Mead Ingredients: The Ultimate Mead Recipe

Mead is fermented honey or Honey Wine. There are 3 simple ingredients to make mead that can be bought practically anywhere.

Mead = Honey + Water + Yeast

Mead is one of the oldest alcoholic beverages. In different languages it is called different things but most languages have a word for this liquid gold libation. In fact, wherever there are bees one can find mead. It is so simple to make that it happens in nature when water mixes with honey. The history of mead making is as old as beekeeping itself which is more than 10,000 years ago.

At its core, mead consists of honey, which provides the natural sugars necessary for fermentation and lends the drink its characteristic sweetness. Water is the second key ingredient, diluting the honey to the desired concentration and serving as the medium for fermentation. Yeast plays a crucial role, converting the sugars in the honey-water mixture into alcohol and carbon dioxide, thereby transforming the sweet concoction into mead. Some recipes may also incorporate additional elements such as spices, fruits, or herbs to introduce various flavors and aromas, creating a diverse range of mead styles. Despite the simplicity of its ingredients, the process and variations in recipe allow for a wide spectrum of mead types, each with its own unique profile.

If one were to head to the local grocery store and purchase the above three items, they would be able
to make mead in any container of their choosing. And could go on for the rest of their days making
mead like this if satisfied with the final product. However, there is always a better way that could result
in a tastier mead.

The quality of honey, and all ingredients for your mead is everything (outside of cleanliness and process). Choosing a tasty local honey is the first step. If there are any flaws in the honey that you do not like bear that in mind as everything will get amplified once some or all the sweetness is converted into alcohol.

For your first mead we recommend using a wildflower or orange blossom honey as those tend to have more muted flavor profiles than a buckwheat blossom honey or fireweed blossom honey. We recommend Temecula Valley Honey Company.

We recommend using bottled spring water for mead making at a homebrew level. Bottle spring water is the easiest way to control the minerals and additives in your mead. It also has the right amount of minerals that are condusive to mead making.

Using water from the tap is fine, but know that there are additives in your water that keep it safe to drink such as chlorine. When making mead, chlorine is an off-flavor that is best avoided. Chlorine can be driven out of the water with potassium metabisulfite or Campden tablets. The proper dosage is 0.03 grams per gallon to unbind the chlorine from the tap water.

Opting for the bottled spring water eliminates the concern over the water quality and its’ additives. We also would recommend not using distilled water as this is stripped of necessary minerals that can help your mead fermentation.

Several yeasts are suitable for mead making depending on your desired flavor profile (champagne, red wine, white wine and ale yeasts).

Yeast is a single-cell organism, called Saccharomyces cerevisiae, considered a member of the fungus kingdom. Yeast needs food (sugar!), warmth, and moisture to thrive.

Store bought yeast is a viable option that will produce alcohol, the best yeast for making mead can be purchased at your local homebrew shop or online.

There are different types of yeast that specialize in different types of applications. Some are better at making bread while others are better at making wine, mead, or beer.

Keeping in mind the nutritional requirements for the yeast along with the alcohol tolerance, aroma, and mouthfeel they will create will guide you to the best choice for your mead.

Honey does have health properties like antioxidants, minerals, allergens and antibacterial properties. But it is also nutrient deficient, which means the mead fermentation is made better with yeast nutrients. Traditionally, most white wine yeast with a low nutritional requirement will make a fine mead.

Learn step by step meadmaking