Mead Making

Backyard Beekeepers Association will be doing its first mead making class this year. This will be a “hands on” class, in which your first batch of mead will be made. After the class, you will be able to take your mead home to finish and age, and will have both the knowledge and the equipment to confidently make your own meads.

The class will be held November 2, 2024, 1:00–4:00 pm, at Zion Lutheran Church, 218 Crawford Rd, Deer Park, WA 99006.

The subjects to be covered in this class will include:

  • Mead Styles
  • Components of flavor and balance
  • Good fermentation practices
  • Equipment sanitation
  • Mixing the mead “must”
  • Primary fermentation
  • Secondary fermentation, including adjuncts (fruit, berries, oak, etc.)
  • Stabilizing, sweetening, bottling, and aging

Participants in the class will receive a mead making kit. This kit will include a primary fermenter, secondary fermenter, hydrometer and test jar, a racking syphon, yeast, yeast nutrient, and other supplies useful in making mead (valued at about $75.00).

As part of the class, you will be making a mead to take and finish at home. If all goes well (and it likely will), you will end up with about 5 bottles of delicious mead after a few months. Additionally, you will have the knowledge and equipment needed to make additional meads, of almost endless variety.

Participants must bring the following, which are not included in the equipment and supplies provided in the course:

  • 1 quart of good quality honey – you cannot make mead without honey!
  • You have a choice of making a traditional mead, or a cyser (kind of a cross between a traditional mead and a hard cider), or melomel. Based on your choice, bring either:
    • 1 gallon of good quality (non-chlorinated) drinking water (good tasting spring or well water is OK, not distilled water). This will be used for making a traditional mead or melomel, if that is your preference.
    • Or, 1 gallon of good quality apple juice/cider if you prefer to make a cyser. Generally a tart apple juice is better than sweet, and it must not contain any preservatives!
  • A measuring cup
  • Measuring spoons
  • A large spoon that can be used to stir one gallon of liquid
  • A funnel (if you have one)
  • A turkey baster (if you have one)

In class, we will be mixing up the basic mead (the “must”), which you will take home to finish. It will help if you have an idea when you come to class, regarding what kind of end product you are hoping for. A traditional mead, or a melomel? Sweet, dry, or in-between? Still, or carbonated?

Be thinking about these questions beforehand. See https://www.vikingalchemist.com/mead-blog/2020/1/28/whats-the-difference-between-mead-cyser-braggot-amp-melomel

Sign up for the class here.

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