13lbs Fireweed Honey

Premier Cuvee Yeast

Acid Blend

Yeast Nutrient/D.A.P.

Irish Moss/Bentonite

Brew day:

30 minutes before brew session boil 1 cup water, add Irish Moss, and let this slurry sit while you prepare for boil.  Also at this time, rehydrate dry yeast pack by adding yeast to 8oz of warm water, let this sit covered in a sanitized glass while you prepare the full batch.

  Bring 1.5 gallons water to a boil, reduce heat, and add honey slowly.  Avoid scorching by constantly stirring.  Bring honey and water to a low boil.  After a few minutes begin skimming off foam that floats to the top of the boil, this will help clarify the mead later.  After skimming off most of the foam (about 10-15 minutes) add the Irish moss slurry to the boil.  Continue low boil for about 5 minutes.  At the end of the boil add the additional ingredients (acid blend, nutrients, etc).  Shut off heat, and prepare to pour honey “wort” into a primary fermenter.  Either sanitized glass or plastic is suitable.  If using glass, your fermenter must have 2 gals of cold foundation water added before pouring honey mixture and you will need a suitable sanitized funnel. A 6 gal or larger primary fermenter is recommended.  Carefully pour honey mixture into fermenter.  Add cold top-off water to reach the 5.25 gal mark on your fermenter.

Check the temperature of the honey “wort” to be sure it is not over 80 degrees. If it is, consider immersing the fermenter in cold water to speed up cooling of the wort.  If your temperature is adequate (70-80) pitch the rehydrated yeast slurry into the batch, and set up an airlock assembly.

Next 1-2 weeks:

Place the fermenter out of direct light, and in a place where it will receive room temperatures (around 65 degrees).  Your fermentation should begin after about 5-10 hours.  From then on fermentation will peak then start subsiding. 

Next month:

When obvious fermentation activity has subsided, carefully rack the mead into a glass carboy, leaving sediments behind.  Most of the fermenting should be done, the next month will allow for clarification and maturation.            

1 month later:

The mead should be still and clear by now.  If it still seems murky, allow for another month of aging to clarify.  You could consider adding a fining agent, though time will most likely do the work for you.  Take a hydrometer reading and record the finishing gravity. Another hydrometer reading should be taken in 2-3 weeks to verity that metabolic activity is completed.

Bottling day:

When mead is clear and finished, bottle.  You can bottle right out of the carboy, carefully leaving sediment behind, or you can rack the mead once more to another sanitized carboy or poly bucket and immediately bottle.  Mead is stable due to its alcohol content and will store for years easily!  Congratulations and enjoy!     

Questions? Call us: North Corner Brewing Supply (360) 714-1186

Mead.doc (28.50 kb)