I am @theessential

Hey Steemians!

Okay, first off- I have to apologize to everyone for being a bit delayed on my next post. As many of you know, working + wife + child can take most of my free time. I have to take care of them first- then my Steemians.

I have made promises before that I will consistently post content and I intend to keep those promises.

Anyways, let’s get to the task at hand...

Let Us Talk of Mead

Have you heard of Mead? Mead is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented honey and water. Well, actually fermented honey water- or eh ...you get the picture. It it’s typically about 3-20% alcohol by volume. Mead is special because it takes very few ingredient to make. The process that I show you will include a couple preservatives and additives but they will be totally optional-I will explain everything along the way.

Mead is not beer, it’s not cider and to some, it isn’t even considered a wine-though Mead is sometimes referred to as “Honey Wine” despite is categorical separation (from wine).

It is thought that mead has been a part of almost every culture since 3000 BCE. They have found elements of mead in the remnants of very old containers from ancient civilization.

Here is a etymological chart depicting the origin of the word mead

photo credit: Meadscience.blogspot.com

It’s speculated that mead creation was accidental. A honey bee hive would sit out in the rain and become water logged. Then, the honey and the water would mix together- creating a water solution, heavy in simple sugars- sugars the yeast thrive on. Because natural yeast occur on almost everything, as the wind would blow, yeast would make their way inside the water logged be hives. Over time the yeast would slowly eat always the sugar and covert it to alcohol and carbon dioxide.

These are the basic principles from which alcohol is made. Alcohol is a simple byproduct of a yeast’s buffet! Without yeast, we wouldn't have a lot of life’s pleasures.

LET’S MAKE SOME MEAD

photo credit: pexles.com

Here are some ingredients that I used:

Water (preferably bottled)

Orange Blossom Honey

SAFALE S-04 Ale Yeast

Yeast Nutrient

Yeast Energizer

Potassium Sorbate (optional preservative)

Acid Blend (optional)

Supplies

Large pot

Siphon (optional)

Primary Fermenter (plastic bucket)

Secondary fermenter (glass carboy)

Airlock

Hydrometer (or spectrometer)

if you don’t have a hydrometer- gravity can be estimated or ignored

this will prevent you from having an accurate alcohol by volume level

Plastic cylindrical tube for measurement

Glass bottles

Bottle capper

Star- San sanitizer

Directions

You must start by sanitizing everything you plan to use. This is very important because leaving unwanted bacteria could spoil an entire batch. This could also add lots of unwanted flavors - even if it’s not harmful. This will also kill any unwanted natural yeast.

once fermentation has started- the dominant, most abundant yeast strait will usually win

This is where the Star San gets used. Technically, diluted regular household bleach is an okay option but I sure don’t like the idea of sanitizing with bleach. Also, Star San is also a “non rinse” sanitizer. This means that the foam left behind in the containers is perfectly harmless- according to makers of Star San. Bleach would need rinsed, which would technically contaminate the previously sanitized supplies (unless sterile h20 was used).

Once everything is sanitized, the honey and water must be combined. I used roughly 4-5 lbs of honey and about 1 3/4 a gallon of water.

*any ratio of honey to water can be used - when testing specific gravity, I try to keep the mixture to approximately 1.090 to end up with around 12 % percent alcohol by volume.

The way we will combine the honey and water is with heat. This is a controversial step in mead making. Some mead purists do not suggest adding any heat to the solution prior to fermentation. It’s said that it would change the sugars and change the flavors. I find that it’s best not to let the heat reach a boil.

water can be pre boiled as a precaution

Use a large pot and add water and honey. Then heat while gently mixing until the honey is no longer suspended in the water. It needs to be completely blended.

Test the specific gravity of the mixture with a hydrometer like in the picture below..

*simply add the honey water to the cylinder and drop in the hydrometer. This will give you an idea of how much alcohol will be in your mead once all the sugar is converted into alcohol. The specific gravity is testing that dissolved solids inside the liquid. Once the sugar is gone - no more solids will be present.

Now the mixture must cool until just slightly warmer than room temperature or cooler.

30 to 60 minutes

Prepare the yeast mixture while this is cooling

Follow the directions on the years energizer and yeast nutrient for amounts. I usually mix the energizer and nutrient in a cup of tepid water. Then I add in the SAFALE S-04 yeast. For a small recipe like this- I use 1/4 to 1/2 packet of yeast.

Wine yeast can be used instead of ale yeast but I find that I have great results with this particular yeast.

Let the yeast mixture sit for 10 min or so.

It’s time to transfer the honey water mixture to the plastic bucket. It’s imporant that this is clean and sanitized.

use the siphon to make this easier- just don’t forget to sanitize.

Add the yeast mixture to the honey water and seal the bucket.

Add the air lock to the top of the bucket.

this is essential to allow the carbon dioxide to escape while preventing any particles or contaminates from falling into your mixture

Place the bucket in a safe cool, dry place and allow fermentation to happen

This is called primary fermentation

NOW WE WAIT

Specific gravity can be tested periodically while the mixture ferments. I suggest once a week..

if the mixture seems to stop fermentation, yeast can be re pitched into the mixture.

also, a champagne yeast can sometimes help force fermentation to restart if it stops

After 2 weeks to a month , the honey water should have a specific gravity of 0.

the bubbling from the carboy should be dramatically slowed by this point

if you do not have a hydrometer, this will be the only way to know if fermentation is done

Now the fermented mixture should be transferred to the glass carboy for secondary fermentation.

Add the airlock to the top of the glass carboy

Secondary fermentation is about letting the honey water age and become less “hot”. At this point the alcohol may have an intense taste that is unpleasant.

I usually let the mead sit in secondary for a few months.

the longer it sits, the better it will taste!

Once you are satisfied with the aging, potassium sorbate can be used to preserve the mead and prevent further yeast and bacteria growth. This step is optional

Also, acids can be added to the mead to add flavor or a bit of sourness if desired. Ascorbic, malic, and citric acid are all viable options.

At this point, you may also choose to bottle the mead. Wine bottles are preferred but I actually bottled some of it in beer-type bottles.

Then it’s time to drink!

Enjoy

I hope you enjoy your batch of mead. If there are any questions about the process- I will be sure to answer them in the comments. This is a fairly easy process but practice makes perfect.

My next “home brewing” post will be posted in a video so each step will be easier to see and understand!!

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all photos used in the post that were not cited were taken by me

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