Free UK Delivery on orders over £75*
Brewing since 1974
Share on...

Sparkling mead

Ingredients

Metric

British

USA

Honey

1.5 kg

3LB

2.2 5LB

Citric acid

1 tablespoon

1 tablespoon

1 tablespoon

Water

4.5 L

1 gallon

1 gallon

Maury or wine yeast

 

 

 

Yeast nutrient

 

 

 

 

  • Bring the water to the boil and allow to boil for a minute or so.
  • Allow it to cool to 50°C
  • Meanwhile, warm the honey to the same temperature, then mix it with the other ingredients, stirring well to dissolve the honey.
  • Allow the honey liquor to cool to 21°C.
  • Add the citric acid, a good yeast nutrient, and the prepared yeast culture.
  • Pour the liquid into the fermenting jar, filling it to the shoulder, and reserve the surplus in a separate, air-locked bottle nearby.
  • Place both vessels in a warm location at a temperature of 17 to 21 °C.
  • If the fermentation froths out of the vessel, as it may, top it up from the bottle.
  • When the vigorous ferment slows down, and froth ceases to form, fill the jar to the bottom of the neck, fit an airlock, and clean the exterior if necessary.
  • When fermentation stops completely, move the jar to a cold room and leave it there for 2 to 3 weeks before siphoning the liquid from the lees into a clean jar.
  • Use a well-fitting, close-grained cork, driven well home, but do not secure it with wire.
  • The following March, after approximately six months of storage, siphon the mead from the lees again. To each gallon, add 50 g of honey or white sugar dissolved in 150 ml of boiled and then cooled water, as before.
  • Mix thoroughly and bottle using strong champagne bottles, with corks and a wire or tie to secure them.
  • Honey is often deficient in trace minerals and can be challenging to ferment.
  • It is therefore essential to use a yeast nutrient.

Wine Equipment & Ingredients

...