How to Make a Mead in 8 Minutes (Home Made Mead Tutorial)

Summary

This instructional video script outlines the process of brewing mead from scratch, detailing the essential ingredients and equipment needed. It guides viewers through steps like sanitizing, mixing ingredients, measuring gravity, and adding yeast and nutrients. The script also covers fermentation monitoring, taste testing, and the decision to age or back sweeten the mead. Finally, it discusses stabilization methods, bottling, and tips for enhancing the mead's flavor and clarity.

Takeaways

• 🍯 To make mead, you need one gallon of water, two pounds of honey, 2.5 grams of wine yeast, sanitizer, a glass carboy, a hydrometer, a scale, an airlock and bung, and an auto siphon or tubing.
• 🧼 Sanitization is crucial to prevent bad fermentation and should be done for all equipment before starting the mead-making process.
• 🐝 Mixing honey with water is the first step in creating the mead base, and it's important to ensure the ingredients are well mixed to avoid uneven fermentation.
• 📏 A hydrometer is used to measure the original gravity of the mead, which helps in estimating the alcohol by volume (ABV).
• 🔬 Yeast is added to the mixture to start the fermentation process, and it's important to mix it well to ensure even fermentation.
• 🍯 Yeast nutrients like DAP, diammonium phosphate, or Fermaid K can be added to support yeast health and lead to a cleaner fermentation.
• 📝 Keeping detailed records of the mead-making process, including dates, original gravity, and other observations, is essential for tracking progress and quality.
• 🕒 Fermentation should be observed for signs of activity, such as bubbling in the airlock, and should be allowed to proceed until signs of slowing down or clearing indicate completion.
• 📉 A final gravity reading with a hydrometer can confirm when fermentation is complete, and the formula provided can be used to calculate the ABV.
• 🍯 Racking the mead into a new container helps separate it from the yeast sediment and can be followed by further aging or back sweetening if desired.
• 🍯 Back sweetening can be done by adding more honey after stabilizing the mead with potassium sorbate and campden tablets to prevent re-fermentation.
• 🍾 Bottling the mead requires sanitized bottles, a bottling wand for filling, and a capper for sealing, with careful attention to avoid overfilling.

Q & A

What is the main ingredient required to make mead according to the video?

The main ingredient required to make mead is two pounds of honey.

How much water is needed to start making mead in the video?

One gallon of semi-nice water is needed to start making mead.

What type of yeast is recommended for making mead in the video?

2.5 grams of Lavin QA23 yeast or any other wine yeast is recommended.

What is the purpose of sanitizing all the equipment before making mead?

Sanitizing all the equipment is crucial to prevent bad fermentation due to contamination.

What tool is used to measure the gravity of the mead?

A hydrometer is used for measuring the gravity of the mead.

What does the initial hydrometer reading of 1.065 indicate about the mead's alcohol content?

An initial hydrometer reading of 1.065 indicates that the mead has an approximate alcohol by volume (ABV) of 8.5%.

Why is it important to add yeast nutrient to the mead?

Adding yeast nutrient helps the yeast work more efficiently, leading to a cleaner fermentation process.

What are the two methods for adding yeast nutrients to the mead mentioned in the video?

The two methods are adding all the nutrients at the beginning of the mead-making process or using a staggered nutrient schedule, adding them in four parts on days zero, two, four, and six.

How can one determine if the mead fermentation is complete?

The fermentation is considered complete when the bubbles slow down, the airlock stops bubbling, or the mead begins to clear up. A gravity reading with a hydrometer can also confirm if the fermentation is done.

What is the formula used to calculate the alcohol by volume (ABV) after fermentation?

The script does not provide the exact formula, but it mentions that the ABV can be calculated once the fermentation is complete.

What are some methods to stabilize the mead before back sweetening?

Methods to stabilize the mead include using potassium sorbate and metabisulfite, cold crashing, or pasteurizing the mead by heating it to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius) for 20 minutes.

What is the purpose of racking the mead into a new container after fermentation?

Racking the mead into a new container helps to avoid getting the layer of yeast and sediment at the bottom, which can affect the clarity and taste of the final product.

How long should the mead be left after back sweetening before bottling?

The mead should be left for another 24 hours after back sweetening to ensure that there is no more re-fermentation.

What are some tips for achieving a clear mead after bottling?

To achieve a clear mead, one can let it age for a long time, or use clearing agents such as Sparkolloid, Easy Clear, or bentonite.

Why should pasteurized and filtered honey be avoided when making mead?

Pasteurized and filtered honey should be avoided because these processes strip characters from the honey, which can negatively affect the flavor profile of the mead.

What are some additional ingredients that can be added to the mead for flavor variations?

Additional ingredients that can be added for flavor variations include fruits, spices, other types of honey, and maple syrup.

At what stages of the mead-making process can additional ingredients be added?

Additional ingredients can be added during the primary fermentation stage, the secondary fermentation stage if more sugars are added, or during the aging stage of the mead's life.