![]() The idea of adding fruit is to build up flavour and body that honey alone can’t give at lower levels.įruit will add acidity, tannins, colour and flavour. I thoroughly recommend adding fruit to any hydromel and the recipe below is for a berry hydromel. It finishes quickly and makes brewing hydromel a real breeze. Kveik is a Norweigan farmhouse yeast that ferments at higher temperature and requires less temperature control. ![]() My favourite yeast for making hydromel is Kveik yeast and something I have started using quite a lot recently. There is also a huge variety of ale yeast that will contribute its own unique character to the hydromel. Unlike high ABV meads that require wine yeast, most ale yeasts are suitable for making hydromel as the alcohol tolerance of ale yeast is high enough for making hydromel. Ultimately it is up to you what honey you use and different varieties will lead to unique finished products. Varietal honey, like an orange blossom that has a distinct flavour, is worth investing in for making hydromel. We are using less honey than a higher strength mead so the honey we do use needs to be flavourful. Let’s take a look at some of the ingredients: Honey In its simplest form, you need very little to make hydromel, simple honey, water and yeast There is, however, a lot of possibilities to make something really unique and flavourful with just a few additions beyond this. Hydromel is most often carbonated which adds another dimension and a little bite of acidity. Mead tends to be still, although like wine you do get sparkling versions. This lack of flavour is often counteracted by adding flavour in the form of fruit, spices or floral additions that layer flavour on top of the moderate honey flavour.Īnother difference between some hydromel and sack mead examples is that hydromel is much more commonly carbonated. Hydromel on the other hand has less honey flavour and will typically completely ferment out leaving no residual sweetness. The reduction in honey reduces the amount of flavour.Ī strong sack mead will have 2 – 3 times more honey and maybe even some residual unfermented honey in the finished product that means you get a strong honey flavour in the finished product. There is a problem with reducing the amount of honey in a mead that would otherwise be around 12 – 14% ABV. The fact that hydromel is lower in alcohol and more akin to a beer or cider in strength it opens up all kinds of possibilities for making a thirst quenching, brightly flavoured and unique style of drink. There is a term for hydromel as a “session mead” in the sense that you can have more than one of them compared to a traditional mead.īy using more water and less honey in a mead you reduce the amount of fermentable sugars and the resulting mead will be lower in alcohol. Hydromel on the other hand is a much more moderate strength that can range between 4 – 7% ABV. Mead is typically referred to as honey wine and this is reflected in the alcoholic strength with most meads coming in at around 12 – 15% ABV. Equipment You’ll Need To Make Hydromel – Makes 10 Litres.
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