🍯 The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Making High Alcohol By Volume (ABV) Mead at Home
This complete guide walks you through brewing semi-sweet mead with up to 16% ABV, using simple ingredients and step-by-step tips. Great for beginners and fermentation hobbyists alike!
🧪 My Proven Mead Recipe (Beginner Friendly)
✅ Option 1: Approx 3.5-Liter Batch (Semi-Sweet)
- Honey: ~4 cups ≈ 945 mL ≈ 1,342 g honey by weight → ~1,074 g fermentable sugar
- Water: 10.5 cups (~2.5 L)
- Yeast: Red Star Premier Blanc (18% tol.)
- Target ABV: 16%
- Residual Sugar: ~35 g/L
🧠 Understanding Sugar, Brix, and ABV
- 1% ABV ≈ 17 g/L of fermentable sugar. That is approx 950 grams of sugar the yeast need.
- Target starting Brix for 16% is around 28–30°Bx.
🧬 Choosing the Right Yeast
🧪 Nutrient and Schedule
- Day 0: Add Fermaid O
- Day 4–5: Add second dose
- Day 10: Stop adding nutrients
- Day 20: Cold crash
- Day 23: Rack off lees
🔍 How to Tell When It’s Done
- Bubbles slow to ~1/min
- Clearer appearance
🧠 Swirling: Pros and Cons
- Pros (Days 1–7): Boosts yeast contact and improves fermentation speed
- Cons (After Day 7): Risk of oxidation and clarification disturbance
📘 Definitions: Mead vs Cider vs Wine
- Mead: Honey + Water = Fermented honey wine
- Cider: Honey + Apple Juice = Fermented apple drink
- Pyment: Honey + Grape Juice = Mead-wine hybrid
- Melomel: Honey + Other Fruit = Fruit-flavored mead
📘 Beginner FAQ
- Can I use store juice? Yes, avoid preservatives.
- Do I need a hydrometer? Recommended, but optional.
- Can I reuse yeast? Yes, if healthy. Not for beginners.
- What if fermentation stalls? Add nutrients, swirl, or repitch yeast.
🧂 Flavor Tweak Guide
- Make Smoother: Glycerin, aging
- Add Tart: Malic acid or green apple
- Sweeten: Stabilize and add honey or juice
✅ Pre-Ferment Checklist
- Sanitize all gear
🕰️ Aging Timeline
- Day 0: Start fermentation
- Day 5: Final nutrient add
- Day 20-21 Cold crash
- Day 24: Rack off lees
- Age 3-6 months