Book of the Week: The Complete Meadmaker

The Complete Meadmaker by Ken Schramm

Photo from www.brewersassociation.org

This has been my reading companion for the last few weeks. It is a filled with knowledge and more importantly is entertaining to read. He goes into detail about the history of mead, the process of making mead, the ingredients and has a section of recipes. The "Complete" part of the title is not a misnomer, he goes into extensive detail in each of these section. The only thin part of the book is when he talks about sparkling mead but I think I will be able to figure it out. My second batch of mead is fermenting away right now and I feel 100% confident that it is a recipe that has been tested and will turn out amazing. The ingredients section will be useful for years to come as he talks about all of the ingredients to add to mead. He even has a heat chart for adding chiles! Each ingredient has a great section where he talks about its effect on the flavor, pH, fermentability, and aging. This book is makes technical information easy to read and understand. I would recommend this book for someone who does not know what mead is and I would also recommend this book for someone that has been making mead for years. At only $19.95 it has already paid for itself!