Mead Recipe

You may have heard of mead before or maybe you haven’t, but one that always seems to come to mind when mead is mentioned is Vikings drinking their grog. I don’t know a whole lot about Vikings, but I do know a bit about mead! Mead is a fermented honey and water mixture, some call it honey wine, and it is quite possibly the first fermented drink that humans purposefully made. Luckily for us, it’s quite easy to make your own mead! I’m going to show you how to make one gallon of mead with this simple blueberry orange mead recipe.

Want to learn more about making mead? I have a Simple Mead Making for Beginners eBook just for you!

It has ingredient and equipment checklists, detailed instructions for brewing and bottling your mead, and simple mead recipe ideas! Be sure to check it out if you’re new to the mead making process and want a step by step guide.

Mead is a fermented alcoholic beverage that is traditionally made with just honey and water, and maybe some yeast (wild yeast is often used).

Whenever you add fruit to mead it’s technically called a melomel rather than mead. I still usually default to calling it mead, though.

You could also use apple cider instead of water and then you’d have what’s called a cyser. If you add herbs and spices or other flavorings it’s called a metheglin.

Rather than list it all here, I’ve created a page that has links to all of my favorite mead ingredients and equipment: Mead Equipment & Ingredients: Everything You Need to Get Started.

There you will find links to the sanitizer, brewing jugs and buckets, airlocks, yeast, tubing, bottles, and honey and I recommend!

Simple One Gallon Mead Recipe

This is a simple mead recipe that is very easy to put together. Learn how to make mead using this beginner’s recipe!

Prep: 10min

Total: 30min

Serving Size: 4 ounces

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 4 ounces, calories 156 kcal

Ingredients:

• water (non-chlorinated or filtered)
• 2-3 pounds honey (depending on how sweet you want to end product to be.)
• berries or fruit of any kind (fresh or frozen, about a cup)
• 1 orange
• 10 raisins
• 1/2 package champagne yeast (or other wine yeast)

Instruction:

1. Sanitize everything that will be used in the brewing process.
2. Heat about 1/2 gallon of non chlorinated water in the pot on medium heat. Once it’s warm, but not boiling, add the honey and stir it so it all dissolves. Turn off the heat.
3. Put the berries or other fruit, orange slices (skin and all), and raisins into the one gallon jug.
4. Use the funnel and carefully pour the honey water mixture into the jug.
5. Top off the jug with cold (preferably filtered) water, leaving at least 2 inches of head space on top. Put the lid on the jug and gently mix everything around a bit.
6. Make sure that the temperature of the must is below 90°F, then add 1/2 packet of champagne yeast. Put the lid back on tightly and this time shake the jug for a minute or two to distribute the yeast.
7. Put a little water in the airlock to the line, then put the rubber stopper end into the jug. Put the jug in a dark place. It should start bubbling within 12-24 hours.
8. After about 4-6 weeks of fermenting, once all bubbles have stopped rising in the jug and airlock, the mead can be bottled and aged.

Simplest 7 Day Mead Recipe

Mead was the perfect drink for vikings sailing through Scandinavia, and it’s just as good today, too! With our Brewsy bags, you can make delicious mead in just 7 days. Learn how to make mead with this super easy one-gallon mead recipe. 

Prep: 15min

Total: 7h15min

Yield: 1

Serving Size: 1 Gallon

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 1 Gallon, calories 99

Ingredients:

• 1 Gallon Jug
• 1 Large Pot
• 2 Tea Bags
• 2/3 Gallon Water
• 2 to 3 Cups of Honey
• Brewsy Starter Kit

Instruction:

1. Gather your ingredients. For this basic mead recipe, here’s what you’ll need:1 Gallon Container2 to 3 cups of Honey1 Large Pot1-2 Tea Bags (We recommend black tea to start — but the recipe will work with any kind of tea, and it can also be made without tea).
2. Prepare your tea. In a large pot, heat 2/3 gallon (2.5 L) of water. Then, add 1-2 teabags to the pot.Stir, and let sit for 15 minutes.
3. Add your honey. For dry mead, add 2 cups of honey (1.5 pounds).For semi-dry to semi-sweet mead, add 2.5 cups honey. (2 pounds).For sweet mead, add 3 cups of honey (2.5 pounds).
4. Dissolve your honey in the tea, and let the mixture cool until room temperature.
5. Pour your tea into your gallon jug once cooled.
6. Add one full Brewsy bag. Then shake vigorously for 30 seconds to help wake up the yeast.
7. Put on the airlock. First, squeeze the rubber stopper into your gallon’s bottleneck, and then attach the plastic airlock. Fill the airlock with water, and then snap the hole-punched plastic part back on.
8. Put your mead in a warm, dark place. An attic, closet, or near your water heater are all good places. The ideal temperature is 75°F to 85°F. (The fermentation will take longer in cooler temperatures).Now, fermentation is beginning. Fermentation will take approximately 7 days.Tip: Once or twice a day, swirl your container to make sure the yeast make surface contact with all of the mead.
9. Wait 7 days, then taste-test. After 7 days, take a very small sip of your mead. Right now, the yeast haven’t been separated from your mead, so it won’t taste amazing just yet.When you taste, taste primarily for sweetness. If it tastes dry enough for you, move on to the next step. If it still tastes too sweet, let it ferment for 2 more days, then repeat the taste-test.
10. Put your mead in the fridge. Take off the airlock and put the hole-punched cap on your gallon jug — or, simply use a loosened cap.Tip — make sure you never fasten the cap of your gallon jug to prevent potentially explosive carbon dioxide buildup!
11. Wait two days while your mead is in the fridge.During this time, the cold in your fridge is forcing the solids in your mead to the bottom of the container, making it easier for you to separate them in the next step.
12. Rack your mead. Slowly, pour your mead off of the sediment at the bottom into a different container.Your goal is to remove as much of the sediment as possible, so try not to tip your jug back up until you’ve finished pouring.
13. Take a sip! Now, you can taste your mead! Cheers!You may love it right away, but you may find it tastes harsh or a bit off. Don’t worry! That’s very normal with young alcohol. Mead takes longer to age than other drinks made with Brewsy — it will get much smoother over time.If it tastes bitter, you can quickly fix that by making a simple syrup.
14. Return your mead to the fridge with a loosened cap. Unlike store-bought wine, Brewsy doesn’t have any preservatives, so it needs to stay in the fridge with a loose cap unless it is properly prepared for room temperature storage.If you’d like to bottle your mead for storage outside of the fridge, you can find out how to do that here.
15. Age your mead. The character of your mead will change significantly as it ages. This is especially important with mead!Harsh tastes or off-flavors will dissipate, and your mead will taste smoother and more flavorful. Age your mead for at least 3 weeks, racking it about once every 5-7 days, or whenever you see significant sediment buildup.
16. Enjoy! Share your mead recipe with our Brewsy communities, the First Pour Club and Club Brewsy.And be sure to reach out to us with any questions. You can text us at the number we texted you from about your order, message us on Facebook, or send us an email at [email protected].

How to Make Mead: A Homemade Honey Mead Recipe

Homemade mead is a fermented beverage made of honey, water, and yeast. Make our honey mead recipe sweet or dry with flavoring suggestions.

Yield: 1

Serving Size: 16 ounces

Nutrition Facts: servingSize 16 ounces, calories 692 kcal, Sugar 187 g, Sodium 41 mg, Carbohydrate 187 g, Fiber 2 g, Protein 4 g

Ingredients:

• filtered water ((or distilled))
• 2-3 pounds honey ((local raw honey is best))
• 2 g champagne yeast

Instruction:

1. Simmer ½ gallon of water until warm.
2. Add honey: 2 pounds for a dry mead or 3 pounds for a sweet mead. Stir until dissolved.
3. Simmer (don’t boil) for about 30 minutes, skimming off any scum that forms. Remove from heat and let cool to about 100°F and pour into 1 gallon carboy.
4. Add any extra ingredients you may want. See below for ideas.
5. When the temperature is below 90°F, add the yeast. One package will make 5 gallons of mead, so use between ⅕ of a package and ½ a package. I typically make two gallons at a time and divide the package between the two.
6. Cap the bottle and shake well. Add more water to fill the bottle, making sure to leave 3-4 inches of headroom at the top. Take the top off and add an airlock. These are available at your local homebrew store or online here.
7. Once the airlock is in place, set the bottle in a cool spot for about 6 weeks.

How to make honey mead

FAQ

How much honey do I need for 1 gallon of mead?

Is mead healthier than beer?

Is mead very alcoholic?

How long does mead need to ferment?