Jack Ratt Lyme Bay Christmas Mead, 75 cl

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Temperature Control — Controlling your temperature will produce more pleasing meads when using most wine yeasts, and in many cases it will also reduce the aging time that has historically been needed to mellow out fermentation aromas and flavors. I typically ferment meads at 64 °F (18 °C). You should use a temperature in the low end of the range that your chosen yeast will support.

Here, we have looked at how to enjoy mead, from serving size suggestions to drinking temperature, and even the glassware you are best to enjoy it from! What is Mead?Often referred to as the “Nectar of the Gods”, the golden drink has enjoyed a resurgence in recent years, with the demand from people eager to buy mead reaching new heights, which has certainly kept us busy! We have been perfecting our fantastic meads for over 15 years now, and often experiment with new and bold flavours to push the boundaries of what is possible with mead.

The flavours of the mead can and often will develop with every sip, and you will notice this most after swallowing and exhaling – known as the ‘tail’. The more sips you take, the more the flavours and sensations will develop. In the simplest of terms, mead is essentially a honey wine. It is honey and water that is fermented with yeast and can also be flavoured with a range of fruits, hops, or spices and comes in both still and sparkling form. With this recipe we’ve got another hybrid melomel/metheglin, using both the fruit and spice to blend into the final result.It’s a drink that delights the palate as much as it warms the belly, and when prepared properly, it’s the perfect remedy to get you through the dark and for bringing people together. Let’s take a deeper look at this ancient and utterly satisfying tipple, and consider a couple of tried-and-tested historic recipes you can prepare at home. A Brief History of Mulled Mead Because of the extra attention paid to the details of our holiday gatherings and celebrations we should expect holiday meads to be their best selves as well. Well appointed, while an interior decorating term, came to mind as I was trying to explain the additional allure and hopes for a truly great holiday mead. Great holiday meads will have structure, body, rich flavors, and a balance between the ingredients and attributes that conceptually make sense, but they should also be accessible. We plan to use fruits and spices liberally, and the best holiday meads should be expressive with characteristics that are distinguishable to make that moment of tasting memorable. I brewed that batch and was hooked. Unlike the strawberry wine that I had made earlier in the summer, this was relatively little investment for a nice return–an effervescent fermented drink that was light and sweet and endlessly variable, depending on the type of honey and tea you used to spice it up. It wasn’t complex, it wasn’t refined, but it sure was tasty. But in a similar way to wine, there is a process you can follow to really explore the depths of your mead, which we have outlined below: Look To continue your spiced mead explorations here’s another unique recipe worth trying. Infused with vodka and added with chocolate, this recipe offers three gallons of intense flavors to stimulate the palate. Ingredients

My typical meadmaking process would be to use the yeast rehydration agent to prep the yeast before pitching, and then a staggered nutrient addition regimen (with degassing) to feed the ferment for the first few days. Depending on the time of year and temperature in my house, I may or may not choose to place the fermenter in a 64 °F (18 °C) temperature-controlled space. Once the fermentation is complete I always use both potassium sulfite and potassium sorbate as stabilization additives, whether I filter the mead or not. All of these additions are based on volume and there are a number of choices for the types and sources of nutrients that can be used. Additional tips and resources on the meadmaking process are included in the “Notes of the Meadmaking Process” sidebar at the end of this article.

Try it yourself - Mead cocktails to make at home

Allow to carbonate 1-2 weeks until slightly carbonated. Enjoy chilled during the holiday in November and December! tea to flavor (the combos are endless and should be adapted to your taste, but I cut open 6 mulling spice tea bags for this venture) Pour a small amount of mead into a glass and swill around the glass, where you should notice that it leaves behind a coating on the side of the glass. Smell