Mead can be dry or sweet, still or carbonated, sessionable or port strength, pale yellow or black, or anything in between. And then there are spices, hops, fruit, and anything else you can think of to add. What makes mead awesome is that you can use local ingredients, and the variety you get from honey, water, and yeast is amazing. The same recipe can make a totally different mead with just a different honey.
If you can make beer, you can make mead. Your knowledge of good beer-making techniques is still important (some are a little more important for mead), and there are a few more things you should know. But you already have the big ideas down. The best way to make a good mead? Good honey, good process, and patience.
We’ll look at the honey in this first part of the series and cover the process and fermentation and bottling (the patience part) in upcoming articles.