As a complete newbie myself, I wanted to take the time to post and update a list of equipment and things to watch out for that helped, hindered and really made all the difference to me.
Hopefully it will help anyone else looking to get into the hobby. Please note, I am in Canada and so not all the things I mention may be available to you locally but I will do my best to provide options. I am also operating under the assumption that as a beginner, you will be looking to make 1 gallon batches to start with. I have shared links as well, but please note, this is only to help you locate the specs and details of the product. You can attempt to find something similar and cheaper accordingly. Also you can purchase smaller quantities than the links provided such as the yeast and cleaning agents etc. Also, I am running under the assumption you have access to and will be using clean water. Please do not use tap water for making mead no matter where you are. If you dont have access to drinkable tap water, please filter/boil your water thoroughly or even buy pre-packaged, sterile spring water. If you do have access to drinkable tap water, run it through a filter one last time to at least reduce chlorine and fluoride. Believe it or not, the chlorine, even in trace amounts can impact the yeast and kill some. so reduce that as much as possible. Also, star san does not like to react with chlorine. And make sure that once filtered and ready to be poured into the mead, your water only comes in contact with a sanitized container like a measuring/pouring jug.
1. Cleaners and Sanitizers - Yes they are TWO distinctly different things. Cleaners help get rid of grime, particulate, debris etc. You need to ensure that all your fermentation implements, containers and utensils that come in any contact with mead are free of all particulate. AFTER you use the cleaner, you MUST heavily rinse all the items and get all the cleaner off completely. After this it is time to Sanitize.
Recommended Cleaner: Five Star PBW - 1 lb is good to start with but if you see yourself making multiple 1 gallon batches or larger batches, then consider the 4lb box. Also get a few good bottle brushes and cleaning brushes. New ones... for mead only and nothing else.
Recommended Sanitizer: Star San 32oz. Just get this. Its not always available but i managed to get one from Amazon and had to wait several weeks. In UK and EU I believe Chem San is the same. If not Star San, try One Step by Logic. These are all no rinse sanitizers. Meaning, follow the dilution proportions. DO NOT MESS THIS UP. In the prescribed proportions, the no rinse sanitizers are save to leave in or on your utensils, fermenters and other accessories. DO NOT WASH OR RINSE as the water you use will undo the sanitization and only contaminate the items all over again.
Links:
Five Star PBW: https://tinyurl.com/mryun5pd
Star San: https://tinyurl.com/yc55f49w
One Step: https://tinyurl.com/wv5pahpe
2. Fermentation Jars/ Carboys, Airlocks and Siphons- This might seem like it doesn't matter but it really does. Carboys are great because they are usually easier to grip and shake and swirl through the process as well as can be more aesthetically pleasing if that matters to you. Drawbacks are that it can be more challenging to add fruit or any large items as the neck and mouth are very narrow. Additionally, it is known that unstandardized stopper sizes can cause issues with fitting , be loose or even slip out. This can be an easy fix with a simple elastic band at times but is something to consider. With a wide mouth jar, it is a little more difficult to get a grip while doing the initial shake and swirls later, however, there is more room to add fruit and other additives later. They also come with lids which are easier to deal with. Additionally, the ones I found come with airlocks and a rubber seal, the best part about the rubber seal is that it hurts my thumb way less that the silicone stopper when im shaking the mead. So I would recommend the wide mouth jars. That being said, consider your budget as well here, because with the above cleaners and sanitizers will help you pick up carboys and jars from Marketplace for dirt cheap and make them shine like new. I got carboys for $3-5 each with caps. Alternatively, if you are feeling adventurous, you could get a 2 Gallon food grade bucket from Canadian Tire or elsewhere with the lid, and if you're handy with tools, use a hole cutter to cut the right size hole to fit a fermentation stopper. Keep in mind, the outer diameter of the hole cutter should be wider than the narrow part of the stopper but narrower that wide part of the stopper
.
For the airlock a Simple S-Shape airlock or 3 piece airlock will do. neither are rocket science but a quick youtube video will help, if not feel free to ask me how to fill it. You can buy both with or without stoppers. Just get the stoppers, it is an incremental price difference. Or order them from aliexpress if you have the patience, it might be cheaper and they are all made there anyways. Also jut get an auto siphon.
Links
Wide mouth jars: https://tinyurl.com/hsxx7nj4S-Shape Airlock: Amazon.ca
3 Piece Airlock: https://tinyurl.com/hn96dkx2
Auto- Siphon: https://tinyurl.com/yvcxuxwy
3. Food Grade Buckets - I highly recommend getting a few of these. Whether you use them to ferment or just to clean and rinse things, I think these are something that you will always find a use for. I currently have a 2 gallon bucket and two 5 gallon buckets. I use One 5 gallon bucket for the cleaner and I can easily put the big items like jars and fully submerge them in the cleaner. I use the 2 gallon bucket for sanitizer because Star san in precious and you probably wont need 5 gallons of sanitizer for anything if you're making a few batches. That being said even 2 gallons of sanitizer is a lot, but a big bucket helps. Additionally, down the road, I plan to drill a hole in the 2 gallon bucket and turn it into a fermenter, same with the 5 gallon someday so great future proof purchases. Be sure to BUY A LID, they are often sold separately
Links:
2 gallon Bucket: General PDP Template
5 Gallon Bucket: https://tinyurl.com/y2h75ztx
4. Hydrometer - This is SOOOO IMPORTANT!! I followed a few recipes but sometimes, you run out of honey, or misjudged how much you had. Sometimes your yeast behaves differently. There are a lot of things that can go wrong, there are also a lot of things you might be attempting to do like make a lower ABV/ Alcohol content mead or a higher one. Perhaps sweeter or drier. Hydrometers will help to measure the specific gravity of the liquid so as to help you calculate how much alcohol is being created and how much sugar is in the liquid in a sense. Water has a specific gravity (often called SG) reading of 1.000. anything higher than that means that the liquid is denser. and in the case of honey mixed with water, that means thicker and sweeter. You have to measure your SG before you put nutrient or yeast into the mead. So once you have mixed most of your honey and water, taking a reading. See if you need to add more to adjust your SG if you want it higher or lower (this will depend on how you want your mead to turn out and the research you have done). once adjusted, take another reading, if you are happy with your reading then make a note of it somewhere as this is IMPORTANT! If you aren't happy, keep adjusting till you are happy and then take a last reading before you add the nutrient and yeast. This will help you estimate the alcohol level you can expect. Also, I purchased the best rated hydrometer i could find. it is a little more expensive than others, but this is a technology i know little about so I relied of reviews from others.
Links:
Specific Gravity Hydrometer: https://tinyurl.com/mrtuyeur
5. Protective Gear - You can manage without this if you are careful. But as a newbie, i would recommend getting some equipment as you get used to how it all works. I know for a fact i have squirted sanitizer into my eyes by accident due to a faulty spray bottle. Life happens and precautions only reduce your risk. No reason to lose an eye or get a chemical burn over some honey and water right? Get some protective goggles and chemical gloves. If you want to go all out, then an apron too or you can cut up an old t-shirt and turn it into a makeshift apron. Not as effective, but it should do a fine job.
Links:
Eyewear: https://tinyurl.com/4ajyvtps
Gloves: https://tinyurl.com/zxkwnrfz
Apron: https://tinyurl.com/3k7377sy
6. Other Measuring Devices- I bought a measuring scale after watching many youtube videos and it being something they all recommended but nobody discussed the type of scale. I purchased a scale that measures 2gms to 5000gms (5 kg) or the equivalent in pounds. While it claims to measure in 1 gram increments, i noticed that it is pretty inaccurate for the first several grams. Great for larger volumes where you aren't dependent on micro measurements for weighing honey and such. However, since you will mostly likely move to the hydrometer, the weight of honey as an approximate will suffice for the most part. Eitherway i would recommend getting 2 different scales. One food scale and one gram scale.. the second will help measure all your additives - go ferm, fermade o. yeast, potassium metabisulphate, potassium sorbate or other things that get added in minuscule quantities. Also a temperature sensor to keep an eye on room temperature more accurately so you can adjust it if needed to keep your mead in an ideal temperature range for your yeast to perform well.
Links:
Gram Scale: https://tinyurl.com/yckfk3a4
Food Scale: https://tinyurl.com/ycxpbd79
Temperature Sensor: https://tinyurl.com/2pu55kcx
7. Bottling - You can get bottles and cork and a corker and cork your mead, similar with bottle caps and a capper. However, I may recommend flip top bottles myself. I prefer the smaller 500ml bottles. They are cute, compact and fit efficiently in most places, especially in the fridge later, they also make for cuter gifts. Eitherway should be fine. Just a question of your preference.
Links:
Flip Top Bottles: https://tinyurl.com/4e8uwn4m
8. Go Ferm, Fermaid, Yeast and More - I highly recommend using a combination of Go Ferm, Fermaid and Wine Yeast. Go Ferm, is meant to be mixed with warm water at about 110F. Once it is mixed well and the concoctions temperature drops to 104F you can add your yeast (double check this temp for each yeast as it may vary). Then once it cools to room temperature or similar temperature as your must (honey and water mixture) you can add it into the primary fermentation vessel. Depending on your goal you may opt to use Fermaid O or Fermaid K. I have not found a need to use Fermaid K yet. The difference between the two is that Fermaid O is organic. Fermaid K has DAP ( diammonia phosphate) and there are many who are not fans as sometimes this can cause the mead to produce off flavors. To start off, just pick a mead recipe and follow it. Fermaid O is a great nutrient to start with. For knowing how much to how of all this, it will depend on the nutrient protocol you are following. I recommend Tosna 3.0 ( just do a little googling ) to start with as this was recommended to me by veterans and there is an easy calculator that accounts for your Specific Gravity (SG) and batch size as well as the type of yeast you are using and will accordingly advise how much go ferm, yeast and nutrient to use and at what intervals to top up the nutrient.
As far as the yeast goes. Lavlin D47 is a big favorite among mead makers, Lavlin 71B and K1- V1116 as well. All 3 have different alcohol tolerances as well as ideal temperature ranges. So be sure to learn those to know how your mead will turn out.
There are also additives like potassium metabisulpahte and potassium sorbate. These are used to stabilize the mead and slow fermentation in the later stages. Keep in mind these do not stop fermentation, merely slow it down. After adding there, there could still be a risk of fermentation or even carboys exploding so keep an eye on your mead always.
Links:
Go Ferm: https://tinyurl.com/paufmsux
Fermade O: https://tinyurl.com/2h3bz9jj
Lavlin D47: https://tinyurl.com/wn2rfmx5
Lavlin 71B: https://tinyurl.com/248d9p7r
Lavlin K1 V1116: https://tinyurl.com/5dhckdu4
Potassium Sorbate: https://tinyurl.com/4pr8ce28
9. Honey - For one, if anyone else is asking this question, yes unpasteurized and raw honey are one and the same. I was very concerned when i started as i knew sanitization was important and unsure of whether unpasteurized honey would bring in unknown bacteria. But we are safe. Just make sure your honey is filtered from the larvae and wax and such and you are good. It is crucial to pick a good raw honey to get the most out of your mead. Find an apiary near you to get the most out of it. Orange blossom honey is (from my limited research) the best honey to use especially if you are new to the hobby, but it is also only made in Mexico so can be tough to get sometimes. So go with any honey local to you. Wildflower is super common and no two wildflower honeys are alike so among all honeys, they may be the most challenging to replicate. I have taken a real shine to clover honey. To start, i recommend getting 3kg of one type of honey. Normally, 1 gallon of mead normally contains 2-3lbs of honey. 3kgs=6.6lbs. Which means at 2lbs, you could make fill upto 3 One gallon fermenters. You could also do 2.5lbs or even 3lbs and fill 2 fermenters and you would have a little honey left over for back sweetening. Personally, I would use 2lbs of honey and fill 2 fermenters and keep the rest just incase. Also bulk honey may save you some coin. I bought my honey from Honeybee center in Surrey, BC. I dont know that they offer the 3kg tub online but they do have free shipping over CAD 150 with some restrictions (i imagine within canada) but if you fancy some honey, just check with them
Links:
https://www.honeybeecentre.com/shop/categories/pure-honey/
Good luck and happy meading.
P.S. I shall continue to edit and update this post to ensure it is current as much as possible.
Hopefully it will help anyone else looking to get into the hobby. Please note, I am in Canada and so not all the things I mention may be available to you locally but I will do my best to provide options. I am also operating under the assumption that as a beginner, you will be looking to make 1 gallon batches to start with. I have shared links as well, but please note, this is only to help you locate the specs and details of the product. You can attempt to find something similar and cheaper accordingly. Also you can purchase smaller quantities than the links provided such as the yeast and cleaning agents etc. Also, I am running under the assumption you have access to and will be using clean water. Please do not use tap water for making mead no matter where you are. If you dont have access to drinkable tap water, please filter/boil your water thoroughly or even buy pre-packaged, sterile spring water. If you do have access to drinkable tap water, run it through a filter one last time to at least reduce chlorine and fluoride. Believe it or not, the chlorine, even in trace amounts can impact the yeast and kill some. so reduce that as much as possible. Also, star san does not like to react with chlorine. And make sure that once filtered and ready to be poured into the mead, your water only comes in contact with a sanitized container like a measuring/pouring jug.
1. Cleaners and Sanitizers - Yes they are TWO distinctly different things. Cleaners help get rid of grime, particulate, debris etc. You need to ensure that all your fermentation implements, containers and utensils that come in any contact with mead are free of all particulate. AFTER you use the cleaner, you MUST heavily rinse all the items and get all the cleaner off completely. After this it is time to Sanitize.
Recommended Cleaner: Five Star PBW - 1 lb is good to start with but if you see yourself making multiple 1 gallon batches or larger batches, then consider the 4lb box. Also get a few good bottle brushes and cleaning brushes. New ones... for mead only and nothing else.
Recommended Sanitizer: Star San 32oz. Just get this. Its not always available but i managed to get one from Amazon and had to wait several weeks. In UK and EU I believe Chem San is the same. If not Star San, try One Step by Logic. These are all no rinse sanitizers. Meaning, follow the dilution proportions. DO NOT MESS THIS UP. In the prescribed proportions, the no rinse sanitizers are save to leave in or on your utensils, fermenters and other accessories. DO NOT WASH OR RINSE as the water you use will undo the sanitization and only contaminate the items all over again.
Links:
Five Star PBW: https://tinyurl.com/mryun5pd
Star San: https://tinyurl.com/yc55f49w
One Step: https://tinyurl.com/wv5pahpe
2. Fermentation Jars/ Carboys, Airlocks and Siphons- This might seem like it doesn't matter but it really does. Carboys are great because they are usually easier to grip and shake and swirl through the process as well as can be more aesthetically pleasing if that matters to you. Drawbacks are that it can be more challenging to add fruit or any large items as the neck and mouth are very narrow. Additionally, it is known that unstandardized stopper sizes can cause issues with fitting , be loose or even slip out. This can be an easy fix with a simple elastic band at times but is something to consider. With a wide mouth jar, it is a little more difficult to get a grip while doing the initial shake and swirls later, however, there is more room to add fruit and other additives later. They also come with lids which are easier to deal with. Additionally, the ones I found come with airlocks and a rubber seal, the best part about the rubber seal is that it hurts my thumb way less that the silicone stopper when im shaking the mead. So I would recommend the wide mouth jars. That being said, consider your budget as well here, because with the above cleaners and sanitizers will help you pick up carboys and jars from Marketplace for dirt cheap and make them shine like new. I got carboys for $3-5 each with caps. Alternatively, if you are feeling adventurous, you could get a 2 Gallon food grade bucket from Canadian Tire or elsewhere with the lid, and if you're handy with tools, use a hole cutter to cut the right size hole to fit a fermentation stopper. Keep in mind, the outer diameter of the hole cutter should be wider than the narrow part of the stopper but narrower that wide part of the stopper
.For the airlock a Simple S-Shape airlock or 3 piece airlock will do. neither are rocket science but a quick youtube video will help, if not feel free to ask me how to fill it.
You can buy both with or without stoppers. Just get the stoppers, it is an incremental price difference. Or order them from aliexpress if you have the patience, it might be cheaper and they are all made there anyways. Also jut get an auto siphon.Links
Wide mouth jars: https://tinyurl.com/hsxx7nj4S-Shape Airlock: Amazon.ca
3 Piece Airlock: https://tinyurl.com/hn96dkx2
Auto- Siphon: https://tinyurl.com/yvcxuxwy
3. Food Grade Buckets - I highly recommend getting a few of these. Whether you use them to ferment or just to clean and rinse things, I think these are something that you will always find a use for. I currently have a 2 gallon bucket and two 5 gallon buckets. I use One 5 gallon bucket for the cleaner and I can easily put the big items like jars and fully submerge them in the cleaner. I use the 2 gallon bucket for sanitizer because Star san in precious and you probably wont need 5 gallons of sanitizer for anything if you're making a few batches. That being said even 2 gallons of sanitizer is a lot, but a big bucket helps. Additionally, down the road, I plan to drill a hole in the 2 gallon bucket and turn it into a fermenter, same with the 5 gallon someday so great future proof purchases. Be sure to BUY A LID, they are often sold separately
Links:
2 gallon Bucket: General PDP Template
5 Gallon Bucket: https://tinyurl.com/y2h75ztx
4. Hydrometer - This is SOOOO IMPORTANT!! I followed a few recipes but sometimes, you run out of honey, or misjudged how much you had. Sometimes your yeast behaves differently. There are a lot of things that can go wrong, there are also a lot of things you might be attempting to do like make a lower ABV/ Alcohol content mead or a higher one. Perhaps sweeter or drier. Hydrometers will help to measure the specific gravity of the liquid so as to help you calculate how much alcohol is being created and how much sugar is in the liquid in a sense. Water has a specific gravity (often called SG) reading of 1.000. anything higher than that means that the liquid is denser. and in the case of honey mixed with water, that means thicker and sweeter. You have to measure your SG before you put nutrient or yeast into the mead. So once you have mixed most of your honey and water, taking a reading. See if you need to add more to adjust your SG if you want it higher or lower (this will depend on how you want your mead to turn out and the research you have done). once adjusted, take another reading, if you are happy with your reading then make a note of it somewhere as this is IMPORTANT! If you aren't happy, keep adjusting till you are happy and then take a last reading before you add the nutrient and yeast. This will help you estimate the alcohol level you can expect. Also, I purchased the best rated hydrometer i could find. it is a little more expensive than others, but this is a technology i know little about so I relied of reviews from others.
Links:
Specific Gravity Hydrometer: https://tinyurl.com/mrtuyeur
5. Protective Gear - You can manage without this if you are careful. But as a newbie, i would recommend getting some equipment as you get used to how it all works. I know for a fact i have squirted sanitizer into my eyes by accident due to a faulty spray bottle. Life happens and precautions only reduce your risk. No reason to lose an eye or get a chemical burn over some honey and water right? Get some protective goggles and chemical gloves. If you want to go all out, then an apron too or you can cut up an old t-shirt and turn it into a makeshift apron. Not as effective, but it should do a fine job.
Links:
Eyewear: https://tinyurl.com/4ajyvtps
Gloves: https://tinyurl.com/zxkwnrfz
Apron: https://tinyurl.com/3k7377sy
6. Other Measuring Devices- I bought a measuring scale after watching many youtube videos and it being something they all recommended but nobody discussed the type of scale. I purchased a scale that measures 2gms to 5000gms (5 kg) or the equivalent in pounds. While it claims to measure in 1 gram increments, i noticed that it is pretty inaccurate for the first several grams. Great for larger volumes where you aren't dependent on micro measurements for weighing honey and such. However, since you will mostly likely move to the hydrometer, the weight of honey as an approximate will suffice for the most part. Eitherway i would recommend getting 2 different scales. One food scale and one gram scale.. the second will help measure all your additives - go ferm, fermade o. yeast, potassium metabisulphate, potassium sorbate or other things that get added in minuscule quantities. Also a temperature sensor to keep an eye on room temperature more accurately so you can adjust it if needed to keep your mead in an ideal temperature range for your yeast to perform well.
Links:
Gram Scale: https://tinyurl.com/yckfk3a4
Food Scale: https://tinyurl.com/ycxpbd79
Temperature Sensor: https://tinyurl.com/2pu55kcx
7. Bottling - You can get bottles and cork and a corker and cork your mead, similar with bottle caps and a capper. However, I may recommend flip top bottles myself. I prefer the smaller 500ml bottles. They are cute, compact and fit efficiently in most places, especially in the fridge later, they also make for cuter gifts. Eitherway should be fine. Just a question of your preference.
Links:
Flip Top Bottles: https://tinyurl.com/4e8uwn4m
8. Go Ferm, Fermaid, Yeast and More - I highly recommend using a combination of Go Ferm, Fermaid and Wine Yeast. Go Ferm, is meant to be mixed with warm water at about 110F. Once it is mixed well and the concoctions temperature drops to 104F you can add your yeast (double check this temp for each yeast as it may vary). Then once it cools to room temperature or similar temperature as your must (honey and water mixture) you can add it into the primary fermentation vessel. Depending on your goal you may opt to use Fermaid O or Fermaid K. I have not found a need to use Fermaid K yet. The difference between the two is that Fermaid O is organic. Fermaid K has DAP ( diammonia phosphate) and there are many who are not fans as sometimes this can cause the mead to produce off flavors. To start off, just pick a mead recipe and follow it. Fermaid O is a great nutrient to start with. For knowing how much to how of all this, it will depend on the nutrient protocol you are following. I recommend Tosna 3.0 ( just do a little googling
) to start with as this was recommended to me by veterans and there is an easy calculator that accounts for your Specific Gravity (SG) and batch size as well as the type of yeast you are using and will accordingly advise how much go ferm, yeast and nutrient to use and at what intervals to top up the nutrient.As far as the yeast goes. Lavlin D47 is a big favorite among mead makers, Lavlin 71B and K1- V1116 as well. All 3 have different alcohol tolerances as well as ideal temperature ranges. So be sure to learn those to know how your mead will turn out.
There are also additives like potassium metabisulpahte and potassium sorbate. These are used to stabilize the mead and slow fermentation in the later stages. Keep in mind these do not stop fermentation, merely slow it down. After adding there, there could still be a risk of fermentation or even carboys exploding so keep an eye on your mead always.
Links:
Go Ferm: https://tinyurl.com/paufmsux
Fermade O: https://tinyurl.com/2h3bz9jj
Lavlin D47: https://tinyurl.com/wn2rfmx5
Lavlin 71B: https://tinyurl.com/248d9p7r
Lavlin K1 V1116: https://tinyurl.com/5dhckdu4
Potassium Sorbate: https://tinyurl.com/4pr8ce28
9. Honey - For one, if anyone else is asking this question, yes unpasteurized and raw honey are one and the same. I was very concerned when i started as i knew sanitization was important and unsure of whether unpasteurized honey would bring in unknown bacteria. But we are safe. Just make sure your honey is filtered from the larvae and wax and such and you are good. It is crucial to pick a good raw honey to get the most out of your mead. Find an apiary near you to get the most out of it. Orange blossom honey is (from my limited research) the best honey to use especially if you are new to the hobby, but it is also only made in Mexico so can be tough to get sometimes. So go with any honey local to you. Wildflower is super common and no two wildflower honeys are alike so among all honeys, they may be the most challenging to replicate. I have taken a real shine to clover honey. To start, i recommend getting 3kg of one type of honey. Normally, 1 gallon of mead normally contains 2-3lbs of honey. 3kgs=6.6lbs. Which means at 2lbs, you could make fill upto 3 One gallon fermenters. You could also do 2.5lbs or even 3lbs and fill 2 fermenters and you would have a little honey left over for back sweetening. Personally, I would use 2lbs of honey and fill 2 fermenters and keep the rest just incase. Also bulk honey may save you some coin. I bought my honey from Honeybee center in Surrey, BC. I dont know that they offer the 3kg tub online but they do have free shipping over CAD 150 with some restrictions (i imagine within canada) but if you fancy some honey, just check with them
Links:
https://www.honeybeecentre.com/shop/categories/pure-honey/
Good luck and happy meading.
P.S. I shall continue to edit and update this post to ensure it is current as much as possible.
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