Millennium Mead Recipe
by Janis Gross
Makes 5 gallons.
O.G. =~1.120
F.G =~0.998
Equipment Needed:
5-gallon stockpot
Spoon
Wort chiller
Thermometer
Hydrometer
Funnel with strainer
Glass carboy, or appropriate fermentation bucket
Bung with hole for fermentation lock, or lid with grommeted hole for fermentation lock
Fermentation lock
Sanitizer: Iodophor, or bleach, or StarSAN, or One-Step, etc.
Ingredients:
15 lbs honey (I used 12 # clover honey, 3 # wildflower honey)
4 tsp yeast nutrient
1½ tsp yeast energizer
½ tsp Irish moss
Wyeast 3632 Dry Mead yeast, or White Labs 715 Champagne yeast
3 gallons pre-boiled and cooled water
1-cup corn sugar at bottling time
Procedure:
The day before you make the mead, make a yeast starter.
On the day you are making the mead, set the honey containers in a sink with hot water to soften the honey.
Clean and sanitize the funnel and strainer, carboy/bucket, bung with hole or lid, and fermentation lock.
Put the Irish moss in a cup with a small amount of water to hydrate it.
Boil 2 gallons of water in the stockpot for 10 minutes (you can add your wort chiller, spoon, and thermometer during the boil to sterilize them). Turn off the heat and allow the water to cool to approximately 160°F. Stir in the honey, and then re-apply heat to get it to 160°F again. Add 1 tsp yeast nutrient and ½ tsp hydrated Irish moss and hold at 160°F for 20 minutes.
After the 20 minutes is up, use your wort chiller and/or a sink with cold ice water to quickly cool the must to ~65 to 70°F. When cooled, pour the must into the sanitized fermentation vessel (glass carboy or bucket). Add the pre-boiled and cooled water to the fermenter to bring the volume up to 5 gallons and shake the fermenter to mix up the must. Take an original gravity reading with your hydrometer. If the must is 65 to 70°F, pitch the yeast and aerate well. Attach the fermentation lock and add liquid to it. I use cheap vodka in mine, because it's sterile and won't taint the mead if it comes in contact with it.
Yeast Nutrient Schedule
- After 24 hours, add 1 tsp yeast nutrient and ½ tsp yeast energizer. Use the end of your long spoon or a wine degasser to stir the must. Stir gently at first, and after a bit stir it a little more vigorously.
- After 48 hours, add 1 tsp yeast nutrient and ½ tsp yeast energizer. Stir the must gently and then a bit more vigorously.
- After 72 hours, add 1 tsp yeast nutrient and ½ tsp yeast energizer. Stir the must gently and then more vigorously.
Allow the mead to ferment for about 6 weeks. When the activity in the fermentation lock has slowed to one bubble every 30 seconds or more, transfer the mead to the secondary fermenter. Take a gravity reading at this time. Allow the mead to bulk age for a few months. When the mead has cleared, it is ready to bottle.
Bottling
Heat 1½ cups of filtered tap water to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes and then turn off the heat and mix in the cup of corn sugar. When the sugar is dissolved, cool the mixture to about 70°F and then gently pour the sugar water into the bottling bucket. Rack the mead into the bottling bucket and gently stir the must every so often to get a good blend of the mead and the sugar water. Proceed with the bottling process.