Shopping List — Apple Honey Butter Mead

Equipment

Assumes the 6.5 gallon fermentation bucket is available and clean.

Item	Need	Notes
Additional 3 gallon glass carboy	1	Needed because the current honey-butter batch is already occupying the first carboy.
Bung for 3 gal carboy	1–2	Match carboy mouth size. Buy a spare.
Airlock	1–2	Buy spare; 3-piece airlocks are easy to clean.
Auto-siphon + tubing	1	For racking without splashing.
Hydrometer + test jar	1	Required for OG/final gravity.
Wine thief or turkey baster	1	For samples.
Star San / no-rinse sanitizer	enough	Clean first, sanitize second.
PBW/OxiClean Free cleaner	enough	For cleaning bucket/carboy/tools.
Long spoon/paddle	1	For mixing honey/cider.
Digital scale	1	For honey/nutrients.
Small measuring spoons/syringes/pipettes	1 set	Important for bench trials.
100 ml graduated cylinder/beakers	1 set	For bench trials and hydrometer samples.
Spray bottle	1	Filled with sanitizer.
Labels/tape/marker	1 set	Label vessels and bottles.

Item	Amount	Notes
Preservative-free apple cider or apple juice	About 3 gal total liquid	Buy at least 3 gallons. Check label: no sorbate/benzoate.
Honey	5.5–6.5 lb primary	Use enough to reach OG ~1.095–1.105. Raw/local/gallberry/clover all good.
Extra honey for backsweetening	1–2 lb	Add only after stabilization.
Lalvin 71B-1122 yeast	1 packet	Buy 2 if you want a backup.
Go-Ferm	~6.25 g	Optional but recommended for yeast rehydration.
Fermaid O	~12 g total	Split nutrients; exact schedule depends on OG.
Pectic enzyme	per label	Helps reduce apple haze; typically added before/at pitch or per product instructions.

Item	Amount	Timing
Vanilla beans or vanilla extract	1–3 beans or measured extract	After stabilization, by taste.
Cinnamon sticks	1–2	Secondary/flavoring contact; taste often.
Nutmeg	tiny amount	Bench trial only.
Allspice	tiny amount	Bench trial only.
Clove	optional microscopic amount	Usually skip or use tincture; very strong.
Butter extract	1 bottle	Optional; bench trial only.
Butterscotch extract	1 bottle	Optional; bench trial only.
Sea salt/kosher salt	tiny amount	Dissolve and bench trial; makes dessert notes pop.
Acid blend or malic acid	optional	Only if too sweet/flat after bench trials.
Wine tannin	optional	Only if too soft/thin after bench trials.
Frozen apple juice concentrate	1–3 cans optional	Post-fermentation apple boost after stabilization.

Item	Need
Potassium metabisulfite or Campden tablets	label dose for 3 gal
Potassium sorbate	label dose for 3 gal

Good:

apple juice/cider, ascorbic acid/vitamin C

Avoid:

potassium sorbate
sodium benzoate
preservatives that inhibit yeast