10 Things To Know Before Making A Mead

[@davebuehner4307]

I started my mead making after having received a “mead-kit” as a present. The hard learned lessons that have resulted. 1) Temperature matters - Temp of water and the air during fermentation 2) Get a scale that can handle your carboy when filled 3) Take gravity readings at least bi-weekly - track the fermentation and know when it’s done stalled or time to pasteurize. 4) Mead making is a journey not a destination, enjoy the process and the experience. The drinking like harvest is a different season then must-making or sowing. 5) Patience is a key ingredient. Time heals most brews. 6) Sugar is much cheaper than honey, experiment with new flavors with sugar first. When you think the flavors work then do a batch with honey. That way you get a wine and a mead that you really like. 7) Kit is cool and fun, but don’t let your brew supply store sell you what you won’t use. It’s easy to lust for that digital refractometer, but it won’t make your brew taste better, even if it is less disruptive and shiny-cool. 8) Presentation! When giving as gifts or serving to guests, spend a few coins and bottle, cork, shrink wrap and print a proper label. Any gourmet will tell you presentation makes the whole experience better. It sends clues to the brain that this is quality prepare yourself to enjoy. Unless you are shirtless and wearing horns on your head at the Viking mead hall, then by all means drink out of a horn and regale each other with tales of conquest. 9) I make mead by the gallon. For the money I get to try more things, a gallon is easier to handle,mix and oxygenate. Plus if a batch fails for any reason my losses are less catastrophic. 10) Spit brews often to experiment with changes during conditioning. I use two half gallon canning jars with airlocks. Usually I leave one as is (the control) and the other I might add a flavoring like: oak, vanilla, coffee, cocoa, fruit, herbs, back sweeten, carbonate or even just throw in herbal tea bags. The journey is half the fun. 11) Take copious notes. With several brews going at once it is nearly impossible to keep track of fermentation progress, ingredients and time. It is crucial to knowing what worked, what you might do to improve the next time and what is not worth repeating. (The latter is what you reach for when the in-laws visit. Insist they drink the whole bottle. Devious but diabolical.)

[@chrisryan1223]

I’ve been brewing mead since Christmas of 2018. I absolutely love to make mead! The entire process is fun to me from watching it ferment to watching it settle. Been watching you since then but was never signed into my account to leave a comment. Keep up the good work I have learned a lot through you!

[@ManMadeMead]

Thank you so much!

[@jackfrost2673]

I’ve been making a strawberry syrup mead and I’m double fermenting it. I’ve been using a nutrient for the yeast and I decided to add a orange that I got from my tree outside. Thank you for all the tips!

[@johntoth6627]

Two of my meads took a week or more to start off! both were high gravity. gotta be patient

[@dmitriwinters8497]

I tried mead for the first time a little while ago and loved it and so I've decided to try and start making some mead of my own.

[@KaiDerksen]

I like the kitty passing through at 8:22

[@Kingcj2001]

I started mead making last year, pouring over recipes and tools and such. The hydrometer has helped me a bunch and airlocks have saved brews from pests numerous times! Generally, I don't use nutrients and energizers, but that's mainly because of cost. Good honey ain't cheap, and I recently started an acerglyn and genuine maple syrup isn't cheap. Most of the time, without the aid, my meads come up to about 10%, which leaves me with sweeter brews, but I love the sweeter meads. But it's a fun hobby and whenever I share mead with friends and coworkers on the holidays, they just gush over it, and I always tell them, "You can do it too." :)

[@stephsc856]

very good vidéo,very interesting for making a good mead.i'm a french beekeeper.

[@mattroy3154]

I'm making 11 gallons of mead/melomel right now. I never tried tasting mead so I don't know what I'm in for. Also I used some drinkable tap water and raw honey. EC-1118 was used and sp gr are 1.112, 1.114 and 1.120. So far I'm 24+ hours in and all carboys are bubbling at 1-4 seconds per bubble so I'm quite excited.

[@ManMadeMead]

That’s awesome!! Keep me updated!

[@RX50]

I'm with you. I love one kind of mead and hate all the other kinds I've tasted. Now I'm fermenting my first batch without knowing what kind it is. I maybe lucky

[@mattroy3154]

@@RX50 Yeah I used 3lbs per gallon recipe. I added raisins but next time I won't. It gives a sort of sour note that I don't really want in there. But overall it turned our quite excellent. I've had a professional chef told me that he's tried a lot of people's mead and mine was by far and away the best he's tasted. I've also compared it with another meader's stuff and there's just no comparison. I used raw honey so I suspect this is why mine turned out hella strong and very sweet. I've had multiple nights of partying in VR getting loaded on mead during the pandemic. Turned out much better than expected. 10/10 would recommend.

[@alexlarsen6413]

@@mattroy3154 I literally got lucky on my first batch. I actually put 1,5kg of quality wildflower honey into a gallon, so that would be something like 4 and a half pounds of honey and I used 14% tolerance yeast. I did not put any raisins or any other fruit but instead I used prepared yeast food and did not step feed it but dumped it all at once. The initial gravity was very high with potential ABV of 16%. After 3 weeks the ABV was close to 13% but the mead was already pretty good, somewhat sweet, somewhat bubbly still, it had slight honey texture. After five weeks the ABV was 13,5% and there was no bubbles any longer, it had cleared up significantly but it was still sweet and much better tasting, with alcohol hardly detectable. That's when I racked it and this was about 10 days ago. Now it's conditioning in the secondary fermentation. It's altogether been a month and a half since I made it and at the moment it's so clear I can see through it. It has been building up a thin layer of sediment even now in secondary so I'll rack it one more time before bottling it but I think it'll be super fine for Christmas already!

[@gretathuumberg]

@@alexlarsen6413 how was your mead?

[@meghanboland1930]

Thanks!

[@peoriatitan5172]

I making my first two 1 gallon batches of mead today. Your videos have helped me gather knowledge to make me confident to take this on. Making one batch of traditional and one batch of blackberry.

[@ManMadeMead]

I’m so happy I could help! Let me know how those turn out!

[@peoriatitan5172]

I sure will.

[@DbM313]

Just curious on results? I’ve been contemplating getting into it and finally have room in the house to spare a small shelf for a couple gallons so now I’m very interested and want to start.

[@parker2066]

I’m making my first batch today. You definitely helped me jump over the edge after having the supplies since 2019. Also, your discussion about the best mead for you is just a great lesson in life about everyone having their own tastes and to be respectful of that haha

[@Pooter-it4yg]

Buckmead 60. 1:3 buckwheat honey to water, cup of black tea, wine yeast. Ferment for 60 days and siphon into bottles. Serve chilled.

[@RIPBloodlesscloud]

This video was very informative and helpful for someone like me who is wanting to start out so THANK YOU

[@ManMadeMead]

I’m happy I can help!

[@sh0o7ermccaleb78]

Great video, all the information was very helpful!

[@ManMadeMead]

Thanks for watching!

[@xHarpyx]

I really should have started at the beginning of quarantine... now I wish I had some ready for drinking. :) bingeing your videos and reading Jereme Zimmerman’s Make Mead like a Viking.

[@thewakinghero]

I’ve been considering starting my own mead for months. Just started last night. Had I started sooner I might be cracking one open tonight

[@Woodtick1970]

Yeast tolerance: yeast dont read the package and dont always know when to stop. Yeast nutrient: not necessary, I dont use them at all. Ingredients are important, you get out what you put in. Time is the most important ingredient, it's hard to ruin a mead. Some meads take some age to be good. Also, start your hobby with a proven recipe or two before experiment. Great video. Good luck to all just starting out.

[@ozoneswiftak]

Food grade peroxide works great for sanitizing. 3% in that spray bottle.

[@toxic1698]

So does Everclear

[@joshturner4741]

I hqve so many ideas. Made a few meads and love the process and tasting. Just need some sous vide magnets to try a 2 gallon melomel/jaom.....

[@jf2801]

Another thing about yeast activation is that honey is antimicrobial, so it can stifle the growth of molds and stuff, but if not done properly, it could potentially stifle the blooming of yeast or growth, after bloom. And no bloomed yeast means no fermentation. And you also gotta keep the other yeasts and microbes, like bacteria and viruses that can be present, due to environmental factors (like you said). Luckily, the honey does help cut down on contaminants. Great video, with very useful info. Keep up the good work!

[@margaretbrefo1]

Thank you for the tips. Happy New Year 🎈🎆🎊

[@mremington8]

assuming some of us don't have access to a brew store (due to the country I am residing in), what are some supermarket items that are accessible and common that can act as a yeat nutrient?

[@ManMadeMead]

If you get some bread yeast and boil it, it can sort of act like a yeast nutrient!

[@mremington8]

hey, thanks brother- much appreciated, i love your channel btw@@ManMadeMead

[@drogusmaxwell6640]

I use Champagne yeast. Keeps the alcohol content between 8-12%. Which I found to be optimal for mead,

[@ManMadeMead]

Uh... Champagne yeast is intended to go up to 18%. It doesn't stop at 12%!

[@drogusmaxwell6640]

@@ManMadeMead you are correct, of course. I'm just getting back in after many years. That's why I'm watching your videos. A refresher course, of sorts.

[@CoyoteRoseCreations]

I love your content my dude, keep it going, you are doing great.

[@justinholcomb4217]

#10 was helpful to know, thank you

[@ManMadeMead]

I"m happy to help!

[@johnmitchell6283]

I intended to make a 3 gallon batch last time but ended up with almost 4. I noticed when adding my water to my primary that it only took 2 gallon jugs of spring water to fill it up to the 3 gallon mark on my bucket. I thought it was simply water displacement due to the fact that probably half of the honey I cooked had became caramel, so I added the 3rd gallon of water. My original gravity reading was lower than I expected it to be witch pretty much quashed my water displacement theory. I raked it about 2 days ago and I indeed had almost 4 gallons of mead. I guess I will use my primary fermenters indicators from now on. Still not sure how I put in 3 gallons of water and came out with 4 gallons of mead.

[@joe9832]

I know I'm late, but I'm led to believe that when you make a bochet, honey can expand pretty wildly. Presumably though, this would have been apparent before putting the honey in the bucket, but maybe not.

[@Wulfjager]

For that last point, there is no perfect alcohol. That's why the grocery store has an entire aisle for different wines. That's the fun part is trying new things and seeing what cool awesome flavors you can bring out

[@colindruce-mcfadden9026]

I like the cat swooping by, obviously on a stealth mission.

[@ManMadeMead]

He’s definitely got his own agenda!

[@pkelly754]

Have you started monitoring PH levels yet?

[@ManMadeMead]

I haven’t! That’s the next step in life!

[@jf2801]

@@ManMadeMead i mean, it can be pretty simple. Litmus paper is the simplest, but also not the most accurate way. There are also special tools for ph, and even more niche tools specifically for alcohol products or other fermented products. Look forward to that video!

[@justinwelch9060]

Does your shop ship to FPO?

[@canadianpagan6442]

If i add fruit to my primary fermentation, when should i take them out? When i take them out should i rack?

[@ManMadeMead]

I would take them out after 2 weeks! I would normally rack the brew when it's done fermenting and you see sediment collect at the bottom!

[@LauraJayne64]

How do you find a yeast with a lower alcohol tolerance so I can have a sweeter mead?

[@christopherhenderson8817]

Some friends and i were making our first batch of mead, and one of us accidentally dropped one of the bottles of honey in (obviously, we didn't think we were going to need to sanitize the outside of our honey bottles). What are your thoughts on still using the batch?

[@ManMadeMead]

You can definitely still use it!

[@christopherhenderson8817]

@ManMadeMead great to know, thanks!

[@Greez1337]

My first mead went bananas over night, and woke up to an airlock full of mead. She bubbled up the neck of the carboy steady for a day and a half. In a gallon batch, I used half an orange, 32Oz of honey, 12 cups of water, used 2.5g of the included champagne yeast with the kit, along with nutrients as directed on the package scaled down to 1 gallon.

[@ManMadeMead]

That’s pretty normal though!

[@Greez1337]

@@ManMadeMead I was a wee boy who panicked thinking it wasn't normal 😅. Done more study and practice since then.

[@pluto3905]

Would a higher PH water kill the yeast?

[@ManMadeMead]

Maybe a super high PH, but I would say it would have to be pretty crazy!

[@pluto3905]

@@ManMadeMead Alright, Thank you very much for responding as well as making your video's. I drank mead only a few times, Before my local meadery closed down. I looked in atleast 50 stores and only found 1 mead the clerk told me not to get, Because it wasn't even real mead. Now I just bought 3 differnt very high quality local honeys from my next door neighbors who are bee farmers. I rarely drink. So this mead will sot in storage in the basement for several months. Possibly some of it for years.

[@ManMadeMead]

@@pluto3905 It's hard to find... But making your own is fin and cost efficiently honestly!

[@Hrolfsca]

First thing I would like to thank you for your time and content. Cyser Question. It has been roughly 84 hours and no sign of anything in the cyser I'm making the 3 piece airlock I'm using has not moved. Am I just being impatient or could something be wrong? This is what I used. I used 1 gallon 100% apple cider, 3lbs 100% natural honey from a local source Hair over 1/2 pack (3 grams) of Lalvin D47 yeast which I hydrated in the apple juice. 1 teaspoon of the LD Carlson yeast nutrient This is my first mead and I did not (still don't but getting one) have a hydrometer.

[@ManMadeMead]

Hmm... you should definitely be seeing some activity! It could be that your yeast were dead or bad. You should pitch some new yeast (a different Lalvin d47 packet) and see if it starts up!

[@Hrolfsca]

@@ManMadeMead Would I need to add more nutrient?

[@mikedickson7849]

New to this I've been baying stuff every week will try your mead but want to do your Christians bochet mead 🤘

[@mikeferraro6217]

Started a large batch. The 2 gallon batch has already started bubbling in the airlock, while the 5 gallon hasn't. Is this because its larger and needs more time to ferment?

[@ManMadeMead]

If it's been over 48 hours and you haven't seen any activity in the brew - you might need to pitch more yeast. If you're using a bucket, double check that your lid is sealed well! Sometimes the CO2 is able to leak out of the container if it's not sealed well. This will make it to where your airlock isn't actually doing anything so it seems like it's not fermenting

[@kevincassidy1057]

The bacteria in honey will kill yeast pretty easily. I would always recommend making sure that your yeast is active before adding it to honey

[@enclavelieutenant8614]

How do know if its active?

[@toxic1698]

​@enclavelieutenant8614 add a tiny bit of sugar and see if it starts bubbling. Otherwise, just send it. You'll probably be fine I've never had any issues

[@Hayden-sp1ol]

Thanks dude......juicing mountain apples have only 1 gallon of solution how much yeast 2 grams?

[@ManMadeMead]

1 gram is generally enough but I normally put 2 grams in to be safe!

[@wheeler202202]

Do you still use the spray bottle method? Everyone else I’ve seen used the tubs, but if that method works it seems pretty smart

[@ManMadeMead]

I use both but mainly the tub at this point!

[@stupidrainbo]

So I'm brand new to all this, and I want to make something quick and probably kinda sweet (to hopefully mask weird quickness issues). So my plan is relatively simple, I'm using the juice of one lemon, two pounds of honey, and water to total 1 gallon. I'll let the fermentation finish, then add potassium sorbate and more honey to backsweeten. My question is, I have zero idea how much honey to add to sweeten. A quarter cup? Two more pounds? Thanks in advance!

[@Hayden-sp1ol]

Just mix a little and taste...! If you want it more sweet ....well u know. I do 3 lbs of honey per 1 gallon of solution and it is sweet enough for me.

[@EricCheVe]

What if the Honey im planning to use (Is super high quality from my Grandma's village) is like 5 years old? Some years bees produce a lot and we just store it

[@ManMadeMead]

That’s totally okay! Honey actually ages just fine since it crystallizes most of the time

[@chickenjuice4841]

I believe true raw honey doesn’t go bad

[@schluder23]

What yeast would you recommend for a lower ABV mead?

[@ManMadeMead]

Something like the Safale US05, it goes up to 12% generally

[@ColumbcilleDougherty]

i am thinking its my water, but i noticed after moving here my meads have developed a green film on the top of the ferment, the taste is fine and i dont think it has gone bad, but im curious if you have any thoughts on this, my first few batches were just a clear film which i assumed from other fermenting ive done were just the yeast bacteria bodies etc.

[@ManMadeMead]

Doesn't sound very good to me! What ABV are your brews?

[@ColumbcilleDougherty]

@@ManMadeMead not very high usually... i never really check but by taste i would say 7ish% i also use latent yeasts rather than packets

[@ethanlanier5801]

You use the hydrometer after you mix everything together right? (Water, honey, yeast)?

[@ManMadeMead]

Correct!

[@michaelwarren202]

You can also use it to check if all fermentable sugars are all used up. If your hydrometer goes back to 1.000 when you do your finial reading. It means all sugar are used. you can also use a simple calculations, using MMM example. starting Gav of 1.060 - 1.000final Gav= 0.060. 0.060X135= 8.1ABV

[@shayanh.s.1334]

Hi, I just made a small batch of traditional Meade. And I used baking yeast. Is that okay? Its been 8 days now and the cork on my bottle has popped open at least 5-6 times now, is that okay or is my Meade going to taste bad? Please suggest

[@ManMadeMead]

Make sure you use an airlock or something to let the mead breath! The cork shouldn't be popping if you have an airlock on it!

[@shayanh.s.1334]

@@ManMadeMead so what you mean to say is that it shouldn't be completely air tight? There should be a place for the air to escape outside?

[@ahdnoh]

It is berry season in my garden right now. Are there any issues if you use 100% juice to make a mead?

[@ManMadeMead]

No issues! You won’t get as much tannic value from it, but you’ll still get the flavor!

[@TopHIgnite]

Im about a week away from racking my first 2 1gallon batches of mead. One is a berry blend and the other is kind of a spiced/holiday mead with crushed juniper berries and ground clove. I used raisins for nutrient and it's been bubbling away for about 2.5 weeks. Any tips on finishing it out? Would the 12 week mark be a good time to bottle?

[@ManMadeMead]

Let it clear some before racking it. Decide if you want it sweeter and then stabilize before backsweetening if you do. Maybe add some oak if it needs some more mouthfeel and then adjust with some acidity (lemon juice works well) if you feel like it needs that. 12 weeks isn’t too early to bottle. Just make sure its how you want it before bottling!

[@shawdow357]

How’d that juniper berry turn out? Would you do it again?

[@InstaTubeReels]

What do I do when the honey just resides at the bottom and there’s this yellow algae at the top?

[@ManMadeMead]

Mix it up better!

[@InstaTubeReels]

@@ManMadeMead alright thanks!

[@GooflicaProduction]

Hi, I was experimenting with a random flavor mead and I racked it March 14th... It hasn't been bubbling. I was trying to use fruit with honey then rack with straining the chunks out. Started Final Gravity at 1.099 now it's 0.999

[@colindruce-mcfadden9026]

Sounds like you've used up your sugars. 1.0 or .999 means you're out of digestible sugars for your yeast. This isn't bad, per se. You've just finished fermentation. You might have a "dry" mead on your hands, meaning low sweetness. Keep aging it, as flavors get better with time, including those from your fruit, honey, and alcohol.

[@ManMadeMead]

Sounds like your mead finished! That’s very normal for mead making. Depending on what kind of mead you like, you might want to back sweeten some in the future. Definitely let it age though!

[@diogenessinope6405]

i use a brita is that good or bad?

[@ManMadeMead]

It's not a bad thing!

[@RX50]

One important point to know before making mead is what does it taste like. It may sound like I'm being ironic but not. I've tasted some meads and they were all very different. Some were beer like, some were like white wine and some were like fortified wine (like Porto or Madeira). The problem is I don't know any expert and the bottles are all labeled as mead. Those i like are the ones similar to fortified wine, 14% to 17% abv, sweet, with lots of body and viscosity. Now I'm making my first mead without know which one. Is Mangrove Jack's M05 the right yeast to get that kind of mead? Help...

[@ManMadeMead]

Mangrove will get you up to 18% ABV and does pretty well with retaining honey character! It's a good yeast and I would suggest giving it a shot if you have it!

[@alyssaroberts6006]

I just started my first gallon batch of mead today. Is it unusual to already see a lot of bubbling/activity? It’s only been a couple of hours, but there is quite a lot going on. Thank you!

[@ManMadeMead]

Nope that’s totally normally! That’s a great thing actually!

[@alyssaroberts6006]

Man Made Mead thank you!

[@wts860]

Do I need raw honey or liquid honey?

[@ManMadeMead]

Either works!

[@vincentlabruzzo5368]

Doesn't the sugar feed the yeast?

[@ManMadeMead]

Yup! Sugar is converted into alcohol!

[@CoyoteRoseCreations]

This batch of traditional hydromel im about to split into different varieties, I had to repitch twice, it seems my yeast may be a bit old, haha.

[@Hayden-sp1ol]

How many grams of yeast for 1 gallon of solution...? 1.5., 2.0, 2.5...? A full 5 gram pack..?

[@ManMadeMead]

Normally 1 gram will be enough for 1 gallon!

[@bubbalouie4022]

Although I'm somewhat new to mead making I think it's sort of funny everyone talks about sanitization as much as they do. My guess is the first couple of batches of mead ever made were by mistake and sanitization a thousand years ago was unheard of. Obviously you don't want to be poisoned so I get it. But I think sanitization, to a degree, is over stressed.

[@ManMadeMead]

It’s definitely important! Bad bacteria can completely ruin a brew - it’s not worth the risk to skimp on sanitizing!

[@niravemech]

Can we use Vodka for sanitization?

[@ManMadeMead]

Yup! Just make sure and get it all out of the container!

[@sharpi1507]

Why is there cat tail, when meadguy starts explaining things?

[@southernstacker7315]

Subbed and liked

[@tinkertailor7385]

There is such a thing as a "Perfect" Mead or Wine or Beer..... It actually has nothing to do with taste and everything to do with methodology and achieving desired targets for your Mead, Wine or Beer. As you get better at brewing and move from placing ingredients in a fermenter and receiving a product of indeterminate nature. You begin to want to achieve a desired ABV and a consistency of quality and flavor with characteristics you can change at will..... The journey begins.

[@chriswiltse2281]

People in general do not know mead when they try it and most of your friends will not like it to be honest. It's a wine not a beer (carbonated or not). home brewers tend to go for a higher abv because it's fulfilling to make a higher abv than a lower one in a status kinda way of showing off. I do that myself and there is nothing wrong with it at all because at the end of the day you want to be proud of the time, money, and effort that you put into it and somehow the abv stands out more than anything else to your friends even over taste. So here's the deal that you make to yourself "me or my friends?" If your friends are the wine drinking type then you have a leg up. If they are beer drinkers then expect them to over drink what their alcohol tolerance can handle.

[@garethmills6206]

Why didn't I see this last week? LOL.

[@Captain_O]

Kingcobrajfs needs to watch this

[@mothballfamicom]

At the beginning you say starsan is a cleaning solution then you say sanitizer. You probably just misspoke, I just want to indicate that it is NOT a cleaning solution. This will sanitize your equipment but not clean it. You need to clean your equipment (I use PBW) then sanitize with starsan. An other thing I say to all of my client at the brew shop were I work to be carful. This is pure acid. Respect the dissolutions ratio 😁

[@saiyantnick6911]

Damn, guess I shouldn't use that stagnant water in my back yard

[@ManMadeMead]

Definitely not! Haha

[@markawhughes]

Do you know honey is antibacterial/ anti fungal. It takes 3 times longer to brew because yeast is a bacteria! Not that necessarily so to sterilise. If you disagree then please find me some mead vinegar.

[@ryank2434]

whats wrong with making your own mistakes

[@ManMadeMead]

It’s totally okay to make your own mistakes!

[@cosmicsprings8690]

It’s cheaper and safer to buy it ..yours looks like laxative and you waffle and fidget way to much

[@bosengineer]

well, no, it's way more expensive to buy mead off the shelf. Try getting 5 gallons of mead for ~$50. Also, just do some research, there's nothing unsafe about it, It's the simplest fermented beverage there is...

[@Anaxagoran]

This comment is incredibly ignorant.