The basis for making mead is just honey and water. Different types of honey have different characteristics and it may be appropriate to mix honeys to obtain more complexity. We have all you need to get started: yeast, honey and equipment.
Yeast nutrients
Honey is low in some of the nutrients necessary to give the yeast the optimum conditions. We strongly recommend adding nutrients for the best possible end result. We recommend a combination of Fermaid K and DAP (Diammonium Phosphate), added on three occasions during the first week of fermentation. As a guideline, you could add 0,5 g of Fermaid K and 0,2 g of DAP per liter of mead, divided on three occasions Day 1, Day 3 and Day 6 of fermentation.
Sweet or dry mead
Many yeast strains will consume most of the sugar, whether a wine or mead yeast is selected. The alcohol can be experienced as sweetness, so a strong mead is often perceived sweeter than it actually is.
The attenuation and residual sweetness are affected by the alcohol tolerance of the yeast and how concentrated the honey must was prior to fermentation. A high honey content (ie a strong mead) will eventually cause the yeast to quit, leaving some residual sugar in the mead.
On the contrary, if the plan is to produce a less sweet, drier mead, it may be appropriate to reduce the amount of honey. Another method to retain residual sweetness in the mead is to add sulphites and sorbate, thereby interrupting the fermentation. With this method, it is also possible to sweeten the mead if desirable.
Keep in mind that a balanced mead is usually more pleasant than a mead that is too sweet or too dry.
Mead recipe
For 15 liter dry to semi sweet mead at 12 – 14 % alcohol.
OG: ca 1.110
FG: ca 1.010
Ingredients
Honey – 6.5 kg
Lalvin D-47 yeast – 2 packages (about 0.5 g per liter)
Fermaid K yeast nutrient – 9 grams (3 g per occasion)
DAP yeast nutrient – 6 grams (2 g per occasion)
Instructions
Mix the honey with some warm water. Then mix in water more water for a total volume of about 15 liters. (or as much as you wish to achieve a certain OG).
Add the dry yeast. If you want to give the yeast an extra boost, it can be rehydrated with the addition of 1 gram of Go-Ferm per gram of dry yeast. Ferment at about 17 – 18 °C.
Fermentation
Day 1 (one day into the fermentation)
Gently stir with a sanitized spoon or wine whip to degas the mead. Add 2,5 grams of Fermaid K and 1 grams of DAP.
Day 2
Gently stir with a sanitized spoon or wine whip to degas the mead.
Day 3
Gently stir with a sanitized spoon or wine whip to degas the mead. Add 2,5 grams of Fermaid K and 1 grams of DAP.
Day 4
Gently stir with a sanitized spoon or wine whip to degas the mead.
Day 6
Gently stir with a sanitized spoon or wine whip to degas the mead. Add 2,5 grams of Fermaid K and 1 grams of DAP.
After 3-4 weeks
Rack the mead into a secondary fermentation vessel, such as a PET carboy. The fermenter should be as small as possible to reduce the size of the air pocket. Put the fermenter in a cold, dark place so that it clears faster. Bottle when the mead has cleared, or when it seems ready. Still mead is the most common. For this we recommend wine bottles and corks.
If you prefer a carbonated mead, you need to add priming sugar before bottling. For this we recommend champagne or beer bottles.
