6 books every mead maker should read

I am currently reading The Complete Meadmaker by Ken Schramm. I love it. It has been recommended to me several times. I got it by chance from my sister for Christmas. It was fate. Easy read, and enjoyable. I probably laughed out loud a few times because it’s not too heavy like a textbook. And even life advice is woven inbetween learning about mead. Can’t wait to finish it and start my next batch with full confidence and better understanding about tweaking this hobby.

I use The Complete Guide to Making Mead by Paitz, and enjoy how simply it describes the process. But the book which really got me interested in making Mead, was one I bought because of starting to brew beer: “Sacred and Herbal Healing Beers; The Secrets of Ancient Fermentation” by Stephen Harrod Buhner. It is a truly beautiful and inspiring book about ancient fermented drinks from all over the world, including a beautiful chapter on Mead in general, and honey in particular. If you’re interested in some history and our planet, its ancient peoples and herbs and their medicinal properties, this is a great book! The mead recipe does, however, tell you to boil the honey.. I also have Papazian, but don’t really use it anymore; outdated.

Hi, I have the Ken Schramm book and found it very intimidating for my newbie self. It seemed to be full of process, science and technical language, seemingly exotic ingredients that I felt it would be too hard to deal with out significant help, special tools and or more specific knowledge. I even took it to a Wine making shop to buy what I needed and came home without anything as the owner did not know what to sell me. I gave up the idea of making mead and I the book got misplaced in the house.

Then I found a Mead making group! But that too left me in the dust. They were smokers and I’m avidly not. Meeting with them, despite them being lovely kind, funny, & intelligent people, it left me missing out on the full discussions and details of making as I did not join in the smoking talks outside. 🙁 And I didn’t understand all the things they said when I was in their presence.

Then along came Youtube and I discovered a variety of videos, where many methods, approaches, tools, recipes were offered. I was now empowered to be as simple and/or creative as I wished. Recipies are but a click or two away. Help is there from a variety of teachers and no smoke! Well except for the recipe where they purposely burn the Honey in an attempt to make a very old recipe. (For the record, I would have stopped boiling it way before they did. I think the recipe was just saying to boil off all the water in the Honey to make it so, to seriously darken the Honey. . . I might even try this one day.)

My first one I had going on the Kitchen counter and I loved it’s fragrance and mere presence. Sadly I didn’t understand how to “rack” it, so it sat overlong before I could figure it out. It went mouldy and I had to toss it in the compost. Now I laugh at my ignorant intimidation. Still I enjoyed it so much, after watching many videos and gained confidence, I tried again.
I have made a few batches now and been very successful.

It can be made so simply and with basic supplies you probably already have in your house. 1) Big Jar with lid. or small enough opening for a balloon, or use a lightly weighted saucer. 2) Honey, from the grocery store, Brand-named or better yet some that is unpasteurized. 3)Water 4)Yeast, can use bread yeast or a packet from the wine shop, but it you use unpasteurized honey you may not even need it as it will have wild yeasts in. It’s worked for me well, but other people say the flavour is not always good with the wild, or bread yeast so prefer the Wine store packets. I’ve had good turnouts with them. 5) Funnel and Coffee filter. I sometimes simply pour off the mead, carefully so as to leave the sediment behind and skip the “racking”, and put it through a lined funnel. Yes it works and tastes good too, but I only do that with small, gallon or less batches.
6) Any glass container with a screw-top lid for bottling.

I have since found the missing Ken Schramm’s book and I still feel it’s overly scientific. The basic recipe he suggests starting with would definitely not be one I would send to a Newbie. The Honey itself, while sounding lovely, (Orange Blossom Honey) is not something I’ve ever found. Yeast nutrients can be simply obtained by tossing in a few raisins.

So my recommendation is Hands down Youtube and all it’s contributors who show the variety of ways to make it. I also highly recommend very slightly warming your Honey, (never boil unless it’s on purpose), to ease it’s pouring and mixing, just set the container, lid off, in a pot of water, set the stove on low and when it stirring is easy, and it runs off the spoon, (not drip or globs, it’s warm enough . Also rinse out the Honey container with water you are going to use to make it, so as not to waste any of this blessed gold. Take your time and enjoy!

I read Sacred and herbal healing beers, and like Bjorn said, it is a truly inspiring book. It falls in perfectly with my love of brewing, nature and ancient cultures. And the chapter on mead is incredibly informing in regards to the medicinal properties of honey

HI,
Help me to get mead making book. I have tried to get it with no success. I am from Tanzania on East Africa