Christmas Mead with Ginger & Cinnamon (left) | Version with Additional Apple Chips (right)
This recipe comes to us from Paul Fowler and Barry Salem, who collaborated to make this spicy and delicious mead perfectly fit for the holidays (or any time, really). The combination of ginger and cinnamon create a lovely bit of heat and woody, warm spice. For more infomation on the ingredients and process, check out our 12 Beers of Christmas 2022 video in which Paul and Barry go much more in-depth on how they made the mead including a version that included apple chips in secondary for yet another wonderful layer of flavor.
Christmas Mead
For 5.5 Gallon Batch
OG: 1.095
FG: 1.002, then backsweetened to 1.035
Ingredients
- 14lbs. Mesquite honey
- 4.25 gals (17 qts) Ice Mountain Spring Water
- 1.5-2 lbs Candied Ginger in primary & 1-2 Cinnamon sticks in primary
- 2-3 Cinnamon sticks in secondary per carboy to taste
- 22 g D21 yeast
- TOSNA 3.0 Calculator > Meadmakr = (145) DAP 2.3 g, Ferm K 10.4 g, Ferm O 9.4 g
- 1 g FT Blanc Soft
- 5.2 g Opti-White
Directions
Sanitize all Equipment.
Stir (mixer) together honey and water to thoroughly mix. Add 2 min of pure O2 prior to pitch.
Rehydrate yeast prior to pitching: Rehydrate 27.5 grams of Go-Ferm in 550 ml of 110F water, then add yeast at 104F. Let stand for 15 minutes, then gently stir to break up any clumps. Temper yeast to within 18 F over the next 15-30 min and then add to the must.
Calculate must nitrogen requirements per TOSNA Calculator. Then plug the Fermaid O needed into the Advanced SNA Calculator to find the amount needed for Dap, Fermaid K & O.
Follow SNA (Staggered Nutrient Additions). Divide nutrients into four equal portions, adding one portion for the first 4 days starting with pitching. Ferment at 62F until terminal gravity is reached, removing ginger after two weeks. Transfer to secondary. Stabilize with Potassium Metabisulfite and Potassium Sorbate and clear for up to 8 weeks. If not clearing on its own, use KC Super Clear. Taste test when clear. Backsweeten and make any adjustments if necessary. Once final clarity is reached and any additional spicing is completed, bottle.