Mead: Tips for a Predictable Fermentation By: Harold Gulbransen

1. Mead: Tips for a Predictable FermentationBy: Harold Gulbransen Mead : Honey Wine : Ambrosia Nectar of the Gods

2. BJCP website defines various types of mead http://www.bjcp.org/stylecenter.html • Melomel [fruit] • Cyser[apples] • Pyment[melomel using grapes] • Metheglin[herbs &spices] • Braggotor Bracket [malted grains]

3. When entering a Mead in competition one MUST specify: • Strengths – Sack, Standard or Hydromel • Sweetness – dry, semi-sweet, sweet • Carbonation – still, petillant, sparkling

4. Mead Tasting #1 • 1/3 = Buckwheat Honey Mead w/ fresh ginger [1 oz.] • 28.6 Brix [1.115 OG] – approx 16 lbs. of Honey • 3.5 gallons water • 3 tsp nutrient, 2 tsp energizer 2 tsp DAP • Red Star Pasteur Red – 20 gms • Brewed on July 8, 2006 – finished 1.018 • 2/3 = Buckwheat Honey Mead w/ dried Lavender [30 gms] • 25 Brix [1.100 OG] • 4 gallons water • Brewed December 3 2006

5. Making Mead [5 gallons] • “Must” = Honey + Water [carbon filtered or bottled] + Nutrients + Oxygen + Yeast • Equipment – similar to extract brewing plus a “mix stir” for agitating must • Heat or No-Heat [All equipment must be sanitized carefully]

6. Yeastsmy favorites are: • Lalvin71B-1122 (Narbonne) • Red Star Pasteur Red (Davis 904) • Red Star Montrachet • Red Star Cote des Blanc (Davis 750) • LalvinRhone 4600 (Cote du Rhone) • LalvinRC212 (Burgundy)

7. Day 0 • 4 gallons water [chlorine free] • 15 – 18 lbs of Honey [semi-sweet / sweet mead] approx 1.120 – 1.140 OG [dissolve using “mix-stir” and an electric drill] • Nutrients – provide a source of free amino nitrogen [FAN], carbon, phosphate & sulfate • 1 gm DAP [diammonium phosphate] =1/4tsp • 0.5 gm Fermaid K [Lallemand’s micronutrient blend] = 1/8 tsp • Oxygenate thoroughly • 2 pkgs [10 gms] Yeast rehydrated [104 F water + 12.5 gms of Go-Ferm] • Go-Ferm by Lallemand is an organic nutrient, dosed @1.25 gms of Go-Ferm/gm of yeast • pH – keep this above 3.8 [preferably 4.0 – 4.2]

8. Day 1 • Stir mead with “mix-stir” • Check pH

9. Day 2, 4 & 6 • Stir mead with “mix-stir” • Add 0.5 gms DAP & 0.25 gmsFermaid K • Check pH – if too low, buffer with KOH or CaCO3 [add 0.5 tsp at a time and check pH again]

10. Day 3, 5 & 7 • Stir mead with “mix-stir” • Check pH

11. Mead Tasting #2 • Miller’s Wildflower Honey • 28 Brix – no heat technique • 1 dried Chipotle • 1 gm Szechuan Green Pepper • 1.5 gms Chinese Chilis [2 peppers] • Brewed April 4, 2009 • On May 1, 2009 – 0.999 – racked • On May 30, 2010 – racked sweetend w/ 14 oz honey & added 1 oz toasted French Oak • Fined on July 24, 2010 - Sparkaloid

12. Adding Fruit &/or Spices • If adding fruit, consider adding a day or two after must is actively fermenting [checking pH as fruit can be acidic] • Spices can be added anytime [e.g. Day 0, then taste after 6 months and add more if needed – less is more!!]

13. Acid Balancing • When fermentation is complete, rack and after 6- 12 months, perform an acid balance test. • Acid Balancing Kits can be purchased at Homebrew stores and require some “titration skills” • I prefer to balance my meads to slightly lower than dessert wines [sweeter]

14. JoAnne told Me I had to talk about my screw-ups!! • Don’t add acid to the “must”, it can drop the pH too much causing the fermentation to stop • Don’t add too much honey [> 1.170] as the mead will finish too sweet. 100 gravity points is about max. • Mild berries often disappoint [e.g. strawberries, blueberries] • Chipotle Chilis is TOO much – Really!! • Adding too much nutrient results in a minerally flavor • If it’s not great in 12 months – WAIT

15. Changes that made my Meads Better • Carbonating a sweet mead – carbonic acid balances the sweetness • Subtle use of spices • Use Honey w/ character [Citrus, Buckwheat, Macadamia, Tupelo] Wildflower is boring • Acid Balancing after 12 months

16. Special Thanks to Kris England [St. Paul Homebrewers] for an excellent Mead presentation at the 2008 AHA conference in Cincinnati 