10 Tips for Making Great Mead

This article originally appeared in the January/February 2015 issue of Zymurgy Magazine

By Ken Schramm

By Ken Schramm.

As part of this great, growing hobby, we all want to make some really delicious mead. Making great mead allows us to share one of the finest joys that life has to offer. It can be very easy, and immensely satisfying.
For the purposes of this article, I’m going to assume that you’re familiar with a few basics when it comes to mead. The defining element of mead, honey, is critically important, and you’re going to want to find a reliable source of high-quality honey at a decent price. It’s a matter of personal preference, but supporting your local beekeepers is one thing you can do to ensure that good honey is available to you. You’ll also need to follow solid sanitation procedures. No amount of skill in recipe formulation or process will overcome a lack of cleanliness. But once we’ve gotten this far, what are some practices that will help a good meadmaker move up to making consistently great meads? Here are 10 tips for making meads you can serve with pride.

1. Use nutrients. Use a compleat nutrient supplement regimen, and specifically a nutrient addition protocol that delivers the nitrogen and other metabolic needs of your yeast on a just-in-time basis. Many people refer to these as staggered nutrient additions…