Minimal Equipment Recommended Equipment Optional Equipment
Recap of Equipment

The following is a list of the minimal equipment you will need to brew a batch of mead.

1 Brew Pot
1 Stirring Spoon
1 Small Jar With Lid
1 Thermometer (if sanitizing must)
2 Carboys (1 Plastic and 1 Glass or 2 Glass)
1 Airlock
1 Rubber Stopper
Bleach

The following is a list of the minimal items needed when racking and bottling

Plastic Tubing
Bottles
Bottle Caps
Bottle Capper

• Brew Pot - A pot large enough to heat up your honey and water (a.k.a. must) mixture. This may actually be optional if you decide not to boil/pasteurize your must. This should be an enamled or stainless steel as aluminum tends to react in an acidic environment.

• Stirring Spoon - You will use this to stir your must and mix your mead. You should avoid using a wooden spoon as it it hard to sanitize.

• Small Jar With a Lid- This will be used for your yeast starter.

• Thermometer - This is required only if you are sanitizing your must. If you are boiling or not heating you will not need this.

• Carboy/Fermentor - You will minimally need 2 carboys. It is preferred that one be a large plastic bucket with an air tight lid. This should be used for primary fermentation, when fermentation is strongest, to prevent foam from rising into the airlock that is used with a glass carboy. The second carboy (glass is preferred here) should be just large enough to allow minimal air space between the airlock and the top of your mead (you do not want air in your mead after the primary fermentation). This carboy will be where secondary fermentation takes place.
   
  Typical fermentors include one, three or five gallon glass carboys or a plastic container (only for primary fermentation) with a tight fitting lid.

• Airlock - Seals the fermentor to allow gases produced during the fermentation process to escape and keep outside air out. Airlocks may be filled with water or vodka.

• Rubber Stopper - The rubber stopper is a piece of rubber with a hole drilled through it. The airlock fits into the hole and the stopper is put into the top of your glass carboy to make the air tight seal.

• Plastic Tubing - Used to rack the mead from the primary to the secondary and during bottling.

• Bottles - Needed to store your mead so that you can chill it and bring it with you wherever you go.

• Bottle Capper - Used to cap your bottles.

• Bottle Caps - Used to cap your bottles to keep your wonderful mead from spilling all over your floor.

• Bleach - No, we are not going to wash your clothes. This is used to sanitize your equipment and bottles before use. Without this all sorts of vile beasties will get into your mead and turn it into vinegar (or worse).

In addition to the minimal items it is recommended that you also have the following:

• Carboy - Yes, it is recommended that you have a 2nd glass carboy. Ideally you will have 1 plastic fermentor and 2 glass carboys. The plastic fermentor should be used for primary fermentation and the glass carboys will be used for secondary fermentation. When you rack the mead from the secondary you can put it straight into another glass carboy and put the airlock back on it. With only 1 glass carboy you would need to clean the plastic bucket, rack into it, clean the glass carboy, then rack back into that. Spending the extra money on the second glass carboy will help save you a little time and reduce the chance of your mead getting infected.

• Hydrometer - Used to measure the density of your mead. Measuring the density of the mead before and after fermentation will allow you to calculate how much alcohol is in your mead, which will allow you to figure out how much you can drink before everything starts to spin on you. You can also use these measurements to determine if your mead is nearing completion (done fermenting).  A hydrometer can also help identify if the mead is "stuck" during fermentation.

• Bottling Bucket - Before bottling your mead you rack it into the bottling bucket to get it off the sediment. This will allow you to focus on filling your bottles instead of on whether or not you are sucking up "gunk" into your bottles. This can be your plastic fermentor. Optionally, there are "bottling buckets", this is a large bucket with a spigot on it. The spigot makes it a little easier to bottle when you are working alone (you will see if you have to hold a tube in the bucket while filling a bottle, then capping it). You may use any other carboy you have (plastic or glass) for this purpose. There is no need to have another bucket.

• Bottle filler - This little piece of equipment makes filling your bottles easier. It has a spring loaded valve, that, when pressed into the bottom of the bottle to be filled, allows the mead to flow into the bottle, and when released stops the flow of mead. While this is optional it is highly recommended to make filling your bottles less messy.

The following items are optional, they are not needed but are either nice to have or may make your mead making experience more enjoyable.

• Boiling Bags - If you are making a mead with fruit or spices in it you may want to use a bag to contain it so that it is easy to remove from your mead later on.

• pH Kit - Used to measure the pH of your mead. The acidity of your mead can affect the overall flavor. This kit will allow you to check the acidity and modify it as required.

• Corks - You say you want the "authentic" wine feel and you want to cork your bottles instead of capping them, then you will need corks!

• Corker - Used to put corks into your bottles. Trying to push them in by hand will more than likely leave your mead all over the floor along with the corks.

The following is the complete list of recommended equipment for brewing and bottling your mead.

1 Brew Pot
1 Stirring Spoon
1 Small Jar With Lid
1 Thermometer (if sanitizing)
1 Plastic Fermentor with Lid
2 Glass Carboys
1 Airlock
1 Rubber Stopper
Bleach
Hydrometer
Plastic Tubing
Bottles
Bottle Filler
Bottle Caps
Bottle Capper

* Any of the carboys/fermentors may be used as the Bottling Bucket.