berry@zinfandel.UUCP (Berry Kercheval) (04/29/85)
I got an overwhelming response to my posting concerning dry (not sweet) mead, and both of them wanted to know how to do it. Here is what I did. My last batch of mead was a while ago, so this is mostly from memory. Warning: To the best of my knowledge it is legal to do this without any permit or license in the United States if it is entirely for "personal consumption". In other words DON'T SELL IT! In other countries I strongly recommend consulting appropriate authorities before beginning, though I haven't any idea how they'll catch you unless you're indiscreet. Make sure to get "free-run" honey if you can, not centrifugally extracted honey. You may have to seek out small beekeeping operations. Centrifugally extracted honey has tiny bits of wax -- harmless for people, not even noticable, but the yeast convert wax into nasty things like acetaldehyde. Yeccch. Well, onward... Take about 9 pounds of honey, dissolve in 3 gallons water (we have a 3 gallon pot, see...) and bring to boil. Add desired spices (cinnamon, cloved lemon, galingale, hyssop, whatever. We used nothing.) A cup of orange juice and a dose (read package directions) of "yeast nutrient" helps, as honey is not a complete food for yeast. Without this you may get a "stuck" fermentation. Take a half cup of corn sugar, a cup of warm water and your yeast (we used wine yeast, a variety labelled "Champagne" from Wine-Art) and make a starter. When the honey water mixture that has been boiling all this time has gone for about 30 minutes (and is pretty sterile) siphon it through 20 feet of 3/8 inch copper refrigeration tubing set in cold water in your kitchen sink. This "wort chiller" will bring the temperature down rapidly, avoiding long periods at the warm temperatures conducive to bacteria growth, and saving a LOT of time waiting for it to cool. The next step MUST be done at room temperature. Dilute the stuff to a specific gravity of about 1.040 to get about 8% alcohol. Adjust this if stroger or milder is desired. It will make about 5 gal. Place in a 5 gal. glass (not plastic) carboy, pitch with the yeast starter, (which should be actively bubbling and smell like fresh bread) add fermentation lock. Wait 3 weeks. Sample specific gravity thereafter periodically until it stops fermenting. Mead tends to ferment slowly so don't panic until it has been going for at least six weeks. When done, rack into a clean carboy, reserving a quart. Shake the quart up with a half-cup of bentonite, and stir it in. This will clear the mead. Wait a couple of days, and carefully rack into champagne bottles, cap with crown caps, and label if desired.. If you like sparkling mead, add a little corn sugar (under half a pound) before bottling. Let it age at least 6 months (Well I think that's about right) and enjoy! (But do taste at bottling and make up your own mind about ageing. -- Berry Kercheval Zehntel Inc. (ihnp4!zehntel!zinfandel!berry) (415)932-6900 (kerch@lll-tis.ARPA)