| Tip One: Patience is the biggest trait you need to | | | | factors like type of honey, quantity of honey, |
| have when making mead. We live in an instant | | | | type of yeast and temperature of the room that |
| gratification world where if you don't get it now | | | | your batch is stored in. The best thing you can do |
| you lose interest. It takes patience to make | | | | is learn how to use a hydrometer. It is a simple |
| mead because it follows its own time line. If you | | | | tool that floats in your brew and tells you when |
| are thinking about tinkering with your mead you | | | | your ferment has finished. |
| should step back and think about it for a couple | | | | Tip Four: How does a hydrometer work? When |
| more days. You can almost never go wrong by | | | | you first mix your batch of wine there is a lot of |
| waiting. And mead will age very slowly. Typically, | | | | honey in it and the liquid is very dense. It has a |
| for average mead you will need to wait six | | | | high specific gravity. The density of the wine will |
| months before it is tasty enough to really enjoy. | | | | go down as the yeast ferments and transforms |
| The rule of thumb is the longer you wait the | | | | the honey into alcohol. Eventually, as all the honey |
| better it will taste. Up to about two years and | | | | is consumed and the alcohol content goes up, the |
| sometimes more. | | | | ferment will stop. The lack of food and high |
| Tip Two: When should you rack into a new | | | | alcohol content will kill off the yeast. Using a |
| container or carboy? . Your mead will form a | | | | hydrometer will tell you when this has happened. |
| cake of sediment in the bottom and this is | | | | Tip Five: The biggest problem that new mead |
| perfectly normal. It could be an inch or more thick. | | | | makers have is the problem of sanitation. Your |
| This cake of sediment (called Leeds) is the | | | | batch of new honey wine is an environment that |
| biggest reason why you rack to a new carboy. | | | | is very friendly for bacteria to grow in. And you |
| My advice is that the very first racking should | | | | want your yeast to be the only thing that grows. |
| come after the airlock has settled to less than 1 | | | | But if there are other bacteria, or strains of yeast |
| bubble every thirty seconds -and then wait a few | | | | in the batch, they may take over and ruin your |
| more days or even a week. Then rack it off into | | | | batch or give it off flavors. To avoid this you |
| a new container. Again the rule of patience applies | | | | should always sanitize all of your equipment and |
| and it is perfectly ok to wait even longer. After | | | | tools with a wine maker's sanitizer like Easy Clean. |
| that you can rack as you see fit - once a month | | | | This isn't washing, it is sanitizing with a chemical |
| is pretty good. | | | | that kills bacteria. |
| Tip Three: Figuring out when your mead is ready | | | | Mead making really is quite easy and for the most |
| to drink. This too is a very common question that | | | | part you just need to set it aside and leave it |
| people ask and there is no definitive answer that | | | | alone for long periods of time. By following these |
| can be had without testing. Every batch of mead | | | | simple tips you should be able to make yourself |
| is different and maturity will depend on a lot of | | | | some delicious batches of this nectar of the gods. |