(by /u/StormBeforeDawn)
Total Volume: 1 Gallon, or 4 Liter
Style: Sweet Metheglin
Carbonation: None
Target Original Gravity: 1.110
Target Final Gravity: 1.012-1.022
Ingredients
US Units
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Honey | 3.2 lbs | ~4 and 1/4 cups. A simple base honey is fine in a metheglin |
| Cinnamon Stick | 1 | Approximately 3 inches) |
| Vanilla Bean | 1 | Approximately 4 inches |
| Diammonium Phosphate | 1 tsp | Substitute LD Carlson "Nutrient" |
| Boiled bakers yeast | 1 tsp | Substitute Fermaid O if you have access to it |
| Campden Tablets | 1 tablet, crushed | optional, recommended, for adding after fermentation |
| Yeast: Safale US-05 | 3-5 g | Look at weight on packet. Most are 11.5 grams. Use 1/3 to 1/2 of the packet. Precision not required. |
Metric Units
| Ingredient | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Honey | 1.47 kg | ~1.0L. A simple base honey is fine in a metheglin |
| Cinnamon Stick | 1 | Approximately 80 mm |
| Vanilla Bean | 1 | Approximately 100 mm |
| Diammonium Phosphate | 4 g | Substitute LD Carlson "Nutrient" |
| Boiled bakers yeast | 2.8 g | Substitute Fermaid O if you have access to it |
| Campden Tablets | 1 tablet, crushed | optional, recommended, for adding after fermentation |
| Yeast: Safale US-05 | 3-5 g | Look at weight on packet. Most are 11.5 grams. Use 1/3 to 1/2 of the packet. Precision not required. |
Method:
Make sure that you sanitize everything.
Boil vanilla bean and cinnamon stick in 1 cup water for 10 minutes.
In your fermentation vessel, add room temperature honey, then add room temperature water until the total volume of the must is 1 gallon or 4 Liters depending on your units.
Pour dry yeast into must. If you are looking to start a little more advanced, consider using goferm and rehydrating your yeast according to the package instructions.
Boil the bakers yeast for 10 minutes in a small pan.
Add the DAP and Yeast Hulls.
If using a bucket, stir vigorously for 3-5 minutes. If using a carboy, seal with a cap or stopper and shake vigorously for 3-5 minutes, then unseal the container.
Add the cinnamon and vanilla and the water they were sanitized in.
Close the container with a drilled stopper or drilled lid and airlock. Don't forget to add sanitizer or vodka to your airlock!
Place in a dark location at 60-75° F, 15-24° C.
Signs of fermentation should appear in 24-48 hours. Fermentation should complete in 1-2 weeks. This is highly variable depending upon dozens of factors.
When fermentation is complete, siphon the mead (it is now mead!) into a new vessel. Be careful not to splash too much, nor to suck up too much of the sediment on the bottom (but some doesn't hurt anything). At this stage, you can add the crushed campden tablet to the new vessel. The siphoning action should dissolve it sufficiently.
When it is clear enough that you can read a newspaper print through it, it is ready to bottle, but you can also allow it to bulk age.
Additional Notes:
This is a simple spiced mead (metheglin). This is intended to finish sweet, and will be drinkable sooner than dryer wines. It should be clear within a couple of months, and very drinkable within 3-6 months. Like all wines, this will continue to improve with age.
US-05 yeast was chosen because of its relatively low alcohol tolerance, which should result in a sweet mead when following this recipe.
If you replace US-05 with Lalvin 71B-1122, Lalvin D-45, Red Star Cote Des Blancs, Red Star Montrachet, or any wine yeast with a 14% upper tolerance, you may end up with a semi-sweet or off-dry mead. It will depend upon fermentation conditions and the accuracy of your measurements. This could also produce a completely bone-dry (no residual sugar) mead.
This mead is obviously the same as the Traditional above, with spices added. Here are a few tips for making your own variations of this:
Remember that in mead making, less is often more. Two or three flavors can mingle in more interesting ways than ten flavors.
Be careful how much spice you use. It's easy to add more. It's nearly impossible to remove it if you overshoot. (But you can use that as marinade!)
Nonetheless, be bold! People do want to taste the spice in their mouth. They don't want hints of it in the ether.
Start with known-good flavor combinations. Try making a tea, sweetened with honey, of flavor combinations you aren't sure about.