Classic Mead Ingredient Kit 1 Gallon

Honey only. This Classic Mead Ingredient Kit makes 1 gallon of traditional mead from nothing but honey, water and yeast. 3 lb (two 1.5 lb jars) of Burleson's Wildflower Natural Honey is fermented with Lalvin 71B, which finishes around 13% ABV and semi-sweet, leaving the honey's own floral character up front.

Make it your own at bottling. Once your mead is clear and stabilized, you can add one of our all-natural flavorings right before bottling. A flavoring adds aroma and a subtle layer of flavor on top of the honey without restarting fermentation. Choose one from the Mead Kit Flavorings list, or leave it at None for a pure traditional mead.

Need equipment? Add the Mead Equipment Kit 1 Gallon from the options to get everything you need to ferment and rack your mead in the same order.

What's in the Box

• 2 x Burleson's Wildflower Natural Honey 1.5 lb Jar
• Lalvin 71B Wine Yeast
• Yeast Nutrient 2 oz
• Yeast Energizer 1 oz
• Potassium Metabisulfite 2 oz
• Potassium Sorbate 1 oz

The yeast nutrient and energizer keep a honey-only fermentation healthy. Potassium metabisulfite and potassium sorbate stabilize the finished mead so you can add a flavoring or back-sweeten before bottling.

Water (spring or distilled) and bottles are not included.

Instructions

You will also need:

• About 1 gallon of spring water (or distilled water)
• A long spoon, measuring spoons and a small cup or jar for the yeast
• Equipment: a cleaner/sanitizer, a food-grade fermenting bucket of about 2 gallons with a lid and airlock, a 1 gallon glass jug with a drilled stopper and airlock, a siphon and tubing, and a hydrometer with test jar (or add the Mead Equipment Kit 1 Gallon)
• About 5 wine bottles (750 mL) with corks or caps, for bottling
• Optional: extra honey for back-sweetening, and a Mead Kit Flavoring

1. Clean and sanitize. Clean and sanitize everything that will touch the mead (bucket, lid, spoon, airlock, hydrometer, siphon) with a no-rinse cleaner or sanitizer, following its label. Do this before every step that touches the mead.
2. Warm the honey. Set the two honey jars in a sink of warm water for 10 to 15 minutes so the honey pours easily. Do not boil the honey; heat drives off its floral aroma.
3. Mix the must. Pour the honey into your fermenting bucket. Add about half of the water, warm (around 100°F), and stir until no honey is left on the bottom. Rinse the honey containers with a little of the water to get it all. Add cool water to bring the total to 1 gallon (the honey is about 1 quart, so you will add about 3 quarts of water). Stir hard for 2 to 3 minutes to mix in air.
4. Take the starting gravity. Take a hydrometer reading and write it down. Expect about 1.100 to 1.110. This is your original gravity (OG). Let the must reach 65 to 75°F before adding the yeast.
5. Rehydrate the yeast. In a clean cup, sprinkle 1 packet of Lalvin 71B onto about 1/4 cup (50 mL) of water at 95 to 99°F (35 to 37°C). Wait 20 minutes, then stir gently. Stir in a few spoonfuls of must and wait 5 minutes so the yeast is within about 18°F (10°C) of the must temperature. Pitch within 45 minutes of starting.
6. Feed the yeast (staggered nutrients). Honey has very little of the nitrogen yeast need, so the Yeast Nutrient and Yeast Energizer go in 4 times. Each time, first stir the must gently to let gas out (it can foam), then stir in the nutrients dissolved in a little must or water.
   • Addition 1, right before pitching the yeast: 1/4 tsp nutrient + 1/8 tsp energizer
   • Additions 2, 3 and 4, at 24, 48 and 72 hours: 1/4 tsp nutrient + 1/8 tsp energizer each
   That is 1 tsp nutrient and 1/2 tsp energizer in all (the label rates of 1 tsp and 1/2 tsp per gallon). If the gravity has already dropped below about 1.070, skip the rest of the additions.
7. Ferment. Close your fermenting bucket with the lid and airlock (fill the airlock to the line with water or sanitizer). Lalvin 71B works from 59 to 86°F; for the cleanest honey flavor keep it around 62 to 70°F, out of sunlight. For the first week, gently stir once or twice a day to release gas. Bubbling usually starts within 1 to 2 days.
8. Check that fermentation is done. After 2 to 4 weeks, when bubbling has slowed to almost nothing, take a reading every few days. Fermentation is done when the gravity stays the same for 3 days in a row, usually somewhere around 0.996 to 1.005. Never bottle mead that is still fermenting.
9. Rack off the sediment. Siphon the mead into your glass jug using your siphon, leaving the yeast layer (lees) behind. Fit the stopper and the second airlock. Keep the level up into the neck to limit air contact; if you are a little short, that is fine for now.
10. Clear and age. Let the mead clear in a cool, dark spot for 2 to 3 months or longer. Honey meads are slow to clear, so be patient. If a new layer of sediment forms, rack again into a clean, sanitized container. It is ready when you can read print through it.
11. Stabilize. Once it is clear and the gravity has not changed, dissolve 1/16 tsp (a small pinch) Potassium Metabisulfite and 1/2 tsp Potassium Sorbate, each in a little cool water, and gently stir them into the mead without splashing. Always use the two together. Wait at least 24 hours before sweetening or bottling.
12. Back-sweeten (optional). Taste it. If you want it sweeter, dissolve extra honey (not included) in an equal amount of warm water. Start with about 3 Tbsp (2 oz), stir it in gently, taste, and add more if you like. Then wait 1 to 2 weeks and check that the gravity holds steady before bottling.
13. Add a flavoring at bottling (optional). Rack the mead into the clean, sanitized bucket and stir in a Mead Kit Flavoring. One 4 oz bottle flavors up to 5 gallons. Start with 1 Tbsp, taste, and add more up to about 1 1/2 Tbsp (about a fifth of the bottle). Stir gently.
14. Bottle. Sanitize about 5 wine bottles (750 mL, not included). Siphon the mead into them, leaving about 1/2 inch of space below the cork or cap, and seal. This is a still (not sparkling) mead. Store the bottles cool and dark; stand corked bottles upright for 3 days, then lay them on their side.
15. Age and enjoy. Your mead is drinkable after a couple of months in the bottle, but it gets smoother with 6 to 12 months of aging. To find the strength: (OG - final gravity) x 131.25 = ABV %. Expect about 13 to 14% ABV.