Basic Mead Recipe

Posted on February 3, 2021

The base for meads I brought to 4th Street Fantasy. Use for four to six gallon batches. 

Ingredients

• WLP715 Champagne – White Labs Yeast or Lalvin EC-1118 Champagne
• Yeast Nutrient as per directions on packaging
• Multiply the remaining ingredients per gallons of mead desired.
  • 4.5 lb honey
  • 1 gallon water
  • 15 g citric acid
  • 1/3 oak rod spiral

1. Bring honey, yeast nutrient, and citric acid to boil in water minus ½ gallon.
2. Transfer to the primary brewing bucket.
3. Seal, insert airlock, and cool overnight.
4. Next day, activate the yeast package and pitch yeast as per directions.
   1. The mead should start bubbling hard within 1-2 days
5. After two weeks, transfer to secondary fermenter
   1. Boil ½ gallon distilled water
   2. Cool water
   3. Rack mead from primary bucket into glass carboy
   4. Top up with water
6. Four months later, taste
   1. Transfer to another carboy
   2. Add oak rod
   3. If taste too sweet, restart
      1. Ingredients
         1. 4 g yeast nutrient
         2. ½ c honey
         3. 1 c water
         4. Wyeast Dry Mead Yeast Smack Pack
      2. Activate yeast packet
      3. Boil water, honey, and yeast nutrient
      4. Cool mixture
      5. Add yeast to mixture
      6. Boil ½ cup water
      7. Cool water
      8. Add oak rod and yeast mixture to new carboy
         1. Rack to another carboy after four weeks
         2. Do not transfer oak rod
7. Repeat every four months until desired taste or patience wears thin.
8. When desired taste is achieved, clarify and bottle.