---
title: "What Is Mead and How Do You Make It at Home? A Step-by-Step Guide With Recipes"
description: "Mead is made by fermenting honey diluted in water. We explain how to make it at home step by step, why it needs nutrients and when to add them, with two recipes, a dry heather mead and a Citra-hopped mead."
url: https://www.thebeertimes.com/en/how-to-make-mead-at-home/
date: 2022-09-26
modified: 2026-11-12
author: "Carlos Uhart M."
image: https://www.thebeertimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Hidromiel.jpg
categories: ["Culture", "Recipes"]
tags: ["Culture", "Mead", "Nutrients", "Recipes"]
type: post
lang: en
---

# What Is Mead and How Do You Make It at Home? A Step-by-Step Guide With Recipes

Mead is an alcoholic drink made by fermenting honey diluted in drinking water, either on its own or with fruit, spices and herbs.

Making it at home takes little equipment, the same kit any homebrewer already owns. What it does demand is patience, because a good mead can take months to be ready.

![How to make mead](https://www.thebeertimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Hidromiel.jpg)*How to make mead*

A rough rule of thumb helps when building a recipe. Every 250 grams of honey dissolved in 10 liters of water adds about 1% alcohol, so a 12% mead needs roughly 3 kilos of honey for every 10 liters.

For a fruit mead you can use blackberries, plums, strawberries, sour cherries or any clean, sound and ripe seasonal fruit. For a spiced one, try cinnamon, juniper, cloves, nutmeg, chamomile, thyme, tarragon, rosemary or mint.

Contenido

- [How do you make mead at home step by step?](#How_do_you_make_mead_at_home_step_by_step)
  - [1. Cleaning and sanitizing the equipment](#1_Cleaning_and_sanitizing_the_equipment)
  - [2. Preparing the must](#2_Preparing_the_must)
  - [3. Fermenting the mead](#3_Fermenting_the_mead)
  - [4. Aging and clarification](#4_Aging_and_clarification)
  - [5. Bottling](#5_Bottling)
- [Why does mead need nutrients?](#Why_does_mead_need_nutrients)
  - [1. Nitrogen and other micronutrients](#1_Nitrogen_and_other_micronutrients)
  - [2. Nutrients, energizers and blends](#2_Nutrients_energizers_and_blends)
  - [3. Staggered nutrient additions](#3_Staggered_nutrient_additions)
- [Homemade mead recipes](#Homemade_mead_recipes)
  - [1. Dry heather mead recipe](#1_Dry_heather_mead_recipe)
  - [2. Hopped mead recipe](#2_Hopped_mead_recipe)
- [Frequently asked questions (FAQ)](#Frequently_asked_questions_FAQ)
  - [1. How much honey do you need to make mead?](#1_How_much_honey_do_you_need_to_make_mead)
  - [2. Do you have to boil honey to make mead?](#2_Do_you_have_to_boil_honey_to_make_mead)
  - [3. How long does homemade mead take to be ready?](#3_How_long_does_homemade_mead_take_to_be_ready)
  - [4. Why does mead fermentation stop?](#4_Why_does_mead_fermentation_stop)
  - [5. Can you make sparkling mead?](#5_Can_you_make_sparkling_mead)
- [Recommended](#Recommended)

## How do you make mead at home step by step?

The process is divided into five stages.

1. Cleaning and sanitizing
2. Preparing the must
3. Fermentation
4. Aging and clarification
5. Bottling

### 1. Cleaning and sanitizing the equipment

Everything that touches the must has to be clean and sanitized, above all the fermenter and the utensils. Any slip at this stage can ruin the batch or leave it undrinkable.

### 2. Preparing the must

The must of a mead is the mixture of honey and water. Honey dissolves better in warm water, so it pays to warm part of the water and stir until no honey is left at the bottom.

If you are using fruit, remove bruised parts, pits and seeds before crushing it. The BJCP mead exam study guide recommends adding it in primary fermentation, since in secondary its water dilutes the alcohol and can restart fermentation.

Spices and herbs, on the other hand, are usually added at the end of fermentation, the traditional method and the one with the lowest risk of infection.

#### 2.1 Do you have to boil the honey?

Boiling the must for about 10 minutes at 100 °C coagulates the waxes and proteins in the honey, which rise as foam and are skimmed off with a spoon. The mead clears sooner, at the cost of losing much of the honey aroma.

Pasteurizing, that is, holding the must at 65 °C for 15 to 20 minutes, protects those aromas better, although it leaves proteins that will have to be cleared later.

Many meadmakers today prefer not to heat the honey at all. The BJCP guide recommends this no-heat method as the fastest and the one that gives the purest flavor, in exchange for clarifying at the end.

If you heat the must, cool it to about 20 °C before going on. Adding part of the water cold from the refrigerator speeds things up, as long as you keep the final volume in mind.

Once the must is cool, it is time to measure the gravity with a hydrometer. This is the last chance to adjust the amount of honey or water before moving it to the fermenter.

### 3. Fermenting the mead

During fermentation, yeast turns the sugars in the honey into ethyl alcohol and carbon dioxide. It takes place in a stainless steel, food-grade plastic or glass fermenter closed with an airlock that lets CO2 out without letting air in.

#### 3.1 Primary fermentation

Almost the whole result depends on primary fermentation. Once the must and yeast are in the fermenter, gentle stirring adds the oxygen the yeast needs to grow and mixes everything evenly.

![Mead during fermentation](https://www.thebeertimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Hidromiel-en-proceso-de-fermentación-300x163.jpg)*Mead during fermentation*

The most active phase, called tumultuous fermentation because of the foam that forms on top of the liquid, usually lasts 7 to 10 days somewhere away from light. The BJCP guide suggests fermenting at 18 to 21 °C, since cooler temperatures give a cleaner mead as long as they do not stun the yeast.

Measure the gravity every day or every other day to follow its progress. When it holds steady over several readings, primary fermentation is over.

At that point the liquid has to be separated from the sediment, made up of dead yeast and organic matter that over time gives off unpleasant aromas and haze. This step is called racking, and it means drawing the mead off the top with a hose without sucking up the bottom.

The sediment can settle separately in a small container so you can recover some of the liquid above it. What you should never do is mix it back into the racked mead.

### 4. Aging and clarification

After the first racking, fermentation continues much more slowly, because little sugar and less yeast remain. This is the aging stage, when the aromas refine and the mead becomes rounder.

Between 10 and 20 days later, once the remaining haze has settled, a second racking separates the liquid from the fine sediment.

![Bottled mead](https://www.thebeertimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Hidromiel-embotellada-300x164.jpg)*Bottled mead*

If the mead is still hazy, it is time to clarify it. The most common finings are bentonite, egg white, seaweed derivatives and two-stage products such as Super-Kleer, while pectic enzyme helps with the haze left by fruit.

After adding the fining, stir gently and leave the mead to rest for 7 to 10 days in a cool, dark place. When the solids have compacted at the bottom, rack it one last time.

With some experience you can extend secondary fermentation and clarify before the second racking, which keeps the whole process to just two rackings.

### 5. Bottling

Bottle only when you are sure fermentation has finished and the mead is clear. Use bottles that can take pressure, such as beer, champagne or cider bottles, because a small fermentation can still happen inside them.

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For a sparkling mead, add about 7 to 8 grams of dextrose per liter before bottling, and only in dry meads, since in a sweet one the residual sugar can keep fermenting until the bottles burst. If you have a keg, force carbonation is much simpler.

## Why does mead need nutrients?

A mix of honey and water lacks almost all the micronutrients yeast needs to grow and work. Even with fruit or a little malt in the recipe, levels remain low.

Poorly fed yeast ferments slowly, stops too early or leaves off-flavors in the finished mead.

### 1. Nitrogen and other micronutrients

Yeast needs vitamins, minerals and other compounds throughout fermentation, from the moment it strengthens its cell membranes in the growth phase until it converts sugars into alcohol and CO2. Nitrogen is the most important of them all.

Nitrogen levels in honey vary with the variety and rarely exceed 150 mg/L, while a quality fermentation calls for 300 to 500 mg/L. That gap has to be covered with added nutrients.

![Mead nutrients](https://www.thebeertimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Nutrientes-para-hidromiel-300x163.jpg)*Mead nutrients*

### 2. Nutrients, energizers and blends

If you use dry yeast, it is worth rehydrating it with a nutrient product such as Go-Ferm, because its membranes arrive short of the compounds it will need in a high-gravity must.

Diammonium phosphate (DAP) provides nitrogen and phosphorus. It should never be added during rehydration, where its ammonium salts are toxic to the yeast.

![Fermaid-K](https://www.thebeertimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Fermaid-K-300x163.jpg)*Fermaid-K*

The other nutrients are sold as yeast blends such as Fermaid-K, which shops sometimes label as a nutrient and sometimes as an energizer. Check the ingredients before you buy and follow the manufacturer’s dose, because too much of any component also leaves strange flavors.

### 3. Staggered nutrient additions

Adding all the nutrients together with the yeast looks like the easiest option, but much of it is lost before the yeast can use it and a large initial dose can overstimulate it. The better approach is to spread them across fermentation.

This technique is known as staggered nutrient additions (SNA). You work out the total amount and split it into several doses, separated by days when the must is only degassed, because excess CO2 is also toxic to yeast.

The Homebrewers Association suggests this schedule for a 5-gallon (18.9-liter) batch, which you can adjust to how your fermentation is going.

#### Day 0

After rehydrating the yeast with Go-Ferm and pitching it into the must, add 4.5 g of Fermaid-K and 2 g of DAP.

#### Days 1, 3, 5, 7 and 8

Degas the mead by stirring gently, swirling the vessel carefully or using a wine degasser.

#### Days 2, 4 and 6

Stir gently and add 4.5 g of Fermaid-K and 2 g of DAP.

When degassing or adding nutrients, go very slowly so the foam does not overflow. Other protocols, such as the one in the BJCP study guide, tie the additions to sugar depletion instead of the calendar, with a dose at around one third sugar break.

This section is based on the [Homebrewers Association](https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/how-to-brew/improve-mead-staggered-nutrient-additions/) guide to staggered nutrient additions.

## Homemade mead recipes

### 1. Dry heather mead recipe

This dry mead is flavored with heather flowers and makes 15 liters.

#### 1.1 Specifications

**Original gravity:** 1.053 (13.0 °P)

**Final gravity:** 0.988 (−3.1 °P)

**ABV:** 8.5%

**SRM:** 1.7

**Yield:** 15 liters

#### 1.2 Ingredients

- 3 kilos of honey
- 10 cups of heather flowers in total (6 for the infusion, 2 at flameout and 2 in secondary fermentation)
- 2 packets of Windsor yeast (Lallemand)
- 1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient

#### 1.3 Method

1. Heat the water to 75 °C, add 6 cups of heather flowers and leave to steep overnight.
2. Strain the liquid and boil this heather tea for 15 minutes with 1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient. Turn off the heat, add the honey and stir well.
3. Strain the hot mixture through 2 cups of heather flowers straight into the fermenter. Let it cool, pitch the yeast and ferment at 17 °C.
4. When fermentation is nearly finished, draw off 2 liters, heat them to 75 °C and steep 2 more cups of flowers in them for 15 minutes.
5. Strain, return the liquid to the fermenter and bottle. Age for anywhere from 2 weeks to 2 years.

### 2. Hopped mead recipe

This Citra-hopped mead makes 20 liters and falls under the BJCP spice, herb or vegetable mead category, since hops count as an herb.

#### 2.1 Specifications

**Original gravity:** 1.075 (18.3 °P)

**Final gravity:** 0.983 (−4.4 °P)

**ABV:** 12.2%

**SRM:** 2.4

**Yield:** 20 liters

#### 2.2 Ingredients

- 20 liters of water
- 5.4 kilos (12 pounds) of honey
- 1 packet of White Labs WLP001 California Ale yeast
- Fermaid-K and diammonium phosphate (DAP) for the staggered additions
- 85 grams (3 ounces) of Citra hops as a dry hop for 7 days

#### 2.3 Method

1. Make a starter with 1 liter of water, 140 grams of honey and ¼ teaspoon each of nutrient and DAP. Cool it to between 12 and 16 °C.
2. In a sanitized vessel, mix the honey with the water, add 1 teaspoon each of nutrient and DAP, aerate for 10 minutes and add the starter.
3. Six to eight hours later, add ½ teaspoon of DAP and ¼ teaspoon of Fermaid-K, stir with a sanitized spoon and aerate for 1 minute. Repeat every 24 hours until you have made 4 additions, then close the lid and let it ferment.
4. When the airlock has almost stopped, 14 to 21 days after the last addition, let the mead rest for 4 or 5 months or until it is clear.
5. Transfer it to a keg 1 or 2 weeks before bottling and add the hops in a bag. Refrigerate, purge with CO2 and carbonate to 1 to 1.5 volumes 2 days before bottling.

## Frequently asked questions (FAQ)

### 1. How much honey do you need to make mead?

As a guide, every 250 grams of honey in 10 liters of water adds about 1% alcohol. A 12% mead calls for roughly 3 kilos of honey for every 10 liters. The final result also depends on the yeast and on how much sugar it leaves unfermented.

### 2. Do you have to boil honey to make mead?

It is not required. Boiling clears the mead sooner at the cost of driving off honey aromas, while pasteurizing at 65 °C keeps more of them. The BJCP study guide recommends the no-heat method, which gives the purest flavor and means clarifying at the end.

### 3. How long does homemade mead take to be ready?

Tumultuous fermentation lasts 7 to 10 days, followed by another 10 to 20 days until the second racking, plus clarifying and resting. A simple mead can be drunk within a few weeks, while stronger ones improve with months or even years of aging.

### 4. Why does mead fermentation stop?

The most common cause is a lack of nutrients, because honey rarely exceeds 150 mg/L of nitrogen and yeast needs 300 to 500 mg/L. A temperature that is too low, excess CO2 that has not been degassed or a yeast with too little alcohol tolerance for the amount of honey also play a part.

### 5. Can you make sparkling mead?

Yes, just add about 7 to 8 grams of dextrose per liter when bottling a dry mead in bottles that can take pressure. For sweet meads it is safer to carbonate in a keg with CO2, because the residual sugar can keep fermenting inside the bottle.

## Recommended

- [What Is Braggot? The Best of Beer and Mead](https://www.thebeertimes.com/en/what-is-braggot-mead-and-beer/)
- [Types of Mead: Main Characteristics and Step-by-Step Tasting Guide](https://www.thebeertimes.com/en/types-of-mead-characteristics-tasting-guide/)