easy mead recipe
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it is time for honey to be in abundance, so go make mead!
here is the simplest version i make.
5 gal's water
15 lbs honey (1.25 gallons)
2 packets Lalvin K1V yeast
5 tsp nutrient
2.5 tsp energizer
mix everything together (except yeast) in a bucket. use lukewarm water to make the honey dissolve easier. stir the hell out of it in order to aerate that must**.
bloom yeast on the counter for 20 minutes in lukewarm water and pitch it in
cover and airlock.
try not to let room temp where fermenter is get above about 73 or so or it will taste a little funky.
on day 4-5 or so, crack it open and aerate gently again, just splash it around a little.
after a month in primary, transfer to glass carboy with airlock
leave for 6 months or so and then bottle or you could rack it again after two months in the secondary to try to get a really clear mead. personal preference on that one, but it can help create smoother flavors to go with the tertiary.
at bottling time, hit it with sulfites. around 3-4 tablets (50ppm) of campden if you plan on storing it for years.
** this is the point when you would want to adjust your acidity if you wanted to get that complicated. you would be looking for a pH of around 3.3 or so, just like a great white wine. to get this effect, add in small amounts of acid blend until you pH meter tell you that you are there. optional step, and slightly more advanced, but if you happen to have a pH meter, its worth the time. -
perfectly fine to bottle this in beer bottles with crown caps.
if you want to use wine bottles and be a fancy pants like me, use clear bottles to showcase the gorgeous color. -
i usually do the staggered method, but by no means is it necessary. i left if out here simply because it is a slightly more advanced step.
the biggest benefit i see to staggered additions is that your mead is drinkable quicker because your yeast is just that much healthier.
just tossing in nutrients into the bucket as you mix up your must works fine, just tacks on a few more months (usually) that you need to wait before drinking. -
yeah, the k1v throws off some grape phenols
