Make Mead Like a Viking
Make natural, wild‐fermented honey booze!
WHAT IS MEAD?
Honey + water + yeast = MEAD!Myriad flavoring possibilities.A truly ancient beverage.
Why not brew like a Viking?
…AND WHY MAKE IT LIKE A VIKING?
Large role in Norse mythology.
MEAD CAN SAVE THE WORLD
Probiotic benefits of mead made with wild yeast and natural ingredients All manner of herbs and other ingredients can impart significant health benefits Don’t be afraid to leave out the chemicalsSterilization and sanitization: myths and fearsOne Step no‐rinse cleanser
Ancient cultures looked at mead as a mystical, healing gift from the gods
Iodophor: still a chemical but better than bleach
To truly brew like a Viking, mead‐making should be approached holistically and organically
Hydrogen peroxide is a natural alternative
DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE BEES
Make mead with low to no heat to maximize the benefits of honey.Keep your own bees or use honey from local, naturally treated hives.
Local, raw and unfiltered honey. Good for you. Good for the bees.
Medieval Skep Hive
Langstroth Hive Top Bar Hive Klotzbeute Hive
GET ON WITH IT!
FERMENTATION VESSELS & BREWING EQUIPMENT
Start with 1‐gallon batches
Move up to 5‐gallon batches
Go crazy!
INGREDIENTS FOR MEAD & TYPES OF MEAD
Fruit mead (melomel)
Mead with herbs and spices (metheglin / metheglyn)
Mead with edible flowers (mead with edible flowers)
Vegetables, mushrooms, etc.
Grain‐based meads (bragot / honey beer)
Mead can range from dry, to semi‐sweet, to sweetShow mead: basic honey‐water‐yeast mead
jz1
Slide 7
jz1 Split into two slides. For first, talk about honey, water, yeast, nutrients, tannins, etc.
For second, talk about types of mead. Add photos for both. JeremeZ, 1/18/2017
FERMENTATION & FLAVOR ENHANCERS
Small amounts of tannins, acids and nutrients help achieve proper body and acid balance
Be kind to your mead and it will be kind to youHoney, water and yeast need a bit of help
Tannins: buy in powdered form or use natural substances such as oak leaves, black tea or raisins Acids: powdered form or bits of citrus juiceNutrients: yeast need nutrition for a healthy fermentation and to avoid off flavorsPurchase yeast nutrients such as Fermaid K (or O), or add high‐nutrient ingredients such as fresh or dried fruit
YEAST: AN INCREDIBLY SIMPLE COMPLEX SUBJECT
Wild yeast is your friend, but so is commercial yeast Wine yeast: Lalvin D‐47, Lalvin EC‐1118, Lalvin K1‐V1116, Red Star Premier Blanc Dry Champagne Yeast
The oldest domesticated living organism is not a horse or a chicken, nor is it corn or wheat. It is a wild single-celled, asexual creature capable of preserving food, making bread rise, and fermenting drinks. It is yeast.
—Amy Stewart, The Drunken Botanist
Bread yeast or brewer’s yeast is acceptable for some meads
WILD YEAST WRANGLING
RACKING & FILTERING
BOTTLING & AGING
ENJOYING YOUR MEAD
LEARN MORE & FOLLOW MEwww.jereme‐zimmerman.com
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