Ginger Szechuan
Disclaimer: This recipe is for personal use only.
Mead Master’s Note
This ginger mead has intense aromatics that leap from the glass! Szechuan berries will give this sweet mead an increasingly drier finish the more you drink!
Cheers!
Mead Specifications
Batch Size - 1 gallon
ABV - 13.1%
Starting Gravity (SG) - 1.120
Final Gravity (FG) - 1.020
Style - Metheglin
Ingredients
Wildflower honey - 3 lbs
SafAle US-05 - 4g
Go-Ferm - 5g
Fermaid O - 7g, 3.5g per dose.
Potassium carbonate - 2g
Fermaid K - 1.9g
Potassium sorbate - 0.7g
Potassium metabisulfite - 0.4g
Spice Blend
Dried ginger root - 12g
Dried galangal - 12g
Red Szechuan berries - 3g
Green Szechuan berries - 3g
Marshmallow root - 3g
Dried lemon peel - 1.5g
Must Preparation
To a sanitized two-gallon bucket, add the honey, first dose of Fermaid O, potassium carbonate, and Fermaid K.
add 2 liters of water. We highly suggest using bottled water to avoid chloramines found in tap water.
Do not use distilled water.Mix until all the honey is dissolved.
Add water until slightly shy of the gallon mark.
Add the spices from the spice blend to the bucket.
Yeast Preparation
In a sanitized microwave-safe glass measuring jug, heat 125 ml of water to 101°F in a microwave.
Mix 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 65-75°F. Around 70°F is best.
48 hours after pitching the yeast, add the second dose of Fermaid O.
Take a gravity reading every 3 days with a hydrometer until the gravity reaches 1.020 (10-14 days).
Once fermentation has concluded, transfer the mead into a sanitized carboy.
Stabilizing
Cold crash in a refrigerator until clear. (Optional) Cold temperatures speed clearing, but clearing will occur without it.
Rack the clear mead into a sanitized carboy.
Add the potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulfite to the carboy and mix well. Allow to sit for a minimum of 24 hours, ideally until clear.
Note: After stabilizing, there will be a harsh note resembling fusels in the mead for a few weeks. This is caused by the stabilizer and will age out as the stabilizer completes its protective purpose.A few days after mixing, cold crash in the refrigerator to speed clearing. (Optional)
Bottle into sanitized 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 sanitizer is great for sanitizing surfaces, especially hands.
The first time you use a non-graduated bucket, add a gallon of water at a time and draw a line for each.
