Homemade Honey Mead

YIELD 1 GALLON

Many recipes you'll find for mead yield very large amounts, but I've scaled it back to one gallon. For beginners, this is much easier to handle.

1. Simmer ½ gallon water until warm.
2. Add honey: 2 pounds for a dry mead or 3 pounds for a sweet mead. Stir until dissolved.
3. Simmer (don't boil) for about 30 minutes, skimming off any scum that forms. Remove from heat and let cool to about 100°F and pour into a gallon glass bottle.
4. Add any extra ingredients you may want. See below for ideas.
5. When the temperature is below 90°F, add the yeast. One package will make 5 gallons of mead, so use between ⅕ of a package and ½ a package. I typically make two gallons at a time and divide the package between the two.
6. Cap the bottle and shake well. Add more water to fill the bottle, making sure to leave 3-4 inches of headroom at the top. Take the top off and add an airlock. These are available at your local homebrew store or online here.
7. Once the airlock is in place, set the bottle in a cool spot for about 6 weeks.

Notes

Within 12 to 24 hours, you'll notice bubbling and foaming in the top of the bottle. This is normal. If you add fruit or herbs, this may bubble into the airlock and get stuck. This is normal too, but you'll want to clean it out well and reset it. A clogged airlock could lead to an explosion.

After six weeks, check the airlock. It should have stopped bubbling, or the bubbling may have slowed to once every minute instead of every few seconds like it will do in the beginning. When the bubbling stops, it's time to bottle it.

Bottling Your Homemade Mead

As stated above, when the bubbling stops, it’s time to bottle your mead.

1. Pour the mead out of the bottle into a strainer to remove any fruit or herbs. Pour the strained mead into another bottle and cap tightly. (Loose caps can lead to explosions or leakage.) The mead will continue to ferment for a while, producing a sparkling beverage.

2. You can put the mead in a refrigerator for a week or so. This will cause the yeast to slow and settle to the bottom.

3. Open the bottle and decant the top of the mead, down to the sediment on the bottom, into another bottle. Your mead will now be still, or (mostly) non-sparkling.

Flavoring this Homemade Honey Mead Recipe

Plain mead is a nice treat on its own, but you can flavor this honey mead recipe to make it even better.

You could start with apple cider instead of water. This is called cyser. Herbs such as lemon balm, lemongrass, rosemary, hibiscus, vanilla, rose, and even hops can all be used. For this size recipe, use ½ cup dried herbs or one cup of fresh herbs. I made one with chamomile and rose one year that had a very unique flavor. Light and delicate, but potent.

Fruit is another option for flavoring mead. Try blackberries, blueberries, wild grapes, persimmon, rhubarb, spiced apple, or even lime or grapefruit. Elderflower, maple, or spiced pumpkin are some other interesting possibilities.