Yule Want More
Disclaimer: This recipe is for personal use only.
Mead Master’s Note
Yule Want More is the ultimate winter tipple. Coming in at an eye-watering 18% ABV, it’ll be sure to help lighten the mood of any festive fright you may have.
This mead is heavily spiced with traditional spices used at Christmas time, with a YouToBrew twist.
This recipe uses our QuickToBrew yeast and nutrient protocol to ferment fast and with minimal undesirable flavours. Be sure to check on this daily.
Mead Specifications
Batch Size - 5 litres
ABV - 18%
Starting Gravity (SG) - 1.160
Final Gravity (FG) - 1.020
Style - Metheglin
Ingredients
Wildflower honey - 2.4kg
Uvaferm 43 - 10.6g
Go-Ferm - 13.3g
Fermaid O - 10.8g
Potassium carbonate - 2.6g
Fermaid K - 2.5g
Potassium sorbate - 0.9g
Potassium metabisulfite - 0.5g
Spice Blend
Lemon peel - 2g
Whole nutmeg, crushed - 1.7g
Dried ginger - 1.3g
Dried galangal - 1.3g
Mace - 1.3g
Cinnamon - 0.7g
Vanilla bean - 1.3 whole beans
Allspice berries - 4 berries
Star anise - 4 star points
Long pepper - 1.3 whole peppers
Green cardamom pod - 1 pod
Clove - 2/3 whole clove
Must Preparation
To a sanitised ten-litre bucket, add the honey, first dose of Fermaid O, potassium carbonate, and Fermaid K.
Add 2.5 litres of water. We highly suggest using spring water to avoid chloramines found in tap water.
Do not use distilled water.Mix until all the honey is dissolved.
Add water to slightly below the five-litre mark.
Yeast Preparation
In a sanitised microwave-safe glass measuring jug, heat 330 ml of water to 38°C in a microwave.
Mix the Go-Ferm into the hot water.
Sprinkle the yeast on top. Allow to sit for 5 minutes, then stir vigorously.
After 10 minutes, add the yeast solution to the bucket.
Note: Do not allow the yeast to sit for longer than 15 minutes.
Fermentation
Store the bucket in a temperature range of 18-24°C. Around 21°C is best.
48 hours after pitching the yeast, add the second dose of Fermaid O.
Monitor gravity with a hydrometer to determine when it reaches <1.020. (7-10 days)
Secondary
Once the gravity is stable, add the spices from the spice blend to the bucket.
Once it tastes right, rack the mead into a sanitised demijohn.
Stabilising
Cold crash in a fridge until clear. (Optional) Cold temperatures speed clearing, but clearing will occur without it.
Rack the clear mead into a sanitised demijohn.
Add the stabilisers to the demijohn and mix well. Allow to sit for a minimum of 24 hours, ideally until clear.
Note: After stabilising, there will be a harsh note resembling fusels in the mead for a few weeks. This is caused by the stabiliser and will age out as the stabiliser completes its protective purpose.A few days after mixing, cold crash in the fridge to speed clearing. (Optional)
Bottle into sanitised bottles.
Tips and Tricks
Place your bucket into a larger container to contain any potential spill over from fermentation.
If your home is cold, the top back of the fridge is great for keeping the fermentation warm.
A spray bottle of diluted sanitiser is great for sanitising surfaces, especially hands.
The first time you use a non-graduated bucket, add 5 litres at a time and draw a line for each.
