Winter Born Mead - a maple treacle mead recipe

Winter Born Mead

By Roana Aldinoch

37 ounces Honey

8 ounces Real Maple Syrup

5.5 ounces Blackstrap Molasses

4 ounces Black Tea

1.5 ounce Lemon Juice

One packet Lalvin EC-1118 yeast

SG: 1.116
FG: 1.034
% ABV: 11%

Combine all of the ingredients except the yeast into a large stainless steel pot. Add enough water to soften the sugars, but no more than a total of 1.5 gallons. Heat the must until the sugars incorporate with the other ingredients, but don't let it boil. 

While the must is heating, sterilize a small bowl and pour the yeast into it. Add a half-cup of warm water (not hot) to the bowl and let the yeast soften. 

Once the must is thoroughly mixed, take the pot off the heat, and pour into a sterilized one-gallon carboy. Add enough cold water to fill the carboy to about four fingers from the top. (This will give you room for the yeast mix.) Swish vigorously to make sure that the cold water cools the whole must down. When the must is down to around 80-85F, pour about half a cup into the yeast mixture. Stir it well, and let it sit for about 10 minutes, or until it starts to get frothy. Pour the yeast into the carboy, cork and airlock it, and put it in a cool, dark place to ferment. (My pantry is a perfect 65F, so that's where mine goes.)

When the carboy stops bubbling - usually about 2-3 weeks, but it can be up to 4 or 5 - siphon the must into a second carboy, leaving the lees in the bottom of the first carboy. Recork and airlock the new carboy, and put it back in the cupboard. 

After another 2-3 weeks - or longer if you don't manage to get around to it - your mead will be ready to bottle. Make sure to thoroughly sterilize your bottles, caps, and all bottling equipment prior to bottling. Once bottled, the mead will be ready in about three or four months, though the longer it waits, the better the flavor will be. 

Enjoy!