What I mean is that Mead is not some kind of a drink that is rough and tumble. Mead is an astonishingly delicious and delicate drink that will absolutely take you by surprise.
So, what exactly is Mead? It is a wine made from honey. Simple as that. Instead of using grapes the mead maker uses Honey! Can you see how this would be something special? It is a wine and it is made from one of the tastiest creations in nature. (This concept of making wine from honey isn't unusual). Wine doesn't have to be made from grapes. It can be made from any number of sweet fruits.
" A most brave drink cooled in ice which did please me mightily." - Samuel Pepys
"The years have passed like swift draughts of sweet mead in loft halls beyond the west." -The Lord of the Rings
-Tolkien
And you can easily make some Mead yourself!
 Mead making is something that has been going on for over a thousand years and it is quite easy to make. There is very little to do and there is a lot of leeway in the process. For the most part you just have to add yeast to a mix of honey and water and let it ferment. The yeast does all the work for you by transforming the honey into wine. I am making a batch of mead and I have taken extensive notes and photographs so you can follow my tutorial. The Mead Making Tutorial - And the New Mead making Video Tutorial (Step by step videos that show you how to make mead).
Absolutely new to Mead?
I have a nice little 4 minute video that you can watch. It explains what mead is and how it is made: What is Mead and How is it made?
 New Tutorial: Worried about making a batch of mead? Worry no more!
It is a very simple thing to do! My tutorial here will dispel all your worries. You are going to be so excited to make yourself some mead after this. Worry no more about making mead
NEW and fun! You know mead and love mead....
How about having your own mead cellar? Kind of....
This is a new paper project that Will has designed. Download it, Print it, and put it together just like you would with a paper castle. It's unique and different. And it is all hand-drawn by Will
You can buy it right on this website with paypal or through etsy.
Learn more here
On the Magnificence of Mead
Mead is experiencing a renaissance. And for good reason. It is simply magnificent. Read Will's thoughts about this right here.
Inexpensive way to get started:
 If you have never made mead and would like to give it a try very inexpensively this is a terrific setup. Very inexpensive and Prime shipping too. You get a gallon glass carboy an airlock, the rubber stopper, yeast and yeast nutrient. I love this setup. Read more here
What do you get when you cross banana with caramel? You get something the British call "Banoffee". And it sounds like a great idea for a mead! There is a meadery in the UK that makes it. Read more here: Crossroads Meads
I received an email about another amazing bottle of Gulval Mead. Made just after WW2 this bottle is 72 years old! And the back label is in amazing condition. It tells us all about this amazing mead! Check it out here: Another bottle of Gulval Mead
NEW Mead Stuff and Projects
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New: Interactive Meadery Map. Looking for a meadery? I have a google map with lots of them. Find out if there is a meadery near you. The Mead Map |
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Watching football today I saw a Bud Light Commercial that cracked me up. It's a fun commercial. And it is good to see that Mead continues to come into public awareness. I have the commercial embedded on my website right here. Bud Light Banquet and Mead Commercial |
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I found a whole bunch of wonderful drinking goblets on amazon. I have a page with them right here. Just a couple of years ago you couldn't get a goblet, or mead! It is great to see both are becoming very popular. Mead Goblets |
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Love Kindle Books? I just published my kindle book on how to make mead. It is a no-nonsense easy guide to making a one gall on batch of mead. And one gallon is a good place to start. It keeps your expenses down and it yields four bottles of wine. You can get it in the kindle store.
My paperback Book on Mead Making
I have ebooks above if you want to get off to a quick start in mead making but some people really prefer a regular book and I have one of those too. Read more about it here and you can order it from amazon.com And as usual for me this is a small, no nonsense book that takes the approach of showing you in easy terms how to make mead. |
Ancient Spices, Meads and Metheglins - Looking to make an authentic or ancient mead that has an authentic taste to it? I have some research here on various spices including cumin, rosehips and more!!
 New: Book Review: The Art of Mead Tasting and Food Pairing
Mead is only in the beginnings of its Renaissance and we are witnessing that rebirth. But that means right now there aren't a whole lot of books on mead. Most of them are about mead making. This book is about appreciating mead! Wonderful book that has lots of recipes and suggestions for mead pairings with food. I chose a recipe, made it, and ordered the recommended mead. Great experience and I got it all on video. Watch as Will makes a meal and enjoys some mead. Book Review: The Art of Mead Tasting and Food Pairing
 New: Making a fruit mead (melomel)? Here are some tips for getting more fruit flavor
Making a fruit mead can be surprising. You can add a pound of fruit and let it ferment. And when it is done it will have just a hint of the fruit flavor! Huh? How do you get your melomel to have a more potent fruit flavor? Well, Maybe you need more cowbell!!! Just kidding. In this tutorial I make a batch of mead and lay out some tricks for getting more flavor from the fruit. Included is a video. How to get more fruit flavor in your mead.
Mead oh Beautiful Mead!
I have gone over the hundreds of pictures of mead that people have submitted to my website and I have chosen some of the most beautiful pictures. Mead used to have a reputation of being a harsh drink for barbarians and nothing could be further from the truth! These pictures should help to dispel that myth. Mead oh Beautiful Mead!
What does clear mead look like and how do you clarify your mead?
If you are new to mead making you might be sure what a clear mead looks like - or how to clarify your mead. I have good advice for you here including a video showing mead clearing up. I also have three products you can use to quickly clear up your mead. Clear mead and clarifying mead
 Make a peach or pineapple fruit mead
If you have always wanted to make a fruit mead (melomel) you might want to check this tutorial out. I take you through the whole process from start to finish including bottling. Make a Peach or Pineapple Melomel
Want to make a mead that is ready to drink in a week?
This is Sima and it is a Finnish mead! I have the recipe with pics right here. This was submitted by a web visitor (Shelby). Make Sima - The Finnish Mead
And a bonus is that it is lightly carbonated!!
All About Corks - I have the basics when it comes to corks right here. No more confusion when it comes to which ones you should use. All About Mead and Corks
I have started four new batches of fruit mead (Melomel). You can check them out here. I give you a couple of different methods for making a fruit mead that is easy and efficient. I do two different flavors: Peach and Pineapple
White House Mead recipes - Ok! 1n 1887 Grover Cleveland was the President. And this is a reprint of the cookbook for that year for the White House. There are several mead recipes in there. Pretty interesting stuff here including a Sassafras Mead. . I have transcribed the recipes for you to check out.
Mead was more popular in that time period and it is great to see a revival of it.
How about some still sealed bottles of mead that are 68 years old? Yup, I have pictures right here. And.... this meadery is long defunct. If you know a little bit about mead you might want to take a look. Maybe you can offer some insight into it. I am looking for help with these beauties. Check out the Gulval Mead
 Make a Dragon Skin Mug
Want to drink your mead out of something very medieval? How about making your mug out of dragon skin? Well, it's not real dragon skin but it looks like it! Make a Dragon Skin Mug
 Want to try some mead recipes from the 1600's? Yes, you do! This the famous Sir Kenelm Digby! I have more information and insight into one of his recipes made! The Sir Kenelm Digby Mead
 The Big Mouth Bubbler - This is a new product that makes mead making so much easier. Particularly if you are adding fruit to your mead. Check it out here
 The Raspberry mead is so good....that you should start your own Raspberry Garden! This is exactly what one web visitor did. See the pic, hear the story and get the raspberry mead recipe here: The Raspberry Mead Garden
 Well, Went on a trip to Ireland and wanted to get to Bunratty Castle. That's where they make Bunratty mead! Didn't get to make it but did drive by and take a pic of the castle. And did buy a tiny bottle of mead. More about it here They also have an amazing mead feast in the castle. Really would have loved to go to that
A web visitor read a wonderful quote about mead in a Patrick Rothfuss novel and decided to try making it!!!! Well, Check out Jordan's recipe here. The Name of the Wind Mead
You can Now Buy Mead online at Amazon.com YAY! I have a selection of meads from amazon right here.
 Greg has been making mead for a while and he has sent us some pictures of his mead including this amazing 54 Liter Italian Carboy. Check it all out here: Greg's Mead
NEW ARTICLE: Troubleshooting Your mead - Wondering if your mead is ok? Thinking that you might have to fix something? I have some guidelines for troubleshooting mead right here
 Your honey and water separated into layers? This is called stratification and it is easy to fix. Here is what to do
 A look at and review of an award winning polish mead. They know how to make mead in Poland and this is an award winning, and expensive, bottle of Raspberry mead. Read more and see more here. Note that the red color is not the bottle -it's the mead.
 New a series of pictures on mead making - this is a nice way to see how it is done. These pics were submitted by a web visitor (Sar-el) and he has some gorgeous glass bottles that he makes his mead in. Making some mead series of pictures
New: Having some fun making mead - Thinking about giving mead a try? You might want to check out these pictures from a web visitor. Once his first batch was going he was moving on to his second batch. There you go! Get some inspiration from somebody who is giving it a try! Making Mead
Six - 42 year old bottles of mead found! Wow! A web visitor (Robert) found six very old bottles of mead while renovating his house. They seem to be in great condition and came with a sheet of information. See more pictures of this mead and read about it. Do you think these bottles are drinkable?
42 year old bottles of mead
 New, I and a friend made two wonderful meads today (melomels) a pear and a pomegranate. Just a few pictures and notes on what we did. Simply a lot of fun! See the pics here
 New Make a Cherry Mead (Melomel) - This is an intermediate recipe that uses a few common wine making chemicals. But I do have an option for beginners who don't want to use the chemicals and keep it real basic yet still get a nice cherry mead: Make a Cherry Mead
Using Tea leaves as a nutrient in your mead making. Tea leaves are a great nutrient for mead and a web visitor has sent us some great advice on how to make the most of your tea leaves. It's an old family secret :) Using Tea leaves in mead making
Can You distill Mead? The short answer is no because it is illegal to distill spirits, and it can be dangerous. But you can buy some distilled mead: About Distilled Gwires Mead
 I got an email from a Danish Mead maker - He gives us some wonderful information about Danish mead making, viking mead and the use of Mead Wort. Check out the pictures and information here. Danish Mead making
 New: The Ultimate Easy Guide to Successfully making one gallon of mead. - I have put together a video that shows you an almost fool proof method to make one gallon of mead. Doesn't cost much and isn't hard to do. The mead comes out great :)
 New article: Want to make some mead but not ready to take the plunge? Read about a web visitor who, after visiting this site decided to just do it! He has made several batches now and has found a lot of reward in his new hobby. Read about him and check out his Strawberry Bam mead recipe!
 If you are interested in Mead chances are good that you are also interested in Bees and Honey! You might not know it but I have hives and a section of my site devoted to hives, bees and honey! You can see videos of the queen bee, learn about caring for a hive and see all kinds of stuff like how to use a honey extractor. That section on bees and honey is here.
How about a traditional Viking drinking horn for your mead? A year ago you couldn't get any drinking horns on amazon. Today they have a nice selection available including pewter and horn. I have a selection here: Mead Drinking Horns
  Swing Top Clear Italian Glass Bottle 34 Ounce (Approx) Capacity
Amazon.com now carries the swing top bottles. These are really neat bottles and people are always asking me about them. They just have that old fashioned feel which is very mead like. There is definitely something beautiful about this type of bottle.
Update on the hives: We opened the hives, took out the feeders and added medium supers. these medium supers (shown in pic) are blank honey combs that the bees can fill with honey. More pics
THE BEEHIVES - I have opened up the beehives to start out the new season. I have pictures and videos. If you want to check it out. Hopefully I will get lots of honey this season so I can make lots of mead! Opening up, inspecting, and feeding the beehives
New: Amazon.com now offers 3 gallon carboys which are a great compromise between the 1 gallon and 5 gallon carboys. the 1 gallon is a small batch and the 5 gallon can be expensive. Read more of my thoughts here: Good Thoughts about making mead in a 3 gallon carboy
New: A web visitor has submitted a video on how to make an auto-siphon which is a really convenient way to siphon your mead from carboy to carboy. How to make an auto siphon
A Few interesting mead names - some people who have submitted pictures of their mead have also given them terrific names. Here are a few of my favorite mead names. And if you have named your mead I would love to hear about it.
A Note from Will: Thinking about making some Mead but just not sure? I get so many emails from people that are so very glad they have tried it. It can be very rewarding. I say check out some of the pictures they have sent me and see what you think.
A web visitor (Patrick K.) has followed my Orange Mead Recipe and created himself some outstanding mead. He bottled it, created his own labels, and even waxed the corks. It came out fantastic. You can see more pictures here: Patricks Home bottled Mead
 Four Different Glass Carboys including a rare 2 gallon. Take a look at the picture. Do you have a 2 gallon carboy?
Looking to make some mead really fast? Mead takes upward of six months or more before it is ready to drink. If you want to cheat a little bit and get some mead in two weeks a web visitor has submitted an instant mead recipe. Check it out here: The Instant cheat mead recipe
New: Looking for something special to drink mead from? Amazon.com has a nice selection of Goblets, Chalices, Mugs, Tankards, and wine glasses. I have picked out some and have them right here. Make your mead drinking special. Mead Goblets and Glasses
Wine bottles for mead making. These 750 ml Claret bottles are exactly the ones I use. I have ordered two cases. Claret Bottles 750ml. Clear Glass, Case of 12 If you need mead making supplies like bottles, corks etc I have a page here that will help you. Mead Making Equipment and Supplies
Bottling Mead: I answer some of the most common questions including "When do you know it's time to bottle your mead"?
Bottling mead questions answered
New article from a new Mead Maker: It is a lesson in not bottling your mead too soon. Read his hilarious story here: The First Time was awkward, explosive, and messy!
Some Tips and hints from Red Crow Meadery on what equipment you should have and on how to make an easy batch of mead. Red Crow Meadery Tips
Thinking about making your own Mead labels? Here are some beautiful bottles of mead made by a web visitor (Peter T.) He designed the labels himself with a simple and elegant Fleur de Lis emblem. See a bigger picture and read more about this mead and label here. Self Made Labels for Mead
A Call For Mead Making Recipes!!! - I am going to be beefing up my Mead Recipe section and I am looking for your participation. Do you have a great Mead Recipe? Send it to me in an email and I will add it to the Mead recipe section which I will be beefing up and upgrading!
The online world is changing everything when it comes to mead. It used to be difficult to find mead at a local wine shop but now you don't have to worry about it. You can order your mead online (depending on your state) and I have six bottles of Mead from Hidden Legend Winery including their gold medal winning Wild Chokecherry mead. I have more information about the mead and the winery here: Hidden Legend Meads
Want to make up a batch of alcohol free mead and drink it today? I have a great little recipe you could try. This is a great way to get a sense of what Mead tastes like. It's at the bottom of the page here.
You may have heard of Ken Schramm. He is the guy who wrote the book on Modern day Mead Making. He is working with B.Nektar Meadery to create a signature series of Meads. You can read about the first mead they have produced here. It is limited to 110 bottles
You might know that I have been unsuccessful in making a good Vanilla Mead. Well, I got an email from Kevin of Red Crow Meadery and he suggests I make my own Vanilla Extract. Here are his thoughts and his recipe for making a Vanilla Bean Mead from home made extract.
Is Mead hard to make? And does my fast, cheap easy mead recipe really work? Can you really make mead in a plastic jug with a balloon on top? Read what a web visitor sent me in an email about his experience with the recipe:
" Will,
After reading your page I was inspired to try making mead. It looked so simple. Besides the store bought mead that we can buy around Minneapolis doesn't even taste like mead.
I just have to say that I used your suggested method of making mead and was shocked. I made sure I bought only things available in my local Cub super market and I created 3 one gallon batches, one with vanilla, one with mint and one with pomegranate juice. I substituted apple juice for some of the water also.
The result after 6 months was 3 batches of clear mead that tasted great. I did add a few tablespoons of honey into each bottle at the end to give it a little raw sweetness. The taste is very similar to the mead sold at a local fair for $5 a 6 ounce glass, where my mead only cost me about 50 cents for the same glass full.
My friends that are "Mead Masters" are amazed that I got the results I did without any boiling, chemicals, carboys, airlocks or expensive yeasts. In fact one friend was so impressed that he gave me a five gallon carboy and airlock so I can use the recipe on a larger scale. " -Jim (Dragonmyst)
Looking for an easy mead recipe that is delicious and slightly exotic? Are you a beginner mead maker that wants to make something other than plain mead? Yet don't want to get too fancy or worry about it? I have the perfect recipe for you. It is easy to make, care free and tastes fantastic. It is an orange clove mead and I have made this mead so many times in so many ways. It just comes out great and you can mix it and forget about it until its time to drink! Check it out here
New: How to keep it real cheap and figure out how your ferment is going. Here is a creative "MacGyver Style" way to check on the vigorosity of your mead as it ferments. This idea was submitted to me by a fellow mead maker The Fermentation Vigorosity Indicator
Product Review: Three Bottles of Mead from Redstone Meadery
They come in a beautiful bottle with a convenient cap. This is one of the more popular meads and is widely available. Read my review of three of their products. Redstone Mead
UPDATE on the 38 year bottle of Mead. The company is still in existence and still making and selling mead. And they have a United States distributor which ships to most states. So if you want to give this famous mead a try you can. Links and more here
How about this 38 year old bottle of signed and numbered mead? Interested in learning more about this spectacular bottle of mead? I have more pics and information about it here. And if you can offer insight into the bottle or the meadery it would be appreciated! One spectacular bottle of mead
How to make your mead even more spectacular without changing the recipe! Read about it here
Spotlight on a Winery with some wonderful, award winning Mead!
Here is a great winery that makes some amazing mead. They also ship online to many states! Learn more about the company and their products here Meads from Hidden Legend Winery
How to add labels to your mead bottles in a nice and uniform way so they all look the same. It is quite a simple process to insure you get the labels straight and uniform. This way all the mead bottles look the same. Here is a video tutorial.
 New Video and tutorial: How to add heat shrink caps to your mead bottles to make them look great. Perfect for Thanksgivining or Holiday Gifts. Tutorial with complete video -The picture at left shows a sweet mead with a ruby red heat shrink cap attached.
Two New Mead Making Videos that cover these points:
- The importance of Sanitation when making Mead - In this video I talk about sanitation and the various chemicals that you can use
- 2. How to rack one gallon of Mead - Racking your Mead correctly is very important. I show you how and I show you a nifty little racking hose that I use
Articles about Mead and Mead Making
Mead Recipe Stuff
- New Recipe: I have dug up a 17th century Mead recipe and translated it so you can make yourself some real mead the way it was made hundreds of years ago - An Ancient Mead Recipe
- With the holidays upon us you have got to try a really special holiday drink. It is the art of mulling spices into heated mead. It is the grown-up version of Hot apple cider and phenomenally delicious Read more about it here
- A recipe for alcohol free mead. Easy to make and ready in an hour or so. No fermenting, just mix water, honey and apple juice . Alcohol free mead
Mead Reference Pages
New video on some flavored Meads (Feb 17, 08) It shows 6 batches of mead that I have made and also gives some valuable tips on making flavored meads. Flavored Mead video
How to wax seal the tops of your mead bottles. This makes them look quite spectacular and professional. It's easy to do and cost about 20 cents per bottle How to wax seal your mead bottles
Some basic information about Mead yeast, the types of yeast, dry and wet yeast and some yeast that has been specifically designed for meadmaking.
 How to make your first batch of Mead the fast, easy, and cheap way - with no special equipment. A quick trip to the grocery store will get you everything you need.
 I have been having a blast with my mead and it has taken over my spare room. Check out a bigger picture of my micro meadery
New: Here are two pictures side-by-side of the Mead in its fermenation carboy. You can see how over the course of a couple of weeks it is starting to clarify and turn into Mead! Pictures of the Mead in fermenation
 Don't want to be so aggressive with your mead making? How about making a 1 gallon batch? It's less expensive, less hassle, and will produce about 4 wine bottles of the magical brew. I have put together a tutorial here for you. The picture of the mead you see here is of three 1-gallon batches I have made. From left to right they are a dry mead, medium mead and a sweet mead. This is obvious by the darkness each. The darker the mixture the more honey and the sweeter the mead. Brewing up a 1 gallon batch of mead in two hours.
MAKING FLAVORED MEAD (Often Called Metheglin)
One of the Best things about making your own mead is the potential to try some exotic and delicious flavors. I have brewed up four interesting batches of flavored mead Read about them here: Flavored Mead
New Article: Thinking about designing or buying your wine and mead bottle labels? Here is some information about labels and bottles that will help you |
