 24 Soaking the honey container in hot
from the sediment. Check the gravity hours, 48 hours, 72 hours, and the 7-day water will turn it back into liquid form.
with a hydrometer periodically. Which point. If you have a pH meter, monitor Fill the fermenter with 3 gallons (11 L)
final gravity has been reached, transfer the pH daily and add a tsp. of potas- of room temperature water.
the mead again, and add the Super- sium bicarbonate (more if needed) if Pour honey into the fermenter
Kleer. With fermentation complete, add the pH drops below 3.5. along with the room temperature
0.25–0.5 tsp. of potassium metabisul- After 2–3 weeks most of the fer- water. Take half a gallon (~2 L) of warm
fite as an antioxidant. mentation will be over. At this point, water (110 °F/43 °C) and carefully pour
Age for two months. Transfer the transfer to a secondary to separate the a small amount into each empty honey
mead one final time once it is com- mead from the sediment. Check the container. Replace container covers
pletely clear. At the 3-month point, the gravity with a hydrometer periodically. and shake to dissolve remaining honey,
mead is usually quite pleasant to taste, Which final gravity has been reached, save every drop of that honey — it takes
and you can consider bottling or keg- transfer the mead again, and add the a bee its entire life to make 1⁄2 of a tea-
ging. Super-Kleer. With fermentation com- spoon. Place a 1⁄2 cup (118 mL) of the
plete, add 0.25–0.5 tsp. of potassium warm water/honey mix in a measuring
metabisulfite as an antioxidant. cup (to be used for preparing the yeast)
TART CHERRY MEAD Age for two months. Transfer the and pour the remaining dissolved
(5 gallons/19 L) mead one final time once it is com- honey into the fermenter. Top up with
OG = 1.146 FG = 1.034 pletely clear. At the 3-month point, the additional water as needed to achieve
ABV = 15.5% mead is usually quite pleasant to taste, a volume of 5 gallons (19 L), saving
and you can consider bottling or keg- space for the yeast of course. The
By Brad Smith ging. mixture is now called the must. Stir the
must until all honey is dissolved and
INGREDIENTS well mixed.
2 gallons (8 L) tart cherry juice SINGLE VARIETAL MEAD This may take 5 to 15 minutes, pos-
18.1 lbs. (8.2 kg) orange blossom (5 gallons, 19 L) sibly longer.
honey OG = 1.108 FG = 0.998 ABV = 15.7%
4 g GoFerm Prepare the Yeast:
2 tsp. pectic enzyme This is a traditional mead recipe that is Add 4.5 tsp. of Go-Ferm to the 1⁄2 cup
3 packages Lalvin 71B-1122 yeast perfect for showcasing a single vari- (118 mL) of warm water/honey mix. Let
16 g Fermaid O etal honey. Experiment with small (1 the mixture cool to 104 °F (40 °C) then
1.1 tsp. potassium bicarbonate gallon/3.8-L) batches before you scale add the active dried yeast. Let stand
68.3 mL Super Kleer KC finings up to a 5-gallon (19-L) batch to find and for 20 minutes. Slowly (over 5 minutes)
0.28 tsp. potassium metabisulfite invest in the varietal honey you like the add equal amounts of must (honey/
best. water) to be fermented to the yeast
23 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved
slurry. Watch the temperature differ-
ence. Do not allow more than 18 °F (10
°C) difference between the must and
the yeast slurry. Atemperate as neces-
sary. After 15 minutes (yeast should
begin to foam), stir well to mix the
yeast into a slurry. Pour the yeast slurry
into the fermenter. Seal the fermenter
with a sanitized airlock and locate the
fermenter in an area that is 65 °F (18
°C). Fermentation should start within
24 hours.

First One to Two Weeks:

Sanitize all equipment used to stir
the must for each nutrient addition.
Please note that adding nutrient and
stirring may cause the mead to foam
over, extreme care must be taken to do
this slowly, a slow stir before adding
the nutrient will allow the release of
residual CO2. Add ¾ teaspoon yeast
energizer/nutrient mix 24 hours after
fermentation begins. Add ¾ teaspoon
yeast energizer/nutrient mix 48 hours
after fermentation begins. Add ¾ tea-
spoon yeast energizer/nutrient mix 72
hours after fermentation begins.

Secondary Fermentation:
When fermentation stops and the spe-
cific gravity as measured by a hydrom-
eter is stable (has not changed over
the course of several days), it is ready
to transfer into a secondary fermenter.
Sanitize your fermenter and siphoning
equipment. Carefully siphon the mead
into the fermenter. Leave as much
sediment as possible in the primary
fermenter. Let the mead clarify in the
secondary fermenter for three months.
You may wish to add a fining agent
such as isinglass to facilitate clearing,
and/or potassium sorbate to prevent
further fermentation.

Bottling Day:
Sanitize all of your siphoning and bot-
tling equipment and bottles. Carefully
siphon the mead to a bottling bucket.
I recommend this mead be made still,
but if you wish to carbonate it you
would add priming sugar at this point.
Fill and cap bottles like you would any
beer you were making. Bottles may be
consumed two weeks after bottling or
kept and aged for six months or more
to achieve superior flavor.

24 Best of Brew Your Own Magazine Meadmaking © Battenkill Communications, Inc. All Rights Reserved