Mead (also spelled 'meade') is brewed using honey as the main source of sugar. It is typically 10 to 18% alcohol, and can be sweet or dry, still (non-carbonated) or sparkling (like champagne)... as the brewer decides to make it.

A plain 'traditional' mead is composed only of three ingredients: honey, water, and yeast.

Of course, it is too boring to simply make only traditional meads, so it is customary to 'spice up' a mead with various other ingredients. Some of these ingredients add flavor, while others 'tweak' the mineral and nutrient mix to enable the yeast to do their job better.

In mead making, as honey is poor in nutrients, it is very important to add yeast nutrients.

Yeast is the 'magic' ingredient that is the backbone of our art. A major key to making good brew is to understand yeast.

Yeast metabolize various sugars and in the process, excrete alcohol, carbon dioxide, and other compounds. Different varieties of yeast differ slightly in what they can metabolize, what they excrete, and what alcohol concentration they can live in before it kills them.

It is important also to know that 17 grams of sugar per liter volume, on fermentation, yields 1% alcohol. It is therefore theoretically possible to calculate how much sugar is needed for the desired result. This of course assumes fermentation under ideal conditions, and anything that stops the yeast from reaching full potential will throw off the sugar calculations and result in a sweeter beverage than originally planned. Please see the sugar chart for guidelines.

It is better to prep the yeast beforehand, to get it off to a good headstart. This means that as you are cooking the must, prepare a small sanitized container (a jar works) with some sugared water. Make sure it is cool to touch, then throw in the yeast, and let it sit. This way when you need it in a couple hours, it will be ready to go.

Brief FAQ:

Q: What is the best general mead yeast?

A: I personally like to use Lalvin dry yeast for convenience and price. My personal favorite is Lalvin 71B yeast for most plain or fruit meads, as this yeast adds character to the brew. Some people also like D47, which I find is superior for ginger meads. Both these yeasts will yield about 14% alcohol content.

Q: What yeast yields the highest alcohol content?

A: The absolute highest alcohol producers are typically special strains of live yeast, and speciality 'pot-stillers' or some 'turbo' yeast meant to produce high amounts of alcohol in short amounts of time. These can produce alcohol content of 18-22% and sometimes a little more, but are less readily available and certainly more expensive.
As a compromise, I like to use Lalvin EC or K1V dry yeast, both of which are rated for up to 18% alcohol. I have heard that K1V can reach 20% alcohol under the right conditions, but realistically, I would only count on it making 16-18%.