Maple Mead Recipes

MAPLE MEAD WITH ORANGE AND SPICES

Steps:

• Sanitize all kitchen tools and equipment, including the one-gallon jug.
• Combine 8 cups of water with the cinnamon stick and cloves in a large pot. Heat over medium and bring to a simmer. Do not boil.
• Once the water is warm, add the maple syrup and honey, stir until dissolved, then turn off the heat.
• Pour the water into a one-gallon jug using a funnel. Add the raisins and orange. Place the cap on the jug and shake several times to mix. Set the jug aside and allow the water to cool to room temperature.
• Add the yeast to the jug once the liquid cools to room temperature, or at a minimum, below 90°F. Place the cap on the jug and shake to distribute the yeast.
• Fill the airlock with water to the line, then place the stopper end into the top of the jug.
• Place the jug in a dark corner. It will begin to bubble overnight. Ferment for approximately six weeks, or until there are no more bubbles. Then bottle using this method. After bottling, age to preference.

MAPLE MEAD RECIPE

Steps:

• Sanitize everything including your fermentation glass jar, a funnel, and the yeast packet. Do not forget to sanitize the scissors you use to open the yeast package as well as the stopper or airlocks. Buy a reliable sanitizing solution and place all your tools in it.
• Fill up the jar with 1 gallon of warm water.
• Using a funnel, add 2 pounds of honey to the water.
• Next, add 12.5 ounces of maple syrup to the water and shake the jar well. This will help incorporate oxygen in the mixture to aid the fermentation.
• Some brewers heat the water along with the maple syrup and honey. This step is recommended only if you purchase your honey from a farmer's market and get your maple syrup from a tree. In such cases, there is a high chance that you store the honey and syrup in containers and these could get easily contaminated. If you are directly pouring your honey and maple syrup from store-bought bottles, then there is little chance of them containing unwanted microbes.
• Now add the yeast and the yeast nutrient.
• You can now take gravity reading using a hydrometer and it should be in the range of 1.042 to 1.090. This reading will ensure at least 10% alcohol content in your mead.
• Place the airlock with a stopper and allow the mead to ferment for about a month between 66°F and 76°F.
• Taste the mead after a month. If it is too sweet, continue to ferment and taste again after a few weeks, until the sweetness is where you want it. You can also take gravity readings. Ideally, they should be between 1.010 and 1.016.
• Bottle the mead.