Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 1:16:56 — 22.0MB)

My conversation with Bruce Ford on Wednesday got me thinking about mead making.  Bruce is a bee keeper of course and while our conversation started on tax reduction though ag exemption, we ended up in a discussion about parallel economies.

When we did that I brought up the subject of mead and it kind of stuck in my head.  So since I gave the Expert Council the week off, I will take up that topic today.  Honestly we have not talked about it since at least before all the CoVid BS started.

Mead is a fascinating thing, it is chemistry and science and one of mankind’s oldest fermented beverages, potentially the oldest we don’t really know.  Our best guess though is the first meads were accidental and then man being man figured out a process to replicate the accident.

Additionally it is important to understand mead from what we can glean really predates bee keeping.  Meaning in the beginning honey was a wild harvest only prospect.  That made it scarce and mead even more so.  Today we can make small batch meads in our homes with just a few specialized tools, do so in a very high quality manner and turn out a batch of mead once we begin every week with less than 30 minutes of work per week.

I will discuss my system for doing that today, some basic recipes and more.  What I will really focus on though is how a skill like making mead fits into the modern survival life and potentially even post empire America.

Join Me Today to Discuss…

• The basic method
  • Use a one gallon fermenter
  • Use 3 lbs of honey
  • Use adjuncts of your choice
  • Use two stains of yeast
  • Use fermax yeast nutrient
  • Leave head space about 15% of volume
  • Ferment for about 30-45 days and rack
  • Add filtered water to secondary and let fully clear
  • Bottle
  • How this makes a gallon a week in 30 minutes or less (once production begins)
• What makes what I do different from most and why I do it
  • Cleaning and sanitizing my way – everyone disagrees (I don’t care)
  • Pasteurizing your adjuncts the easy way
  • Why I don’t even use a hydrometer any more
  • Why I seldom cold crash, but why I might
  • Why I am fine using “everyday honey” and my favorite brand
  • The joy of honey on the road and making mead from it
  • Airlocks vs balloons
  • Bottles for your mead and how I handle sanitization of those
  • Why those who say I am wrong are actually right, sort of
  • Why I think this is the best method for the most people
• How mead fits into modern homestead living
  • You have all the raw ingredients locally available
  • You can keep bees or barter/trade/buy local honey
  • The economics work out hugely in your favor
  • It is the reason the ATF exists (top three barter items in the world)
  • Become the modern version of Buddy Shoemaker

Resources for today’s show…

• Join the Members Brigade
• TspAz.com
• TSPC on Discord
• TSPC Group on Telegram (group chat)
• TSPC Telegram Channel (just messages from me)
• Jack on Flote
• Jack on MeWe
• Join Me on Odysee
• All My Recommend Bitcoin Tools and Resources

Mead Supply Links

• Airlock for Small Fermentes
• Small Racking Cane
• My Yeast Blend
• Fermax
• My Electric Kettle
• EtekCity Thermogun

Sponsors of the Day

• Paul Wheaton’s Latest Kickstarter in Pre Launch – Get early bird goodies for a buck!
• Alan Bookers Amazing Plant Genetics Seminar – From Paul Wheaton
• Join the MSB Here
• Red Neck Hippy Duck Farmer T-Shirts
• The IncuView Incubator – Item of the Day

Remember to comment, chime in and tell us your thoughts, this podcast is one man’s opinion, not a lecture or sermon.

Want Every Episode of TSP Ever Produced?

Remember in addition to discounts to over 40 vendors who supply stuff you are likely buying anyway, tons of free ebooks and video content, MSB Members also get every edition of The Survival Podcast ever produced in convenient zip files in blocks of 24. More info on the MSB can be found here.