How to make Mead

BEGINNER’S GUIDE

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Step 1: Gather Necessary Ingredients/Supplies

• 3.5 lbs of honey
• 1 gallon of spring water
• 1 orange
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 clove
• 26 raisins
• Yeast – bread or d47
• Star-San
• 1 Empty Gallon Glass jug with lid
• 1 glass cup
• 1 cutting board
• 1 knife
• 1 stopper
• 1 S-airlock
• OR 1 regular balloon & needle instead of stopper & airlock

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The stopper & airlock can be purchased at Marcellos, or other DIY liquor selling locations.

Star San

S-Airlocks

Stoppers. Size 8 & 6 ½ featured here. Size determined by jug lid.

Your Supply Photo Guide!

If y’all don’t know what the other supplies look like by now, you shouldn’t be making mead.

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Yeast

Step 2: Sanitize!

S-airlock/Stopper

Carboy, aka gallon jug

• Fill a sink of warm water & Star San solution & sanitize all non-ingredient supplies & orange in the solution. Leave it all in the sink until needed.

• Leave the Star San foam in the carboy. The phosphates in the foam will act as food for the yeast.
• Trust the foam.

Sanitize EVERYTHING with Star San & always trust the foam.

Step 3: Prepare Honey & Starter Culture

Honey Honey Honey (HONEY!)

Yeast Starter Culture

• Put honey in the sink of Star San to warm it.

• Put the yeast in the sanitized cup with ¼ - ½ cup of spring water & 1 raisin.
• This activates the yeast & should be ready in 15-20 minutes

Step 4: Add Honey

• Empty honey into the sanitized carboy.
• Next, fill the honey container ¾ full with spring water. Dunk capped container in Star San and pour into carboy.

Step 5: Add Clove, Cinnamon Stick, & Orange

• Add cinnamon stick, clove, & 25 raisins in the carboy.
• Retrieve orange from Star San bath and cut into small sections on a sanitized cutting board with a sanitized knife.
• Add all parts of the orange in the carboy

Step 6: Add More Honey Water & Starter Culture

Honey Water

Yeast Starter Culture

• Use the shaken honey container to add more water to the carboy until it is ¾ full.

• Swirl yeast cup and slowly pour into carboy.

From this To This

Step 7: Shake It Like A Polaroid Picture

• Pull the glass jug lid from Star San sink solution, cap it, and shake, shake, shake it. Shake, shake, shake it!

Step 8: More Honey Water & Cap It

Honey Water Again

Stopper/Airlock or Balloon/Needle

• Using water in the honey container, fill to the carboy neck.

• Place stopper and capped airlock in carboy
• OR poke two holes in your sanitized balloon and place the balloon over carboy lid.

From this To this

Step 9: Wait & Filter

1st week of Mead’s Life

1st month of Mead’s Life

• Swirl your carboy once per day for a week

• You will want to filter your mead with a siphon. This process is called “racking.”

Step 10:Filter /Bottle & Wait

2^nd & 3^rd Month of Mead’s Life

First month of Mead’s Life

• Rack your mead again at the 2^nd month.
• At the 3^rd month, you will want to bottle your mead.

• You will want to filter your mead with a siphon. This process is called “racking.”

Your MeadShake Brings All the Boys To The Yard

• If you would like more information about making mead, please visit www.midwestsupplies.com
• Or find a copy of Ken Shram’s “The Complete Mead Maker.”
• How to Rack Mead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnGoTs6Wn98
• How to Bottle Mead: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bh_8Dc33Ptw
• How to Rack & Bottle Mead: http://www.stormthecastle.com/mead/bottling-your-mead-or-wine.htm

Good luck and Godspeed

Enjoy your Mead!

THIS HAS BEEN A GAEL RAIBEAD PRODUCTION