pdilley
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- 1/3/09
- Messages
- 1,393
- Reaction score
- 31
PDF Version of Hightest Basic Mead - Modern Recipe and Modern Techniques
The following process describes the basic steps in making a dry, still, traditional mead.
Note: Many existing information sources describe making mead. However, the following steps incorporate
certain "new school" concepts such as:
-- Not boiling, or Pasteurizing, the honey
-- Not adding any type of acid pre-fermentation - only post-fermentation (if needed)
-- Not using additives such as Irish moss, or gypsum
-- Hydrating & proofing dry yeast before pitching
-- Staggered nutrient Addition
Recipe [5 US gallons = 18.9270589 liters]
Honey - 14 Lbs (+ 1/3 cup) [14 pounds = 6.35029318 kilograms]
Water - 4 gal [4 US gallons = 15.1416471 liters]
10g ICV-D47 dry yeast
Yeast Nutrient - Red Star's SuperFood (SF), or Lallemand's Fermaid-K
Yeast Energizer - Diammonium phosphate (DAP)
Rehydration nutrient: Go-Ferm (only needed if using dry yeast)
Acid blend (post fermentation, if needed [to taste])
OG - 1.100 [nominal]; FG - 1.000 [or below]
Equipment
6.5 gallon plastic primary bucket, with lid, & airlock [6.5 US gallons = 24.6051766 liters]
5 gallon glass carboy, stopper, & airlock [5 US gallons = 18.9270589 liters]
A glass container for your starter (~ 1 gallon), stopper, & airlock [1 US gallon = 3.78541178 liters]
Hydrometer, thermometer
Long handled mixing spoon / paddle
Racking cane and transfer tubing
Sanitizer: Such as: Star San
750ml wine bottles & corks
3 Stages of Nutrients
Quantities given are for a 5 gallon recipe [5 US gallons = 18.9270589 liters]
Stage 1 - At inoculation - 4.5g Superfood (or Fermaid-K) & 4.5g DAP
Stage 2 - At Active Fermentation - 2.8g Superfood (or Fermaid-K) & 2.8g DAP
Stage 3 - Just before Fermentation Mid-point - 1.8g Superfood (or Fermaid-K) & 1.8g DAP
Nutrients Notes:
1) Active fermentation is defined when the Brix drops 2-3 degrees [This stage typically occurs within 8-24 hrs]
2) The fermentation mid-point can be determined by (OG+TG)/2
3) Depending upon which nutrient is used, this protocol adds 167 - 176 ppm of timed yeast available
nitrogen (YAN) to whatever may be available from the must. YAN is also known as Free Amino
Nitrogen (FAN).
NOTE: Sanitize everything that comes in contact with, or anywhere near, the must (honey & water mixture) -
hands, tools, etc..
Method
1) Rehydrate the 10g of dry yeast using GO-Ferm in the rehydration water [167 ml water & 12g Go-Ferm].
Caution! Do not use other nutrients! Fermax, Superfood, Fermaid-K, et.al. should NOT be added to the
rehydration water. They are NOT the same as Go-Ferm.
2) Prepare the Must by adding 2 gallons of water to your sanitized plastic primary bucket. Then heat another 2
gallons of water on your stove to 115F, and remove it from the heat. IMPORTANT: If you do not remove the
pan from the heat, the honey may scorch on the bottom of the pan.
[2 US gallons = 7.57082357 liters, 115 degrees Fahrenheit = 46.1111111 degrees Celsius]
Now, add all of the honey to the heated water -mix well. You can ladle some of the hot honey/water mixture into
your honey container to get all the honey out. Mix until all the honey is dissolved. The goal is to thoroughly mix
4 gallons of water with 14 pounds of honey. Add your warm honey/water mixture to your plastic primary bucket,
and then add the Stage 1 Nutrients- stir-in to dissolve.
[4 US gallons = 15.1416471 liters, 14 pounds = 6.35029318 kilograms]
The honey water mixture should be a little over 5 gallons. Check the mixtures temperature and allow it to cool
below 80F install an airlock during this cooling time, and from this point onward.
[5 US gallons = 18.9270589 liters, 80 degrees Fahrenheit = 26.6666667 degrees Celsius]
AFTER the honey water mixture is BELOW 80F, take a SG / Brix, & temperature reading and record these
values with the date and time, then install the primary lid and airlock.
[80 degrees Fahrenheit = 26.6666667 degrees Celsius]
3) Pitch the Yeast Pour the yeast slurry into your cooled mead mixture, and mix it in thoroughly with a sanitized
mixing tool (spoon). Put the lid on your primary plastic bucket.
4) Add additional nutrients as follows:
-- Stage 2: At active fermentation (when the Brix drops 2-3) add the Stage 2 Nutrients - stir-in to dissolve.
-- Stage 3: At mid-fermentation (OG+FG)/2, - Add the Stage 3 Nutrients - stir-in to dissolve.
5) First Racking (from bucket to carboy)
When your SG reaches ~1.000, rack the mead to a clean, sanitized, 5 gallon glass carboy. Now the waiting
begins. In the next few months (1-3+), more lees may form. At 1-3 month intervals, rack the mead off the lees
until you have relatively clear mead. Some mead will be left behind and your final volume should be about 4 -
5 gallons.
[4.5 US gallons = 17.034353 liters, 5 US gallons = 18.9270589 liters]
6) Bottling. When you are satisfied with the clarity of your mead you may bottle it (750 ml wine bottles & corks)
and allow it to age. Once bottled, most mead should age 6-12 months before consumption. A mead only gets
better with age, and should not spoil as long as sanitation was properly observed.
FOOTNOTE 1: I recommend mixing the nutrients into a small volume (~100ml) of the must, adding that back
into the main volume, and then mixing well. Be CAREFUL when you add these nutrients as you can get quite a
bit of foaming... This "aggressive mixing" has the added effect of degassing the must of CO2, which is beneficial
to yeast health - minimizes CO2 Toxicity.
FOOTNOTE 2: I have been asked about using substitute nutrients for Superfood. Not knowing the composition
of these commercial products I can only offer this comment from the Wine Lab for your consideration:
Most nutrients have a higher DAP content than Superfood. When Lisa Van de Water
formulated Superfood in the mid-1980s, her philosophy was to provide more of the complex
ingredients yeasts need to balance inorganic nitrogen additions and to allow wineries to add
extra DAP as appropriate to supplement deficient musts. How much more DAP is anyone's
guess...
Revised 01/11/06:The nutrient quantities were changed based on conversations with Dr. Clayton Cone wherein
I learned that he recommended the bulk of the nutrients be added before 30% sugar depletion - the yeast
are usually well into their stationary phase at 50% sugar depletion and cannot utilize the nutrients as well as
they can before 30% depletion. As such, the NAS (second revision) now adds 85% of the nutrient nitrogen
before 30% sugar depletion.
The following process describes the basic steps in making a dry, still, traditional mead.
Note: Many existing information sources describe making mead. However, the following steps incorporate
certain "new school" concepts such as:
-- Not boiling, or Pasteurizing, the honey
-- Not adding any type of acid pre-fermentation - only post-fermentation (if needed)
-- Not using additives such as Irish moss, or gypsum
-- Hydrating & proofing dry yeast before pitching
-- Staggered nutrient Addition
Recipe [5 US gallons = 18.9270589 liters]
Honey - 14 Lbs (+ 1/3 cup) [14 pounds = 6.35029318 kilograms]
Water - 4 gal [4 US gallons = 15.1416471 liters]
10g ICV-D47 dry yeast
Yeast Nutrient - Red Star's SuperFood (SF), or Lallemand's Fermaid-K
Yeast Energizer - Diammonium phosphate (DAP)
Rehydration nutrient: Go-Ferm (only needed if using dry yeast)
Acid blend (post fermentation, if needed [to taste])
OG - 1.100 [nominal]; FG - 1.000 [or below]
Equipment
6.5 gallon plastic primary bucket, with lid, & airlock [6.5 US gallons = 24.6051766 liters]
5 gallon glass carboy, stopper, & airlock [5 US gallons = 18.9270589 liters]
A glass container for your starter (~ 1 gallon), stopper, & airlock [1 US gallon = 3.78541178 liters]
Hydrometer, thermometer
Long handled mixing spoon / paddle
Racking cane and transfer tubing
Sanitizer: Such as: Star San
750ml wine bottles & corks
3 Stages of Nutrients
Quantities given are for a 5 gallon recipe [5 US gallons = 18.9270589 liters]
Stage 1 - At inoculation - 4.5g Superfood (or Fermaid-K) & 4.5g DAP
Stage 2 - At Active Fermentation - 2.8g Superfood (or Fermaid-K) & 2.8g DAP
Stage 3 - Just before Fermentation Mid-point - 1.8g Superfood (or Fermaid-K) & 1.8g DAP
Nutrients Notes:
1) Active fermentation is defined when the Brix drops 2-3 degrees [This stage typically occurs within 8-24 hrs]
2) The fermentation mid-point can be determined by (OG+TG)/2
3) Depending upon which nutrient is used, this protocol adds 167 - 176 ppm of timed yeast available
nitrogen (YAN) to whatever may be available from the must. YAN is also known as Free Amino
Nitrogen (FAN).
NOTE: Sanitize everything that comes in contact with, or anywhere near, the must (honey & water mixture) -
hands, tools, etc..
Method
1) Rehydrate the 10g of dry yeast using GO-Ferm in the rehydration water [167 ml water & 12g Go-Ferm].
Caution! Do not use other nutrients! Fermax, Superfood, Fermaid-K, et.al. should NOT be added to the
rehydration water. They are NOT the same as Go-Ferm.
2) Prepare the Must by adding 2 gallons of water to your sanitized plastic primary bucket. Then heat another 2
gallons of water on your stove to 115F, and remove it from the heat. IMPORTANT: If you do not remove the
pan from the heat, the honey may scorch on the bottom of the pan.
[2 US gallons = 7.57082357 liters, 115 degrees Fahrenheit = 46.1111111 degrees Celsius]
Now, add all of the honey to the heated water -mix well. You can ladle some of the hot honey/water mixture into
your honey container to get all the honey out. Mix until all the honey is dissolved. The goal is to thoroughly mix
4 gallons of water with 14 pounds of honey. Add your warm honey/water mixture to your plastic primary bucket,
and then add the Stage 1 Nutrients- stir-in to dissolve.
[4 US gallons = 15.1416471 liters, 14 pounds = 6.35029318 kilograms]
The honey water mixture should be a little over 5 gallons. Check the mixtures temperature and allow it to cool
below 80F install an airlock during this cooling time, and from this point onward.
[5 US gallons = 18.9270589 liters, 80 degrees Fahrenheit = 26.6666667 degrees Celsius]
AFTER the honey water mixture is BELOW 80F, take a SG / Brix, & temperature reading and record these
values with the date and time, then install the primary lid and airlock.
[80 degrees Fahrenheit = 26.6666667 degrees Celsius]
3) Pitch the Yeast Pour the yeast slurry into your cooled mead mixture, and mix it in thoroughly with a sanitized
mixing tool (spoon). Put the lid on your primary plastic bucket.
4) Add additional nutrients as follows:
-- Stage 2: At active fermentation (when the Brix drops 2-3) add the Stage 2 Nutrients - stir-in to dissolve.
-- Stage 3: At mid-fermentation (OG+FG)/2, - Add the Stage 3 Nutrients - stir-in to dissolve.
5) First Racking (from bucket to carboy)
When your SG reaches ~1.000, rack the mead to a clean, sanitized, 5 gallon glass carboy. Now the waiting
begins. In the next few months (1-3+), more lees may form. At 1-3 month intervals, rack the mead off the lees
until you have relatively clear mead. Some mead will be left behind and your final volume should be about 4 -
5 gallons.
[4.5 US gallons = 17.034353 liters, 5 US gallons = 18.9270589 liters]
6) Bottling. When you are satisfied with the clarity of your mead you may bottle it (750 ml wine bottles & corks)
and allow it to age. Once bottled, most mead should age 6-12 months before consumption. A mead only gets
better with age, and should not spoil as long as sanitation was properly observed.
FOOTNOTE 1: I recommend mixing the nutrients into a small volume (~100ml) of the must, adding that back
into the main volume, and then mixing well. Be CAREFUL when you add these nutrients as you can get quite a
bit of foaming... This "aggressive mixing" has the added effect of degassing the must of CO2, which is beneficial
to yeast health - minimizes CO2 Toxicity.
FOOTNOTE 2: I have been asked about using substitute nutrients for Superfood. Not knowing the composition
of these commercial products I can only offer this comment from the Wine Lab for your consideration:
Most nutrients have a higher DAP content than Superfood. When Lisa Van de Water
formulated Superfood in the mid-1980s, her philosophy was to provide more of the complex
ingredients yeasts need to balance inorganic nitrogen additions and to allow wineries to add
extra DAP as appropriate to supplement deficient musts. How much more DAP is anyone's
guess...
Revised 01/11/06:The nutrient quantities were changed based on conversations with Dr. Clayton Cone wherein
I learned that he recommended the bulk of the nutrients be added before 30% sugar depletion - the yeast
are usually well into their stationary phase at 50% sugar depletion and cannot utilize the nutrients as well as
they can before 30% depletion. As such, the NAS (second revision) now adds 85% of the nutrient nitrogen
before 30% sugar depletion.
