Mead is unlike anything else. It is neither wine nor beer. When you make mead, you engage with something ancient and alive. Good mead never strictly follows your recipe. Instead, it takes the shape of its own, revealing a spirit of creation that defies control. This unique quality makes mead making an art that blends tradition, nature, and intuition. Fermenting mead in a traditional wooden barrel The Living Nature of Mead Unlike other alcoholic beverages, mead carries the essence of life...

Welcome back to the saga. In Part 1, we left you on a cliffhanger: we had just executed the "Mega-Pitch Protocol," throwing a fortified army of EC-1118 yeast at our stalled high-gravity mead, "Zeus." The airlock was bubbling. Hope was high. We were chasing the dream of a bone-dry, 18% ABV Capsicumel. But the Gods—and fermentation chemistry—are fickle masters. Chapter 5: The Unmovable Wall (1.020 SG) For three days, the airlock sang the song of victory. But as the week wore on, the bubbling...

Welcome back to the blog! We recently battled a classic—and terrifying—homebrewing foe: the stuck high-gravity fermentation . Our 5-gallon Capsicumel, aptly named "Zeus," stalled hard, leaving us with a challenge: rescue 13.6% ABV mead that was too sweet for our dry goal. This post details the two-phase Mega-Pitch Protocol  we executed this week (Oct 28-30) to bring Zeus back to life. Chapter 1: The Fall of the God of Olympus (The Stall) Our Zeus mead began with 20 lbs of honey, targeting an...