Maple Mead

Classification: mead, maple mead

Source: coz@triton.unm.edu Issue #881, 5/14/92

If you are going to make a small quantity of this brew, I sugget that you follow this recipe fairly closely.

Ingredients:

3--1/4 pounds, maple syrup
7 pints, water
1/2 teaspoon, acid blend
3/4 teaspoon, yeast energizer
1 campden tablet
1 package, Red Star champagne yeast

Procedure:

It'll take about a day to really get fermenting, and should go like crazy for 4 to 6 weeks. Rack off the yeast sediment at that time and then re-rack at least 3 times at 3 month intervals. It'll be ready to bottle by 9 or 10 months of age, but the longer it sits, the mellower and smoother it becomes.

If you want to try this in a 5 gallon batch, use (in 6 gallon primary):

1 1/2 gallons of maple syrup
4 gallons water
2 tsp acid blend
4 tsp yeast energizer
1 campden tablet
1 pkg Red Star champagne yeast