Spices are a great flavor additive that can add a ton of variety and complexity to your meads. However, unlike with fruit, their potency can impart a strong taste in a very short period of time. So it can be prudent to err on the side of caution when adding spices. More can always be added to increase the flavor. But once it is infused, blending or an extreme amount of aging are your only hopes at redeeming an overpowering spice. Do note that the aging process can do some miraculous things. I’ve read about some meadmakers accidentally adding five times the recommended amount of a certain spice, and it turned into an interesting drink after a year or two of aging. But in order to avoid such long timelines, I’ve compiled a list of guidelines to at least give you a relative target to aim for. These should be good to get the flavor infused and noticeable. If you’re looking for a more dominant character from the spice, adding a bit more would be within reason.
Remember there are a few methods to extracting flavors from spices. You can add them directly into your brew (do so after fermentation ends so that the flavor compounds don’t get pushed out the airlock). This method is the simplest, but you have the least control over the end product. You’ll want to monitor it closely. Another method is to steep the herbs or spices in boiling water to extract the flavors. This works on certain types of chemical compounds better than others. The final method is to make a tincture by soaking the spices in a strong alcohol like vodka. This will extract flavors that are soluble in alcohol. The latter two methods allow you to add the flavoring to the mead with more control, as you can just add until the taste is where you want it.
Amount to add per gallon of mead
| Spice/Herb | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Allspice | ½ tsp |
| Anise | 1-2 tsp |
| Basil, sweet | ½ cup |
| Cocoa nib | 1-2 ounces |
| Caraway seeds | ⅕ tsp |
| Carob pods | ¼ pod |
| Cardamon seeds | ½ tsp |
| Chamomile | ⅓ ounce |
| Chile, pepper | ½ ounce |
| Cinnamon | ½ – 1 stick |
| Citrus blossoms | 1 cup |
| Clove | 1 bud |
| Coffee, bean | 2.5 shots espresso |
| Coriander seeds | ½ tsp |
| Cowslip flowers | ½ ounce |
| Dandelion leaf | ¼ pound |
| Dillweed | ½ tbsp |
| Elderberry flower | ¼ ounce |
| Elecampane root | ¼ ounce |
| Fennel seed | ½ tsp |
| Fig Leaves | ⅙ cup |
| Ginger | ½ -1″ of fresh ginger, sliced |
| Grains of paradise | ¼ tsp |
| Heather | 2 cups |
| Horehound flower | ⅓ ounce |
| Juniper berries | ¼ tsp |
| Juniper leaf | ½ ounce |
| Lavender flower | ⅕ ounce |
| Lemon leaves | ⅙ cup |
| Licorice root | 1/10 ounce |
| Mace | ½ tsp |
| Mahlab (cherry pit) | ¼ tsp |
| Mint | ½ tbsp, bruised |
| Milk thistle leaf | ⅓ ounce |
| Mugwort leaf | ⅓ ounce |
| Nettle leaf | ⅙ pound |
| Nutmeg | 1 nut, crushed or 1 tsp powder |
| Orange | zest of a single orange |
| Orange Leaves | ⅙ cup |
| Oregano | 1-2 tbsp |
| Peppercorn | ¼ tsp |
| Rose Petals | 1 cup |
| Rosehips, dried | 2-8 ounces |
| Rosemary | ⅕ ounce |
| Sage | ⅙ cup |
| Sarsaparilla root | 1/10 ounce |
| Spruce bud | 1 ounce |
| Star Anise | ½ -1 tsp |
| Sweet gale | ⅓ ounce |
| Sweetgrass | ⅙ ounce |
| Vanilla bean | 1 bean, split |
| Wintergreen leaf | ⅓ ounce |
| Wormwood | 0.04 ounce |
| Yarrow leaf | ⅓ ounce |
Time Limited Additions
There are some herbs and spices that you cannot leave in your brew until it is ready to bottle. These are so potent that you only want to have their flavor being leached for a limited amount of time. Otherwise the flavor will overwhelm anything else in your brew. You can rack off of these ingredients, or place them in a hop bag that can be removed when you’ve hit the concentration you want.
| Spice/Herb | Quantity | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Szechuan Peppers | 2 tbsp | 2-4 weeks |
| Orange peel with pith | ½ orange peel | 1-2weeks |
| Lavender | ⅙ cup | Check Daily* |
| Rosemary | ⅙ cup | Check Daily* |
*Remove when half desired strength. Tends to intensify