A Cheap & Simple Mead Tutorial for Beginners!

[@thedroid4681]

And here I am throwing things together. Wish me luck

[@Gapeks]

It still works. Just done making my first fruit mead. When i saw i need to pour it into another bottle i did, to filter, i did. And thats basicly it. All i had to do is sweeten it a little at the end and it’s awesome.

[@thedroid4681]

@@Gapeks i didnt pay attention to alc levels but think it turned out well. Bit on the strong, dry side

[@Gapeks]

@@thedroid4681 it’s gonna be dry, because sugar is all eaten by yeasts. Still quite good taste as for first time. Also you cant really tell there is an alcohol in there untill it’s too late haha

[@thedroid4681]

@@Gapeks i got the tool to measure sugar conent. Youre supposed to use it to dictate how much alcohol will be in the brew. Atleast if im not mistaking

[@Gapeks]

@@thedroid4681 yea, but i bought it after. You need to measure starting sugar.

[@CousinFrench]

New at making mead and very much appreciate these in-depth tutorials without it being overwhelming. Thank you! Love this channel

[@ManMadeMead]

I'm super happy to help!

[@DatsWhatHeSaid]

@@ManMadeMead 18:28 Which calculator are you referring to here..? I can't find anything in the video description or elsewhere 😕

[@dmiles3270]

​@@DatsWhatHeSaidprobably just the internet. Specific gravity calculator would be my guess.

[@donaldlilly495]

If you fill the carboy half way with water and the honey in, would it not allow you to shake it easier and oxidize the water better for the yeast to thrive? Then fill the jug with water to its desired amount. It may allow you to dissolve the honey faster.

[@thegoose1324]

Great vid! Realy helpful for the beginner mead maker. Loved how you showed the full frame of the whole process. Not a detail missed! P.S. Chitosan is pronounced ky-toe-san ;) tomato, tomato - ha!

[@AFlaxchris]

Incredible video! I’ve got all of my starting supplies coming in for Father’s Day so I can try my first batch. Your video is really helpful to visualize all of the text research I’ve done over the last week. Super excited to brew my first mead!

[@ManMadeMead]

I'm super happy I can help! Happy brewing!

[@seanmiked4]

Bro. I have my own bees. Found your stuff super informative and I'm using this video as my reference to make a couple gallons. I just want to say that the honey isn't any cheaper because I have bees, probably the opposite....

[@johndodson4511]

I would love to hear an opinion for what the average time frame you would feel comfortable aging in a swing top, a screw top, in the carboy itself. Thank you for sharing your knowledge with me

[@aidensushi5075]

Thank you so much for these videos. These are super educational. I watched all the way through and learned a lot. Looking forward to watching more, should be making my first gallon ever in a week when my equipment arrives from Amazon.

[@ManMadeMead]

I’m super happy I can help!

[@analog-pedals]

Beginner made maker here... I know that after the first 3 days or so, you are not supposed to add any oxygen because it could cause the yeast to produce off flavors. What about after stabilizing, since the yeast are dead, does it matter if oxygen is added? I'm using the Craft-A-Brew Catalyst and opening the valve send bubbles up through your brew. But... I've had no reason to close/open the valve till after I've already stabilized, backsweetened and adding sparkolloid.

[@AttommicDog]

I found this quite fascinating, Would I ever attempt to undertake making mead? Probably not, but maybe because I am here. But I am curious, does the mead have a bready/beer smell during the first few days? Like how proofed yeast smells when making bread?

[@ClaireInTheAire]

I'm getting ready to make my first batch of mead, and this was really helpful! I'm making a simple traditional mead with D47 yeast and high quality local honey. I'm hoping everything will work out!

[@ManMadeMead]

I'm happy it helped! Have fun!

[@goodfty]

"So I'm actually gonna save some of the water I'm creating here in a second" >dumps it all out "I'm gonna get a little bit more water in here" >fills it all the way up "So I filled this up with water" Hahaha you're too funny :)

[@RayneNaegwyn]

I have been making mead for 3 or so years and never used nutrients. Fermaid O is not available in my country and I'm terrified of buying something very chemical-y. I wonder what the difference would be if I did use a nutrient, because the brews never got any off flavours and are usually between 11-15% ABV

[@Eclecticgirl17]

I've heard in one of his videos that if you boil yeast it dies and can be used as nutrients for the mead

[@onnodruijf5234]

ordered my stuff a couple days ago, cant wait to get started. these videos really help

[@ManMadeMead]

I’m super happy I can help!

[@vice4784]

What nutrient or big bottle do you put in the yeast?

[@kb2vca]

Really useful and important video for novice mead makers and those who are hesitant in getting their toes in the water but even while I know this is nit-picking - two comments. 1. For mead makers an hydrometer is not really necessary to measure your starting gravity - after all, one pound of honey dissolved in water to make one US gallon of must will have a reading of 1.035, and two pounds will read 1.070. An hydrometer is NECESSARY to monitor the progress of the fermentation. If fermentation stops after two or three weeks, has the yeast fermented ALL the sugars? Has the fermentation stalled at 1.050? Did it ever really get off the ground? We monitor the progress (or failure to progress) of the fermentation using an hydrometer. 2. CO2 produced by the yeast does not in fact "expand" the fruit. What the CO2 gas does is force the fruit towards to the surface and if the mead maker has chosen to use a carboy to make a mead or a wine with fruit, that fruit forced upwards by the gas will form a cap that can (and often will) trap the gas as good as any cork, and the result will be an exploding carboy caused by the pressure of the gas on any weakness in the glass. If you are fermenting 2 lbs of honey, approximately one pound (weight) of gas will be produced by the yeast. One POUND of gas. Best , in my opinion, is to use a food grade bucket when the mead maker is thinking about adding fruit to the primary fermenter. The issue is not simply the ease of squeezing fruit into a carboy or removing fruit at the end of the day.

[@MrMarki134]

Literally just mixed my first batch. Just a simple traditional with 3L of water to 1 kg of orange blossom honey for a gallon total volume. That was assuming a 1.4 g/cm3 density of honey but I'm afraid this one was very dense hahah. I was shooting for like 1.075 and it got up to 1.088. So excited for it!

[@ManMadeMead]

That sounds awesome!

[@bucknash]

1088 is a good starting gravity. It's very close to my target number. If all goes to plan you should have around 11½%. That's prefect for my taste.

[@MrMarki134]

​@@bucknashlet's hope so! Following tosna with a fermaid o equivalent,, and gonna try to keep without fruit or anything, see if it turns into something tasty

[@AllBraunZeroBrains]

My hydrometer didn’t come with the cylindrical tube.. is there a good replacement I can use? Does it have to be so skinny and tall

[@ManMadeMead]

Really the best thing is a tall cup but you have to have a very tall one! Or a vase for flowers maybe?

[@juanitoyang3683]

Can I mix the honey and water in an open bowl, using a hand mixer?

[@FifthElement-ct7hp]

Thank you very much for this instructional video! I always wanted to learn how to make mead, but didn't know where to start. Your video was the perfect guide for me and I was excited to try making my first batch. The result exceeded my expectations! Thanks to your video, I now know how to make this delicious drink and I'm sure my friends will appreciate it at their next party. Thanks again for your valuable advice and detailed explanation of the mead making process. You are well done!

[@ManMadeMead]

I'm super happy I can help!! Have fun mead making!

[@kevincolyer]

Excellent video! Thanks!

[@brewqser5025]

Hi @ManMadeMead I am following this video as to do my first Mead :D. I had only 8l jug, so I scale up it a little bit and I got ~1.096 OG. Is that good?

[@ManMadeMead]

That’s great! Thats a great start!

[@Aaron_b_c]

I'm attempting to make mead for the first time by way of this recipe. It is very instructional, but one aspect that I wish would have been emphasized is that some honey is solid and takes quite a long time to melt into a pourable state.

[@thanielxj11]

Why would tequila or a high Spirit evaporate less quickly than water? Ethanol evaporates more quickly than water and how spirits have a lot of ethanol in them so I would think they would evaporate more quickly. I just don't know how that works.

[@rdwoodw]

so putting your fingers all over the bottom of the stopper doesn't cause any bacterial problems?

[@ManMadeMead]

It's normally good to dip your fingers in some sanitizer!

[@balduinvontrier128]

Why doesn't anybody use a alcoholmeter? I feel thsi is a regional thing. In Germany, where I live, it's really easy to get and is the usual way to measure alcohol. Is measureing by gravity more precise or why is this?

[@NathanBrown-z7o]

Would fructose and cane sugar work.

[@freddieconstable6358]

Why not make the must in a saucepan on the stove, or is it bad to heat the honey?

[@ManMadeMead]

It’s not bad to heat honey, it’s just not totally necessary!

[@aamehey1287]

Back in 2020 I ordered 60 pounds of honey 5 gallons for $146.99 off of eBay back then it was under 2.50 a pound.ive made about 10 gallons of mead out of that since then and still have plenty of honey left

[@phlosen7854]

7:00 "start with more mead than you need" is literally impossible because you always need more mead :)

[@xXlTheOxlXx]

What is the ratio of stabilizers to be sufficient? I'm producing a batch with different proportions and I'd like to get it right.

[@ManMadeMead]

I always use 1/2 tsp of sorbate per gallon and .3 grams of metabisulfite (or 1 whole camped tablet) per gallon

[@CTP-bbq-HundHutte]

So are you using unfiltered tap water?

[@Damasze]

In this video he his yes but it really depend on the quality of your tap water, I’m filtering mine and you can buy water at the grocery store

[@peterpissott9849]

Star san dont care for the foam does it alter your brew in anyway ive been using and having great luck with one step but would like to try the star san for soaking older bottles etc any advice would be appreciated.

[@ManMadeMead]

Nope! Doesn't alter the brew in any way!

[@applegal3058]

​@@ManMadeMeadI think I'd cringe and not trust my drink if I left it on my bottle. What is in that sanitizer that makes it harmless to the yeast, and safe to drink?

[@jt-xn8bw]

Thank you for the information

[@ManMadeMead]

You bet!

[@karenlee1977]

Happy to see you use this honey. I've seen it at Sam's the last few times and wondered if it was OK since they've been out of the Nate's brand in my area for a while.

[@richardhenderson9127]

Can't you use pectic enzymes to clear at the end as well?

[@boycefenn]

Only if you used fruit

[@vicenteespinoza8521]

the water that you are using is chlorinated?

[@NathanBrown-z7o]

Tap water.

[@RobertHamm-u7c]

Can it be aged in oak barrels?

[@ManMadeMead]

It absolutely can!

[@jt-xn8bw]

What is the temperature you use to pasteurize?

[@ManMadeMead]

I like 140F for 22 minutes!

[@716MMA]

Tap water?

[@samvansteen2321]

I have a question about sanitising. I have sanitised everything well beforehand. During the process, I did rinse my gallon and airlock a few times with a regular towel, the airlock contains plain water from the tap and once I used a pipette that I forgot to sanitise for a moment... Could this cause a problem? Or is this normally not too bad?

[@ManMadeMead]

You’ll be okay! You shouldn’t have any problems!

[@Lily-iu9ms]

Does clearing or not the mead affect the taste in any way?

[@ManMadeMead]

Not in my experience!

[@Ex_Inferis]

Awesome!

[@saoudalfares2795]

Just a tip to people adding anything powdered to an active fermentation (nutrient or w/e) just dissolve what you're adding into a small amount of warm water (nothing that will make a difference usually for me I use 50ml)and once it's dissolved just pour directly.

[@dougbas3980]

I will give this a try with COSCO honey. Cheap. Worth a try. Thank you.

[@royalecrafts6252]

why sanitize when you can sterilize?

[@ManMadeMead]

Because all the new brew tech and solutions for sanitizing are awesome!

[@royalecrafts6252]

@@ManMadeMead nothing beats a good autoclave or uvC

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

If part of your equipment is made out of plastic, an autoclave wouldn’t do as it uses heat to sterilise… unless there are autoclaves that use different technology that I’m aware of.

[@royalecrafts6252]

@@eddavanleemputten9232 you can still sterilize with sodium metabisulfite and water in case of big plastic pieces, dont need to autoclave, boiling or a vapor bath will do the job, little 70% alcohol bath after and leave it to dry, uv-c if you want to go the extra mile

[@royalecrafts6252]

@@eddavanleemputten9232 basically so2, that will kill all microorganisms except viruses

[@moocowm8868]

how tall are you?

[@blargblarg5657]

4.3 parsecs. It's in his bio.

[@kevin_ninja_jones2363]

Have you ever just bought some canned co2 I've seen people use it to fill the bottle with co2 when bottling beer and wine would it work in a situation like that since co2 is heavier then oxygen

[@ManMadeMead]

I haven't used it before, but it sounds interesting! Also here people talk about how the whole c02 is heavier than oxygen as a fallacy... I don't really know!

[@ecaslimjim]

CO2 would have an extra carbon atom than O2 so it should be more dense for a given mol of gas at a given volume.

[@natureman494]

In my experience with regular wine it usually takes 2-3 months to clear after pasteurizing.

[@phlosen7854]

I am really not comfortable with that foam :) why not just rinse it out a bit? Are you sure that you want that stuff in your must? At the very least it will kill off some yeast even if it food safe in this concentration. Maybe it has a chance to create off flavors as well? I would not tempt it to be honest

[@ManMadeMead]

It won't impede fermentation or add any flavor! I promise!

[@dannytouchette4597]

My first mead came out tasting like turpentine and I have since made adjustments..lol . but I was wondering if you just keep the sanitation liquid or keep making batches through out? currently I am using one step no rinse sanitizer.

[@ManMadeMead]

I normally just make new sanitizing water every time, but you can definitely keep it!

[@NathanBrown-z7o]

I use crushed rice.

[@TigerPat_9180]

I'z Getting Bored with nothing in Season to Brew . So I got enough Blueberries 🫐 out of the Freezer for a 6.5 Gallon Batch . That's a Little Too Heavy to pick up and Shake as your Video was suggesting . I Rely on ( WILLY THE WONDER WAND🎉😂 ) JUST A 2 Piece Pool Stick . I unscrew it for the short stuff and leave it together for the Taller stuff . I Know , it Don't have a Paddle on the end , but that Leather Tip is smooth sailing , quiet 🤫🤐 gets Up in the corner pretty good and makes it go Round and Round . I always try and Aim for 1.100 O.G. But , this time I went a little over , 1.105 . Oooow well , Make Do With What You Get . 🐯🤠

[@nathanmoores5995]

I've made a few batches of mead now and backsweetened most with honey. My problem I seem to come in with is that once I backsweeten the wine seems to taste too much like honey instead of the fruit it's made with. I'm sure it's as simple as sweeten less. I was just curious if others have struggled with this same situation.

[@ManMadeMead]

You can always backsweeten with the fruit juice if you’re able to find it! Otherwise, I would just backsweeten with less honey

[@jankucera8505]

im never using stabilizers

[@Hammer_OJustice]

Where do you get the Fermaid-O in that quantity?

[@ManMadeMead]

I normally get it through amazon! It's kind of expensive... you can get it in smaller amounts. But this is what I recently bought and put into that plastic container: amzn.to/3tIq6j4

[@bornfreeprepperthailand]

That’s an advance mead making 😂😂😂 I made some with just honey and wine yeast EC-1118 and left it for 3-4 weeks and it turned out great sweet and lovely. Maybe just luck 🍀🙏❤️

[@TigerPat_9180]

Really Enjoyed Your Video , Thanks ! 🐯🤠

[@jaredtoney3417]

i think camden is techinally sodium metabisulfite

[@LopsidedMirage42]

Intro was super sick!

[@NathanBrown-z7o]

Spit to add micro-organism’s

[@gitruih]

its easier to mix honey with water if you have less water. mix when its around 1/3 full. add rest of water afterwards

[@captainhennahead2323]

Great video!!!!

[@ManMadeMead]

Thank you!

[@NathanBrown-z7o]

Anyone want to help my project at 911 Westcott?

[@LaurieAnd]

Great video! Thanks!!

[@ManMadeMead]

Happy to help!

[@bucknash]

You can usually find people selling complete kits for very cheap on marketplace. I've been buying up tons of cheap equipment second hand and then assembling beginner kits for friends, which I'll usually give them for free or roughly my cost. To get bottles I just spent a few months drinking only from bottles that I would like to refill.

[@alexlarsen6413]

3 - 6 weeks?? It's one of the many reasons why I never ferment in one of these narrow neck glass carboys. Also how do you know it's done at 1.000? I haven't had anything finished at precisely 1.000 for a couple of years. Just made a cyser within 9 days in a bucket where I opened it up and mixed it every day for the first 4 days. The OG was 1.127 and the current gravity is 0.996. It's at 17.5% ABV. and still fermenting after being racked into a glass carboy. It'll definitely go a few more points down over the next few days.

[@ManMadeMead]

3 - 6 weeks is a pretty normal time for a primary fermentation to run through (and for it to have any time let sediment drop to the bottom). Most of my things end at 1.000!

[@TigerPat_9180]

Mine usually goes to between 17 plus and 19 plus a.b.v. . I have had Cucumber 🥒 go to 21.33 a.b.v. . When mine goes Dry I'll Sweeten it Up and let it Work some more . Step Feed is what I call it . Cucumber 🥒 Taste like a good quality Chardonnay , especially At 1.000 . Most People I know like Their's Dry . Anything but that I like to try and Hit 🎯 1.010 . 🐯🤠

[@TigerPat_9180]

P.S. Cucumber 🥒 will go Dry , Below the Scale Reading on the Hydrometer . about the distance of 6 Points Below the Last Reading . Just something in it that makes it GO . Some people don't like a Brew so Strong , I'll sometimes add Apple 🍎🍏 Juice or Grape 🍇 Juice to some for people I give it to . I'll let Em stand there and Taste and pick out what they want , and Doctor it up to please Em . One Person has even said , THIS is for My Church Group , it has to be Good . 🐯🤠

[@MAGACOPP]

Sounds like you’re using EC-1118.

[@alexlarsen6413]

@@MAGACOPP Nah. I've actually never used that yeast, although the strongest yeast I've ever used was on par with it or stronger - at least in terms of alcohol tolerance...it was Mangrove Jack's M05. Thing is, the regular, cheapest, universal wine yeast basically produces the same effects if it has enough nutrients and if you're helping it along by releasing all of that CO2. I actually did have fermentations that lasted for 3 weeks and more, but it was during the beginner phase when I was doing the primary fermentation in narrow neck carboys. What I'm saying is, once you upgrade to fermenting in buckets, whether they're the proper type of plastic (perfectly fine for primary), or stainless steel, where you open that thing up and mix it for the first 3 - 4 days, your fermentation is usually done in 7 - 10 days. Not only that, but it's literally hard to make it finish at 1.000. and not lower. It's why the professional winemakers' wines usually end up at 0.990 - 0.994. I've had meads finish at 0.988. and they can go even lower. That's why I asked: how does he know the fermentation is done after one measuring that showed 1.000. I mean, if you're going to stabilize it immediately after that first and only measurement, that's fine from the safety standpoint, and that's also fine when you're making white wine. However, if you're making red wine or mead, the whole point is NOT to stabilize after the first measurement or as soon as you see 1.000, because that prevents you from going through the secondary, malolactic fermentation...and secondary malo fermentation, performed by a type of bacteria, is what gives the red wines and meads that distinctive velvety mouth feel. In order for them to do what they're supposed to tho, they need to be alive and kicking. Not suppressed by k meta and sorbate or killed off by pasteurizing. If you just get your mead to 1.000 and immediately stabilize, first of all, your mead is never going to be as good as it could've been had you just left it doing its thing. Secondly: if you get it to 1.000 and after one measurement say; that's it, it's over with the primary, but without stabilizing, and you bottle...that thing can go 8, 10, 12 points lower, which in terms of the pressure means really explosive bottle bombs.

[@btbrilz]

Just a note. Im a bee keeper and keeping bees is expensive. You should be paying your local bee keepers $1 per oz by weight of honey.

[@yesihavebedbugs2786]

16 dollars per pound?

[@btbrilz]

@@yesihavebedbugs2786 for good honey thats never heated yes, thats the going rate. At least in my area.

[@NathanBrown-z7o]

Water.

[@Helliconia54]

good video

[@Mr.DMZ.]

Honey is good for you. Water is life so it's hood for you Yeast is important for life. Sooooo mead most have killer health benefits 😅

[@MAGACOPP]

🥷🏿

[@AllinWhenPlaying]

That cylinder didn't get sanitized at all, there was zero contact of the Star San with the insides. Then you potentially contaminated the must. Well done. For someone that runs the "sanitize everything that touches the must" narrative, that was quite a weird thing to do.

[@ManMadeMead]

Man, you seem like a grumpy person.

[@chris.eskimo]

But, he's not wrong! Lol

[@AllinWhenPlaying]

@@ManMadeMead Nothing like an ad hominem to a genuine feedback. I wasn't even sarcastic. Maybe it's not me who's grumpy, maybe you just snowflaked a bit.

[@jamesd4923]

Yeast should be activated in warm water. For best results.

[@MAGACOPP]

Meh

[@Burboss]

I prolly would not care about the haze. Prolly, just me

[@MacDeathMusic]

You couldn't convince me to leave them foam, oh my lord. 💀

[@AllinWhenPlaying]

Same, not only using tap water (lol, some sanitized environment), not sanitized the measuring vessel at all (placed opening down, he expects the vapor to sanitize it?) ,then poured content into the must, and left a foam from a chemical, that is intended to kill microorganisms :D Wild.

[@Lord_Nytmare]

In 2023? You mean 2024? Great video as per usual!

[@acos9990]

We are like 4days Into 2024, he aged it for 4 months

[@ManMadeMead]

I meant to share this in 2023, but it didn't end up working out! That very first clip was recorded in like August of 2023 haha

[@NathanBrown-z7o]

Milk

[@xzivizx]

I just decided to leave the sanitizer in, who cares.

[@coolkjc]

Was it good?

[@jamesd4923]

You could have always just measured out a 1/2. A pound of honey and add it all. There are different ways of knowing alcohol content immediately at the end.

[@jamesw4416]

What if you're only able to set your container in an environment with a temperature range of 70-76? Is there a alternative yeast or something that can be used?

[@ManMadeMead]

Something like the Lalvin K1-V1116 which has a wide temp range would be good

[@jamesw4416]

Thank you for such a quick response!