Meadmaking: Tips from the Pros

Meadmaking — like winemaking — has been around for thousands of years. And if you make wine you can also make mead using much of the same equipment. In this issue, two master meadmakers share some insight for making your own mead at home. Michael Fairbrother, Founder and Meadmaker of Moonlight Meadery in Londonderry, New Hampshire. Michael has homebrewed since 1995. Started in his garage in 2010, Moonlight Meadery now has capacity to produce over 200,000 bottles per year. We make more than 58 different varieties of mead at Moonlight Meadery — everything from traditional meads to melomels to metheglins. I choose to make all of these different varieties because I like the diversity. Within the traditional mead category, we also make many different types of meads using different types of honey. The great thing about mead is that you can ferment year-round. I also think I have more of an ability to make unique flavors than traditional wineries. You can make a very well-balanced mead that can go with anything. I usually work with wildflower blossom honey for our