Honey Mead — Zosia Culinary Adventures

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Mead (/miːd/) is an alcoholic beverage crafted through the fermentation of a blend of honey and water, occasionally infused with elements like fruits, spices, grains, or hops. Its alcohol content can vary, ranging from around 3.5% to upwards of 18%. What sets mead apart is that the primary fermentable sugar in the concoction is honey. It offers versatility in terms of stillness, carbonation, and natural effervescence, as well as the spectrum of dry, semi-sweet, or sweet flavors. While sometimes referred to as honey wine, mead stands distinct from wine, commonly associated with the fermentation of grapes or select fruits. Throughout various cultures, honey wines differ from mead, as seen in Hungary's honey wine production involving fermenting honey-sweetened grape pomace. An old adage captures the essence: "Wine emerges muddy and gray from the earth, while Mead descends as a divine elixir straight from the heavens."

Czwórniak: A Traditional Polish Mead

Czwórniak is a traditional Polish mead crafted from a delicate melding of honey, water, yeast, and an array of spices or herbs. The very name "Czwórniak" derives from the Polish term "czwórka," indicating a composition of four parts, symbolizing the blend of one part honey and three parts water. Known for its intricate and rich flavor profile, this mead artfully marries the natural sweetness of honey with a symphony of nuanced aromas and tastes from the meticulously selected spices and herbs. Esteemed for its cultural importance, Czwórniak holds a profound place in Polish culinary customs, often cherished in moments of festivity and joy as an embodiment of tradition and masterful craftsmanship. This revered mead typically requires a minimum aging period of 9 months in the bottle to reach its full potential.

Mead Honey Wine Recipe:

Yield:16 bottles (750ml each)

Time: 12 months: (wine ready for drinking)

Basic Process of Wine Making for all wines:

Day 1: Harvesting the fruit or in our case travelling to a local beekeeper to buy fresh honey.

Day 2: Crushing and pressing the fruit or herbs you are going to use. Preparing the must(fruit pulp, water plus sugar). Sterilizing all the equipment. Preparing the mother yeast starter.

Day 3:Adding active yeast starter to must . Waiting 4 days during this initial fermentation.

Day 6: Straining the must into the carboy and placing the airlock.

Day 6 onwards: fun part of watching fermentation (approximately 5-6 weeks)

Day X: ‘Racking’ is a medieval-sounding term for a simple task of transferring the fermented must from one carboy, also known as a demijohn, to another. and leaving the sediment or lees (leftover yeast particles from autolysis) behind. Racking helps to clear the wine and it is done when no more bubbles appear in the airlock, fermentation is over and the wine must be rack. Racking is done with help of the syphon. An optimal temperature of around 55°F (12°C). Use your cold cellar.

Day Y: Within a few weeks, the wine will be clear and must be racked for the second time.

Maturing: All maturing wines are kept in a cool and a dark place and need to be racked every 2 months. Regular racking is also essential to prevent from re-fermentation when the weather gets warmer. If wines are bottled too early, the bottles my burst under pressure, which can be messy and dangerous.

Bottling: You will require wine bottles, corks or stoppers and the syphon All equipment must be properly sterilized.

Equipment for all wine making (it is an investment) available at the wine equipment stores or restaurant equipment store

sanitizer (One Step No-Rinse Cleanser)

15 liters carboy glass or demijohn ( need at least two - the second one is for racking or large bucket made from food grade plastic
stock pot to boil water
airlock and rubber bung or stopper that will be inserted into the mouth of the fermenter
plastic strainer and a funnel
long handled spoon
syphon
corks size #8 fits all basic wine bottles, wine bottles, the corker and the heavy duty carboy brush
hydrometer to check alcohol level (optional)

Ingredients:

10.5 liter filtered non-chlorinated water
3.5kg unpasteurized local honey
¼ cup hibiscus flower tea made in 250ml boiled water,
1 package champagne yeast EC-1118
squirt of lemon juice, 250ml boiled cooled water and 1 tsp sugar
2 tsps. yeast nutrients
1/4 tsp Sodium metabisulfite- to prevent against bacteria growth (optional) BUT I didn’t want to take a risk it

Instructions:

Sanitize everything that will be used during wine making process.
Making Mother Yeast Starter: Find a small well sanitized bottle with capacity of 0.5 litre, no cork is needed, just a cotton wool. Bring 250ml water to boil, when cool to internal temp no higher than 25°C, (otherwise yeasts will die), pour it into the bottle. Add 1 tsp sugar, squirt of fresh lemon, a pinch of yeast nutrients and finally the full package of yeasts. Plug the mouth of the bottle with cotton wool. Leave it till next day or until it starts to "work" (bubbles form).
Steep hibiscus tea for 15 minutes, strain it well and let it cool down completely. Set it on the side
Boil non-chlorinated water in the pot. Cool water to temp of 40°C but not more, add the honey and stir it so it all dissolves. Let it to cool off to temp of 25°C. Add mother yeast starter and hibiscus strained tea. Plastic bucket is excellent for mixing all the ingredients.
Use the funnel and carefully pour the honey water mixture into the carboy glass. Add 2 tsp yeast nutrients.
Put a little water in the airlock to the line, then put the rubber stopper end into the carboy glass. Put the carboy glass in a dark place. It should start bubbling within 12-24 hours. Room temperature should be 20°C and away from direct light. I had mine bundled in the wool blanket as it was winter time.
Based on my own experiance, I started the wine on Nov 23, 2021. After 3 weeks l notice that the fermentation has slowed down and sediment was forming in the bottom of the carboy glass. The mead was still not fully clear and now the wine was in process of silent fermentation for another 2 weeks. After 5 weeks, you are ready for THE FIRST RACKING!!!
First racking was done on January 03, 2022. I added a pinch of sodium metabisulfite. Simply transfer the wine into a clean balloon with help of syphon and leaving all the sediment behind. Make sure to keep your wine in the dark and cool place. I I use my left over sediment as an apple tree fertilizer.
2nd Racking on Feb 18th: I added a pinch of sodium metabisulfite. Make sure to keep your wine in the dark and cool place.
Simply transfer the wine into a clean balloon with help of syphon and leaving all the sediment behind.
Rack again if needed until you have a clear mead with minimal sediment on the bottom of the carboy. I only had to rack twice.
My mead was bottled and corked on May 3, 2022. Bottle the mead using sanitized wine bottles and proper corks size#8 are the best. Let it age for at least six months to one year. Mead gets better the longer it sits. Do not forget to make your own labels and place them on each bottle.
Cheers! Na zdrowie! À votre santé! Prost!