Mead-making workshop

Join Inverness-shire Beekeepers' Association and Bruno Hannemann of Araucaria Fine Foods for a full-day mead-making workshop at Kiltarlity Hall from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, 1st November 2025. Lunch and refreshments are provided. You will need to supply your own equipment and honey – please see below for details.

Mead is a 'honey wine' made using fermented honey, and it's believed to be the world's oldest alcoholic beverage. People have been making (and drinking) it for more than 4,000 years!

Bruno has four decades of beekeeping experience and has been making mead since 2013, and producing it commercially since 2019. He has won local, regional and national prizes for mead and honey.

With theory in the morning and a practical session in the afternoon, you will also taste some of Bruno’s splendid meads and prepare a batch of your own mead to take home. This is a comprehensive, hands-on event, covering the following topics:

• Mead history
• Mead styles and classification
• Essential ingredients
• Fermentation equipment
• Control equipment
• Cleaning and sanitising
• Preparing and inoculating the yeast
• Nutrient addition and controlling residual sweetness
• Identifying the end of fermentation
• Racking and clarification
• Fermented mead care and what happens during maturation

PLEASE NOTE: you will need to bring your own brewing equipment (see list below). Don't worry if you don't already have this, as it can be purchased from Bruno for £49 (additional to the ticket price). This must be reserved at least two weeks ahead of the event, and details of how to purchase will be in your confirmation email after booking your place.

List of equipment to bring on the day:

• 5-litre clear bucket
• 5-litre glass demijohn, with bung and bubbler airlock
• Standard siphon
• 14cm plastic funnel
• Plastic trial jar, 150ml capacity
• Hydrometer
• 500ml plastic jug
• Nylon brush
• 21-inch mixing paddle

You'll also need to bring 1.5-2kg of honey. If you'd like to buy some from a local beekeeper, our president Jed at Highland Beekeeper Honey can help. His contact details will be in your confirmation email.