Comparing Yeast in Mead

by Loren Davidson and Dale Walker

Mead is more a wine than beer, with a final alcohol level anywhere between 10 and 18 percent. Wine yeasts, which have a higher alcohol tolerance, may ferment slower at first (although some are remarkably fast) but will ferment more completely than ale or lager yeast.

From five gallons of spiced apple mead (see BABO-winning recipe), brewed in September 1994, the must was split into four carboys, each with a different yeast:

Baseline (ale): Any top-fermenting ale yeast, usually dry. For this batch we used Munton & Fison.

Wine: Lalvin K1V-1116

Sherry: Red Star Flor

Champagne: Red Star Pasteur

All were excellent. The character of mead changes over time. The most favored of the day was the wine yeast. Champagne was the most favored the previous month.

Champagne ferments out very dry and has a high alcohol tolerance. Flor Sherry has a high alcohol tolerance and contributes a flavor that goes better with sack meads.