Beyond a traditional mead lies the whole family — melomel (fruit), metheglin (spiced), cyser (apple). A 5-gallon PET carboy for bigger batches, a hydrometer and thief to track fermentation, potassium sorbate to stabilize a sweet mead before bottling, and bottles and corks. Stagger the nutrients, backsweeten to taste, and age. The variety is endless.
Plans
Choose a plan that fits your needs and budget
Item List
4Vessel & Measure
2 items
Stabilize & Bottle
2 itemsPlan Totals$109
Vessel & Measure
2Stabilize & Bottle
2Total$109
FAQ
Common questions about this kit
What is a melomel?
A mead made with fruit — a cyser is apple, a pyment is grape, a melomel is any other fruit. The fruit adds flavor, acid, and tannin that a plain honey mead lacks. Add the fruit in primary (during fermentation) for fermentation character or secondary for fresh fruit flavor.
What is backsweetening?
Adding honey after fermentation to sweeten a mead that fermented bone-dry — but you must stabilize it first (potassium sorbate and metabisulfite) or the residual yeast re-ferments the added sugar and the bottles explode. Stabilize, then sweeten.
Why a PET carboy over glass?
PET (the better plastic) is impact-resistant (no shattered-glass hazard), light, and oxygen-impermeable enough for fermentation and aging. Glass is traditional and scratches less but is heavy and breakable. For 5-gallon batches, PET is the modern practical choice.
How long do meads age?
A session hydromel, 1 to 3 months; a traditional, 6 to 12; a big melomel or sack mead, 1 to 3 years. Mead mellows and integrates dramatically with age — a harsh young mead is a smooth old one. The cellar is the secret ingredient.
User Reviews
4.0 / 5.0
Aged mead and my sourdough share the living-culture-and-the-cellar gospel — a starter and a yeast are the same idea, and the year of aging is the overnight cold ferment. Stabilize before you sweeten is feed-then-rest, agreed.