Making Mead

A few months ago I brewed up a batch of Mead. Erik purchased honey from a manufacturer of honey making equipment in Loup City, Nebraska. They make the steel components of the honey making process. The same equipment needed to brew Mead is the same stuff I use to brew beer. I did order yeast nutrient, acid blend, tannin, pectic enzyme (if using fruit) and Campden tablets. A friend of mine gave me pickle jars that my husband drilled a hole in the lid for me to insert the rubber gasket and airlock.

The yeast starter needs 12 hours to mature. This pic is prior to putting the yeast starter into the Mead. I was surprised when adding the acid blend and tannin that the Mead bubbled up like a kid blowing soap bubbles. What a mess.

Here is picture after the yeast starter was added and the mess cleaned up. Look at how cloudy the Mead is.

My recipe is found in "True Brews" by Emma Christensen. I've also made the root beer from this book.

I've been switching the fermentation jar every few weeks. The mead can age for 6 months before bottling or bottled 4 weeks after the brew date. Brewed on January 24, 2015, I could be bottling this batch of Mead in July. I've been collecting pretty bottles for my batch of Mead.

 Every time I siphon the Mead into a new fermentation jar, I get a little taste.

From the pictures, you can see how much the Mead is clearing up as it sits in the fermentation jar. My batch of Mead does have a wine flavor and texture. I'll be lucky to have a few 12 ounce bottles in July.