Mead takes a really long time to ferment. You could be waiting nearly 6 months to try your mead.
This won’t even be when the mead is at its peak flavor either. It could take up to two years to try mead at its peak flavor. Depending on how much honey you use.
I suggest, starting small just home brewing 1 gallon of mead at a time. This way you can get creative with the ingredients and not be stuck with one huge batch of the same stuff.
Suggested Equipment and Ingredients
When it comes to making your own mead the supplies really aren’t too expensive. This kit below will be what you need to get started minus the honey and water. An auto siphon is also highly recommended.
The only thing you will need in the future is more carboys, honey and yeast if you plan to make more
Ingredients
When it comes to honey I buy locally from Temecula Valley Honey Company. You can also purchase organic honey in bulk from your local grocery store, just make sure it is organic.
Adventures in homebrewing also has some great honey for sale, although their choices are a bit limited.
By far the best honey you can use though is probably from GloryBee and this 11lb. pail of wildflower blossom honey will go a long way.
Water
Water can be sourced from the store, make sure you buy spring water. My motto is if you enjoy the taste of the water you are buying you will make some good mead out of it.
That being said I’m not a fan of arrowhead water, so I try to stay away from that. Remember every water profile is different, and no two waters taste the same.
You can also use tap water, just make sure you get all of the chlorine and fluoride out of it since mead is very subtle and those harsh flavors WILL ruin your mead.