Denard Brewing

This recipe is a basic protocol for a fast sweet sack mead. As you can see from the many recipes on this site, it can be adapted to include spices, fruit, oak, or whatever else you desire.

1. Add 3.5 lbs of your favorite honey to a 1 gallon carboy and water to half a gallon.
2. Add 0.25 tsp K2CO3 and 0.4 tsp Fermaid K. 
3. Add 0.79 tsp Fermaid O; Add 0.79 tsp Fermaid O again at 1.110 & 1.070.
4. Add water to 1/2 cup shy of 1 gallon and pitch 1 activated smack pack of Wyeast 1388. Smack the pack and allow to equilibrate for a maximum of 2 hours.
5. Degass before adding nutrients! OR use Fermcap S at 6 drops per gallon.
6. Final gravity will be ~1.020. It can take 3 days or 3 weeks depending on the temperature of the room, how fresh your smack pack was, etc. Once FG is reached, Optional treatments (bottom of the page) can be used.
-Note: Optimal temperture for Wyeast 1388 is 68 degrees F.
7. Once a stable gravity is reached, allow the mead to drop clear. Cold crashing (stick in a refrigerator) is an easy way to speed this process.
9. Bottle once clear. It is ready to drink immediately; however, age improves all mead. Don't be afraid to forget about some for a few months! 

Optional Secondary Treatments (One or a combo can be used)
-Add 3 cubes American and 2 cubes of French Medium toast oak up to 4 weeks. 
-Add 1 vanilla bean for 2-4 weeks or any other spice combo you can imagine. Go here for a guideline on amounts to use:  https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/Spices/
-1-4 lbs of frozen fruit. Add more for more flavor. Fruit can also be added upfront for a more wine-like character.