Harp Family Recipes

In this page I will go through the required equipment and basic ingredients to make traditional mead. This recipe will yield about 1 gallon at about 14% ABV of mead. If a lower % ABV is desired lower the amount of sugar to the batch.

Equipment:

  • Glass Fermentation Jar
  • Air lock
  • Siphon
  • Rubber Tubbing
  • Clarifying jar
  • Graduated Cylinder
  • Baster
  • Hydrometer
  • Kitchen scale
  • pH strips
  • Kitchen thermometer
  • Bentonite
  • 4 750 mL Glass bottles

Ingredients:

  • 3 pounds raw honey
  • 1 gallon filtered water
  • 5 grams yeast
  • 4.5 grams yeast nutrient
  • 50 mL Sanitizer
  • Potassium Sorbate
  • Potassium Metabisulfite
  • Acid Blend

Instructions:

Day 1:

  1. Sanitize the glass fermentation jar, air lock, graduated cylinder, and baster
  2. Ensure each piece of equipment is dry prior to use
  3. Add 3 pound of honey to the fermentor
  4. In a separate bowl, put 50 mL of filter water and heat in the microwave for 30 seconds
  5. Check the temperature of the water to make sure it is between 94-100 degrees F
    • If the water is too hot, add in a little bit of extra filtered water until in the temperature range
  6. Add in the yeast to the bowl of filtered water
  7. Stir in yeast and wait until the mixture starts to bubble (about 15 minutes)
  8. Fill the glass fermenter with the remaining water
  9. Stir the honey-water mixture until the honey mostly dissolves in the water
  10. In separate bowl, add in some of the honey water mixture and 1.5 grams of yeast nutrient and let the nutrient dissolve in the mixture
  11. Add the yeast nutrient mixture to the fermenter and stir
  12. Add in the yeast mixture to the fermenter and stir
  13. Place the hydrometer in the graduated cylinder and fill the graduated cylinder with the contents of the fermenter until the hydrometer begins to rise
  14. Note what the expected % ABV of the mead will be and dump the contents of the graduated cylinder in the fermenter
  15. Fill the airlock with filtered water
  16. Close the fermenter

Day 2:

  1. In separate bowl, add in some of the honey water mixture and 1.5 grams of yeast nutrient and let the nutrient dissolve in the mixture
  2. Add the yeast nutrient mixture to the fermenter and stir

Day 3:

  1. In separate bowl, add in some of the honey water mixture and 1.5 grams of yeast nutrient and let the nutrient dissolve in the mixture
  2. Add the yeast nutrient mixture to the fermenter and stir

Typically, Days 21-28 but can go longer:

  1. Wait until there are no more bubbles in the fermenter. This means that all the yeast cells have died
  2. Add in 1 tsp of Potassium Sorbate to fermenter
  3. Add in 1 tsp of Potassium Metabisulfite to fermenter
  4. In a separate bowl, add in ~1 cup filtered water
  5. Heat the water in the microwave for 1 minute
  6. Add 1/4 cup of bentonite in to the water and mix until dissolved
  7. When dissolved in water, add the bentonite to the fermenter

About 1 week later, the mead is finished at this point in the process. You can siphon straight over to bottles. However, this may run the risk of transferring some sediment to the bottles. Alternatively, you could siphon over the mead from the fermentor to the clarifying jar.

Take a pH strip and ensure the pH is about 3-3.5.

  • If the pH is low, honey can be added to provide sweetness and to increase the pH
  • If the pH is high, add acid blend to lower the pH

It is important to note that you have to taste the mead while adjusting the pH. This ensures the flavor meets your expectations. Once the desired flavor profile is met, begin the clarifying process. Allow all sediments to settle to the bottom of the jar. It typically takes about a week for all the sediment to settle at the bottom of the jar. Waiting longer will allow the mead to age further and smooth out the flavor of the mead.