Table Of Content001-160_41035.indd 1 4/11/14 6:12 PM
(Fogra 39)Job:04-41035 Title:MBI-The Complete Guide to Making Mead
001-160_41035.indd 1 4/11/14 6:10 PM
#175 Dtp:225 Page:1
001-160_41035.indd 2 4/11/14 6:13 PM
(Fogra 39)Job:04-41035 Title:MBI-The Complete Guide to Making Mead
001-160_41035.indd 2 4/11/14 6:10 PM
#175 Dtp:225 Page:2
THE COMPLETE
GUIDE TO MAKING
M EAD
The Ingredients, Equipment,
Processes, and Recipes for
Crafting Honey Wine
STEVE PIATZ
0
001-160_4C1703653.6in.idnd d 3 3 (Fogra 39)Job:04-41035 Title:MBI-The Complete Guide to Making Mead 44/2/121/1/144 1 60:1237 PAM
(Text) 0 4 - C 7 0 6 3 6 #175 Dtp:225 Page:3
New Text
First published in 2014 by Voyageur Press, an imprint of Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.,
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA
© 2014 Voyageur Press
Text © 2014 Steve Piatz
All photographs by John Barber except where noted.
All rights reserved. With the exception of quoting brief passages for the purposes of review, no
part of this publication may be reproduced without prior written permission from the Publisher.
The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. All
recommendations are made without any guarantee on the part of the author or Publisher, who
also disclaims any liability incurred in connection with the use of this data or specific details.
We recognize, further, that some words, model names, and designations mentioned herein are
the property of the trademark holder. We use them for identification purposes only. This is not an
official publication.
Voyageur Press titles are also available at discounts in bulk quantity for industrial or sales-
promotional use. For details write to Special Sales Manager at Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc.,
400 First Avenue North, Suite 400, Minneapolis, MN 55401 USA.
To find out more about our books, visit us online at www.voyageurpress.com.
ISBN: 978-0-7603-4564-1
Digital edition: 978-1-62788-241-5
Softcover edition: 978-0-76034-564-1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Piatz, Steve.
The complete guide to making mead : the ingredients, equipment, processes, and recipes for
crafting honey wine / Steve Piatz.
pages cm
ISBN 978-0-7603-4564-1 (paperback)
1. Mead. I. Title.
TP588.M4P53 2014
641.2’3--dc23
2014002681
Acquisitions Editor: Dennis Pernu
Project Manager: Elizabeth Noll
Design Manager: Cindy Samargia Laun
Cover Designer: Brad Norr
Design and Layout: Simon Larkin
Cover photo © Kellydt/Dreamstime.com
Printed in China
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
001-160_41035.indd 4 4/11/14 6:13 PM
(Fogra 39)Job:04-41035 Title:MBI-The Complete Guide to Making Mead
001-160_41035.indd 4 4/11/14 6:10 PM
(Text)
#175 Dtp:225 Page:4
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION 6
1 A BRIEF HISTORY OF MEAD 8
2 CHARACTERISTICS AND VARIETIES 12
3 INGREDIENTS 20
4 YEAST STRAINS 38
5 THE BASIC PROCESS 46
6 FINISHING YOUR MEAD 80
7 PACKAGING 92
8 ADVANCED TECHNIQUES 100
9 RECIPE DEVELOPMENT 112
1O RECIPES 122
11 TROUBLESHOOTING 140
GLOSSARY 148
SAMPLE LOG PAGE 153
SOURCES 154
PHOTO CREDITS 155
INDEX 156
ABOUT THE AUTHOR 160
0
001-160_41035.indd 5 (Fogra 39)Job:04-41035 Title:MBI-The Complete Guide to Making Mead 4/11/14 6:103 PM
(Text) #175 Dtp:225 Page:5
INTRODUCTION
THE FIRST REALLY GOOD MEADS I REMEMBER TASTING were during a presentation
by Ken Schramm and Dan McConnell at the American Homebrewers Association’s
National Homebrewers Conference many years ago. The presentation included samples
of a number of meads made with different varietal honeys, as well as a comparison of
different yeast strains used in fermenting the same mead. I was hooked on the elegance
of good mead. Over the next few years I made a few decent meads, though none was
really amazing. In those days documentation on how to make a great mead was hard to
come by. Good mead was partially the result of a good recipe but also required a little
luck to get a proper fermentation. Ken Schramm’s The Compleat Meadmaker (2003)
sparked new interest in meadmaking and, along with several subsequent articles, led the
way to a predictable and repeatable meadmaking process that can produce drinkable
meads after months of aging, rather than years.
The meadmaking process emphasized inside this book relies on using the proper
amount of healthy yeast at the start of fermentation and adding nutrients to keep the
yeast happy during fermentation. Using the right amount of healthy yeast helps you avoid
sluggish or stuck fermentations and helps prevent the creation of undesirable aromas
and flavors. The book also stresses a no-boil process, no addition of acids at the start
of fermentation, and periodic stirring of the must (the honey and water mixture). The
process helps you reproduce the same desired results from batch to batch.
6
0
001-160_41035.indd 6 (Fogra 39)Job:04-41035 Title:MBI-The Complete Guide to Making Mead 4/11/14 6:103 PM
(Text) #175 Dtp:225 Page:6
The taxonomy of meads featured on these pages matches that used in the preliminary
version of the 2014 edition of the Beer Judge Certification Program (BJCP) Style
Guidelines. The breakdown developed by the BJCP (which happens to be the most widely
used taxonomy) groups similar meads together for judging purposes during competitions
and uses the historic names (or one spelling of them) from the Old English descriptions,
which is useful when discussing how the meads are made. For some traditional types
of meads, the BJCP taxonomy somewhat arbitrarily splits historic categories to make it
easier to organize the judging in competitions.
My approach to making meads is fairly rigid in a few areas, including yeast hydration
and nutrients, but not so rigid about the exact batch size or even the exact amounts of
special ingredients (fruits or spices) added to the fermentation. Since nearly all of a mead’s
ingredients will have year-to-year and even source-to-source variations, I don’t expect the
exact same results in two different batches of the same mead made at different times.
However, I do expect similar results with regard to the fermentation process and the
major aroma and flavor characteristics. I am even willing to blend batches and make other
post-fermentation adjustments to get the best mead possible.
The taxonomy of meads in this book matches that used in the preliminary version of the 2014
edition of the Beer Judge Certifcation Program (BJCP) Style Guidelines, which groups similar meads
for judging purposes during competitions.
7
001-160_41035.indd 7 4/11/14 6:13 PM
(Fogra 39)Job:04-41035 Title:MBI-The Complete Guide to Making Mead
001-160_41035.indd 7 4/11/14 6:10 PM
(Text)
#175 Dtp:225 Page:7
CHAPTER
A BRIEF
1
HISTORY
OF MEAD
MEAD IS GENERALLY CONSIDERED THE OLDEST FERMENTED BEVERAGE, since honey—
the main ingredient in mead—was the first source of nearly pure sugar. Humans have
been hunting for honey for more than eight thousand years. Our ancient ancestors—who
didn’t have modern tools and techniques with which to extract pure honey from beehives—
probably ate a lot of dead bees with their honey. One can imagine the ancients eating the
bulk of the honey and putting the remaining honeycomb and debris into a pouch or vessel
and later rinsing out the remaining sweetness with some water. Imagine their surprise if
the water was left for a few days, resulting in a beverage with some interesting properties.
Most likely, pieces of the hive and honeycomb, along with dead bees, would have to be
skimmed off the top before drinking this magical elixir.
8
0
001-160_41035.indd 8 (Fogra 39)Job:04-41035 Title:MBI-The Complete Guide to Making Mead 4/11/14 6:103 PM
(Text) #175 Dtp:225 Page:8
