Presentation can be fairly important. If you offer your homebrew to a friend, and they receive a cloudy drink with sediment floating around, their first impression of your work is not likely to be very positive. No matter what it tastes like, if it looks gross, that initial judgement is going to taint their overall opinion. The clarity of your mead is one of the first noticeable attributes of your drink; second only to it’s color. So, from an aesthetic standpoint, it’s important.

Mead can finish fermenting, and be in a drinkable state in a couple of weeks, especially at low alcohol levels. If the flavors in your mead don’t require much aging, then the next largest time sink is waiting for your mead to clear. They yeast, and any particles from your flavor additives or honey are all floating around in suspension after the vigorous churning they went through in the fermentation process. As the yeast slow down, they begin to fall out of suspension and sink to the bottom. With no more CO2 being produced, and creating an upward force, this settling process begins to speed up. Sometimes, however, things just don’t seem to want to drop. This tends to happen with especially fine particles quite a bit. With time, these stuck particles will eventually drop, but if you’re impatient or low on time, we’ll tackle a few methods to help clear your mead.

Cold Crashing

The most basic method is cold crashing. If the yeast have just recently finished eating all the sugar in your must, they may still be actively moving around and not quite willing to drop. A quick drop in temperature will force them to enter a less active state, somewhat like a hibernation. This can help in getting the clearing started.

Racking

Siphoning your mead into another container can help degas your mead.  That combined with getting everything all mixed up can also help to accelerate the clearing process. On occasion these simple methods are enough to get things moving, but there are some more advanced techniques if these fail.

Filtering

The most effective method to clear your mead is to filter it. A filtration system is one of the more expensive pieces of equipment you can buy, but is also the fastest, and most reliable way to remove the haze from your creation. Depending upon the size of the filter pads you get for your device, it can even serve double duty and remove any still living yeast from the drink. This allows you to back sweeten with impunity, with no worry of fermentation starting back up again. Effectively stabilizing it. You can read more about filtering in this article.

Fining Agents

Last but not least, there are fining agents. These are additives that can be added to your brew to help the particles within them to drop. There are a few different types, which work in different ways, but they all have some effect on the floating particles’ ability to stay buoyant within the liquid. Most of these particles have a small electric charge. Some of these fining agents make use of an opposing charged particle, often heavier than the one it is trying to attract, to attract those that are floating. These heavier particles will drop through your mead and pull the suspended ones towards them to the bottom. Beer tends to have a set group of popular additives so it can be pretty easy to know which fining agent works best to clear out your beer. Mead, however, seems to have a much broader array of additives being used in them, so it can take some trial and error to see which fining agent works the best. It won’t help much if your suspended particles are positively charged and you use a positively charged fining agent.

Another large group of fining agents rely on the process of absorption. These don’t carry a charge, but instead have a way of catching onto floating particles and binding with them as they fall down. There are also a few enzymes that can break down certain proteins which are known to cause haze.

Bentonite

Bentonite is a type of volcanic clay that happens to hold a negative charge. This means it should attract most of the positively charged particles in your mead. This clay also has the ability absorb a great deal of water, which causes it to expand to nearly 20 times its original size. So once it has bonded with the suspended material, it will swell up and sink.

Bentonite is especially interesting, because it can be added pre-fermentation. Most fining agents will only work after the fact. But if hydrated properly with hot water separately from the mead and added as a slurry, it can be added to the must. It will still settle to the ground, but fermentation will cause CO2 bubbles to form and lift the bentonite back to the top. The bentonite is pulling positively charge particles in its wake the whole time. These bubbles reach the surface and pop, and everything it was holding up will drop back to the bottom, pulling more positively charged particles with it. This elevator ride repeats through the fermentation, clearing it as it goes.

Some mead makers have found that this bouncing process can help temper the active yeast, as well. It keeps the fermentation from becoming too vigorous and ensures it moves at a more controlled pace. This can be good for reducing the fusel alcohols that warrant aging out to remove the heat or bite that young beverages are known for.

If you add bentonite post fermentation, it will only get the initial sinking to pull any particles with it. Unless you give it some outside help. If you degass your mead a few times a day after adding it, the released CO2 can drag the bentonite back up to the top.

Chitosan

Not exactly a fining agent, as it doesn’t act to clear currently suspended particles. Many fruits used in wine and mead contain both tartaric acid and potassium. These eventually react with one another to form potassium bitartrate. This appears as a clear, tasteless crystal like material. It is often referred to as “cream of tartar”, “tartrate crystals”, or “white diamonds”. These often appear after bottling, and while they are harmless, are another type of sediment that you might like to avoid.This is composed of chitin, which makes up the exoskeletons of crabs, shrimp and other shellfish. It is a positively charged particle, so will work on different types of suspended material than the bentonite will. Chitosan is very popular to use to clear white wines, as it does not require help from tannin to be effective (like gelatin does). It is often sold as part of a two pack with Kieselsol (a negatively charged particle), as the second step of Super Kleer – to be used a few days after A. Chitosan is known to be fairly gentle towards the character of a finished wine. It should not affect much other than the clearing you wish it to do.

Egg Whites

Probably one of the first fining agents ever used, egg whites hold a positive charge. Commonly used to clear red wines during barrel aging, egg whites also have a reputation for softening astringency and mellowing out the wine with no real negative effects. Preparing a whole egg to use as a fining agent takes a few steps, but this is a tried and true method dating back centuries. One egg is enough to clarify over 6 gallons. The whites should be separated and added to salted water. This will allow help it become more soluble. 1 egg, 0.1 liter of water, and 0.15g of salt is the suggested ratio. Whip it all together, and remove any foam, for this will float uselessly on top of your mead. It should be racked off the egg whites within 2 weeks. Powdered egg whites will also work, and may be preferred to avoid bacteria.

Gelatin

Gelatin is a positively charged particle that comes from an animal protein. Similar to bentonite, it can also be added pre-fermentation. Positively charged fining agents are recommended for Red wines, as they can help to remove excess tannins (negatively charged). It can be used in whites (or lighter colored meads without much tannin), but excessive gelatin can create a haze of its own. To avoid stripping too much from whites, it can be used with kieselsol (negative charge). This will act as a substitute for the lack of tannin and pull out the excess gelatin in your mead.  Working together, they can reduce astringency and collect both types of charged particles that may be suspended.

Gelatin has a limited shelf life, being an animal product. So keep this in mind when purchasing. It comes in both powdered and liquid form. The powdered form is easier to regulate the necessary dosage.

Isinglass

Isinglass is a positively charged protein made from collagen, which is extracted from the swim bladders of fish. It is known for its gentle touch, and is not recommended for removing any heavy hazing in your mead. Isinglass will not strip out any flavor or character from your beverage like some of the other fining agents can. Often, it is used as a secondary fining agent to add the finishing touches to a drink after another agent is used. It produces a very thin layer of fine sediment. It comes in both liquid and powder forms.
 

Kieselsol

Also referred to as silicon dioxide, kieselsol is a negatively charged particle. Often paired with other fining agents of the opposite charge because it acts similar to tannin. This is also sold as the first step of the 2 part Super Kleer packs.

Casein/Potassium Caseinate

Casein is a milk protein. Similar to gelatin, it can be used to reduce tannin, and remove brown the brown tint that can occur with oxidation. Do not overuse, however, as it can strip out the character and colors you may wish to keep in your beverage. Casein can be difficult to use, as it will react with any acids in your mead (and honey can be fairly acidic). This reaction causes it to lose its effectiveness as a fining agent, if you try to simply stir it in. It is much more effective if it is injected into the mead via a baster or syringe, as the pressure keeps this reaction at bay.

Pectic Enzyme/Pectinase

Pectic enzyme is great for anything with a fruit additive. Fruits often have pectin, a long carbohydrate chain that does not like to settle out, and has some mild gelling properties. It tends to create a significant haziness in drinks if not dealt with. The pectin molecule is also quite large and can prove to be problematic for filtration, as it will gum up the filters. This enzyme helps to break it down so it can sink easier. Since this acts on the molecules themselves, it can be added pre-fermentation with no issues.

PVPP (Poly vinyl poly pyrrolidone)

PVPP is a synthetic polymer that will not dissolve in water. This means it cannot break down in your drink or leave any off-flavors behind. This is more of a tannin reducer than a strict fining agent. It can be used in place of gelatin, and will similarly remove oxidative odors and colors, as it removes the part of the enzyme in fruit that reacts with oxygen.

Often used alongside carbon to remove off-flavors, or with bentonite to produce a more compact sediment layer.

Sparkalloid

A popular brand of fining agent that is made from the fossilized remains of hard shelled algae. It comes in a powder in hot mix, or cold mix varieties. Hot mix is for wines or meads, cold for juices. It has quite a good reputation for making nice clear drinks without stripping out the character. It is mixed with hot water and then added to your mead. However, this is a slower acting fining agent that is suggested to use a whole month prior to bottling.

Carbon

While this is not strictly a fining agent, it is worth noting. Carbon can be used to remove odd odors from your mead. It is commonly used in things like air filtration units, and a similar principle applies to beverages. It can also remove off colors from your drink. Be careful not to overuse it, however. Carbon will strip out color, scent, and even flavor if you use too much of it, and could even develop its own off-flavor.

Metatartaric Acid

Not exactly a fining agent, as it doesn’t act to clear currently suspended particles. Many fruits used in wine and mead contain both tartaric acid and potassium. These eventually react with one another to form potassium bitartrate. This appears as a clear, tasteless crystal like material. It is often referred to as “cream of tartar”, “tartrate crystals”, or “white diamonds”. These often appear after bottling, and while they are harmless, are another type of sediment that you might like to avoid.

Cleaning and sanitizing your brewing equipment is an important step in preventing your creations from getting infected and spoiling your end product. After all that effort and patience, you wouldn’t want to suddenly find your brew to have a funky, foul taste. The process of brewing is all about fostering the growth and prosperity of certain microscopic organisms. But they have some nasty rivals that like to grow in similar environments. In order to hinder those little nasties, it is critical that you take proper precautions in caring for your brewing gear. You should do this both before you begin using, and after you’ve finished with the tools.

Always wash your equipment first. This will remove any large contaminants that could harbor microorganisms in its nooks and crannies.

Cleaning Agents

Oxiclean – This is widely available, and fairly inexpensive. It is good for cleaning off all the residue found in your fermenter.

Powdered Brewing Wash (PBW) – A stronger solution that can remove most organic residue buildup with a minimal amount of scrubbing. It’s a bit more expensive and not as readily available, but it good on tough stains.

Straight – A – Another strong, specialty cleaning solution.

Dish soap – Cheap and readily available. It can get the job done. Just make sure to completely rinse it all off your equipment.

Bleach  – While it does make for a good disinfectant, I would avoid using this at all costs. It requires a ton of rinsing to be sure you’ve removed it all. Bleach has a lingering, strong smell you wouldn’t want near your brew. It can actually corrode stainless steel, increasing the areas of your equipment that bad things could hide in. And if that’s not bad enough, if it happens to mix with the yeast nutrient, DAP, it can create poisonous chlorine gas. So, really, there’s very few upsides to using bleach to clean your equipment. Pretty much anything else would be better.

Be careful when scrubbing plastic, as you don’t want to scour scratches into the material. This would give microorganisms another hiding place. Plastic should also not be soaked for an extended period of time in these solutions, as it can sometimes absorb some of the chemicals involved. We wouldn’t want these to seep back into our must.

Now that we’ve cleaned everything, it’s time to sanitize.

We’ve removed the obvious soil from our equipment, but there’s still some small microorganisms crawling around on it. This is where our sanitizer comes in. These create an inhospitable environment for the germs after a brief exposure and ensures our yeast will not have much competition when we go to use this equipment as their new home. Make sure to sanitize any of the tools that will come into direct contact with your must.

Sanitizing Agents

Starsan – This is the go to for most homebrewers when it comes to sanitizers. It is fairly inexpensive, easy to use and can be found readily in most homebrew shops or online. It comes concentrated, so requires mixing with water. A small amount can be used sanitize all your equipment at once. Many homebrewers will fill up their fermentation bucket, add some Starsan and dunk the rest of their tools in there. Starsan only requires about 60 seconds of contact to do its job. Placing some solution in a spray bottle makes for an easy to use quick-sanitize option for those small, or oddly shaped tools. Another cool thing about Starsan, is that it does not require rinsing afterwards. The yeast will actually eat it, and cause no adverse effects to your mead. So don’t worry about leaving a little of the foam behind.

Be aware, that it is slightly acidic. Don’t leave puddles of it sitting around. I have a few rings on my counter from the acid discoloring the surface. A quick wipe down when you’re finished should prevent this from happening.

Iodophore – An iodine based sanitizer that requires only a small amount mixed with water. It is similarly fast acting, taking just 60 seconds of contact. Metals should not be kept in contact for an extended period – it can pit the metal similar to bleach.

B-Brite – Another common sanitizer found in homebrew stores. This one comes pre-mixed, but requires about 15 mins of contact to be effective.

Boiling – Boiling water can be used to sanitize some of the tools you have that can survive high heat.

Oven – Not the most time efficient method, but a dry heat can be used to kill off ALL microorganisms. The higher the temperature, the less time the items have to be kept under this heat. 250 degrees F requires 12 hours, 338 degrees F 60 mins. It’s the only option that will completely sterilize your equipment, rather than just sanitize it. It’s just not  the most convenient one.

Dishwasher – A full cycle in the dishwasher is enough to sanitize your equipment. The steam in the dry cycle can be quick effective at this. Be careful of any plastic items, as they can warp under the heat.

Often, the yeast you use will be able to eat through all the sugar you supplied in your mead. Especially if you properly supply them with nutrients you may find they can surpass their stated alcohol tolerances. This makes it difficult to calculate ahead of time what your finishing gravity will be based on what your starting gravity is. Almost all of my batches have fermented to be bone-dry. Luckily you are not doomed to only have dry meads! You can back sweeten mead, which just means to add more sugar (usually in the form of honey) to your brew after it has finished fermenting.

In order to back sweeten, you must first be sure your mead has completely finished fermenting. Adding more sugar to an active ferment may just be raising the potential abv, and provide no residual sugar when he yeast are finished. So unless you are making a sack mead (very high abv) and are willing to push the yeast past their limit to be sure you have sugar remaining, then you will have to wait until they have finished. A good indicator of this is when your mead has clarified. A large part of what makes the must hazy is the yeast floating in suspension. When they’ve eaten their fill, they will clump together (flocculate) and sink to the bottom of the container, joining the lees.

Alright, your mead is clear. Now what?

As I previously mentioned, if you just add more honey now, there is a chance that you could reawaken some yeast and restart the fermentation. Even if you racked your mead off of the lees, there is still some floating around in suspension. To be absolutely sure, there are three methods available to us to prevent restarting the fermentation: stabilizing the mead, filtering the mead, or pasteurizing the mead (heating it just enough to kill off the yeast).

Filtering is a more advanced technique that requires some special equipment to essentially pump your mead through a filter pad. The pad has to have a filtration value below the size of the yeast (which are quite small) around 1 micron. This has the potential to also pull out some of the large molecules that contribute to the flavor and color of your mead, so be warned. Many commercial wineries and breweries filter their products in this manner.

Most homebrewers will choose to stabilize their mead. This is a fairly simple process requiring two chemical additives: potassium sorbate, and potassium metabisulphite. They’re both relatively inexpensive, and a small amount stirred into your mead will prevent the yeast from being able to reproduce, thus stopping any fermentation in its tracks. They are not very good at stopping an active ferment, however, so must be added after it has completed. These chemicals take a little time to work, so mixing them in the day before you wish to back sweeten is recommended. In the small quantities used,  (Use 1/2 tsp. per gallon for potassium sorbate, and 1/4 teaspoon per 5-6 gallons for potassium metabisulfite) they do not add any detectable flavors.

Note: Potassium metabisulfite is an allergen for some individuals. This is a common additive in commercial wines, so you would likely know if you are already affected. Just be aware when serving to guests.

Now the mead is clear and stable. It’s a good idea to grab a quick gravity measurement before adding anything, if you haven’t done so already. We now can proceed with the back sweetening. Take your desired sugar: honey is quite common for meads, fruit juice or whole fruit can be used to strengthen that flavor of your melomel, maple syrup for the acerglyns, brown sugar is common in cysers (apple mead). If you use lactose (which you can buy as a powder) you wouldn’t need to stabilize as yeast are unable to metabolize it.

As the desired sweetness is a very subjective thing, there isn’t formulaic way to go about it. Some brewers target a specific gravity after sweetening. This is probably easier for a recipe they’ve used before, as the other flavors in the mead can lend the perception of sweetness to the mixture without having any actual sugar. You’ll likely have to experiment. Add the sugar in slowly and taste it until you find the spot you’re looking for. If you don’t want to risk your whole batch, you can take a small sample out and figure out the necessary ratio to get to your desired sweetness. 16 cups to a US liquid gallon makes for an easy to use starting point. Mix it up and you’ve now sweetened your mead to perfection!

Back Sweeten with a Finished Mead

The above method is a perfectly serviceable way to sweeten up your mead. It is also likely the easiest way to do so for relative beginners. However, there are are a number of meadmakers that swear by there being a better way. They argue that adding fresh honey to an already fermented mead will taste like just that: mead sweetened with honey. I have not experienced this first-hand, but the theory is that honey that goes through the fermentation process, even if not fully eaten up and turned into alcohol, will not have quite the same flavor as the fresh stuff.

It could be that the simpler sugars  or other nutrients are eaten first, leaving the more complex ones behind. The process of fermentation will also introduce a lot of fine flavors caused by the yeast strain. They can introduce esters and phenols that can make for defining characteristics of your drink. Raw honey would likely cover those up. Whatever the reason, essentially the honey is changed somewhat to be less of a candied, cloyingly sweet flavor to a more subtle and smooth sweetness. The mouthfeel also changes during fermentation. The honey gets thinned out and homogenized throughout the solution.

The secret here is to have a batch of very sweet, plain mead ready to mix into your new batch. This blending will raise the sweetness of your main batch, but not overpower it with its raw honey flavor. It will also be easier to measure out to a precise amount than plain honey is, which can be important if you are aiming for a specific gravity.

What if I want to back sweeten AND carbonate my mead?

The above method is great for flat meads. It can also work fine if you want to force carbonate your mead in a keg, as that doesn’t require any additional fermentation.

Read more on kegging here.

However, if you want to bottle carbonate your mead, stabilizing your mead will prevent it from being able to use any priming sugar you add to get that CO2 produced once it has been bottled. But not stabilizing it could have the yeast ferment more than you expect, with the extra back sweetening sugar, an create a bottle bomb.

The one solution that could work for bottle carbonating is the pasteurization route. You’d have to monitor the bottles closely to make sure they are at the proper carbonation level and then heat the bottles in hot water to kill off the yeast. The best way to do this is to have two plastic bottles filled with your mead alongside the other glass ones you intend to fill. This will allow you to give the bottle a squeeze test to determine how carbonated they are. Fill one plastic bottle first, then the other at the end of bottling. This will give you the fill spread of carbonation rates.

You’ll need a large pot filled with water. Heat to 190 on the stove, then turn off the heat. Carefully place your bottles into the water, keep them there for 10 mins. Repeat for the next batch until you’ve finished them all. This can take some time, especially if you are using beer bottles.

Remember: Normal wine bottles are not built to withstand the pressure of carbonation.

Kegs can be a great way to store your mead. No bottles and corks or caps to deal with, especially if you’re entertaining a large group. It simplifies things, is compact and easily portable, and provides an efficient delivery method all at the same time. A 5 gallon keg can hold roughly the equivalent of 25 wine bottles. Good luck carrying those to a party. This guide will help you avoid those issue after you learn how to keg mead.

Beyond just holding and dispensing your brew, however, kegs can also be used to force carbonate. There’s generally two ways to carbonate your mead: allow it to happen naturally with a small amount of fermentation still occurring after you bottle it, or forcing the gas into the liquid from an external source. The first option comes with the risk of miscalculating how much fermentation can take place, and causing the bottle to explode. Or at least the cork to pop. But they’re both messy.

Kegs, on the other hand, are built to withstand a much larger amount of pressure than glass bottles. They may seem a little daunting at first. I know I was intimidated by all the valves and tubes and connections, but they are actually quite simple to use.

I recently acquired a Draft Brewer Cannonball 1.75 gallon mini keg. It’s perfect because I don’t have a ton of extra space in my apartment, so this was going to be my first foray into kegging. Small, compact, easy to store. It has proven to be quite simple to work with, and has performed an admirable job.

Keg Setup

First step, as usual, sterilize the keg’s interior. There’s no point in getting your mead this far only to introduce some bad bugs, now. This includes the interior of the keg, as well as all the hoses and fittings. Anywhere that the liquid could reach. Do not use bleach to clean a keg. Bleach can cause corrosion with stainless steel, even on brief contact. This, in turn could ruin the keg, or at the very least introduce even more surface for bad microorganisms to hide, making it even more difficult to clean in the future.

Next, you will want to siphon your mead into the keg. It probably wouldn’t be the end of the world to pour it in slowly if you must, as we will be forcing CO2 into it; but the less splashing around it does, the better. Place the lid back on the container, and seal it. Mine has a lever that pulls everything nice and tight against the gasket.

Here’s the slightly tricky part. I missed it initially on my first attempt and realized I had a small leak in my connections. Your Regulator has a small O-ring washer – mine was plastic – that fits in between the tank and the regulator thread. Mine came twist-tied to it and I didn’t see it at first. Without it, I was unable to create a good seal. The same can be said about the smaller plastic washers for each of the hose connections. Once the tank and regulator are connected, there’s a nozzle on the bottom of the regulator to attach a hose, which in turn connects to the IN port ( small upward facing connection point near the lid). This will be the pathway the gas will take to pressurize your tank, so make sure the connections are nice and tight or else you could end up emptying your tank before it hits your brew.

Next hook you can hook up the out nozzle with the pouring hose if you plan to use it there, or you can save that for later. This process could several days to a couple weeks.

On to the kegging

Next, make sure the valve on the regulator is closed. Turn the main valve on the top of the air tank. Ensure there’s no leaks. Then, make sure the regulator adjustment knob is turned to the low end and release the regulator valve switch to allow air into the keg. Now you can adjust the regulator to your desired pressure. You’ll want to use the release valve on the top of the keg a few times to allow the CO2 to push excess oxygen out. Do this a few times.

At this point, you can slosh around your keg a bit to increase the surface area of your brew to speed up the absorption of the CO2 into solution. Keeping your keg in a refrigerator will also increase this speed.

After a few days to two weeks, your brew should be fully carbonated and ready to pour, or bottle.

Consult this chart to account for pressure/temperature differences:

Note: normal wine bottles are not made to withstand carbonation pressure, ESPECIALLY if you are carbing it in the bottle. Beer bottles, swing-top bottles, or special champagne bottles are purpose built for that.

You don’t need a whole lot of equipment to get started making your own mead. And it is up to you how complicated and fancy you want to get with the tools you use to concoct your beverages. Remember, they used to make this with a wooden stick and a big open container. The quality then could be hit or miss, so you are likely to have more control over your final product the better tools you use, but you could easily come out with a very drinkable product without all the extra toys. Below I’ve put together a list of items to help you navigate the different levels of equipment you can make use of on your journey. I’ve broken them out into suggested stages where I felt most brewers would find their introduction most appropriate, after getting a handle on the prior stage’s equipment. There’s a whole world of different brewing toys out there that I don’t cover here.

Bare Bones – These will get you started.

Milk Jug

A basic, clean container that made with food grade materials

Balloon With a hole poked in it

Will provide a makeshift airlock that can show you that he fermentation is occurring as it slightly inflates.

Basics – For when you don’t want to look like you’re brewing in your dorm room.

Food Grade Bucket – primary fermenter

Buckets allow for easy access when adding fruits and other flavorings to your must. They also mitigates the risk of a pressurized geyser forming like carboys can cause, with their larger surface area. This, however, also makes it less desirable to age in, as it increases the area that can oxidize.

Cover with cheese cloth: preferred for natural ferments

Or cover with lid that has a hole for airlock

Airlocks (two different types)

S-Shape Airlock:

Designed to show pressure. Liquid is held in the two chambers in the middle. Their level difference will show whether pressure is greater inside your container (fermentation/degassing is taking place) or outside. These can be a bit difficult to clean – especially if any of your brews ferments vigorously enough to be pushed into the airlock.

3 piece airlock:

The more popular type among homebrewers, especially for primary fermentation. Holds a larger amount of liquid, which means having to monitor it’s levels less frequently. It comes apart and is extremely easy to clean.

They both work fine. Just a few small difference depending on what you’d prefer to use them for.

Hydrometer

Hydrometers are used for measuring the specific gravity of your brew. This allows you to determine the potential alcohol percentage based on the Original must. It can also be used to determine when fermentation ends, when the gravity of your liquid stops changing over the course of several days. The comparison of your Final gravity and Original gravity will give you your actual alcohol percentage.

Racking cane and tubing

A racking cane is used for transferring between containers without introducing oxygen into your brew. Also useful for bottling with the bottle filler attachment.

Degasser Attachment for drill

For mixing your honey until dissolved and aerating or degassing the must. These wands will fit in the adjustable tip of a drill and saves you a lot of manual stirring.

Bottles

750 ml Wine Bottle

Classic look. Can easily attach custom labels to. Not meant for carbonated drinks.

Beer Bottle

Individualized portions. Great for carbonated drinks.

Flip top Beer Bottle (Grolsch)

More individualized portions. Thicker glass that is great for carbonated drinks. No need for new corks when reusing. Resealable.

Intermediate – You want to take some steps to the quality and presentation

Carboy

Perfect for aging your brew. Also an alternative to the bucket for primary fermentation. These decrease headspace to prevent oxygen exposure. They come in both glass and plastic varieties.

Carboy Carrier

Don’t forget to buy some carriers for your carboys. They get heavy when full and are not easy to hold onto. Don’t bother with the neck rings (little metal handles that hook onto the neck of the carboy). Those put a lot of pressure on that one spot when full and can cause the to fracture – I’ve heard horror stories. You do not want to drop a 60 pound glass object full of liquid. These straps buckle around the whole container and distribute the force, making it much easier to maneuver around.

Bottle Filler Attachment

A bottle filler connects to the other end of the racking cane’s tube to allow more control over when the liquid is being let out. Most of these are spring operated. Pressure against the bottom of the bottle will release the liquid, letting up will stop it.

Corker

Used to cork your bottles of finished mead. These will compress the cork until it is thin enough to slip in, and the plunger will push it in to the correct depth. There are several types of corkers in two main styles: handheld and floor. The floor models are much easier to work with, and provide a steadier base for the bottle. The handheld models work fine, but be careful to press straight down on the top of the bottle, or you have the chance to tip them over.

Potassium Metabisulphite

Potassium metabisulphite is used in conjunction with Potassium sorbate to prevent renewed fermentation. Not guaranteed to be able to stop an active ferment. Generally used prior to backsweetening.

Potassium Sorbate

Prevents yeast from reproducing. These two used together will prevent your mead from starting up another fermentation. Not guaranteed to be able to stop an ongoing fermentation, however.

Fining Agents

Used to speed up the clearing of your mead. These make use of slightly ionically charged particles that attract the particles floating in your mead and pull them down to the bottom with them.

Read more about them in the article on How to Clear your Mead.

The most popular of these fining agents are Sparkolloid, and Super Kleer

Yeast Nutrients

DAP (diammonium phosphate) is one of the main nutrients that yeast make use of, and

manyhomebrewers add it to their fermentations. It helps to stimulate yeast growth, and is also a common component in yeast starters. Generally 1/2 – 3/4 gram per gallon.

Fermaid K is a mixture of different micro-nutrients that yeast like to eat. It contains some DAP, as well as dead yeast cells (they’re basically cannibals) which contain the extremely important nitrogen. Fermaid K also has some unsaturated fatty acids and sterols which help improve the yeast’s alcohol tolerance. this allows them to continue creating it past their normal limits, increasing the abv potential of your brew.

Fermaid O is a similar mixture to Fermaid K, except it contains a different source of nitrogen that is thought to be more natural for the yeast to digest than that in Fermaid K. It also contains no DAP. There is not really a consensus on which of these is better for mead, so it comes down to personal preference.

Go-Ferm is a yeast starter used in the rehydration process of yeast, before it is added to the must. This mixture of nutrients is meant to prepare your yeast to begin fermentation in peak condition. It contains no DAP, as that can be harmful to yeast during the rehydration process.

Campden Tablets

Campden tabs are used to kill off any extraneous microorganisms, including wild yeast, in your must prior to pitching. Useful when using fruit additions, or fresh herbs. Consists of sodium metabisulphite and performs similarly to Potassium Sorbate and Potassium Metabisulphite.

Thermometer strips

Monitor the temperature of your brew from the outside of the container.

Keg

Easier to serve larger quantities than bottles. Also allows you to carbonate without the risk of bottle bombs if you miscalculate the amount of sugar to add.

Advanced – Take your brewing to the next level

Yeast Stir plate

Get a solid yeast culture going without needing to stir it yourself. Probably more useful when cultivating your own yeast, than using the packets.

Conical Fermenter

These will collect the lees and other sediment at the bottom of the fermenter in the inverted cone shape. They cause less transfer loss as the sediment is more contained. Many even have a valve at the bottom that can be used to remove the lees first, further reducing the risk of kicking up the dust again while siphoning.

Refractometer

Another tool that can be used to measure the concentration of sugar in your must by means of light refraction. It’s not very reliable for determining post fermentation stats as the alcohol will also affect the refraction off the liquid.

Filtration

Don’t want to wait as long for your brew to clear? Filter it. These machines run the liquid through a specific sized filtration pad (disposable) which are keyed to removed particles above a specific size. These can get small enough to remove the yeast themselves from the brew, replacing the need for fermentation stabilizer chemicals when backsweetening. Note: some chance of filtering out coloring or flavor causing particles. Many mainstream drinks are filtered in some way.

Fermentation Chamber/Cold Crash Chamber

Regulate the temperature of your fermentation. Useful if you’re using a temperature sensitive strain of yeast and are not able to brew in a location with these conditions naturally. Removes temperature fluctuations as a variable in the outcomes of your mead.

Kegerator

Serve your mead in style! Keep it cold, carbonated and ready to serve.