Bray’s One Month Mead (BOMM)

Written By Bray Denard, PhD

Disclaimer: This recipe is for personal use only.

Mead Specifications

Batch Size - 1 gallon
ABV - 12%
Starting Gravity (SG) - 1.090
Final Gravity (FG) - To taste, personal preference.
Style - Traditional

Ingredients

  • Wildflower honey - 2.3 lbs

  • Wyeast 1388 Smack Pack

  • Fermaid O - 3.5g

  • Potassium carbonate - 2g

  • Fermaid K - 1.9g

  • Potassium sorbate - 0.7g

  • Potassium metabisulfite - 0.4g

Must Preparation

  1. To a carboy, add the honey, Fermaid O, potassium carbonate, and Fermaid K.

  2. add 2 liters of water. We highly suggest using bottled water to avoid chloramines found in tap water.
    Do not use distilled water.

  3. Mix until all the honey is dissolved.

  4. Add water until slightly shy of the gallon mark.

Yeast Preparation 

  1. Allow the Wyeast 1388 yeast package to reach room temperature.

  2. Activate the yeast by breaking the internal “smack” packet.

  3. Wait for the yeast packet to swell. In general, this should take 10-15 minutes. Sometimes, it can take longer. If it doesn’t swell at all, the yeast may be dead due to poor storage or transport.

  4. Pitch once the must and yeast are within 10°F of each other.

  5. Add airlock to the carboy.

Fermentation

  1. Store the carboy in a temperature range of 68-72°F.

  2. Take a gravity reading every 3 days with a hydrometer until the gravity reaches 1.000 (7-10 days).

  3. Once fermentation has concluded, transfer the mead into a sanitized carboy.

Stabilizing

  1. Cold crash in a refrigerator until clear. (Optional) Cold temperatures speed clearing, but clearing will occur without it.

  2. Rack the clear mead into a sanitized carboy.

  3. Add the potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulfite to the carboy and mix well. Allow to sit for a minimum of 24 hours, ideally until clear.
    Note: After stabilizing, there will be a harsh note resembling fusels in the mead for a few weeks. This is caused by the stabilizer and will age out as the stabilizer completes its protective purpose.

  4. After 24 hours, add the following to your desired sweetness:

    Dry - do nothing.
    Off-Dry - add 2oz/56 g honey (1.005)
    Semi-Sweet - 4oz/112 g honey (1.010)
    Sweet Mead - 8oz/227 g honey (1.020)

    Note: If you aren’t sure, I suggest starting with off-dry. Allow to stand a few days, and taste. You can always add more, but you cannot take it back!

  5. A few days after mixing, cold crash in the refrigerator to speed clearing. (Optional)

  6. Bottle into sanitized bottles.

Tips and Tricks

  1. Place your carboy into a larger container to contain any potential spill over from fermentation.

  2. If your home is cold, the top back of the fridge is great for keeping the fermentation warm.

  3. A spray bottle of diluted sanitizer is great for sanitizing surfaces, especially hands.

  4. The first time you use a non-graduated bucket, add a gallon of water at a time and draw a line for each.

Bray Denard, PhD
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Nord’s Modern Mead