A competition-style traditional show mead built on raw, unfiltered local honey. A show mead uses only honey, water, and yeast — no additives, no fruit, no spices. The goal is to showcase the honey's terroir in its purest form. Targets 14% ABV with a semi-sweet finish. 1-gallon batch for precision. Designed for BJCP Category M1A Traditional Mead.
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Batch size
1 gallons
Target ABV
14%
Fermentation
6–8 weeks
Conditioning
6–12 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.
Source from a single local apiary. Raw, unfiltered preferred for maximum terroir expression.
Yeast
Lalvin Lalvin 71B — 0.25 packets
Preserves delicate honey aromatics. Rehydrate in Go-Ferm.
| Timing | Nutrient | Qty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 0 (pitch) | Fermaid-O | 0.5 g | |
| 24 hours | Fermaid-O | 0.5 g | |
| 48 hours | Fermaid-O | 0.5 g | |
| 1/3 sugar break | Fermaid-O | 0.5 g | |
| Day 0 (pitch) | Fermaid-K | 1 g |
Prepare no-rinse sanitizer. Sanitize all vessels and tools.
Warm 0.2 gallons of water to 100°F. Dissolve honey gently. Cool before adding.
Add honey solution to fermenter. Top up with filtered water to 1.1 gallons.
Record original gravity. Target approximately 1.106.
Pitch Lalvin 71B. Add Day 0 nutrients. Ferment at 65–70°F.
Follow TOSNA schedule. Degas before each addition.
Check gravity every few days. Fermentation typically completes in 6–8 weeks.
Rack off lees. Minimize oxygen exposure.
Condition for 6–12 months. Show mead requires extended aging for competition quality.
Clarity is critical for competition. Cold-crash or use fining agents if needed.
Bottle in wine bottles.
Ensure fermentation is fully complete before packaging. Clarity is essential for competition entry.
This recipe is written for a 1-gallon batch. 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
14%
Original gravity
1.106
Final gravity
1.006
Sweetness
semi sweet
Finished volume
1 gallons
Gross starting volume
1.1 gallons
Expected loss
0.1 gallons(9%)
| Ingredient | Quantity | Unit | Scaling notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raw, unfiltered local honey | 3 | lbs | |
| Filtered water | 0.9 | gallons | |
| Fermaid-O | 2 | g | ⚠ review |
| Fermaid-K | 1 | g | ⚠ review |
⚠ Ingredients requiring review
Initial record. Phase 4C Batch 2.
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