HONEYS
And Their Effects On Mead
| University of Atlantia | Master Terafan Greydragon |
| 7 June A.S. XXII | terafan@greydragon.org |
Principal components of honey:
| Water | 17.20 % | Levulose (fructose) | 38.19 % | |
| Dextrose (glucose) | 31.28 % | Sucrose | 1.31 % | |
| Maltose | 7.31 % | Higher sugars | 1.50 % | |
| Acids | .57 % | Proteins | .26 % | |
| Minor substances | 2.38 % |
Specific Gravity of honey 1.4225
Sweetening Power of honey 1.67 times that of sugar
Honey versus Sugar
| 1 Tablespoon | Honey | White Sugar |
| Calories | 65 | 45 |
| Protein | trace | - |
| Calcium (mg) | 1 | - |
| Phosphorous (mg) | 1 | - |
| Potassium (mg) | 18 | trace |
Relative Acidity of Honeys
| BuckWheat | 3.0 | Wild Flower | 2.0 | |
| Sue Bee Clover | 1.8 | Orange Blossom | 1.0 |
I made 4 comparison batches using the exact same recipe except for the honey, so you could taste the honey and then taste the mead made from it.
Comparison Batch
Boil 3 quarts of water with 2.5 lbs of honey. Add juice of one lemon and 1 cup strong tea. Let it cool below 100 degrees Fahrenheit and add yeast. Let ferment 14 days and bottle. Let sit in bottle 5 days.
I have also provided 4 additional recipes for different kinds of 'mead' drinks.
Syr Michael of York Mead
Boil one gallon of water with 2.5 lbs of honey. Add juice of one lemon and ½ tsp nutmeg. Boil, skimming foam, until it stops foaming. Let it cool to blood temperature, then pitch yeast. Let it work two weeks, bottle it and let it age two weeks. THEN PUT IT IN THE REFRIGERATOR, AS IT CAN BECOME EXPLOSIVE IF LEFT OUT AFTER THIS.
Drink at your leisure.
MELOMEL
| 3 lbs honey | 1 gal water |
| 2 oranges | ½ cup tea |
Peel the oranges, removing the white (pith). Boil the honey, water, and meat of the oranges, orange peel, lemon juice, and tea. Skim the foam, let it cool, and pitch with wine yeast.
SACK MEAD
| 3 gal water | 16 lbs honey |
| ½ cup tea | 2 tsp cinnamon |
| ½ tsp whole anise seed | 18 cardamon seed clusters (crushed) |
| 1 inch galingale root, crushed | 20 whole allspice, slightly crushed |
| 1 pkg unflavored gelatin in 1 cup water |
Boil water, adding tea and spices. Add honey, continuing to boil and skimming the foam until it stops foaming. Let it cool to blood temperature, then pitch the yeast. Rack after 1 month, then 3 months. Add the gelatin after 3-4 months, and bottle a month or two later.
METHEGLIN
| 1 gal water | 3 lbs honey |
| 6 cloves | ½ cup tea |
| 3 sticks cinnamon | juice of 1 lemon |
| 1 tsp allspice |
Boil the water, adding the honey, tea, lemon juice and spices. Skim the foam until it stops. Let it cool to blood temperature and pitch yeast. Rack and bottle as appropriate.
SOURCES
Roger A. Morse, Making Mead, Wicwas Press, NY 1980
Bryan Acton & Peter Duncan, Making Mead, Argus Books, England
G. Robert Gayre, Wassail! In Mazers of Mead, Gayre & Nigg, England, 1948
Jane Sibley, The CA Guide to Brewing, SCA, 1983
Joanne Barrett, Cooking with Honey, Storey Communication, Inc., 1981
Charlie Papazian, The NEW Complete Joy of Homebrewing, Avon Books, NY 1991