MAKING WINE WITH HONEY (MEAD)

One of the most interesting types of wines you can make is honey
wine - traditionally known as Mead. Making honey wine is an
incredibly fascinating experience. There are so many styles and
variations to choose from that just about anyone can find a
recipe that perks their interest.

There is also a lot of room for some creative fun and experi-
mentation as well when making wine from honey. For example, you
can mix the honey with different varieties of fruit, or you can
add herbs and spices to the mix. You can make honey wine with
just plain honey. You can also use a little bit of honey in other
wine recipes to add an herbal finish to the wines flavor.

Also, different honeys have different subtle flavors. This in
itself can dramatically change the overall character of a given
honey wine. The critical difference in these various types of
honey is the source of nectar the bees use for producing it.

For example, there are honeys that come from various blossoms
such as that of: oranges, clover, apples, raspberries and wild
flowers. There are also honeys that come from other plants such
as alfalfa and buckwheat - each having their own distinct
character. So as you can start to see, honey is a very versatile
tool with which to make wine.


- Where To Find These Honeys

Typically you can find wild flower or clover spun honey at your
local grocery store. All the other honeys mentioned above can
usually be found at health food stores or at a gourmet food
grocer.

Depending on your area, raw honey may be available from a local
beekeeper. This will certainly be your cheapest option and quite
often your freshest.


- Types Of Meads

Mead's origins runs deep into history. It has been intertwined
with many cultures through the course of time. It was very
present during the Roman Empire, in Greece as well. It became
even more popular during the Middle Ages. The Celts of Wales and
the Abby Monks of Belgium where both known for their production
and consumption of various styles of Mead.

Through the ages Mead has come to be categorized by certain
distinguishable features. Usually based on the ingredients that
accompany the honey or how the honey was used. Here is a short
list of the most popular types:

* Mead - Made with honey only. This term is now use generically
to collectively refer to all types of honey wines such as those
listed below.

* Pyment - This is grape wine that has the addition of some
honey. Typically this would be around 2 to 4 pound of honey to 5
gallons.

* Cyser - This is mead made with apple juice (cider). Typically
around 2-1/2 gallons of apple juice is used to a 5 gallon batch.

* Molemel - This is mead with some fruit added. For example, a
raspberry spun honey might have 3 or 4 pounds of fresh rasp-
berries added as well.

* Metheglyn - This is mead made with herbs and spices. A short
list of what might be used is: cloves, ginger, juniper berries,
cinnamon, orange or lemon peel, peppermint, woodruff . . .

* Hippocras - This is a Pyment as listed above, only with herbs
and spices incorporated into the recipe as well.


- Basic Mead Recipe

Here is a very basic recipe for making Mead to get you started.
You can also use this recipe as a base line for creating other
styles of Mead later on.

For 5 Gallons Of Mead:

* 13 Pounds of Honey
* 2 Tablespoons Yeast Energizer
* 6 Tablespoons Acid Blend
* 1 Teaspoon Wine Tannin
* 5 Campden Tablets
* Water To Total 5 Gallons
* 1 Pkg. Lalvin ICV-D47 Yeast

* NOTE: If unprocessed honey is being used, it would be best to
first cut the honey with water then heat it on the stove to about
180 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 5 minutes. This is to
allow the pollen, wax and bits of bee to float to the top so that
you can skim them off before using the honey in a recipe.


- Basic Process

1. Mix together all the ingredients listed above, EXCEPT for the
yeast, in an open container (primary fermenter). Be sure to crush
and dissolve the Campden Tablets. Cover with a light towel and
let sit for 24 hour.

2. After 24 hours, add one package of Lalvin ICV-D47 Yeast and
allow to ferment 4 to 5 days or until your hydrometer reads
around 1.030 to 1.040 on the Specific Gravity scale.

3. After 4 or 5 days, carefully siphon the Mead into a Secondary
Fermenter so as to leave most of the sediment behind. This is
called "Racking". The Secondary Fermenter should be some type of
food-grade container that allows you to attach an Air-Lock to it.

4. Allow the Mead to ferment another 2 to 3 weeks under air-lock,
or until the hydrometer reads .998 or less on the Specific
Gravity scale. Now the Mead needs to clear. This usually takes at
least and additional 2 to 3 weeks, sometimes as long as 2 months.

5. Once the Mead has completely cleared, siphon it into a clean
container and add a second dose of Campden Tablets at the rate of
1 tablet per gallon. It is then ready to be bottled and aged.

For a little more information on the fermentation process and how
to avoid any common pitfalls, see the article, "The Top 10
Reasons For Fermentation Failure" listed at the link below:

"The Top 10 Reasons For Fermentation Failure"


- More Mead Recipes . . .

Cyser:
* 9 Pounds of Honey
* 2-1/2 Gallons of Apple Juice
* 2 Tablespoons of Yeast Energizer
* 4-1/2 Tablespoons of Acid Blend
* 3/4 Teaspoon of Wine Tannin
* 5 Campden Tablets
* Water To Total Batch to 5 Gallons
* 1 Pkg. Lalvin EC-1118 Yeast

Blackberry Melomel:
* 11 Pounds of Honey
* 4 Pounds of Chopped Blackberries
* 2 Tablespoons of Yeast Energizer
* 4-1/2 Tablespoons of Acid Blend
* 1/2 Teaspoon of Wine Tannin

* 5 Campden Tablets
* Water to Total Batch to 5 Gallons
* 1 Pkg. Lalvin K1V-1116

Metheglyn:
* 15 Pounds of Honey
* 15 Cloves
* 2-1/2 Ounces of Grated Ginger Root
* 5 Ounces of Elderflower
* 2 Tablespoons of Yeast Energizer
* 5-1/2 Tablespoons of Acid Blend
* 1/4 Teaspoon of Wine Tannin

* 5 Campden Tablets
* Water To Total Batch to 5 Gallons
* 1 Pkg. Lalvin ICV-D47 Yeast


- If You Like Your Mead Sweet . . .

You can sweeten your Mead by adding more honey, or sugar. But,
three things have to happen first:

* 1. The fermentation needs to be completely finished and the
Mead needs to have been given a couple of weeks to clear. The
Mead should also be check with a hydrometer to verify that it is
done. It should read between .995 and .998 on the Specific
Gravity scale.

* 2. You also need to carefully siphon the wine off any sediment
into a clean container. Otherwise, this sediment will be stirred
up again when you mix in your honey for sweetening.

* 3. Potassium Sorbate needs to be added to the Mead as a
stabilizer. Otherwise, the fermentation will eventually start up
again when the additional honey is added.

It is important that all three of the above happens before adding
a sweetener of any kind, otherwise you may get sediment occurring
in the bottom of you wine bottles, or worse yet, re-fermentation
may start up in the bottles.

********

For more information on sweetening your wines see the article,
"Making Sweet Wines" listed at the link below:
 

"Making Sweet Wines"

For more information about making honey wine, see the book
"Making Mead", listed at the link below:

"Making Mead"