Make your Own Honey Wine: Instructions for Mead Making

This is a classic recipe based on the letter and kit sent by our winemaker Ayele Solomon almost 10 years ago as part of the Bee d’Vine & Kafa Forest Conservation Kickstarter appreciation kit. The kit and instructions sent was mailed to our supporters in September 2016 – you can still read about his work and the Kickstarter project that inspired Bee d’Vine (you may purchase the Geteme Demi Sec honey wine which is made with Kafa Forest Ethiopian honey).

Ingredients for 5 gallons:

–       Your favorite honey (12 lbs) – not included in kit

–       Go Ferm yeast starter (10g)

–       Fermaid K yeast nutrients (8g)

–       Diamonium Phosphate aka DAP (15g)

–       Potassium Metabisulfite (1.25g) – preservative optional

–       Gesho sticks from Ethiopia (65 grams) – optional

This recipe is for 5 gallons of honey wine. Many homebrewers prefer to make one gallon batches, which are more manageable for beginners. Mead making kits, mead kits, and mead brewing kits are widely available for these smaller batch sizes and typically include all the necessary equipment and ingredients.

Note in traditional t’ej or mead making (as in Ethiopia), only honey, gesho, and water is used. The gesho and the whole honey with honey comb combine to act as a fermentation aid that substituting for the micronutrient additives and lab produced yeasts found in western meads – you can read about this in the sections ‘Got Gesho’ and ‘Follow the Yellow Brick Road’ our honey wine book VI chapter cleverly titled, ” ‘Must’ Knows About Fermentation.”) Check out the section on ‘Wild Fermentation’ below to go the more natural route.

GOOD LUCK, LET’S GO!!

• Clean a large bucket or pot and a stirring spoon with near boiling water in order to sanitize it. A food-grade bucket or a 1-gallon glass jug (glass carboy) is commonly used as a primary fermentation vessel. Can also use normal plastic as long as the Honey one is removed after fermentation and not remaining in the plastic for a long time to absorb the taste/smell of plastic.

• Pour 12 lbs honey into this pot or bucket.

• Slowly add small amounts of clean, filtered, or spring water (avoid tap water with chlorine, or distilled water – both disrupt yeast activity and lifecycle) and dilute the honey gradually until you have 5 gallons total (this is less than 5 gallons of water since the honey will contribute to the volume). Carbon filters or airing out chlorinated tapwater will remove the chlorine. For must preparation, you can mix don’t be tempted to warm the water to expedite honey dissolving (despite what you might read elsewhere) – heating the water will dissipate the beautiful aromas of honey. The typical ratio for fermenting mead is 2.5 pounds honey to 1 gallon of water. Mix this 5 gallon honey-water mixture, called ‘must’, thoroughly!

• Add 10 grams of GoFerm to a cup of heated water (slightly hot to touch, about 110°F) – stir to mix well until there are no clumps. Add a few spoons of must to this cup.

• Now you need to re-hydrate the yeast. Add your 8g of yeast (or 1 packet of wine yeast) to this cup of diluted GoFerm. Stir gently to break up clumps. Fermentation usually begins within 24 to 48 hours after adding yeast.

• Wait 30 minutes, stir again (the yeast should be growing and foaming) and add this to the must stirring the 5 gallons of must as you add the cup of re-hydrated yeast.

• After the yeast is fully mixed, add approx. half of the Fermaid K (4g) and approx. half of the DAP (7.5g) – dissolve them first in a cupful of the must and then add them to the entire 5 gallon must.

• Optional: add gesho, Rhamnus prinoides (65g) for Ethiopian style ‘hoppy’ honey wine (t’ej) – or do two batches, with and without gesho You can use all or half the gesho if you do 50/50 – depending on how much gesho flavor you want.

• Place must in a room that is preferably 60-70°F. Anything warmer will encourage rapid fermentation but the aromatic quality of your honey wine may suffer. Stir very frequently in the first 24-36 hours to encourage oxygen ingress – which the yeast love in the first day or two.

• After 4 days, add the remaining half of Fermaid K and DAP (again diluting in a cupful of must before adding to the entire lot and mixing thoroughly). This is called staged nutrient addition.

• Watch (and smell) your fermentation and taste daily. Fermentation should be bubbly and active. When you like the taste start serving even while it’s fermenting! This is the best part of making at home, and you can’t get this fresh bubbly honey wine in a shelf-stable honey wine made for stores! This is how t’ej honey wine is served and made in Ethiopia, all artisanal and home made.

• Stir or shake the must in the morning and evening during fermentation.

• The fermentation usually lasts 2 weeks. If you decide to ferment completely/near dry wait until after bubbling stops (probably about 14 days, or longer, depending on your fermentation temp).

• After bubbling and fermentation stops, IMMEDIATELY (a day or two maximum) rack the mead into a new container. This helps clarify the mead and improve its flavor. It is optional to add the 1.25g potassium metabisulfite (labeled ‘Potassium’ in the kit) – dissolve in a small cup of the must and add to the entire batch. In Ethiopia, and traditional mead, making potassium metabisulfite is not used (either you have to drink it in few days before it spoils, or back-sweeten with honey to preserve it by increasing the osmotic pressure).

• After adding potassium metabisulfite, let it settle for 1 day then decant slowly (leaving behind the gesho sticks and/or the dead yeast at the bottom) into sterile bottles or other containers. If available, use an airlock and rubber stopper to allow any remains CO2 to escape, or any loosely fitting top, or a simple cloth. At this point fermentation is effectively over and C02 will be much less so it’s important to minimize the air space (since CO2 is denser than oxygen, hitherto it was acting as a block against oxygen contact). See the ‘Equipment’ section below for more details on airlocks.

IMPORTANT to fill all the way to the top! This is important to prevent oxidation – oxygen is not desirable now. ALSO VERY IMPORTANT – there may still be some slight fermentation going on, so will have to release the gas from the containers (or they may explode or tops blow off) by opening the top/caps and closing right away. When bottling, use a bottle corker to securely seal bottles for aging. Bottling should only be done after fermentation has completely stopped or you risk gas buildup.

Note: Mead making kits typically include a glass carboy, airlock, rubber stopper, yeast nutrients, and sanitizer, and allow users to ferment a gallon of mead in about four weeks. Mead making kits and mead kits are suitable for both beginners and experienced brewers.

Home Brewing and Fermented Beverages

Home brewing has become a beloved pastime for many, allowing enthusiasts to craft their own unique fermented beverages right in their own kitchen. Among these, honey wine or mead—stands out as one of the original fermented beverages, predating even traditional grape wine.

Mead making is a fascinating blend of science and creativity, offering endless possibilities for flavor and style. With the availability of modern mead brewing kits, getting started with home brewing has never been easier. These kits typically include all the essential equipment, such as a fermentation vessel, air lock, and hydrometer, making it simple for first time mead makers to dive into the world of honey wine.

Whether you’re interested in experimenting with different flavors or simply want to enjoy a delicious mead made from high quality ingredients, home brewing is a rewarding way to connect with a centuries-old tradition and create something truly special.

Introduction to Mead Making

Mead making is a straightforward and enjoyable process that transforms just honey and water into a delicious mead with the help of yeast. To make mead, you’ll begin by thoroughly cleaning and sanitizing your reusable equipment, such as a large pot and fermentation vessel, to ensure a healthy environment for your yeast. Next, you’ll combine honey and water, stirring until the honey is completely dissolved. Once your mixture is ready, it’s time to add the yeast, which will kick off the fermenting process. You can also add fruits, herbs, or spices at this stage to create different flavors. The mixture is then transferred to a fermentation vessel, fitted with an air lock, and left to ferment for several weeks or months. After fermentation, your homemade mead can be bottled and enjoyed as a fresh, quick mead or aged for a more complex, finished product. Whether you’re making your first batch or experimenting with larger batches, following these instructions and using good quality raw honey will help you create a mead that tastes great every time.

Wine Making Equipment

Having the right wine making equipment is one of the most important things for crafting high-quality honey wine at home. For fermentation, a food-grade plastic bucket or a glass carboy is ideal, as these materials won’t impart any unwanted flavors to your mead. An airlock or simply a cloth drapped over allows gases to escape during fermentation while keeping things from falling in (but not much help with keeping nosy children out of the must, which is incidentally how our winemaker Ayele first got exposed to honey wine).

A hydrometer is a handy tool for measuring the specific gravity of your must and tracking the progress of fermentation. When it’s time to transfer your mead off the sediment, a siphon and racking cane make the process smooth and help you achieve a clear finished product. Once your mead is ready, you’ll need clean wine bottles and a reliable bottle corker (optional, you can use an old vodka bottle for example) to seal your honey wine for aging or immediate enjoyment.

Types of Mead

Mead is an incredibly versatile drink, and there are many different types you can create by varying the ingredients and flavorings. At The Honey Wine Co / Bee d’Vine we never add any other ingredients, but to each his own (see the section below ‘Our Philosophy on Ingredients’).

Melomel is a popular style that combines honey with fruits like blackberries or apples, resulting in delicious meads such as blackberry mead or apple mead. Metheglin is another variety, made by adding herbs or spices—think orange peels, cinnamon, or vanilla—to the basic mead recipe for a more complex flavor. Cyser is a unique type of mead that blends honey with apple juice, creating a crisp and refreshing drink that’s perfect for any occasion. By experimenting with different honeys, such as wildflower or clover, and adding your favorite fruits or spices, you can craft a mead that’s truly your own. Whether you prefer a sweet, fruity mead or a dry, spiced version, the possibilities are endless when you make your own mead at home.

Ingredients for Making Mead

The foundation of any good mead recipe is simple: honey, water, and yeast. The type of honey you choose will have a big impact on the flavor and aroma of your finished mead. However, opt for raw honey if you have a choice, the wax, pollens, proteins, etc will add structure to the honey wine or mead. For fermentation, you’ll need a reliable yeast, such as mead yeast, champagne yeast, or even brewers yeast, each offering different characteristics to your homemade mead. Adding a yeast nutrient can help ensure a healthy fermentation and a smooth, finished product.

With just a few high quality ingredients and a bit of patience, you can make mead that’s as unique as your own taste preferences.

Our Philosophy on Ingredients

Simply put, what you wouldn’t do to grape wine, don’t do to honey wine – more on that in our “What’s the Difference between honey wine, mead and grape wine” blog post. Unlike common mead producers, The Honey Wine Company does not add ANY other adjunct flavorings or fruit – simply Sonoma springwater & honey – when making Bee d’Vine.

We also produce dry (brut) honey wines – in still and naturally sparkling varieties – that a common mead makers do not venture into. This is partly because it is much more technical and challenging to make a dry version as you cannot cover up your mistakes by adding back honey – remember the yeast nutrient Fermaid K in our recipe? Well, getting the nutrients just right is a challenge when fermenting honey as you’re essentially fighting nature which is trying to preserve the honey which is food for bees (fermentation = spoilage to bees).

Using Wild Yeast in Mead Making

For adventurous mead makers, using wild yeast as is done in Ethiopia, can add a whole new dimension to your homemade mead. Wild yeast is naturally present on raw honey, fresh fruit, flowers, and even in the air around us. To harness this wild yeast, simply mix a small amount of raw honey with water and introduce a source of wild yeast, such as a few unwashed berries or a sprig of fresh herbs. Let this mixture sit at room temperature for a few days, stirring occasionally, until you notice bubbles and a pleasant, yeasty aroma—this means your wild yeast starter is active and ready to use.

Once your wild yeast starter is bubbling, add it to your mead must and let the fermentation process begin. Wild yeast can create unique and complex flavors in your honey wine, often resulting in a mead with more character and depth than commercial yeasts. However, the process can be unpredictable, and fermentation may take longer to fully finish. Be patient and monitor your mead closely, tasting as you go to appreciate the evolving flavors. Using wild yeast is a wonderful way to connect with traditional mead making and explore the natural diversity of flavors that honey and the environment can offer.

We Can Help you Make Mead or Honey Wine at Home

You can and should make a fresh, and lively mead or honey wine at home. If you need any help, feel free to write or call us (+1 415 644 8607) and we will personally assist you if you have any questions. Of course you can also let us do the heavy lifting (literally, the specific gravity of honey is 1.4 so it weighs 40% more than water!) and order a bottle of refined Bee d’Vine online.