Homemade Mead Recipe
Enjoy the fall season with this homemade honey wine!
Prep Time1 hr 30 mins
Total Time1 hr 30 mins
Servings: 1 gallon
Ingredients
- 1/2 a gallon unchlorinated water
- 3-4 pounds honey
- 1/2 package active yeast
Instructions
- To make mead, take 1/2 a gallon of filtered water in a huge pot and let it simmer over medium heat until it becomes warm.
- Once it is warm enough, add 2 pounds of honey to it. Note that if you want to have dry mead you will require 2 pounds of honey, and if you want sweet mead, you will need 3 pounds. After adding honey as per your requirement, stir the mixture properly until it is completely dissolved.
- Allow it to simmer (and not boil) for almost 30 minutes, removing any dollops that you may come across. Once it is properly skimmed, take the pot down from the stove and let it cool to about 100°F. You can then pour it into a glass bottle.
- Add in the yeast, when the temperature falls below 90°F. Half a package of yeast is enough as one package will make 5 gallons of mead.
- Make sure to cap the bottle and shake it well. At this point, you can add more water to fill the bottle, ensuring to leave 3-4 inches of headroom at the top. You can take the top off and add an airlock, which is available at any local homebrew store. You may even find it online.
- Once the airlock is in place, you can store the wine in a cool place for almost 6 weeks.
Notes
If you add fruits and herbs to it, you will notice bubbling and foaming in the top portion of the bottle, within the first 12 to 24 hours of making it. This is normal, but it will need to be cleaned. Failing to do so will clog the airlock, leading to a possible explosion of the bottle.
Once six weeks are over, check the airlock again. It should ideally have stopped bubbling. In some cases, it could also slow down, if not completely stop. When the bubbling stops, it is time to bottle it.