The Mead House

Jeff and Chris talk in more depth about using whole fruit for making mead, including process and procedures, cautions and best practices, along with why it might be preferable to several of the easier ways to add fruit flavor they’ve covered in previous episodes. Then, the two of them discuss approaches to refining favorite recipes … Continue reading "Episode 275 – Adding Whole Fruit and Refining Recipes"

It’s another two topic episode! In the first part, Jeff gives Chris a deeper dive into the ins and outs of carbonation, discussing the pros and cons of bottle conditioning versus kegging. In part two, the guys take a look through a handful of easily accessible mead recipes online and point out some red flags … Continue reading "Episode 274 – Carbonation and Evaluating Recipes Published Online"

Jeff lays out the basic recipe for a 12% starter mead recipe along with some discussion on what makes this different than the previous 8% recipe and what extra techniques we need to use to get the end results we’re looking for. Mead House 12% Mead Recipe Start with approx 1/4 cup warm (80-90 degrees … Continue reading "Episode 273 – The Mead House 12% Recipe"

Jeff and Chris spend a bit talking about an easy way to get started in making new kinds of meads – utilizing kits. Whether it’s fruit wine, regular wine, cider, or beer, it’s a great way to get started making melomels, pyments, cysers or braggots with a pretty high probability of yielding good returns! The … Continue reading "Episode 272 – Kitbashing"

The guys spend some time reviewing historical ingredients used across a variety of historical cultures all around the globe. Chris issues a friendly challenge to brew a historical mead recipe (see the link below) and the guys sample some obscure herbs and spices for making meads getting ideas for future projects. The Queen’s Mead recipe … Continue reading "Episode 271 – Historical Meads and Metheglins"

Jeff and Chris wander deep in the weeds this week, broadening the possibilities of making good meads and giving themselves even more mead ideas to work on in the process. First a discussion on fortifying meads and all the dimensions that fortification process could take, then a brief discussion on using meads in cocktails! The … Continue reading "Episode 270 – Fortified Meads and Mead Cocktails"

By listener request! How to get started making mead with a smaller initial investment to find out if this hobby is right for you. Naturally, these guidelines come from the assistance of our sponsor Bacchus & Barleycorn. Use our discount code MHP10 for all your shopping and supply needs. Then, Jeff and Chris spend some time throwing … Continue reading "Episode 269 – Meadmaking on a Budget AND Seasonal Meads!"

Jeff and Chris take some time to talk about oaking as a process in the finishing of meads, kinds of oak, toast levels, the various products that are available for getting oak into mead, and it wouldn’t be Jeff and Chris if they didn’t throw around some out there ideas for using oak as well! … Continue reading "Episode 268 – Oaking"

From nutrients, stabilizers, acids & tannins, the guys talk through the various substances at our disposal to help make mead making easier and give us better results. The Mead House Podcast is sponsored by Bacchus & Barleycorn! Use our discount code MHP10 for all your shopping and supply needs! Thank you Bacchus & Barleycorn!

The guys spend a little time chatting about carbonated meads – ways to do it, cautions needed during the process, why and what to expect. The Mead House Podcast is sponsored by Bacchus & Barleycorn! Use our discount code MHP10 for all your shopping and supply needs! Thank you Bacchus & Barleycorn!

The guys spend an evening breaking down all the different ways to get fruit flavor into your mead, and the pros and cons for each – from fresh, frozen, concentrates and purees, to other odd options like freeze dried and flavorings. The Mead House Podcast is sponsored by Bacchus & Barleycorn! Use our discount code MHP10 for … Continue reading "Episode 265 – Ways to Incorporate Fruit"

The guys returned to Minneapolis/St Paul for the annual Valkyrie’s Horn mead competition this weekend and spend about an hour chatting over the events and things they liked, sharing some of their favorite experiences and some of the goals they have moving forward. The Mead House Podcast is sponsored by Bacchus & Barleycorn! Use our discount … Continue reading "Episode 264 – Valkyrie’s Horn 2025 Recap"

Jeff and Chris taste a few varietal honeys the two of them have collected, giving some notes and thoughts, as well as talking about some strategies for using varietal honeys in their meads. Chris gets a proud father moment as the guys sample a mead made by his son Roane! The Mead House Podcast is … Continue reading "Episode 263 – Varietal Honey Tasting"

This week Jeff and Chris talk about keeping your must’s microbiome clean talking about the sanitization process, what it is, methods for doing it and making it work, as well as similar but different terms like sterilization and pasteurization. Then the boys go into some of their favorite yeasts for making mead, and chat about … Continue reading "Episode 262 – Sanitization, Sterilization and Pasteurization. plus Yeast Discussion"

This week Jeff and Chris chat about what to do when your batch just isn’t going your way. Topics include how to diagnose a bad batch, what kind of problems you can correct and what kind you simply have to walk away from, as well as a handful of approaches to enhancing a batch when … Continue reading "Episode 261 – Corrections and Tweaks for a Bad Batch"

Jeff and Chris dive into a wide variety of topics related to how to store your mead – with opinions on closures, types of bottles, labels. wax seals and heat shrink closures, plus a sidebar on bulk aging your meads as well. The Mead House Podcast is sponsored by Bacchus & Barleycorn! Use our discount code … Continue reading "Episode 260 – Closures, Storage and Aging"

Jeff and Chris take a deeper dive on fermentation vessels for making mead – Preferences, pros and cons, the whole nine yards. The Mead House Podcast is sponsored by Bacchus & Barleycorn! Use our discount code MHP10 for all your shopping and supply needs! Thank you Bacchus & Barleycorn!

In this episode, Jeff walks Chris through the process of how to judge a mead at competition, giving all kinds of insights on processes, flavors, faults and philosophy for judging and appreciating meads along the way. But what unlabeled surprise does Chris have in store for both of them?! The Mead House Podcast is sponsored … Continue reading "Episode 258 – Sample Mead Judging"

Jeff and Chris talk about entering, volunteering and judging at competitions, how to enter, how to get involved, and how much fun it can be to be a part of the event! Stories and anecdotes get shared, and then the guys move on to covering the specific categories used by the BJCP for competition as … Continue reading "Episode 257 – Mead Competitions and Mead Categories"

Jeff and Chris dive in to the topic of what it takes to get started making mead, a topic both of them have been asked about countless times recently. They start with a run down of the gear it takes to get rolling, all of which is available at your local homebrew store, or at … Continue reading "Episode 256 – Getting Started Making Mead"

Same episode as debuted Thursday – reposting to try and downstream it to Spotify and our podcast distribution network New Year, New Mead House Episodes coming now! Jeff returns to the Mead House with new co-host Chris. The guys introduce themselves, talk about their history with making mead and plans for the podcast moving forward. … Continue reading "Episode 255 Repost"

New Year, New Mead House Episodes coming now! Jeff returns to the Mead House with new co-host Chris. The guys introduce themselves, talk about their history with making mead and plans for the podcast moving forward. The Mead House Podcast is sponsored by Bacchus & Barleycorn! For all your homebrew related needs, use our discount … Continue reading "The Mead House Returns! Episode 225"

This week we talk to John Jacob, 2nd place winner of the Iron Bee 2021. Visit John at https://oldsolbees.com/ Please continue to support the show… Thanks for keeping the Mead House podcast free with your continued support, we appreciate all our listeners. Get a set of keys to the mead

This week we talk to John Jacob, 2nd place winner of the Iron Bee 2021. Visit John at https://oldsolbees.com/ Please continue to support the show... Thanks for keeping the Mead House podcast free with your continued support, we appreciate all our listeners. Get a set of keys to the mead house, help keep the Mead House podcast free by subscribing to Patreon, when you do, Jeff will send you some great gifts! When you become a subscriber, you'll have access to some great interviews from guests here at the Mead House.  Get the apps here for your listening pleasure on Breaker Podcasts!      

This week we speak with Michael Labonte, third place winner of the Iron Bee 2021. You can now listen to The Mead House Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, iHeart Radio, YouTube, and now on Amazon Music. Check the front page of the website for more locations and be sure to subscribe and rate us 5 stars! Please continue to support the show... Thanks for keeping the Mead House podcast free with your continued support, we appreciate all our listeners. Get a set of keys to the mead house, help keep the Mead House podcast free by subscribing to Patreon, when you do, Jeff will send you some great gifts! When you become a subscriber, you'll have access to some great interviews from guests here at the Mead House.  Get the apps here for your listening pleasure on Breaker Podcasts!      

This week we speak with Michael Labonte, third place winner of the Iron Bee 2021. You can now listen to The Mead House Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, iHeart Radio, YouTube, and now on Amazon Music. Check the front page of the website for more locations and be sure

In this episode, Jeff chats with listener Carlos Herrera. See Carlos' YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnGsv4bfDKg_LjBJpe74E6Q Jeff and Carlos referenced a series called "Better Judge a Mead" by Chop and Brew, the playlist is available here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZK8QLGRuS_XeOqCjYWfMZEWm526l9mDx You can now listen to The Mead House Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, iHeart Radio, YouTube, and now on Amazon Music. Check the front page of the website for more locations and be sure to subscribe and rate us 5 stars! Please continue to support the show... Thanks for keeping the Mead House podcast free with your continued support, we appreciate all our listeners. Get a set of keys to the mead house, help keep the Mead House podcast free by subscribing to Patreon, when you do, Jeff will send you some great gifts! When you become a subscriber, you'll have access to some great interviews from guests here at the Mead House.  Get the apps here for your listening pleasure on Breaker Podcasts!      

In this episode, Jeff chats with listener Carlos Herrera. See Carlos’ YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnGsv4bfDKg_LjBJpe74E6Q Jeff and Carlos referenced a series called “Better Judge a Mead” by Chop and Brew, the playlist is available here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZK8QLGRuS_XeOqCjYWfMZEWm526l9mDx You can now listen to The Mead House Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify,

In this episode, Jeff speaks to the winner of the Mead House's Iron Bee 2021, Kyle Ducharme. You can now listen to The Mead House Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, iHeart Radio, YouTube, and now on Amazon Music. Check the front page of the website for more locations and be sure to subscribe and rate us 5 stars! Please continue to support the show... Thanks for keeping the Mead House podcast free with your continued support, we appreciate all our listeners. Get a set of keys to the mead house, help keep the Mead House podcast free by subscribing to Patreon, when you do, Jeff will send you some great gifts! When you become a subscriber, you'll have access to some great interviews from guests here at the Mead House.  Get the apps here for your listening pleasure on Breaker Podcasts!      

In this episode, Jeff speaks to the winner of the Mead House’s Iron Bee 2021, Kyle Ducharme. You can now listen to The Mead House Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, iHeart Radio, YouTube, and now on Amazon Music. Check the front page of the website for more locations and

It's been a long wait, but Jeff is back to talk the future of the Mead House, or at least his first several future projects. Included in this episode is the first in a series of mead recipes for you to play with and enjoy at your leisure! Sangria Mead 1 bottle Vinter's Best Blackberry Wine concentrate 1 Winexpert Merlot 1 gallon kit Water to 6 gal Honey to 1.090 SG 10g 71B wine yeast Optional Bentonite and FT Rouge Berry (per manufacturer's directions) 9g Fermaid K Dual Fine Potassium Metabisulfite and Potassium Sorbate (per manufacturer's recommended dosage) Varietal Honey and Fruit Juice concentrates of your choice for backsweetening.   You can now listen to The Mead House Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, iHeart Radio, YouTube, and now on Amazon Music. Check the front page of the website for more locations and be sure to subscribe and rate us 5 stars! Please continue to support the show... Thanks for keeping the Mead House podcast free with your continued support, we appreciate all our listeners. Get a set of keys to the mead house, help keep the Mead House podcast free by subscribing to Patreon, when you do, Jeff will send you some great gifts! When you become a subscriber, you'll have access to some great interviews from guests here at the Mead House.  Get the apps here for your listening pleasure on Breaker Podcasts!      

It’s been a long wait, but Jeff is back to talk the future of the Mead House, or at least his first several future projects. Included in this episode is the first in a series of mead recipes for you to play with and enjoy at your leisure! Sangria Mead

The Final Chapter By JD Webb This episode we wrap up what has been an almost 5-year commitment to provide inspiration and motivation to our listeners in the meadmaking/brewing community. I have decided to retire from the podcast to attend to some health issues that I need to focus on. It's been tremendous ride, one that I will not forget. Ryan has also made the decision to leave the show, he is a father of 4 young beautiful children that require more and more of his time now. He has been a valuable resource and has provided engaging discussions on the show. I want to thank both Ryan and Jeff for their commitment, their work and effort and their relentless pursuit of producing a quality podcast. This is not the end of the Mead House however, not at all. Jeff will continue to produce the show after taking an extended hiatus, perhaps in a different format, still providing engaging conversations and knowledge for our listeners in the meadmaking community. Thanks to all our fans & sponsors who stood by us since the early days as we worked hard on improvements to our audio and laughed along with us at my funny stories at the beginning of each episode. Thank you so much. You can now listen to The Mead House Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, iHeart Radio, YouTube, and now on Amazon Music. Check the front page of the website for more locations and be sure to subscribe and rate us 5 stars! Please continue to support the show… Thanks for keeping the Mead House podcast free with your continued support, we appreciate all our listeners. Get a set of keys to the mead house, help keep the Mead House podcast free by subscribing to Patreon, when you do, Jeff will send you some great gifts! When you become a subscriber, you'll have access to some great interviews from guests here at the Mead House.  Get the apps here for your listening pleasure on Breaker Podcasts!      

This episode we wrap up what has been an almost 5-year commitment to provide inspiration and motivation to our listeners in the meadmaking/brewing community. I have decided to retire from the podcast to attend to some health issues that I need to focus on.

The results are in! The Iron Bee 2021 is over, and we have some incredible submissions to talk about. But first, a big thank you to Matt Weide, a long time friend of the Mead House, also a BJCP certified mead judge, for assisting in the judging off all the meads that were submitted.

The results are in! The Iron Bee 2021 is over, and we have some incredible submissions to talk about. But first, a big thank you to Matt Weide, a long time friend of the Mead House, also a BJCP certified mead judge, for assisting in the judging off all the meads that were submitted. The secret ingredient this year was Passionflower, sponsored by a long time supporter of the Iron Bee, Mountain Rose Herbs. Also, Ryan leads the discussion in the Braggot Shootout category where some surprising braggots made the awards table. Matt sticks around for the whole show and tackles a few questions in the Social Club. And make sure you tune in to next week's episode, we have a very important announcenent to make!     You can now listen to The Mead House Podcast on iTunes, Stitcher Radio, Spotify, iHeart Radio, YouTube, and now on Amazon Music. Check the front page of the website for more locations and be sure to subscribe and rate us 5 stars! Thanks for keeping the Mead House podcast free with your continued support, we appreciate all our listeners. Get a set of keys to the mead house, help keep the Mead House podcast free by subscribing to Patreon, when you do, Jeff will send you some great gifts! When you become a subscriber, you'll have access to some great interviews from guests here at the Mead House.  Get the apps here for your listening pleasure on Breaker Podcasts!    

How do I estimate the amount of nutrients needs in a braggot? A bit confused on how to use Voss Kveik for braggot and mead. Any advice? I'm thinking of making a hoppy braggot as my next batch. These are just a few of the topics we discuss in this episode as we devote the whole show to braggots! 

Our guest this episode comes from a family who has been making mead for 5 generations. Now mind you, that dates back to around 1870. Her family has been making mead for over 40 years continuously, and she's been here before back on episode 213. We'll welcome Rachel Lipman of Loew Vinyards in Maryland back to the house in a bit and talk nothing but mead.

We started as a small 3 man operation, my father, myself, and my middle brother because we loved the taste of Lehua honey. We were purchasing it locally at exorbitant rates and decided we should start our own hives when we bought our Farm.  It took us a year to clear our farm, another 2 years to plant fruit bearing nectar available trees, and when we started we did bee removals to get our first hives.  I started commercial beekeeping when I was 18, just out of high school, for a local producer. Spent 2 years with them learning equipment, harvest techniques, bee treatments and honey processing.  I'm proudest of my father and myself for analyzing, deconstructing and innovating techniques to keep our bees ethically, organically, and as clean a standard as required by law and then some.  Our ethic has always been geared towards food production- if I don't eat it, I'm not going to share or sell it.

This episode is another Social Club episode! We promised a while back that we would devote two shows to the Social Club during our 6 week session, and this is number 2!  How to incorporate lavender chamomile tea, Looking for a rhodomel recipe, Are Bochets better made with lighter/delicate honey, or a darker/bold variety and much more! We'll be back in 2 weeks for another 6 week session and episode 215.

"I started to learn how to make mead with my grandfather in 2017. That day I got to learn how to stir honey and learn our family recipe, which we hold incredibly close to us. Mead is of huge significance to my family. Although we have been making meads for over 150 years, the recipes we use here in Maryland are only about 40 years old.

Several months ago we told you we would dedicate 2 shows per 6 week session to the Social Club. This has been the most popular segment of our shows for some time. So for this episode, get your pen and paper out and get ready to take notes! The Social Club plus an update on the Iron Bee 21.

In her own words, "I wanted to try my hand at Meade making, but wanted a class, you know, someone to show me how so that I didn't make a mistake. Finally last winter I decided enough playing chicken and made my first batch, a 1 gal Traditional, and the next week I started a 5 Gal trad that I split in secondary to blueberry, blood orange, lemon ginger and strawberry, with 1 gal trad, and I haven't looked back."  Software engineer and home mead maker Laura Scott joins us this episode.

"Big fan and listener of the show. I have listened to every episode after diving into this hobby two years ago. My parents have an acre hop yard that got me involved in the beer industry and now I'm a quality analyst at a brewery in Vermont. I wanted to jump on the show with you all to discuss my 30 gallon barrel project and my successes and failures in mead making."  Listener Kyle Ducharme joins us for the entire show! Jeff has visions of bonfires retu8rning home to pick up a coat he forgot, then we wrap the show with the Social Club as always!

Ryan missed the show, he's off doing something, well, listen to the beginning of the show. Jeff starts a keezer build, he and JD discuss some of the in's and out's of keezers. Jeff also has an update on the Iron Bee 2021, and we wrap the show with the Social Club!

Nick Burgoyne is a native of Atlanta, GA and is currently a Sales Specialist for Aseptic Fruit Purées. Having fifteen years in the brewing industry, his goal is to facilitate support for customers and help them to discover exciting new flavor profiles for their brewing and distilling projects. Throughout his time in production as a brewer at an international brewing facility he led a department, spearheaded numerous projects, and developed several top-selling brands that went on to win accolades at The Great American Beer Festival and other notable competitions across the country.

In this episode, JD buys a new fermenter after considerable contemplation, scaling down to one vessel that will do it all. Ryan and Jeff have some 411 on the Iron Bee, it's open now for registration, and wile you're at it, sign up and become a Keyholder on Patreon.

We're now going to devote a full show once every 6 week schedule to the Social Club. This is where we answer a host of questions from mead makers and brewers with no formal expertise other than what we have experienced in our own brewhouse! Join in the fun, submit your questions to info@themeadhouse.com. or visit our Facebook or Twitter, both @TheMeadHouse and post your questions there.

In this episode, we meet Eric Depradine of Zydeco Meadery. He is a 2006 and 2008 graduate of UL-Lafayette in history and chemistry and has worked various municipal governments in Louisiana and Missouri regulating federal and local wastewater laws.  Eric is also a 2021 graduate of Highland Community College's enology certificate program and the owner of Zydeco Meadery, one of four minority owned alcohol manufacturers in Kansas.

Back in the saddle again for a full 6 week schedule, JD outlines his amazing trip covering some 7,800 miles with a visit to Sap House Meadery and a chance to meet with Ash Fischbein and Evan Henderson. Some of the images he talked about on the episode can be found here. Jeff recently completed his move and wound up with a freezer full of "cleanout mead" material, Ryan helps him sort it all out, and we wrap with a rather lengthy Social Club entry that, well, you just got to listen to!

Ryan and Jeff take the helm for a full episode of the Social Club! This is where we try to answer questions from brewers and meadmakers with no formal expertise other than our own experience in our brewroom. JD is still wandering the country, we hear he'll hit 25 states before he decides to come home!