How to make Traditional Irish Mead

This Irish-inspired take on mead is not green! Rather, it uses barley, heather tips, and elderflowers to create something truly unique and unusual. This is the first video in a series — we will also rack, fine, and bottle condition this mead.

Part Two Video:

Tasting Video:

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How to make Traditional Irish Mead

Traditional Irish Mead made with barley, heather tips, and elderflowers.

• Author: BC

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2# raw honey
• 1/2# light LME
• 2oz heather tips
• 1/3 cup elderflowers
• D47 yeast
• 1oz dextrose at bottling for bottle-conditioning

Instructions

1. Split heather tips into thirds and elderflowers in halves
2. Steep 1/3 of the heather tips in half gallon of 150-160F water for half an hour
3. Strain mash and mix with LME, 1/3 of the heather tips and 1/2 of the elderflowers
4. Boil one hour
5. Chill over an ice bath to near room temperature
6. Pour through a strainer into fermentation vessel over the remaining heather tips and elderflowers as well as the honey
7. Top up with spring water to one gallon
8. Ferment dry with D-47 yeast
9. Allow to clear
10. Mix in with 1oz of dextrose and bottle immediately