Education - To heat or not to heat?

Heating the must is really a matter of preference to each individual meadmaker, but in this modern day and age it is not necessary and needlessly complicates the process. Here are the three methods:


Boil Method


The boil method is the most traditional method of making mead. Most historical and period recipes call for boiling as our ancestors were not as advanced in their honey gathering techniques and had bits of bees, comb, wax, and pollen to be skimmed off. Boiling does completely sanitize the must and dissolve the honey into the water. However, this method has many drawbacks, the honey could burn while being boiled and by boiling the honey the meadmaker loses the character of the honey. The unique flavors and smells derived from the flowers the honey was collected from are boiled away and it loses valuable proteins and enzymes as they are boiled, then skimmed off with the “scum” that is being removed. The meadmaker must also wait until the must is completely cool before yeast can be pitched and fermentation started leaving the must open to contamination.


The Pasteurization Method


Pasteurization is a process where the meadmaker heats and maintains the must at a temperature for an extended period of time to kill off wild yeasts and bacteria without boiling. This process also thoroughly dissolves the honey into the water and makes it easier to skim off bee bits, pollen, wax, etc. Pasteurizing the must also allows the mead to clear quicker and more easily and less of the honey character is lost. The must also cools faster which allows for quicker pitching of yeast and less chance of contamination. However, the meadmaker still loses a lot of the delicate characters of the honey they are using and destroying some of the desirable complexities and beneficial enzymes and proteins. The time it takes to cool still leaves the must open to contamination.


The No Boil Method


Honey is a substance high in sugar and low in water which makes it nearly impossible for yeast to take hold and survive in straight honey. This means that most honey will not have any wild yeasts present and those that are will be overwhelmed and killed off by the influx of yeast added by the meadmaker. Not boiling the honey minimizes the loss of beneficial enzymes and proteins and the mead being made retains the true floral flavor and bouquet of the honey varietal used. This method is easy and quick, no heating, no boiling, and no waiting for the must to cool, which means the yeast can be be pitched immediately and fermentation begun. The honey is harder to dissolve into the water in this method and the meadmaker has to be sure to stir all of the honey into the water and aerate the must intensely. There is a very small chance of contamination and that comes mostly from the water source and the meadmaker must be sure to remove the chlorine from chlorinated water or use distilled water in the mead.


Here at The Brimming Horn we choose to use the No boil method. We take pride in the delicate flavors and bouquets of the honey we use and want our mead to showcase its main ingredient in all its glory.