A carboy of must, posing in the snow prior to racking. Have no idea what I just said? Start studying.

Time to rack!

Photos by Robert. This batch came out quite well, by the way.

So Ya Wanna Make MEAD!

Now there's a hobby that sounds magickal. Put honey and yeast in a jug, sit back and get delicious sweet alcoholic brew. Yeah, but...

Magick alone won't guarantee good mead. You gotta get the proper equipment, the right ingredients, and the willingness to invest time, effort and some money.

I've looked at lots of websites devoted to homebrewing mead, and none of them (including this one) will provide you with enough information to make your meadmaking more than hit or miss.

It really helps to get a thorough book on meadmaking. So far I know of only one:

by Pamela Spence, which you can order through Barnes & Noble or Amazon.com.

Now that I've had a few months worth of adventures in meadmaking, I think I'm qualified to offer a few, general tips:

1) Be aware that finding homebrewing supplies may take some effort. You won't find wine yeast in your local supermarket, and your local wine & liquor store won't carry it either. You won't find carboys (brewing jugs) anywhere but brewing supply stores. You'll have to hit the phonebook or the internet, find the nearest supplier, and do what you must - drive an appreciable distance or order online, to get what you need. Don't give up, they're out there.

2) Be prepared to spend money on honey. I'ts not cheap! A 2-lb jar will cost anywhere from 5 to 8 dollars. The batch you see in the photos used 10-lbs of honey.

3) Keep a journal so you can look back and see what went right and what went wrong.

4) Don't give up if your first attempt tastes like kerosene. Review Ms. Spence's book and your journal, then try again.

5) Buy proper equipment. It looks better, you'll feel more serious about what you're doing, and it should all cost less than $100. Honey's another story - see tip #2.

Good luck with your own meadmaking efforts!

-Robert

Summer, 2005