MEAD 101

Mead: at least 50% of fermentables from honey

Strength: Hydromel (<1.080 OG), Standard (1.080 – 1.120), Sack (>1.120)
Effervescence: Still, Petulent, Sparkling
Sweetness: Dry (<1.010 FG), Semi-sweet (1.010 – 1.025), Sweet (>1.025)

Types of Mead
Traditional: Honey, Water & Yeast
Varietals include orange blossom, clover, sourwood, tupelo and many others.
Melomel: Fruit meads, several are popular enough to have special names.
Cyser: apple/cider
Pyment: grapes/juice
Metheglin: Spice meads
Mulling spices: Allspice, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg
Beer spices: Coriander, cardamom, curacao orange, woodruff, etc.
Mellow spices: Vanilla, chocolate, anise, sassafras, maple syrup
Italian spices: Oregano, basil, thyme, bay, sage, rosemary, garlic
Flower Petal Metheglin: Rose petals (Rhodimel), dandelion, lavendar, tea blends, heather tips,
hop cones (Miomel), honeysuckle, elderberry flowers.
Peppery: White/black pepper, mint, lemon grass, curry powder, grains of paradise, juniper
berries, spruce, mustard seed, fennel, tumeric, cumin.
Chile mead (capsicumel) varies in heat.
Braggot: malt/extract (hops not required)

Yeasts Lalvin K1V-1116: light & fruity meads

Wyeast 4184: sweet meads “ DV-10: high gravity meads
“ 4632: dry meads “ EC-1118: high gravity, neutral flavor
WLP720: sweet meads Red Star Premiere Cuvee: dry meads
Lalvin D-47: Med. to sweet meads, earthy tones Red Star Montrachet: dry meads
“ 71B: light & fruity, med-dry meads, fast

Glossary Metheglin: Mead with spices or extracts

Acerglin: Mead with maple syrup
Apple Pie Mead: Cyser with mulling spices
Bochet: Sack mead that has been burnt or charred
Braggot: Mead with malt/malt extract
Capsicumel: Mead with peppers (chili, etc.)
Cyser: Mead with apple as main fruit, may have
other fruits as well
Hippocras: Mead with grapes & spices
Hydromel: French name for mead
Lactomel: Mead with milk
Malteglin: Mead with malt and spices
Maltomel: Mead with malt and fruit
Melomel: Mead with fruit or fruit juice
Miodomel: Mead with hops
Morat: Mead with mulberries (mora)
Omphacomel: Mead of rerjuice, juice of unripe
grapes
Oxymel: Mead mixed with white vinegar
Pyment: Mead with grapes/juice
Rhodomel: Atlar, rose petal distillate or rose petals
Rhyzamel: Mead with root vegetables
Sack: Sweet mead, higher strength made with more
honey
Tej: Ethiopian mead with honey & hops
Thalassiomel: Mead using sea water
Historical or meads from other lands Meddeglyn / myddyglyn: Welsh spiced mead
Acun: Native Mexican mead Mede: Dutch mead
Gverc: Croation mead Medovina: Czech or Slovak meads
Dwojniak: Polish mead with equal amounts of Medovukha: Russian mead
honey & water Medu: Old high German mead
Wornia: Polish mead with 3:1 water:honey Medus: Lithuanian mead with Latvian honey
Dandaghare: Nepalese mead with Himalayan herbs Meis: Entrean mead
& spices Meody: Old English- West Saxon mead
Qhilia: South African mead Met: German mead
Mulsum: Ancient Roman drink from fermented Midiy: Lithuanian
wine w/ fresh honey added Miod: Polish
Condidum: Roman recipe of wine, honey & spices, Mjod: Danish, Swedish or Norwegian meads
to be aged. Modhu: Vedas- nectar or ambrosia, Greek/Roman
Aquamiel: Spanish mead Alu: Prussian
Balche: Mayan psychodelic mead with balke or Methe: Ancient Greek
pitarilla bark Mede: Frisian or low German
Chou chen: Breton (France) mead Metu/Mitu: Old high German
Hidromel: Portugese mead Meth: German
Idromel: Italian mead Melikatos: Old Greek (morphed to hydromel)
Med: Bulgarian and Ukranian meads

Terms for HONEY

Honig: German
Honning: Norwegian
Honwig: Swedish
Hunaja: Finnish
Mel: Welsh, Brazilian and others
Mgarly: Australian Aboriginal
Mjod: Russian
Miel: Spanish
Tapli: Georgian

Acknowledgement: I want to thank Ted Perry (TRUB member – Durham, NC) for nearly all the above
information, presented at the July, 2010 TRUB meeting.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
RECIPES
Cinnamon/Nutmeg Metheglin

Source: Ken Schramm (with comments by Todd Wenzel)

Ingredients: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon
15 lb honey (1.25gal)
28 gr (1 oz)whole nutmegs, freshly ground and infused in the boil (I just bought a fresh
package of ground nutmeg at the store, TCW)
2, 3-inch cinnamon sticks (Again, use fresh package, TCW)
2t ascorbic acid
2t citric acid
OR 2t acid blend (I used the acid blend, TCW)
1/2T yeast nutrient
1/2t Irish moss
water to make 5 gallons
10 gr Epernay II yeast
5 gr Pasteur Champagne yeast
(I used 71B dry yeast, TCW)
Procedure:
Boil 35 minutes, chill to 80F, then pitch yeast. When fermentation is
complete, prime with 3/4 c dextrose. (I used no-boil method with no priming for a still
mead. In 2008 I bottled before fermentation was complete, resulting in a sparkling mead
that was very well received. TCW)

Comments:
Use FRESHLY ground whole nutmeg.

This requires at least 2 years in the bottle to be at its best. After 2

years the mead is vinous and semi-dry, pale yelow in color with a good
sweet/acid balance. Cinnamon appears first in the nose, followed by the
nutmeg. There is an almost citrus aftertaste. Spices are balanced and
subtle rather then assertive. (I achieved the citrus character with orange-blossom honey,
was winning medals in 8 months, took 3rd place NC Mead-maker of the year with this one
mead. TCW)

Best served at 45-50F. (I’d really like to try this mead mulled or heated on a cold
winter night. TCW)

Specifics:OG 1.104 FG 1.000

Ancient Orange Cinnamon & Clove Mead

This is one I have shared before but it may have got lost in the rebuild. It is so simple to make and you can
make it without much equipment and with a multitude of variations. This could be a first Mead for the novice as
it is almost fool proof. It is a bit unorthodox but it has never failed me or the friends I have shared it with.
Wikdwaze, you might like this one better than your Chancers since it will be both sweet, complex and tastey.

1 gallon batch

• 3 1/2 lbs Clover or your choice honey or blend (will finish sweet)
• 1 Large orange (later cut in eights or smaller rind and all)
• 1 small handful of raisins (25 if you count but more or less ok)
• 1 stick of cinnamon
• 1 whole clove ( or 2 if you like - these are potent critters)
• optional (a pinch of nutmeg and allspice )( very small )
• 1 teaspoon of Fleismanns bread yeast ( now don't get holy on me--- after all this is an ancient mead and
that's all we had back then)
• Balance water to one gallon

Process:
Use a clean 1 gallon carboy
Dissolve honey in some warm water and put in carboy

Wash orange well to remove any pesticides and slice in eights --add orange (you can push em through opening
big boy -- rinds included -- its ok for this mead -- take my word for it -- ignore the experts)

Put in raisins, clove, cinnamon stick, any optional ingredients and fill to 3 inches from the top with cold water. (
need room for some foam -- you can top off with more water after the first few day frenzy)

Shake the heck out of the jug with top on, of course. This is your sophisticated aeration process.
When at room temperature in your kitchen. Put in 1 teaspoon of bread yeast. ( No you don't have to rehydrate it
first-- the ancients didn't even have that word in their vocabulary-- just put it in and give it a gentle swirl or
not)( the yeast can fight for their own territory)

Install water airlock. Put in dark place. It will start working immediately or in an hour. (Don't use grandma's
bread yeast she bought years before she passed away in the 90's)( Wait 3 hours before you panic or call me)
After major foaming stops in a few days add some water and then keep your hands off of it. (Don't shake it!
Don't mess with them yeastees! Let them alone except its okay to open your cabinet to smell every once in a
while.

Racking --- Don't you dare

additional feeding --- NO NO
More stirring or shaking -- Your not listening, don't touch

After 2 months and maybe a few days it will slow down to a stop and clear all by itself. (How about that) (You
are not so important after all) Then you can put a hose in with a small cloth filter on the end into the clear part
and syphon off the golden nectar. If you wait long enough even the oranges will sink to the bottom but I never
waitied that long. If it is clear it is ready. You don't need a cold basement. It does better in a kitchen in the dark.
(like in a cabinet) likes a little heat (70-80). If it didn't work out... you screwed up and didn't read my
instructions (or used grandma's bread yeast she bought years before she passed away) . If it didn't work out then
take up another hobby. Mead is not for you. It is too complicated.

If you were sucessful, which I am 99% certain you will be, then enjoy your mead. When you get ready to make
a different mead you will probably have to unlearn some of these practices I have taught you, but hey--- This
recipe and procedure works with these ingredients so don't knock it. It was your first mead. It was my tenth.
Sometimes, even the experts can forget all they know and make a good ancient mead.

Enjoy, Joe

Starrlight Mulled Apple Cyser

Ben and Becky Starr from Durham, North Carolina, have three and a half years and over 175 gallons experience
making mead. In February 2006, they took Best in Show out of over 210 entries in the International Mead
Festival Home Mead Makers Competition at the International Mead Festival. “Starrlight Mulled Apple Cyser”
was awarded not only a gold medal, but was also selected as the best overall representation of mead from the
gold medal winners in all nine categories. Their meads have also won ribbons at the North Carolina State Fair.
They share their enthusiasm and love of brewing by conducting demonstrations and workshops on mead
making in the local community and organize a Durham, NC Mead Day celebration each August. Ben and Becky
plan to take their love of mead making commercial by opening Starrlight Mead in fall 2008.
Starrlight Mulled Apple Cyser (Mead)
Makes 6 gallons
O.G. = ~1.120
F.G. = 1.014
Ingredients:
16 lbs Wildflower Honey
5 gal Apple Cider* – no preservatives, sulfites
4 Tbsp Cinnamon, ground
1 Tbsp Clove, ground
2 Tbsp Allspice, ground
2 Tbsp Nutmeg, ground
2 Tbsp Orange peel, dried
6 seeds Anise (optional)
1 tsp Yeast Nutrient (DAP – diammonium phosphate)
Potassium Sorbate (optional)
10 g (2 packages) Lalvin Narbonne Yeast (71B-1122)
*Spiced Apple Cider can be used in place of the cider and spices – choose one based on personal preference.

Sanitation
It is important to sanitize everything that comes in contact with the mead must and the other ingredients.

Equipment needed:
• A large pot to hold 1 gallon.
• A large fermentation bucket or pail (7 to 7.9 gallon) with a lid.
• A long spoon or wine degasser.
• Fermentation lock.
• Measuring spoons.
• Glass fermenter for secondary fermentation.
• Glass fermenter for tertiary fermentation/clarification.
• Racking cane.

Procedure:
Prior to starting the batch, set the honey containers in a sink with hot water to warm and loosen the honey;
doing this makes it easier to pour the honey.

1. Add one gallon of apple cider to a large pot and heat slowly to a simmer. As the cider is heating, add loose
spices to the pot. Simmer spices and cider for 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
2. Pour spiced cider into the fermentation bucket. Add all of the honey to the bucket. Heat an additional quart of
cider in a glass container in the microwave. Pour the warm cider into each of the honey containers and shake to
dissolve the remaining honey, adding this to the bucket.
3. Using the large spoon or wine degasser, mix the must until the honey is completely dissolved. Add the
remainder of the cider (~4¾ gallons) to the bucket while stirring.
4. Stir vigorously to aerate the must.
5. Take an original gravity (O.G.) and a temperature reading.
6. Re-hydrate the dry yeast, if you have not already done so, following the instructions on the packages. Once
the yeast has been re-hydrated, make sure the must is between 60 and 80 degrees F, pitch the yeast and stir well.
Attach the lid and fermentation lock, and add liquid to the fermentation lock. Fermentation should begin within
24 hours.

Next Steps:
Add yeast nutrient about 2 days after pitching yeast. Stir yeast nutrient into the solution. Fermentation is best
when kept between 65 and 75 degrees F.
The primary fermentation will last about 4 weeks.
Finishing:
When the activity in the airlock has pretty much stopped, indicating the primary fermentation is complete, rack
to a secondary fermenter (preferably glass). Attach a fermentation lock to the carboy and leave at 65 to 75
degrees F for 4 weeks.
After 4 weeks, rack to another carboy for aging and clarification. Check the mead at this time for sweetness. If
more sweetness is needed, add honey or Apple Juice Concentrate (frozen or canned – not diluted) until you get
the desired sweetness. To do this, add 1 pound of honey to 1 cup of hot water or Apple Juice Concentrate at
time of racking. You may want to add some potassium sorbate to inhibit any further fermentation.
This mead is drinkable after 3-6 months and continues to get better with age – excellent after 1 to 1.5 years.
Enjoy chilled anytime or warmed in a crock-pot during the winter – spices are more pronounced when warmed.