mead

Alcohol Tolerance in Beer Yeast and BeerSmith 3

by Brad Smith on December 19, 2018 · 1 comment

Some brewers don’t realize that beer yeast, like all yeast has a limited alcohol tolerance.  In fact many some beer yeasts reach their limit below 8% ABV which can be a real problem for high gravity beers. Yeast Alcohol Tolerance Yeast is a one cell living creature.  As such it can only reproduce and grow […]

Creating a Mead Recipe with BeerSmith 3 Software

by Brad Smith on October 17, 2018 · 1 comment

Here is a short video tutorial on how to create a mead recipe using BeerSmith 3 home brewing software. BeerSmith 3 is software designed for creating beer recipes, but it also now has support for mead, wine and cider recipes. Total run time is 8:17. You can find additional tutorials on the main tutorial page […]

This week Steve Piatz joins me to discuss how to make a low gravity session mead including mead nutrients, backsweetening and how to spice or accent your mead. Using modern techniques, you can make a great session mead in as little as a few weeks. Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or […]

Here is an overview video of some of the mead, wine and cider features included in BeerSmith 3 software. BeerSmith 3 adds a variety of new features for beer brewers including in-recipe water tools, mash pH adjustment and updated data as well as support for mead, wine and cider recipes for the first time ever. […]

The pH meter has become a critical piece of equipment for all grain beer brewers as well as for cider, wine and mead making. This week I take a look at selecting, calibrating, and using a pH meter to brew beer. Uses for a pH Meter In the last 10 years or so, our understanding […]

Dr Patrick McGovern, Director of Biomolecular Archeology at the University of Pennsylvania Museum joins me this week to discuss research into ancient fermented beverages. Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or on Google Play Download the MP3 File – Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file [audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/beersmith/BSHB-153-Ancient-Brews.mp3] Topics in […]

Steve Piatz, the author of “The Complete Guide to Making Mead” and 2008 mead maker of the year joins me this week to discuss making the perfect mead. Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or on Google Play Download the MP3 File – Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 […]

Aeration Wands (Pure Oxygen) for Beer Brewing

by Brad Smith on March 14, 2017 · 13 comments

This week I take a look at the Anvil Oxygenation Kit (aka Aeration wand) which lets you aerate your wort using pure oxygen without spending a ton of money. The oxygen wand is actually my favorite new brewing toy and I’ve used it on beer, meads, wines and cider with great results. The Importance of […]

How to Backsweeten Beer, Cider and Mead

by Brad Smith on March 7, 2017 · 8 comments

This week we take a look at backsweetening – a technique commonly used in mead and cider making but not well known by beer brewers. In certain cases, backsweetening can enhance the flavor of many beers, ciders and meads. Why Backsweeten? Backsweetening is a technique used in hard soda, meads and ciders, particularly those containing […]

This week Ken Schramm from Schramm’s Meadery joins me to discuss big sweet fruity meads and melomels. Ken is a founder of the Mazer Cup, author of the book The Compleat Meadmaker, nationally award winning mead maker, and founder of Schramm’s Meadery near Detroit. Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or on […]

Michael Fairbrother, the founder of Moonlight Meadery joins me this week to discuss how to make Braggot which is a combination of beer and mead made from both honey and barley grain. Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version or on Google Play Download the MP3 File – Right Click and Save As […]

I’m pleased to announce that the BJCP style guides for Mead and Cider are now available as add-ons in BeerSmith. A volunteer Tim Leber was kind enough to enter these and send them to me, so now everyone can use them in BeerSmith. Installing the Style Guidelines First, if you don’t have it I strongly […]

Michael Tonsmeire, the Mad Fermentationist, joins me this week to talk about embracing homebrewing and shares many of the advantages that home brewers enjoy versus professional beer brewers. Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version or Video version Download the MP3 File – Right Click and Save As to download this mp3 file [audio:http://traffic.libsyn.com/beersmith/BSHB-124-Tonsmeire.mp3] Topics in […]

Michael Fairbrother, award winning mead maker and CEO of Moonlight Meadery joins me this week to discuss making fruit meads and melomels. Michael uses fruit in many of his top selling meads and has a unique perspective on what fruits to use and how to get the best mead from fruit and honey! Editors Note: […]

Mary Izett, author of the new book “Speed Brewing” joins me this week to discuss rapid brewing of all grain beer as well as mead, cider, Buch and Kefir beer. She provides some great tips on how to create a variety of fermented beverages on a short time scale. Subscribe on iTunes to Audio version […]