Making Mead with Michael Fairbrother – BeerSmith Podcast #65

Making Mead is this week’s topic with Michael Fairbrother from Moonlight Meadery as my guest. He shares his thoughts on mead as both a professional and award winning mead maker.

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Topics in This Week’s Episode (42:10)

Michael Fairbrother is my guest this week from Moonlight Meadery. Michael started making mead in 1995 and has won both national and international awards for mead making. In 2010 he started his Moonlight Meadery in his garage and in just over three years has grown to be one of the largest meaderies in the United States.
Michael shares a bit of his story in transitioning to professional mead making and how his business has expanded dramatically these past few years.
He tells us some of the challenges in leaping into full time mead making and quitting his day job
We discuss the basic ingredients used in mead and where to find honey including the honey locator web site.
He tells us about the modern practice of using GoFerm and Fermaid-K nutrients, split into four parts to add as mead yeast nutrients. This helps you ferment a good mead in 3-4 months instead of the 12-18 months it traditionally took.
He shares what equipment is used in mead making and the basic process for mixing in your honey, hydrating your yeast and starting the fermentation.
We talk about when to add the other yeast nutrients and also aerating your must during fermentation
Michael shares how you can use sorbates and sulfates before bottling to halt fermentation and avoid excess carbonation when bottling still meads
We discuss when and how to add fruits and spices to mead as well as which fruits work best with meads.
Michael shares his final thoughts on what its like to pursue his dream of making amazing mead for Moonlight Meadery.
He also shares where you can purchase his mead including both his web site and also via your local store or distributor.