How to make Mead

Step 1: Ingredients

For this recipe we used:

~ 3/4 gallon water
3 pounds of honey
One packet of yeast (about 2 1/2 teaspoons)
3/4 of a cup of roughly chopped mint
10 key limes
One gallon jug (glass is best) with cap
One balloon (red is best)

The flavor can be almost anything you want. We have made orange/raisin (awesome) and huckleberry/cherry (pretty good) recently, be creative.

Comments

[FireKracker]

Has anyone tried mango? I just started a small batch of mango apricot and was wondering if anyone had any past experience with it. This is an awesome instructable btw, very easy to follow.

[couch_onion]

Stupendous instructable!
what would be the alcohol content of the finished product?

[MoleMans]

Thanks! 
It is pretty high.  We are guessing that it is around 16% or so.  There is sugar left over after the yeast produce all the alcohol they can tolerate.  In perfect conditions with special yeast, that can be up near 20%, but we probably only made it to 16 or 17%.

[sensoh8su]

I've found that most of the meads are between 14 and 18%. We are currently trying to make this mead as well as 4 other flavors. We are making a orange and cinnamon "quick mead", a vanilla mead, a pumpkin mead and a long brew traditional mead. I know this is probably a silly question.. but was it good? Mead recipes can be hit or miss I have found.

[MoleMans]

Too true, the flavors do seem very hit and miss. We cracked open the mojito a couple weeks ago. It was good, but I wouldn't make it that way again. The mint is very strong. We also made some plain lime, and cutting the mojito 50/50 with plain lime was much better. I think in the future we will stick to plain lime and add mint when we drink it if we want mojito. Our favorite is one orange and 6-7 raisins. We have a ginger lime going right now that I am excited about, but it may turn out too strong.

[louisjoseph3]

hey there I was wondering what kind of yeast did you use. It looks like in your pic that you used regular bakers yeast. If so, i want to ask if that was ok. I have read that bakers yeast can cause to much pressure. whats do u think on it. let me know. thanks for a great post thought. love it

[MoleMans]

We used regular Red Star baker's yeast and so far we have had no issues with it.  I think the main appeal of the more specialized yeasts is higher alcohol tolerance and maybe less fusel alcohol production.  My palate is not attuned enough to tell the difference so I stick with what is easiest.