Johann’s Easy Honey Mead

From DIY: Do It For the Bees

This proportion of 1 part honey to 2 parts water yields a semi-dry mead. The equipment and yeast can be found at any local brewery supply store. You can use beer, Champagne, or wine yeast. D47 white wine yeast works really well.

Makes approximately 5 wine bottle portions

2 one-gallon glass jugs
1 venting cap
51/3 cups honey
102/3 cups distilled water
1 package yeast (see above)
5 wine bottles
5 cork stoppers

Wash and then sterilize the jug, venting cap, funnels or anything else that will touch the brew with a solution of 1 tablespoon bleach to 1 gallon.
Fill the glass jug with the honey and distilled water. Add the yeast according to package directions. Then attach the venting cap and fill airlock halfway with water. Set the jug in a dark place. Within a day the airlock should start bubbling and within a few days it should be bubbling briskly.

After 2 to 3 weeks the fermentation will slow to less than one bubble every five seconds. The liquid inside should be clear with a thick sediment of trub (sediment) on the bottom. The mead is now ready to be racked.

Wash and sterilize the second jug and the venting cap. Siphon the clear liquid into the sterilized jug, leaving the trub behind. Attach the sterilized venting cap to this jug and fill the airlock halfway with water. Set the jug in a dark place for another five to six months, at which point it should be ready to drink.

Mead takes a long time to age. The longer you wait the better it will be. If you can hold off for a year or even longer you will be surprised at how good it can get. When you are ready to bottle, siphon the mead into sterilized wine bottles and seal with cork stoppers.

Photos by Erin Scott