Richard's Ginger Snap Mead

Brewing Details

Brewer: Richard Heyworth
Recipe Source: The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight

Original Recipe

TO MAKE A SMALL METHEGLIN

Take four Gallons of water, and set it over the fire. Put into it, when it is warm, eight pounds of honey; as the scum riseth, take it clean off. When it is clear, put into it three Nutmegs quartered; three or four Races of Ginger sliced; Then let it boil a whole hour, Then take it off the fire, and put to it two handfuls of ground Malt; stir it about with a round stick, till it be as cold as wort, when you put yest to it. Then strain it out into a pot or Tub, that hath a spiggot and faucet, and put to it a pint of very good Ale-yest; so let it work for two days; Then cover it close for about four or five days, and so draw it out into bottles. It will be ready to drink within three weeks.

Redaction

Take four gallons of water and heat to a boil. When warm, add eight pounds of honey and scum. Add three quartered nutmegs and three or four full sliced ginger roots. Boil for an hour. Turn off the heat and add two handfuls of ground malt barley, stir and let cool. Strain into a primary fermenter and add yeast. After two days, decant into a secondary fermenter for four to five days, then bottle.

Ingredients

4 gallons tap water (Woburn, MA)
8 lbs of Nature Nate’s Natural Raw Unfiltered Honey (purchased at my local Market Basket)
3 nutmegs
4 ginger roots (purchased at Market Basket), sliced
2 handfuls of ground Maris Otter barley malt
1 package of Nottingham Ale Yeast

Process and Notes

I did not bottle after 2+4-5 days, but instead left the mead in the secondary fermenter for the full 3 weeks after the first decanting (I didn’t want bottle bombs). After this period, I placed into bottles, which I put in the fridge to cold crash the yeast.

References

Digby, Kenelm, 1669. The Closet of Sir Kenelm Digby Knight Opened by Kenelm Digby, Project Gutenberg, accessed online at: http://www.gutenberg.org/files/16441/16441-h/16441-h.htm