How to make mead is going to come in two different directions. You will either go straight to step by step instructions with some very simple Mead recipes to get you started. Or you may choose to find a home course on the subject which will take you through the basics of making mead over a series of five easy steps. There is even an eBook available that has all of the answers to frequently asked questions about mead. Keep reading to find out the secrets of how to make mead, plus how to make your own unique homemade mead.
If you have never made mead before it is recommended that you begin with a mead recipe that contains white wine or a fermenting fruit for fermentation. For example, one popular and easy to follow mead recipe calls for a combination of sweet apple cider vinegar, honey, and honey into a container. The resulting mixture is then placed into a fermenting container that is covered with muslin, a type of cloth used for protecting livestock. The process of fermentation can last anywhere from a couple of days to a week, depending upon ambient conditions. When the fermentation is complete, the mead can be pulled from the container and placed into another bottle.
It is important to note that when you are adding fruit to a fermented beverage, you should ensure that all of the fruit has been soaked prior to adding it to the other ingredients. To do this, rinse the fruit completely with cold water, then squeeze all of the water from the fruit until all of the juice has been removed. You can strain the mixture into one-gallon jars using an airlock.
You can purchase a commercial airlock for fermenting mixtures like this one quite cheaply, especially if you are brewing several batches at the same time. If you are only making one gallon at a time, then you can use a standard kitchen strainer. The resulting drink will taste much like apple cider. In order to give your homemade mead a firmer flavor, you can add several teaspoons of honey at the end of the fermentation process.
If you are going to bottle your mead, then you have to prepare the equipment needed for bottling. You will need a large strainer and a bottle. Place the whole mixture into a large strainer and gently strain through it into a clean bottle. This will help keep the original ingredients from floating to the top of the bottle where they may spoil. You can also add additional sugar or honey to the bottle in order to achieve a different taste.
Brewing a mead batch can be incredibly simple if you have a home fermentation environment. You can purchase an inexpensive wine kegerator at your local Home Depot or Lowe’s store. These devices take up very little space and make it easy to have a constant supply of fresh, sweet yeast. You can add as much yeast to the bottle as you like, as long as the mixture is close to the right strength. It is possible to make a half gallon of grape juice or five gallons of water at the same time.
You must be careful when working with honey wine. If you try to over-fertilize the mixture, you can dramatically change the final product. Once the fermentation process has been completed, you should rack the mead to separate the liquid from the solid yeast. You will probably need to rack it for several weeks in order for the mead to fully ferment and mellow out its flavors.
How to make mead can be an enjoyable and satisfying process. The final result will taste completely different depending on the type of yeast that you used. You can choose from a variety of grapes, but if you want a particularly tart, unique taste, it is best to choose a local varietal honey that is hard to obtain. As with all fermented beverages, you are sure to experience different flavours when you use different ingredients.
