Lemon based, lightly carbonated, low-alcohol spring mead
Author:TJ
Ingredients
Scale
14 cups of water
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup white granulated sugar
4 additional teaspoons of sugar – reserved
2 lemons – peeled and thinly sliced
Bread or wine yeast
20 golden raisins
Instructions
Bring the water, brown sugar and the cup of white sugar to a boil and stir until it’s dissolved, then turn off the heat
Peel the lemons, being careful to remove all the white pith and slice them thinly
Add the lemon slices when you turn off the heat to the boiling water
Stir briefly and allow it to steep until it cools to the recommended temperature for your yeast, usually around 70 degrees
Warning: If the water is too hot it will kill your yeast and if it’s too cold the yeast will not activate
Pour the sugared water into a gallon glass jar and add the yeast
Stir briefly, cover the jar and let it set at room temperature for 8-12 hours
When you notice tiny bubbles around the perimeter add a teaspoon of the white sugar to each of four quart mason jars
Fill the jars equally with the fermenting liquid and add 5 raisins to each jar
Seal tightly with fermentation lids and let them stand at room temperature until the raisins have risen to the top and there are bubbles around the perimeter – about a day or two. The longer you let it stand the fizzier and more alcoholic it will become
Strain into clean jars and refrigerate until ready to serve