The Queen Bee Mead is the ideal first mead recipe because it is crafted with ingredients readily available in your pantry.
1. CLEAN.
Clean 1 gallon carboy (honey bee jug), funnel, stopper, airlock, test jar and hydrometer and sanitize well. Cleanliness is next to….well, you know.
!!! IMPORTANT !!! Use sanitizer at this step to sanitize all equipment prior to use
2. WATER & HONEY INTO JAR.
Use funnel to pour spring water into carboy. Fill up to approx. 3” below top of jug. Pour out 1 cup water to compensate for the orange sections and mark a line on the jug at this water level. Pour out an additional 2 cups of water from the jug (to compensate for the honey you will add in). Use the funnel to add the honey into the carboy. If necessary, add water to fill up to the line on the carboy (jug), plug with the rubber stopper and with your thumb over the opening on the stopper, shake vigorously to mix the honey with the water until fully dissolved. This process adds oxygen (aerates) to the mead which will help the yeast out during fermentation!
3. TAKE ORIGINAL GRAVITY.
With your carefully sanitized hydrometer and test jar take a reading and scribe it in your mead making journal. You can go ahead and sneak a before sip, but it’s just honey water. Pour the rest back into the jug.
4. ADD YEAST.
With the water and honey at room temperature, add 1 teaspoon of bread yeast, place the stopper on the carboy, and give the mixture a gentle swirl.
5. ADD ORANGE.
Wash orange well to remove any “ickiness” on the outside and slice into segments (~8 pieces). Push orange pieces into hole in carboy – rind and all.
6. OTHER OPTIONAL ADD-INS.
Add raisins, clove, cinnamon stick, nutmeg and if necessary, fill to 3 inches from the top with spring water (leaving room as there will be some foaming in the first few days).
7. STOPPER.
Place rubber stopper on top of carboy. The yeast should begin foaming within an hour or so.
8. WAIT 24 HOURS.
Leave the mixture for 24 hours, while the potentially “volcanic” fermentation is underway. After most of the foaming stops (could be a day or so), add spring water bring mead level up to jug’s neck, place airlock into hole in silicone stopper and add vodka or sanitizer to the airlock until the inside cap rises (about ½ full). This seals the airlock allowing fermentation bubbles to escape but does not allow “the nasties” (bacteria) from the air to enter during the mead fermentation process. Check on this level from time to time and add back more if the liquid in the airlock evaporates.
9. FERMENT.
Place the carboy in a dark place with an ideal temperature between 65-70°F. You can come back often and watch the mesmerizing parade of bubble rise as the yeast are doing their dance, but DO NOT TOUCH FOR 2 MONTHS… Again…
DO NOT TOUCH FOR 2 MONTHS!!!
10. BOTTLING.
After 2 months, the mead will clear. Prepare your equipment (auto siphon, tubing, bottling wand & bottles) for racking (transfer) into bottles. First wash and then sanitize anything that will contact your mead.
!!! IMPORTANT !!! Use sanitizer at this step
Use your auto-siphon and bottle filler to siphon off the golden nectar into your bottles and viola!
11. FINAL GRAVITY & ABV.
At this point in time, you can pour some mead from one of your bottles into the test jar and use your hydrometer to test and calculate your alcohol content (abv). I might be sounding like a broken record (or your mom), but be sure to clean & sanitize your hydrometer and test jar.
Quick & Easy ABV% (alcohol by volume) = Original Gravity (OG) – Final Gravity (FG) x 131
12. DRINK / CHEEERS!
Go ahead, sample some mead now! However, if you hold off a bit longer the mead will continue to mellow over the next 6-8 months, just like a fine wine.