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When starting a new vinegar project it is always fun to try something new but when you make something like vinegar (which can take months) it is nice to know you will end up with something you like.
Mead is made from honey and water which is fermented with yeast to produce an alcoholic drink. The alcohol in the Mead can be used by acetic acid bacteria (AAB) to produce acetic acid. Mead with an alcohol percentage between 6-12% enables AAB to reduce the pH below 4.0 to be considered vinegar.
This process is easy to accomplish when you understand how acetic acid bacteria grow.
Converting Mead to vinegar
Converting Mead to vinegar is simple to do as long as you understand a few basics about it. It starts with acetic acid bacteria which is a group of bacterial species that consume alcohol and oxygen to produce acetic acid. This group of bacteria which include Acetobacter, Gluconacetobacter, Gluconobacter and Komagataeibacter are found in almost every environment in the world.
It is through this group of bacteria that vinegar is made but to be considered vinegar it must have a pH below 4.0. The pH is important as it prevents pathogenic bacteria from growing in the vinegar. To ensure the AAB have enough alcohol to make vinegar the Mead needs to have a starting alcoholic content of at least 6% and lower than 12%.
If you’re Mead falls within this range all that is required is to expose your Mead to oxygen causing AAB to grow and produce acetic acid. You can do this by pouring the Mead into a wide mouthed container and securing a porous cover over the top to allow oxygen exchange.
Depending on the age of the Mead, its alcohol content, which AAB are present in the Mead as well as in the air the Mead will turn into vinegar in six weeks to two months.
Making Mead Vinegar Gotchas
The Mead’s Age
The age of the Mead is a consideration because honey is made up of a variety of sugars including glucose, fructose and sucrose. The yeast species which are used to produce alcohol find it easier to use glucose and consume it fast. Once the main fermentation is complete there could be high amounts of fructose and sucrose in the Mead.
In commercial Mead once the main fermentation is complete and the flavor profile the brewery wants has been achieved the fermentation is stopped. This leaves some sugar in the Mead. Alternatively if you are using homemade Mead which is less than six months old there may be enough sugar left in the Mead to be a concern.
Once the Mead is exposed to the air yeast cells will enter the Mead along with the AAB which will restart the fermentation process. This affects the alcohol content in the vinegar and when the vinegar is safe to bottle.
If you bottle the Mead vinegar too soon pressure can build up in the sealed bottles and cause them to burst which can be dangerous and messy. Be sure your Mead vinegar has completed fermenting before your bottle it.
Mead’s alcohol content is too low
With an alcohol content below 6% the AAB may not have enough food to properly acidify the Mead to make vinegar. Vinegar with a pH above 4.0 is considered unsafe for consumption by the WHO and should not be used. It can harbor pathogenic species such as molds. Molds produce toxins which make the vinegar taste off.
With a high alcohol content the AAB will have plenty of energy to multiply and grow quickly acidifying the Mead making it uninhabitable for mold and other pathogenic species.
Mead’s alcohol content is too high
AAB have a tolerance to alcohol below 15%. Anything above that and there growth will be inhibited or stopped. This will slow the vinegar making process to a standstill and will not take off until some of the alcohol as evaporated. To prevent this dilute the Mead until it has an alcohol content below 12%.
Fermenting temperature is too low or too high
AAB grow the best when the temperature is in the range of 18-30˚C. Some species have been found which can survive in hotter temperatures up to 35˚C but they are few and may not make the best tasting vinegar.
Temperatures below 18 ˚C will not kill the bacteria but they will not grow very fast. This can slow the acidification down enough to leave the vinegar susceptible to mold growth and spoilage.
The sweet spot is 25˚C where most species of AAB can grow efficiently acidifying the Mead quickly and producing good tasting Mead vinegar.
Can honey be used rather than Mead?
Honey can be used rather than Mead but the vinegar will have a different flavor then when it is made from Mead. This is because the yeast species which are used to make Mead consist mostly of brewer’s yeast which has a high tolerance to alcohol. Other yeast species die out once the alcohol level rises above 4% or so.
When making honey vinegar the alcohol and the acetic acid is made symoltainiously. This keeps the alcohol level down throughout the process allowing a wider variety of yeast species to grow and produce interesting flavors not found in Mead vinegar.
Honey Vinegar making process
To make vinegar from honey the process is simple:
- Fill a wide mouthed container ¾ full with filtered unchlorinated water
- Add honey to the filtered water until its specific gravity is above 1.06
- Cover the top with a tightly woven cloth to prevent insects from entering
- Stir the sweetened honey water twice daily until it starts to bubble
- Continue stirring daily until the bubbles subside
- Let the mixture ferment until the AAB have acidified the honey water and pH is below 1.0
- Begin tasting the vinegar after about six weeks
- When it is to your liking begin using it but continue fermenting it as it gets better with age
If you use pasteurized honey the initial yeast fermentation will take longer. If you are uncomfortable with using wild yeast to produce the alcohol you could add a packet of wine yeast starter but be aware that these yeasts are meant for high alcohol production which limits the flavor profile.
What honey vinegar tastes like
The flavor of honey vinegar is as varied as wine. It is a result of the type of honey which was used, the yeast species which fermented the sugar in the honey, how long it was fermented, at what temperature and a myriad of other things.
Like all vinegars it has a tangy which will smooth out over time. It will have notes which come from the type of vinegar such as clover, blackberry and rose. Depending on what was in bloom when the honey was made.
The acidity level will depend on how much sugar was in the honey water and how long it has been fermented. Honey is made up of several types of sugar which ferment at different rates. Some yeasts are better at using glucose, some like fructose and each of these yeast species produce different flavors in the vinegar.
The age of the vinegar affects its flavor differently depending on the stage the vinegar is in.
When the vinegar is young it has sugars still in it making it a sweeter tangy flavor. Later once a majority of the sugars have been used it becomes harsher sour flavor which mellows over time. As the vinegar age’s volatile components in the vinegar even out and become less strong.
The temperature is a big factor as it influences the type of microbial species which grow in the sweet honey water. Each species produces different enzymes and esters which affect the flavor. Maintaining an even temperature provides best results allowing the population of yeast and AAB to stabilize providing a specific flavor profile. Vinegar with too many flavors produces a vinegar with too much going on.
