A clean, approachable traditional mead built on mild clover honey. Clover honey is the most widely available varietal and produces a neutral, lightly sweet mead that showcases pure fermentation character. Targets 11% ABV with a dry finish. Ideal for beginners. 5-gallon batch.
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Batch size
5 gallons
Target ABV
11%
Fermentation
3–5 weeks
Conditioning
2–4 months
Responsible use: These recipes produce alcoholic beverages. Ferment and consume responsibly. Verify all quantities, equipment, and safety procedures before beginning. Consult local regulations regarding home fermentation.
Mild, widely available varietal.
Chlorine-free.
Yeast
Lalvin Lalvin EC-1118 — 1 packets
Reliable, neutral profile. Good for beginner batches.
| Timing | Nutrient | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 0 (pitch) | Fermaid-O | 2.5 g | |
| 24 hours | Fermaid-O | 2.5 g | |
| 48 hours | Fermaid-O | 2.5 g | |
| 1/3 sugar break | Fermaid-O | 2.5 g | |
| Day 0 (pitch) | Fermaid-K | 5 g |
Prepare no-rinse sanitizer. Sanitize all vessels and tools.
Warm 1 gallon of water to 100°F. Dissolve honey. Cool before adding to fermenter.
Add honey solution to fermenter. Top up with filtered water to 5.5 gallons.
Record original gravity. Target approximately 1.082.
Pitch EC-1118. Add Day 0 nutrients. Ferment at 65–72°F.
Follow TOSNA schedule. Degas before each addition.
Check gravity every few days. Fermentation typically completes in 3–5 weeks.
Rack off lees. Minimize oxygen exposure.
Condition for 2–4 months.
Bottle or keg.
Ensure fermentation is fully complete before packaging.
Honey and water scale linearly. Nutrient additions do NOT scale linearly — recalculate using TOSNA for any batch size change.
Enter your desired finished batch size to scale ingredient quantities. Press Enter or tap away to apply.
Target ABV
11%
Original gravity
1.082
Final gravity
1.000
Sweetness
dry
Finished volume
5 gallons
Gross starting volume
5.5 gallons
Expected loss
0.5 gallons(9%)
| Ingredient | Quantity | Unit | Scaling notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clover honey | 12 | lbs | |
| Filtered water | 4.5 | gallons | |
| Fermaid-O | 10 | g | ⚠ review |
| Fermaid-K | 5 | g | ⚠ review |
⚠ Ingredients requiring review
Initial record. Phase 4C Batch 2.
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