brewer's gear list
What you need to make mead.
A working list organised by what you grab first. Some links are affiliate; if you buy something, Meadbook earns a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Starter kits
Cleanest way in if you don't have anything yet.
Fermentation vessels
Pick the size you'll actually brew.
- 1-gallon wide-mouth fermenterBeginner entry point. Wide mouth makes fruit additions easy.Shop ↗
- Traditional 1-gallon glass carboyClassic small-batch fermenter.Shop ↗
- 5–6 gallon glass carboyScaling up — better oxygen barrier than plastic.Shop ↗
- 5-gallon food-grade fermenting bucketCheap, light primary fermenter with drilled lid.Shop ↗
- Speidel 7.9-gallon plastic fermenterPremium — popular with serious meadmakers.Shop ↗
Airlocks & stoppers
One airlock per vessel; size the bung to your neck.
Measurement & monitoring
A hydrometer is the highest-leverage buy after a vessel.
- Triple-scale hydrometerSG · Brix · potential alcohol. Essential for tracking fermentation and real ABV.Shop ↗
- Hydrometer test jarGraduated cylinder for sample readings.Shop ↗
- Brix refractometerTiny-sample convenience reading. Popular upgrade.Shop ↗
- Thermometer (probe / stick-on)45–120°F range.Shop ↗
- pH meter / test stripsMust-pH management.Shop ↗
- 0.01 g digital scaleFor accurate nutrient dosing.Shop ↗
Transfer & bottling tools
An auto-siphon kit covers most of it.
Bottles & closures
Wine bottles + corks for still mead, swing-tops for sparkling.
- Wine bottles / swing-top bottlesPunted 750 ml for still, swing-top for sparkling.Shop ↗
- Corks + corker#8/#9 natural or synthetic, with a double-lever corker.Shop ↗
- Bottle caps + capperFor beer bottles — session / sparkling mead.Shop ↗
- Shrink capsulesFinishing touch over the cork.Shop ↗
- Bottle / carboy brushShop ↗
Cleaning & sanitising
Star San on brew day; Campden to treat the must.
Yeast
Match the strain to the style and your fermentation temps.
- Lalvin 71B-1122Most forgiving; softens acidity — best beginner/fruit-mead pick.Shop ↗
- Lalvin ICV-D47Medium-sweet meads. Keep below ~70°F.Shop ↗
- Lalvin EC-1118Bulletproof. Dry / high-alcohol / sparkling.Shop ↗
- Lalvin K1-V1116Very popular all-purpose mead/wine strain.Shop ↗
- Red Star Premier CuvéeHigh-alcohol, consistent.Shop ↗
- Lalvin QA23Crisp, fruit-forward — specialty character.Shop ↗
- Lalvin RC212Red-fruit / tannic structure for darker meads.Shop ↗
- Lalvin yeast sampler packTry several strains in one order.Shop ↗
Yeast nutrients
Fermaid-O + Go-Ferm covers most TOSNA recipes.
- Fermaid-O (organic)The modern standard for staggered / TOSNA feeding.Shop ↗
- Fermaid-KBroader-spectrum blend with DAP.Shop ↗
- Go-Ferm rehydration nutrientPitch healthier yeast — used before fermentation, not during.Shop ↗
- DAP (diammonium phosphate)Early-ferment nitrogen booster.Shop ↗
- Yeast nutrient / energizerBudget option.Shop ↗
- Potassium carbonatepH buffering — e.g. for the BOMM method.Shop ↗
Stabilisers & adjustments
Sorbate + sulfite is the standard back-sweetening pair.
- Potassium sorbatePrevents refermentation — pair with sulfite before back-sweetening.Shop ↗
- Pectic enzymeClears haze from fruit meads.Shop ↗
- Fining agents (bentonite / Sparkolloid / kieselsol-chitosan)For brilliant clarity.Shop ↗
- Acid blendTartaric / malic / citric — balance acidity.Shop ↗
- Wine tannin (FT Rouge)Structure and mouthfeel.Shop ↗
Honey
~2.5 lb per gallon for a standard mead.
- Clover honeyMild, clean, widely available — great neutral base.Shop ↗
- Wildflower honeyBalanced floral complexity — classic traditional mead.Shop ↗
- Orange-blossom honeyBright citrus-floral — carries a mead on its own.Shop ↗
- Buckwheat honeyDark, bold, malty/molasses — blend ~1:3 with lighter honey.Shop ↗
- Tupelo honeySweet, fruity/floral — prized Southern varietal.Shop ↗
- Alfalfa honeyMild — good for melomels and spiced meads.Shop ↗
- Bulk honey — 5 lbVolume pricing for repeat brewers.Shop ↗
- Bulk honey — 12 lbShop ↗
- Bulk honey — 60 lb pailShop ↗
Books & reference
If you want to go deeper than the planner.
Ready to plan a batch?
Pick a vessel, a honey, and a yeast — the planner does gravity, ABV, the fermentation timeline, and the nutrient schedule.
Open the planner →Disclosure: this page contains affiliate links to mead-making gear and ingredients. As an Amazon Associate, Meadbook earns from qualifying purchases. It costs you nothing extra, and it helps keep the planner free.