Pour a small amount of mead into a glass and swill around the glass, where you should notice that it leaves behind a coating on the side of the glass. Smell I brewed that batch and was hooked. Unlike the strawberry wine that I had made earlier in the summer, this was relatively little investment for a nice return–an effervescent fermented drink that was light and sweet and endlessly variable, depending on the type of honey and tea you used to spice it up. It wasn’t complex, it wasn’t refined, but it sure was tasty. But in a similar way to wine, there is a process you can follow to really explore the depths of your mead, which we have outlined below: Look In the simplest of terms, mead is essentially a honey wine. It is honey and water that is fermented with yeast and can also be flavoured with a range of fruits, hops, or spices and comes in both still and sparkling form. Temperature Control — Controlling your temperature will produce more pleasing meads when using most wine yeasts, and in many cases it will also reduce the aging time that has historically been needed to mellow out fermentation aromas and flavors. I typically ferment meads at 64 °F (18 °C). You should use a temperature in the low end of the range that your chosen yeast will support.

Pour a small amount of mead into a glass and swill around the glass, where you should notice that it leaves behind a coating on the side of the glass. Mead can be enjoyed either hot or cold, so the serving temperature will depend on how you want to enjoy your beverage. Cold Swill the mead around slightly and inhale to experience the balance of tones and the unique aroma of the beverage. It will not be a one-sided fragrance but rather a variety of tones. Different ingredients used in the flavouring of the mead will also add new layers to the scent. Taste

For your first taste, you should slowly drink your first mouthful and try to isolate the flavours that come to mind. Roll the mead around your mouth to cover all parts of your tongue, and then swallow. This part is called the ‘body’. Because the mead we drink today originated in the frozen reaches of northern Europe (where the winters are harsh, dark and painfully long) it only makes sense that mulled mead, warmed through with an assortment of delicious spices, is a long-standing tradition that continues to this day. Most mulled drinks recipes follow a similar set of ingredients to create that distinctive, warming, yuletide vibe. These generally involve a handful of warming spices, a bit of citrus, and a couple of other possible alternatives based on regional variation and preference. Gettin’ Spicy For your first taste, you should slowly drink your first mouthful and try to isolate the individual flavours which come to mind. Roll the mead around your mouth so it covers all parts of your tongue, and then swallow. This part is called the ‘body’.

Prefer your mead pure and simple? Swap your usual dessert wine for a glass of mead to accompany Christmas pudding and mince pies. Because of the extra attention paid to the details of our holiday gatherings and celebrations we should expect holiday meads to be their best selves as well. Well appointed, while an interior decorating term, came to mind as I was trying to explain the additional allure and hopes for a truly great holiday mead. Great holiday meads will have structure, body, rich flavors, and a balance between the ingredients and attributes that conceptually make sense, but they should also be accessible. We plan to use fruits and spices liberally, and the best holiday meads should be expressive with characteristics that are distinguishable to make that moment of tasting memorable. Prepare Your Yeast — Re-hydrate dry yeasts and make starters with liquid yeasts. For yeast rehydration I use Startup from BSG at a rate of 1 gram per oz. of rehydration water. I typically use 1 oz. of rehydration water per 1.5 grams of yeast. I pitch yeast at 2 grams and up to 5 grams per gallon (4 L) along a specific gravity (SG) range of 1.050 to 1.150+. The rehydration process involves adding the Startup to 110 °F (43 °C) water and mixing it thoroughly. Once the rehydration water cools to 104 °F (40 °C) or below the yeast can be added and gently mixed. From here the yeast will begin to bloom up. After 10 minutes or so you can mix it again and add some of the must to both temper the rehydration water and give the yeast a little food. In the simplest of terms, mead is essentially a honey wine. It is honey and water that is fermented with yeast and can also be flavoured with a range of fruits, hops, or spices and comes in still and sparkling form. Could you be a Magic Maker? Enjoy festive activities, meet our friendly animals, and indulge in delicious treats this Christmas at Mead Open Farm. Book now for a memorable festive day out!Allow to carbonate 1-2 weeks until slightly carbonated. Enjoy chilled during the holiday in November and December! So how much mead should you serve in a glass? If you are drinking your mead warmed up, we would recommend around 50ml of mead in a whisky glass. If you are drinking it cool, we would say between 100 – 125ml, mirroring a traditional small glass of wine serving.

As the days grow colder and the wild winds start blowing down from the north, there are few things more satisfying or warming than a glass or two of something steaming, delicious, and ( ahem) alcoholic.Here, we have looked at how to enjoy mead, from serving size suggestions to drinking temperature, and even the glassware you are best to enjoy it from! As dedicated lovers of all things mead-related, we look forward to the chillier end of the year for this very reason; it gives us the perfect opportunity to spend the evenings huddled before an open fire, and toasting the winter nights with a cupful of mulled mead – what could be better? Mead is extremely versatile and has an untold number of subcategories, including Cyser, which is mead mixed with cider. An extensive list of other varieties of mead can be found here. Add 1/4 tsp DAP and 1/2 tsp of Fermaid K. (add these again at 2/3 (approx 1.08) & 1/3 (approx 1.04) sugar break.) This is lighter in colour than the Lyme Bay Traditional Mead also sold by Lyme Bay Winery. There are hints of orange hues in an otherwise golden drink. There is a noteworthy viscosity (and legs!) despite the lower alcohol at10%. Nose

While this example might be at an extreme end of the spectrum of intense flavors, it is also a good example of something to keep in mind when using spices; a little bit often goes a long way. Furthermore, once you get the flavors from the spices in, you can’t remove them. You can blend an overly spiced mead down to mellow the spice component, but with that comes other changes depending on the composition (alcohol, sweetness, flavors) of the meads used to blend. Entertaining with Your Holiday Meads Fill the glass jug up to three inches from the top with cold water. The extra space will provide room for some foam.tea to flavor (the combos are endless and should be adapted to your taste, but I cut open 6 mulling spice tea bags for this venture) Often referred to as the “Nectar of the Gods”, the golden drink has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, with the demand from people eager to buy mead reaching new heights, which has certainly kept us busy! We have been perfecting our fantastic meads for over 15 years now, and often experiment with new and bold flavours to push the boundaries of what is possible with mead. Add 1/2 tsp K2CO3. One time addition. Increased the amount to compensate for the acidity of the fruit juice.