Meadowfoam Mead
Meadowfoam Traditional Mead Recipe. Let’s Brew a Meadowfoam Traditional Mead
The term “traditional mead” has come to mean, a basic mead of honey, water and yeast essentially. We like to make a traditional mead whenever we are trying out a new honey. Meadowfoam honey is unique, and rather pricey, but one of our viewers sent us some to try out. Wow, it’s so aromatic and flavorful! Makes a great mead. This fermentation tested us though, as it was a chaos monkey as Derica likes to say! Thanks Jesse!
Limnanthes douglasii is a species of annual flowering plant in the family Limnanthaceae (meadowfoam) commonly known as Douglas’ meadowfoam or poached egg plant. It is native to California and Oregon, where it grows in wet, grassy habitat, such as vernal pools and spring meadows. It can grow in poorly drained clay soils. The plant was collected by the Scottish explorer and botanist David Douglas, who worked on the west coast of America in the 1820s.
The plant usually bears white flowers with yellow centers, hence the name “poached egg plant”, but flower color can vary across subspecies. It is a popular ornamental plant that attracts hoverflies and is pollinated by bees and is self-seeding, even in a lawn.
Meadowfoam Traditional Mead Recipe
Ingredients
3 lbs (1.36 kg) Meadowfoam Honey: https://a.co/d/05KIn46B
1/2 teaspoon Fermaid O: https://amzn.to/4cw6sb4
96 oz (2.839 liters) Water
1/2 Packet 71B Yeast: https://amzn.to/4bHk6XH
Tools We Use
Star San: https://amzn.to/4cRTjJ8
1 Gallon Carboy with Airlock: https://amzn.to/4aNnik9
Stainless Steel Funnel: https://amzn.to/4bHoTs9
Kitchen Scale: https://amzn.to/4bCP7fl
Thumb Saver Bung: https://amzn.to/4cHiG0Q
Our Favorite Pitcher: https://amzn.to/3zwTxac
Hydrometer: https://amzn.to/3x8zsWY
Cylinder: https://amzn.to/4eYaIlc
Baster: https://amzn.to/3Lp6TI8
1/2 Sheet Baking Tray: https://amzn.to/3WgvchW
Auto Siphon: https://amzn.to/3Lknq01
1 Gallon Wide Mouth Fermenter: https://amzn.to/4bLUDNw
Tasting Glasses: https://amzn.to/3KQBNJz
Fun T-shirts: https://city-steading.com/product-category/t-shirts/
After a Year of aging, How Does Meadowfoam Mead Taste?
We crafted a meadowfoam mead recipe using one of the most distinctive varietal honeys available. Meadowfoam honey is famous among mead makers for its rich marshmallow, vanilla, and toasted sugar notes, making it a standout choice for traditional mead.
After fermentation, stabilization, and careful aging, we set this batch aside for a full 12 months of bottle aging. Now it’s time for the long-awaited one year mead tasting.
Has this meadowfoam honey mead mellowed into a smooth, dessert-like showpiece?
Did the vanilla character intensify?
Has time improved the mouthfeel and balance — or did the aging process change it in unexpected ways?
In this follow-up tasting, we evaluate:
- Aroma development after one year
- Flavor evolution and perceived sweetness
- Alcohol integration and smoothness
- Whether meadowfoam honey benefits from extended aging
If you’re considering making a traditional meadowfoam mead, or wondering how long to age varietal honey meads, this tasting review should give you valuable insight into what a full year can do to this unique ferment.
