How to Make Mead
Simply put, you make mead by adding yeast and honey to water under sanitized conditions, until the yeast converts the sugars in the honey into alcohol.
It’s simple to understand the basics but you’ll need some information to be able to get the most from your mead making experience.
What is this Guide?
This guide is a resource for learning how to make your own mead.
Who is this Guide for?
This guide is primarily intended for:
- Anyone interested in learning how to make mead for the first time, and not sure where to start.
- Those that have made some mead before, but would like to make it better.
- Anyone who may want to learn about each component of the mead making process.
What’s Included in the Guide?
This guide explains the process of how to make mead and includes:
1. Introduction and High-Level Overview
As mentioned above, the basic process of making mead is straightforward. To start, combine water, honey and yeast to start a process called fermentation. Fermentation is when the yeast converts the sugar in the honey into alcohol and gas.
Once the fermentation process is complete (in about 1-3 weeks), you have mead. Typically, you move the mead into another container (called ‘racking’) for secondary fermentation where it ages and can be combined with additional flavor components, such as cinnamon sticks.
After secondary fermentation, you can make any adjustments for sweetness or carbonation you’d like. Next, you rack the mead into bottles, where they should age for a little while longer. Finally, you drink! 🙂
2. Gather and Prepare Ingredients
Since mead requires so few ingredients, it is very important to select them carefully. The ingredients you need will depend on the specific batch you are making. It is possible to include quite a few ingredients in a batch, but there are only 2 that are required, and must be selected with great care.
Required Ingredient 1: Honey
There are a wide range of types of honey that can be used to make mead. Many mead makers are either beekeepers themselves, or otherwise have access to large amounts of honey. Check out my detailed overview and explanation of using honey in mead.
Required Ingredient 2: Yeast
The yeast’s primary role is to convert sugar to alcohol, but it also influences the flavors and body of the final product. Being such a critical component, there is lots of discussion in the mead making circles around which yeasts are best, and how to properly use each one. For a full review and guide, check out the guide for using yeast in mead.
Required Ingredient 3: Water
Water is used as the main liquid ingredient in mead. It is sweetened with the honey, and that mixture is fermented by adding the yeast.
Advanced Ingredients
The Ingredients page has much more information on these advanced ingredients:
- Pectin Enzyme (liquid or powder) to reduce the haze.
- Acids (malic, tartaric, tannic, or blend) to increase the overall flavor profile by reducing the pH.
- Yeast Nutrient or Yeast Energizer to give the yeast the proper nutrients to carry out fermentation.
3. Gather and Prepare Equipment
As is the case with ingredients, the specific equipment you need will vary according to the recipe and techniques you are using (you can find more information on the equipment page). The size of the batch and techniques used play direct roles in which supplies you need for a given batch.
Required Equipment:
- Sanitizing solution – You’ll use this to ensure that all equipment is free of unseen bacteria (I recommend Star San).
- Fermentation containers – You use these to hold the mead while it’s undergoing the fermentation process. Some of the most commonly used containers for fermentation are:
- Carboy – Also called demijohns or fermenters, carboys are plastic or glass containers specifically made for fermenting alcohol. The most common sizes are 1-gallon, and 5-gallon.
- Plastic bucket – Food-grade buckets called ‘fermenting buckets’ or ‘bottling buckets’ are used for fermentation.
- Rubber stopper and air lock – You place these on top of the fermentation container in order to allow gas to escape, while keeping air and contaminants out.
- Bottles and caps – Either standard beer bottles, growlers, or hinge-top bottles. You can reuse bottles from beer, cider, etc, so long as it is not the twist off style, and has been thoroughly cleaned and sanitized.
- Bottle Capper – If you plan on using standard beer bottles and attaching single-use caps, you will need a bottle capper. This device attaches the bottle cap onto the bottle. See Section 9: Bottling for more information.
Optional Equipment:
- Cleaning solution – You can use standard cleaning methods and tools such as dish washing soap and sponges, however, there are specialized cleaners available as well.
- Brushes – Brushes are very helpful when cleaning your equipment.
- Hydrometer and test jar – A hydrometer measures how much sugar is in the mead and is important at different times when making mead. An initial test indicates the total possible alcohol content of the final product, testing throughout the process gives updates on progress on fermentation, and testing at the end determines that fermentation is complete and final alcohol content. This video from NorthernBrewer gives a great overview of using a hydrometer. It focuses on brewing beer, but it’s very applicable to mead.
- Funnel – A funnel is very handy for moving mead between containers.
- Auto-siphon (or racking cane) and food-grade tubing – These are devices for moving mead between containers in a much more efficient way. See Section 6: Racking for more information.
- Bottle filler – A bottle filler makes moving mead into bottles much easier. It attaches to the end of the tubing (on the side opposite of the auto-siphon) and allows you to start and stop the flow of mead quickly, cleanly, and without losing the siphon. See Section 9: Bottling for more information.
Advanced Equipment:
- pH strips and acid testing kit – These give you the information needed to make adjustments to the pH or acids in your mead.
4. Cleaning and Sanitizing
It’s very important to clean and sanitize anything that will touch the mead throughout the process of making mead. This includes standard equipment such as the carboy, stopper, air lock, funnel, etc. But it also includes things you might not think about, like spoons, measuring cups, measuring spoons, etc.
You must clean and sanitize several times throughout the process, it’s not something that’s only done at the very beginning.
It’s important to note that cleaning and sanitizing are not the same thing.
Cleaning
Cleaning removes the contaminants you can see (dirt, grime, etc). Clean with standard washing techniques: hand washing or putting items in the dishwasher, using dish soaps, etc. Be careful not to scratch anything plastic as the scratches can harbor bacteria in future batches.
Sanitizing
Sanitizing is the process of removing the unseen contaminants, such as bacteria. Use a liquid or powder sanitizing product and follow the instructions on the package. Place all sanitized equipment on clean paper towels on a table or counter.
5: Primary Fermentation
Now that you’ve gathered the supplies and sanitized the equipment, it’s time to start fermenting.
Fermentation is the process of yeast converting the natural sugars in the honey into alcohol and carbon dioxide gas.
How much alcohol gets produced is directly related to how much sugar is in the mead (from honey).
Primary Fermentation
Now you have the water and honey in the primary fermentation container The next step in making your own mead is to add the yeast (called ‘pitching’ in brew-speak). Simply add the appropriate amount of yeast directly into the carboy.
The instructions on the yeast will likely tell you to add the yeast to lukewarm water prior to pitching (a process called ‘rehydrating the yeast’). The intent is to get the yeast ready for fermentation and prevent the yeast from having a negative reaction to being put directly into sugar (sugar shock). Personally, I don’t ever rehydrate the yeast as I have found it causes a bigger headache (more equipment to sanitize, using thermometer on small amount of water, waiting) than it’s worth.
The yeast packet will likely contain enough yeast for a 5-gallon batch, so use the whole packet if you are making a 5-gallon batch. If you are making a smaller amount, use only a portion of the packet. Using more yeast won’t cause problems unless you use tremendously too much (multiple packets).
Finally, attach the stopper and airlock. Start by adding sanitizing solution to the airlock up to the max line indicated. Then put the airlock into the rubber stopper. Lastly, put the rubber stopper into the opening on the lid (if you are using a bucket) or carboy opening. Make sure there isn’t any liquid on the stopper or the carboy to get a good seal).
And Now We Wait
Put the container in a room temperature environment (or closer to 60 degrees if you can) and wait for the magic to start. Within a few hours or days, you should start seeing and hearing CO2 gas escaping through the air lock. You may also notice a very distinct smell (sulfur).
6. Secondary Fermentation
Secondary Fermentation
Unlike primary fermentation, secondary fermentation is not about yeast activity. Secondary fermentation is about improving the taste by letting the mead age. During the aging process, the flavors condition and mellow.
Mead will benefit from aging in secondary fermentation and after bottling. After 2-3 additional weeks, check the mead with your hydrometer. If the specific gravity is between, .998 and 1.004, you are ready to bottle.
Secondary fermentation is also where various flavoring agents can be added. Some of the most common of these are fruits such as blueberries or peaches. Cinnamon sticks are also a very common additions, but be very careful not to add too much. Start by adding a few and tasting after a week or 2, then adjust from there.
7. Bottling
Unless you plan on drinking the mead immediately after fermentation, you will need to transfer it to bottles.
Sanitizing
Carbonation
Carbonation is created in one of two main ways:
- Bottling with sugar and yeast present. You can do this by adding sugar prior to bottling (called back sweetening), or bottling before fermentation is complete (it is very important to not have too much sugar present when using this method as this can cause the bottles to explode). Back sweetening is much easier to measure and control, but bottling before fermentation is complete can yield a better tasting product.
- Force carbonation. You can use a keg system or soda stream to manually force carbonation into the mead. This is a common method among veteran mead makers, due to simplicity and consistency.
Sweetness
Mead can be made sweet in one of two ways:
- Adding a sweetening agent that won’t be consumed by the yeast (called non-fermentables). The yeast doesn’t ‘eat’ it, so they remain in the mead, making it sweet.
- Kill the yeast so it doesn’t consume the last part of the sugar. This can be done by ‘cold crashing’ the mead (reducing the temperature so the yeast slow down and settle to bottom) and transferring the mead to another container, leaving the yeast behind. Or, you can use Potassium Metabisulfite (Campden Tablets) and Potassium Sorbate to weaken the yeast so fermentation stops. Some mead makers don’t like using the additives because of the taste they add or because they want their meads to be free of additives.
- Go higher than the yeast threshold.
Bottling
You will bottle your mead using the auto-siphon, tubing, and bottle filler. Start the siphon and fill each bottle by pressing the spring-loaded bottle filler into the bottom of the bottle. You don’t have to use a bottle filler, but it could be complicated or messy to move from one bottle to the next. After you finish several bottles, place a cap loosely on them and let it sit as you continue filling. The goal is for the CO2 gas to fill the head-space (and not air). Then crimp on the cap with your bottle capper.
Aging
Mead can benefit from aging. Some mead makers age their meads for a year or more. The 2 most common ways to age meadis:
- Extended secondary fermentation
- Extended time after bottling
8. Drinking
You are well on your way to learning how to make mead, but there is one last step: Drinking! While drinking may need no explanation, tasting may. A big part of making meadnis learning to taste specific characteristics to make adjustments in future batches. In particular, some things to note are:
- Appearance
- Smell
- Amount of carbonation
- Sweetness
- How prominent the taste of alcohol
- Finish/aftertaste