Provided by Hop Shop, 22 Dale Rd, Mutley Plymouth, Pl4 6PE - http://www.hopshopuk.com
MEAD dry
1.3kg Honey
20g Tartaric acid (4 teaspoons)
1 teaspoon pectolase
Gervin 3 yeast
5 gm Minavit nutrient (1 teaspoon)
Campden tablet
Finings
Water to 1 gallon
Whilst many wine making ingredients naturally contain levels of acids and nutrients
the amount of both of these occurring in honey is negligible. It is therefore
most important that an adequate supply is provided in the must. For this reason
the quantities of both acid and nutrient used in this recipe are much higher
than most winemakers will be used to. Trust me!
Most bought honeys will have been cleaned and filtered but if you are using
your own it would be best to dissolve the honey in some water and to bring it
to the boil and skim before using it.
1. Mix the honey with 5 pints of boiling water in a sterilised white food grade
plastic bucket.
2. When cool add the nutrient, pectolase, tartaric acid and the yeast.
3. Cover loosely with the lid and ferment for 3 days. Rack the liquid into a
demijohn.
4. Fit an airlock and continue to ferment, topping up with water to one gallon
when the frothing dies down.
5. When fermentation stops and the specific gravity reaches 1.000 or less syphon
the mead off the sediment into another sterilised demijohn and add 1 crushed
campden tablet.
6. Add the finings and when the mead is crystal clear it can be racked off again
before being syphoned into bottles and corked.
MEAD medium sweet
Make the mead as above but with the addition at step 5 of 350gm of honey to sweeten, and a level teaspoon of a wine stabiliser to reduce the possibility of refermentation.
METHEGLIN
Both the dry and the medium sweet versions of this mead can be used as the basis to make a Metheglin or Meddyglin (from the Welsh meddyg", a physician) by adding a combination of spices to taste. Traditionally anise, caraway, cinnamon, cloves, fennel, ginger, lemon grass, mace and pimento have all been used.
Provided by Hop Shop, 22 Dale Rd, Mutley Plymouth,
Pl4 6PE - http://www.hopshopuk.com