Mead (honey wine), often referred to as the drink of the gods, is one of the oldest known alcoholic beverages, with a history dating back thousands of years. Its origins trace to ancient cultures across the globe, from Europe and Africa to Asia, where it was revered for its divine qualities and often associated with rituals, celebrations, and even immortality.
At its core, mead is a fermented beverage made from honey, water, and yeast—a process that showcases the transformative power of fermentation. Ancient mead makers likely discovered the drink by accident, when wild yeast and bacteria fermented naturally occurring honey diluted with rainwater in tree hollows or clay vessels. The result was a golden, slightly sweet, and intoxicating drink that became a staple in early civilizations.
Fermentation is the heart of mead-making, transforming honey’s natural sugars into alcohol and carbon dioxide through the work of yeast. Unlike grape wine, which relies on the acidity and tannins of grapes, mead’s character depends on the floral notes and complexity of the honey itself, making each batch a reflection of its local environment.
How to Make Mead at Home
Course: Fermented DrinksCuisine: GlobalDifficulty: Easy10
servings10
minutesIngredients
6 lbs or 2 qts of honey (warm)
2 gallons of water
1/2 pack of yeast
1 tbsp of yeast nutrient
Optional:
32 oz. pasteurized juice
Directions
- Sanitize everything.
- Boil water in stainless steel pot for 10 minutes.
- Let water cool to touch before adding honey. Mix well.
- In small bowl, mix yeast and yeast nutrient in warm water. Let sit for 10 minutes.
- Add yeast and nutrient mixture to honey water.
- If you are going to add juice, add the juice in at this time.
- If you would like to know the alcohol content of the mead, you will need to test the liquid using a hydrometer at this point. Hang on to the reading. You'll need it later. This is your Original Gravity (OG).
- Transfer honey water to glass carboys or other primary fermentation vessel. Add airlock and wait for 1-2 weeks.
- After primary fermentation completes (the bubbles will stop forming and hydromoter will read 0), transfer or rack mixture to another fermentation vessel. Let this rest for 1-2 months.
- You can continue to rack to other vessels every few months for greater clarity, or rack to bottles.
- To find out what the alcohol content is, take your final reading using a hydrometer. This reading is called your Final Gravity (FG). Then use this formula to find the alcohol content: ABV=(OG−FG)×131.25
- Age to your taste and enjoy!
