If you do one thing this month - Make Mead

Do something nice indoors when’s the dark evening has drawn in

Mead is perhaps the most ancient of alcoholic drinks. It has been recorded in many places around the world and is thought to have been drunk in Ireland 4000 years ago. It is made by fermenting a solution of honey and can be flavoured with a variety of herbs and spices. It’s pleasant to drink at any time though is often used to toast celebrations and is very familiar to many in the cakes and ale ending to Pagan gatherings.  Little equipment is needed to make it and the process is very straightforward. The better the honey to start with the nicer the taste of the mead. Good honey can cost quite a lot but we should remember that it’s easy to spend £10 on a bottle of wine. The method below is the simplest way and an internet browse will reveal many variations. This is how to make a gallon or five bottles) 

Equipment:- I

A big cooking pot ( over a gallon) 

A demijohn with an airlock and bung 

Five clean bottles with corks. 

A siphon tube. 

Ingredients:- 

Three and a half pounds of honey 

A sachet if mixed purpose wine yeast. 

A spoonful of wine yeast nutrient. 

Method:- 

1- Sterilise the demijohn, airlock, bung and one bottle. You can use a commercial steriliser though washing clean then scalding with boiling water will suffice. 

2- Into the bottle put a big spoon of honey and boiling water, allow it to cool to blood temperature then add the yeast and shake it. This’ll give the yeast a good start. Set it on one side. 

3- Bring half a gallon of water to the boil, then as it’s cooling, stir in all the honey. Stir until it’s dissolved. You may need to add a little more boiled water. 

4- Allow this to cool to blood temperature then add in the started yeast and the yeast nutrient.  

5- Pour it all into the demijohn and add cooled boiled water up to the gallon mark. Fit the airlock into the top and check it has some water in it. 

6- Place it in a warm place. Soon bubbles can be seen and the happy ‘pop’ of escaping gas heard. You should leave it in a warm place for up to two months, checking every day to ensure it hasn’t become over-excited and flooded out nor evaporated the water in the air lock. Both these issues are simply remedied if caught promptly. 

7- After a couple of months fermentation will have ceased. It can then be bottled. First sterilise the bottles, tube and corks and then siphon the mead in and cork. The bottles are best left in a cool place for a couple of months. 

The mead might be deceptively strong and I have seen people falling over after drinking it with insufficient caution! 

Do enjoy.