Sweet Mead for Beginners: A Brew Along Recipe

Mead is one of our favourite treat drinks on the smallholding/homestead. Its origins go back centuries, and it's made using one of the oldest and most available sugars from nature, honey.
In this video, we show you how to prepare the honey "must" for brewing, start and complete the primary fermentation, and set the sweet mead up for its extended secondary fermentation.
We will create a part 2 video showing clearing, bottling and other steps required after fermentation, but if you can't wait, this video on clearing country wines will give you the key points:
• Clearing & Bottling Co...
Sweet Mead Recipe & Ingredients list
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Opening Music credits: Artist = Earth Tree Healing
Composer = Claudine West
Website = claudinewestmu...

[@topazpowell8561]

Magic, I will get a new batch going Sunday, Thank you very very much we have been waiting a long time for this one, we always look forward to your videos.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks Topaz - is there anything else that you are particularly keen to see?

[@topazpowell8561]

I would love to see coffee liqueur (similar to Tia Maria) made well. I have tried so many times. @@EnglishCountryLife

[@EnglishCountryLife]

@@topazpowell8561 Oh now that's a new one 🤔

[@olibob295]

More cooking and recipe videos using your produce from the smallholding would be fab

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I think that's very doable 👍

[@zoeedwards2942]

Sake sounds interesting, would be very interested 👍 always good to try something new. Also about to start incubating my duck eggs, so will be following your incubation instructions, which are fantastic and take the worry our of it, hopefully.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Oh good luck with the ducks - ducklings are adorable 😍

[@trevorstuart8235]

Thanks, Hugh, really enjoyed the video 👍 and loving all you’re doing. Keep the great work up!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thanks so much 👍

[@zoeedwards2942]

Great video again, if only i liked honey. Definitely interested in any home brew videos. Great idea to ask the local beekeepers for honey.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Are there any brews you would like to see Zoe? Sake perhaps?

[@hellzoneUK1991]

I'd certainly be interested in your take on rice wine Hugh!
I'm thinking of making some of my own next November/December time, but from what I see, Sake requires a lot of complicated step feeding...
So if your process ends up being simpler than that, I'm all ears!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I think it's one that has to be done to produce a decent rice wine at least. Rice wine vinegar is a horrible price but vinegar making is easy!

[@heathcliffebird7514]

i love that you use thin bleach for disinfecting. its so cheap. I had used miltons but i'm switching now :-)
Quick suggestion... If anyone's wanting to start brewing without the expense, you can also use an empty 5l plastic water bottle (if you buy bottled water) in place of a demijohn, and stretch a balloon over the neck, and pierce it with a pin as an airlock. You can also just make a hole in the lid and push an airlock through. The plastic (if the hole's smaller than the lock) will form a seal. It's not classy but I love how cheap it can be to get started with this stuff. If you ever wanted to do a getting started for under a tenner project count me in.
Thanks for the content. Loving what you do.
Quick question... can you use carton juice in place of fresh juice for brewing or starting? I know some have additives and preservatives in. I've brewed from store bought juice before but with mixed results. No idea what i should be wary of on labels.
Thanks again.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

The drinks container is a great suggestion! Any juice containing sulphites of sulphates will not ferment. If they contain "preservatives" they are probably best avoided

[@derek38fishing]

Have you ever done a dandelion wine? I remember my father making some, probably over fifty years ago! I'd love to give it a try...

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I have, it's lovely. Dandelion mead is like drinking sunshine. I'll film the next batch

[@Andrew.Croft.]

Thanks for the video very interesting, glycerine for the air locks is a great tip, would love to see a rice wine recipe please.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

I think rice wine will definitely get done 😉

[@PV2Omni]

Anaphylaxis sucks! Especially, when it's to things you loved to do your whole life!

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Yup - in Fiona a single sting would cause the whole limb to swell & blister.

[@lindaoostmeyer4637]

Thanks Hugh for such an interesting tutorial! Also, you're doing a great job with the chickens while Fiona is on the mend.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Aww thank you Linda. I think the floofs are missing her!

[@RidgeRunner5-]

Great episode.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Thank you! 🐝👍

[@donwalker3949]

Thanks for all your videos Hugh, but especially for this. I will be giving this a go soon. Thanks again

[@EnglishCountryLife]

So glad it was useful Don 👍

[@richardkut3976]

Excellent, thank you.

[@EnglishCountryLife]

Glad you enjoyed it 🥂🐝

[@moutasemh4187]

Wish you all the best and good health

[@EnglishCountryLife]

And to you!