BEFORE FERMENTATION

Before you begin, you have several decisions to make, as well as prepare for making your mead.

These include:

WHAT STYLE of MEAD (See BJCP Style Guidelines)

• Traditional – just honey, water & yeast
• Melomel – Cyser (apple), Pyment (grape), other fruit
• Metheglin – Spices and/or herbs
• Braggot – mead made with malt
• Combination of the above

WHAT SWEETNESS

• Dry – FG .996-1.004
• Medium – FG 1.005-1.020
• Sweet – FG greater than 1.020

WHAT STRENGTH

• Hydromel – Light mead (8%-10% ABV)
• Standard (10%-14% ABV)
• Sack – “Put you under the table” (ABV greater than 15%)
• Alcohol & Specific Gravity (SG)
• Honey Table

STILL or SPARKLING

YEAST

When you know what type of mead you want to make, then you must decide which YEAST to use. Without going into the science or other technical stuff, here is some info about yeast and how to use it.

• Mead Yeast Charts (opens in a new window)
• Rehydrating Yeast
• Yeast Starters for Meads

CLEANING & SANITIZING – this is SO important it should probably be at the top of this page.

ADDITIVES & ADJUSTMENTS

• pH
• Nutrients
• Tannins
• Pectic enzyme