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Here is my recipe for a quick or small mead. Before I start, I?d like to give a little background on mead and recipes. Mead is probably the oldest fermented drink known to man. Someone long ago must have left some watered down honey mixture for a few days and much to their surprise when they went to drink it, not only did it taste yummy, but it also gave them a warm pleasant feeling. As this serendipitous individual discovered, the natural yeast found in honey will cause it to ferment into mead, though results can be unpredictable. That?s part of why modern brewers use commercial yeasts. These yeasts have been singled out and bred for particular characteristics of flavor and alcohol resistance.
Most homebrew shops have knowledgeable people working there that are very willing to answer questions and make suggestions. A lot of my brewing know-how was gathered during conversations in such establishments. Also, feel free to contact me with questions. I?m willing to walk you through the process or clarify anything that you read here.
This recipe should produce a pleasantly sweet, lightly fizzy mead.
Recipe
1 gallon of water
2 pounds of honey
Spices to taste (i.e. 1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg, allspice and cloves)
1 packet of SafAle yeast
Instructions
Heat 1-gallon of water in a large pot.
Stir in 2 pounds of honey, making sure not to scorch it to the bottom of the pot.
Add in any spices.
Leave on heat for 10 minutes.
Transfer must (fermentable liquids) to carboy, straining out any solids.
Add yeast once must is below 80 degrees.
Cover and shake vigorously.
Replace cover with bung/airlock.
Let brew for 7-14 days.
Rack into clean container.
Chill.
Drink.
Note on boiling water:
Heating water not only aids in dissolving the honey, but helps kill any stray bacteria that may get into your must. Some think that boiling the honey/water mix will cause a loss in flavor in your mead. In quick mead, I don?t feel this will matter so much. The spices and sweetness level of this mead will override any subtle flavor loss that boiling may produce. In long mead with a lot of delicate flavors this may be more of an issue. If you heat your must to just below boiling and hold it at that temperature for about 10 minutes you shouldn?t have to worry about bugs or flavor loss.
Note on hot water and glass:
Be careful when pouring very hot water into cool glass. The extreme temperature change can shock the glass and cause it to shatter. It?s no fun having to clean up a gallon of sticky liquid and glass. You have a couple ways of dealing with this. What I do is to let the must cool to a reasonable temperature before pouring into the carboy. This can be expedited by filling your sink with cold water and ice, then placing the pot of hot liquid in the ice water and constantly stirring till cool. Cool the must below 80 degrees and you?ll be able to add your yeast right away.
Note on chilling:
Putting your brew in a cold place, such as the refrigerator, will make the yeast sleepy and inhibit further fermentation. It will also give you a cool beverage. I recommend keeping the lid on loosely if you store your mead in a glass container, just in case there is still some determined yeasties still at work. If you store it in plastic soda bottles, you shouldn?t have to worry.
Below is my list of suggested equipment and ingredients. Not everything is absolutely necessary, but most items on the list will make the process easier. Yes, you can make mead with a condom and two liter soda bottle, but with the popularity of home brewing this equipment can be found fairly inexpensively.
Carboy (1 gal jug)-
This is the container where the actual fermentation will occur.
Thermometer-
You will want the stick-on kind that gets stuck to the outside of your carboy. There?s less chance of contamination if you don't have to poke something into the soup. A thermometer is not necessary, but it is useful.
Bung-
A rubber cork with hole through it, to stopper up the jug.
Air lock-
Keeps air from getting to your mead. You stick it in your bunghole....
Ale yeast-
The type I use is called SafAle. I think you could use just about any ale yeast. Note that a packet of SafAle is enough for a 5-gallon batch and made my mead foam up through the air lock when I used the whole thing. This isn't really a problem as far as brewing goes; it's more of a mess than anything. If you put half a packet in, it should work just as well.
Honey-
I use 100% clover. A lot of honey is blended in Argentina, but any honey will work. Grocery stores usually have clover honey in 2-pound containers. Different honeys will change the flavor of your mead. Have fun and experiment!
Racking tube/cane - Basically a siphon hose. The brew store can sell you one with a nice straight plastic pipe that has a tip that keeps the sludge from getting slurped up. Clear tubing from the hardware store might save you a couple bucks.
Water- I usually use a gallon of spring water from the grocery store. It's not necessary if you have good water where you live. Water in my town sometimes has a chlorine taste to it, so I use bottled stuff. Personal preference.
Cooking Pot ? you?ll need a pot big enough to hold a bit more than a gallon of liquid
Measuring spoons - for measuring the spices.
Funnel - useful for getting the must (fermentable liquid) into the carboy
Strainer ? This is good for getting the bits of spice out when transferring to the carboy. I use a reusable coffee filter. It cost me about $8 at Linens and Things. This isn't totally necessary, but the longer the spices are in the mix, the stronger they will come through.
Spices ? You?ll probably have some stuff around that will work. Put in whatever spices you like. I change this around from batch to batch. Experiment!
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