# Honey Mead **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 22, 2006, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honey-mead/353789 "2006-04-22T21:37:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![monica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a183cd/32.png) [@monica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monica)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honey-mead/353789/1 "2006-04-22T21:37:46Z")
I’ve heard so much talk here about making honey mead, I thought it was about time we had a thread specifically for it. Anyone have any good recipes? Tips? Success and/or failure stories? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 22, 2006, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honey-mead/353789/2 "2006-04-22T22:36:37Z")
I don’t know any recipes but I love honeymead so I am bumping your little thread. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2006, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honey-mead/353789/3 "2006-04-23T00:16:21Z")
I’ve recently started experimenting with home brews. I’ve made one batch of wine, and waiting for the second. So far I’ve I’ve been reading about how to make mead, though I haven’t actually tried it yet. Recipe : honey, water and yeast. Brew for a month then store for two years before drinking. Two years, really. Apparently, it’s the easiest drink there is to make, it just takes a large investment of time. It’s said to be disgusting in 6 months, drinkable in a year, good in 2 years and excellent in 3. If you want to try it, just google, there’s hundreds of recipes out there. ---
**Author:** ![Large\_Marge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/50afbb/32.png) [@Large\_Marge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Large_Marge)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2006, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honey-mead/353789/4 "2006-04-23T02:16:57Z")
As a matter of fact, I have recently received a mead-making kit and plan to start my first batch of grape mead in the next month or so. I’ve always been a fan, after discovering Blackberry Mead at the [Rocky Mountain Meadery](http://www.rocky-mountain-meadery.com/ordering.htm). I can’t wait to try to make my own! ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2006, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honey-mead/353789/5 "2006-04-23T03:48:24Z")
Mead was the original drink of the Proto-Indo-Europeans. Words for wine or alcohol in various IE languages were derived from a root word for honey, \*\*medhu-\*. These include Sanskrit _madhu_ and Greek _methu_, both meaning ‘wine’. In Balto-Slavic, for example Lithuanian _medus_ or Polish _miód_, it means ‘honey’. Of all Indo-European languages, English _mead_ shows the honey-wine connection the best. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honey-mead/353789/6 "2006-04-24T04:33:36Z")
Oh, no! Honey mead me move this to Cafe Society (our forum for food threads). I had no choice! ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honey-mead/353789/7 "2006-04-24T06:27:17Z")
One thing you’ll definitely want besides honey, water, and yeast is a yeast nutrient. While yeast can survive on sugar alone, it won’t thrive on it, and you’ll end up with a very low alcohol concentration. You can Google and get specific recipes but it basically goes something like: -Activate yeast (You can find specific mead yeasts, but champagne yeast will do fine) -Mix honey and water (1lb. of honey per water, or more), add yeast nutrient -Some people boil the honeywater to make sure all bacteria are killed, since bacteria can and will ruin your brew. Others swear that boiling ruins the flavor of the honey. At the very least, boil the water first. -Make sure the wort is cooled to room temp, then pitch the yeast. -Let it ferment for a few weeks, checking it ever day or so to make sure it still bubbles. If you have a triple-scale hydrometer, you can measure the potential alcohol of it, and when it’s near 0 it’s done. Otherwise you’ll have to rely on the bubble method, which could be deceptive if you have a stuck fermentation. -Once it’s done fermenting, it’s time to bottle. Probably use dark bottles. -Store in a dark place for an unknown amount of time, taste testing periodicaly. Electronic Chaos, who brewed his first mead in November of 2005, still waiting for it to progress beyond the raw rocket fuel stage. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honey-mead/353789/8 "2006-04-24T13:15:06Z")
> [@Peter Morris](#): > > Brew for a month then store for two years before drinking. Two years, really. Apparently, it’s the easiest drink there is to make, it just takes a large investment of time. It’s said to be disgusting in 6 months, drinkable in a year, good in 2 years and excellent in 3. I’ve found it kinda depends - I’ve made mead with an excess of honey (as in, there’s enough honey left after fermentation finishes to make quite a sweet mead) and that was as good as it ever got at 9 months. A friend’s 4yo dry mead, otoh, is better every time we crack a new bottle. Grolsch beer bottles (with the wire & porcelain caps) are great for bottling mead. Get the purest/most homogenous honey for the best mead, IMO. Either all-wildflower or all-orangeblossom or whatever. Makes the end-product more distinctive. My other favourite is metheglin, a spiced mead. Lovely stuff. I love mead, but a slight nitpick -“honey mead” is redundant - Is there any other kind? ---
**Author:** ![Draelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce73a5/32.png) [@Draelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Draelin)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honey-mead/353789/9 "2006-04-24T13:27:15Z")
I was taught to make it without the yeast–just honey, water, and fruit or any other additive you might want to try. Boil down to half of what you started with, strain, and ferment for a month. Then strain again, bottle, and give it another month or so before drinking. Of course, my first batch didn’t work _at all_, but my second is coming along nicely. In about three weeks, I’ll let you know how the third batch goes. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honey-mead/353789/10 "2006-04-24T16:18:44Z")
[Here](http://www.brewboard.com/index.php?showforum=7) is a good forum on mead making (plus wine & cider). Be sure to read the FAQs. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honey-mead/353789/11 "2006-04-24T17:44:06Z")
> [@Electronic Chaos](#): > > One thing you’ll definitely want besides honey, water, and yeast is a yeast nutrient. While yeast can survive on sugar alone, it won’t thrive on it, and you’ll end up with a very low alcohol concentration. Did the ancients live with low alcohol-content mead, or is there a traditional something that they would use as “yeast nutrient” that didn’t come in little vials labelled, “yeast nutrient?” ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honey-mead/353789/12 "2006-04-24T18:30:48Z")
> [@Draelin](#): > > I was taught to make it without the yeast–just honey, water, and fruit or any other additive you might want to try. Boil down to half of what you started with, strain, and ferment for a month. Then strain again, bottle, and give it another month or so before drinking. > > Of course, my first batch didn’t work _at all_, but my second is coming along nicely. In about three weeks, I’ll let you know how the third batch goes. 🙂 That’s 'cause your mix is catching yeast out of the air. Like sourdough bread starters, sometimes you catch a great strain, and sometimes you get ickiness (or nothing). Adding yeast from a packet is more foolproof, but also takes some of the “eureka!” joy out of a really good batch. ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honey-mead/353789/13 "2006-04-24T18:49:22Z")
> [@Sage Rat](#): > > Did the ancients live with low alcohol-content mead, or is there a traditional something that they would use as “yeast nutrient” that didn’t come in little vials labelled, “yeast nutrient?” I honestly don’t know. You could add some fruit, which I’d imagine gives you some of the nutrients. I think nitrogen is the main thing you’re looking for. Usually the main thing in yeast nutrient is urea, which is usually derived from urine. I hesitate to say this, but the ancients may have even peed in the mead. But probably, they just lived with low alcohol content mead (when I say low, I mean probably 4-5%, pretty alright for a beer, but for a wine it’s not that great). ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honey-mead/353789/14 "2006-04-24T18:55:32Z")
> [@Electronic Chaos](#): > > I honestly don’t know. You could add some fruit, which I’d imagine gives you some of the nutrients. I think nitrogen is the main thing you’re looking for. Usually the main thing in yeast nutrient is urea, which is usually derived from urine. I hesitate to say this, but the ancients may have even peed in the mead. I should note that most of the above is a mix of conjecture and WAGing. In no way should it be taken as fact (unless someone comes along with a cite, in which case, I’ll take all the credit 😃 ) ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honey-mead/353789/15 "2006-04-24T19:16:14Z")
Well I can’t speak for the ancients, but one way would be to boil the yeast left over from the last batch. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honey-mead/353789/16 "2006-04-24T23:55:56Z")
I once knew a guy who’d wax lyrical about this recipie for [Barkshack Gingermead](http://www.recipesource.com/side-dishes/beverages/alcohol/00/rec0047.html) . It supposedly come out “sparkling”, like champagne. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2006, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honey-mead/353789/17 "2006-04-24T23:58:20Z")
> [@Eleusis](#): > > Well I can’t speak for the ancients, but one way would be to boil the yeast left over from the last batch. I think you mean “pitch” the yeast from the last batch. Boiling would kill the little yeasties. On top of all that, boiling drives off all the nice flavor compounds in honey and robs your mead of its proper aromatics. Never boil!!! ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honey-mead/353789/18 "2006-04-25T00:14:22Z")
I don’t know about the Vikings, but the ancient Greeks always watered their wine anyway. They totally preferred lower alcohol content. They thought only barbarians drank undiluted wine. So low-alcohol mead would have been to their taste. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honey-mead/353789/19 "2006-04-25T03:02:12Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > I love mead, but a slight nitpick -“honey mead” is redundant - Is there any other kind? “Honey mead” could mean that it’s mead without any added flavor. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2006, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/honey-mead/353789/20 "2006-04-25T05:59:34Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > I think you mean “pitch” the yeast from the last batch. Boiling would kill the little yeasties. On top of all that, boiling drives off all the nice flavor compounds in honey and robs your mead of its proper aromatics. > > Never boil!!! No, I was answering this question: > [@Sage Rat](#): > > Did the ancients live with low alcohol-content mead, or is there a traditional something that they would use as “yeast nutrient” that didn’t come in little vials labelled, “yeast nutrient?” Boiling the yeast will kill it, yes. But it will add nutrients to the water. I didn’t say anything about boiling honey. After you mix the cooled, nutrient rich water and the honey, THEN you pitch fresh yeast.