Basics 1-Gallon Mead Kit - Wildflower Honey
Basics 1-Gallon Mead Kit - Wildflower Honey
Small-Batch Traditional Mead with Clear, Practical Instructions
The Basics kit is the leanest way to start a 1-gallon traditional mead with Wildflower honey. It includes the fermenter, yeast, honey, and measured nutrients, while leaving cleaning supplies, transfer gear, bottles, and stabilization ingredients to your existing setup.
Download the Basics Wildflower 1-Gallon Mead Kit instructions PDF.
What This Kit Helps You Make
Expect a still traditional mead built around 3 lb of Wildflower honey and Lalvin 71B, a reliable yeast for approachable fruit and honey character. The included Go-Ferm and Fermaid O schedule gives the yeast a better start and helps avoid the rough, stressed-fermentation flavors that can make young mead taste hot or sharp.
What Is Included
- 1-gallon glass fermenter with airlock
- Wildflower honey - 3 lb
- Lalvin 71B-1122 dry yeast - 5 g sachet
- Go-Ferm Protect - 2.5 g
- Fermaid O - four 1 g nutrient portions
What You Still Need
- PBW cleaner, Star San sanitizer, or other cleaning/sanitizing chemicals
- Second fermenter, auto-siphon, transfer tubing, bottles, and closures
- Hydrometer or refractometer, though a hydrometer is strongly recommended
- Potassium metabisulfite and potassium sorbate for stabilizing before backsweetening
What to Expect
- Hands-on time: About 30-45 minutes on day one, then a few short check-ins for degassing and nutrients during the first week.
- Fermentation: Usually 2-4 weeks around 62-66 F.
- Clearing and aging: Plan on 4-8+ weeks to clear, with flavor continuing to improve after bottling.
- Style: Still traditional mead. Sweetness depends on fermentation, stabilization, and any backsweetening you choose after fermentation.
Important: Do not bottle cloudy, actively fermenting, or unstable mead. If you want to backsweeten with honey, stabilize first with potassium metabisulfite and potassium sorbate, sold separately.