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Mead
,techniques section
'''Spontaneous'''
Just about anything can be spontaneously fermented, which of course includes Mead. For the most part its very similar to spontaneous beers as far as capturing ambient microbes, the big difference is the controlling of microbes by types of carbon sources as well as acid contributions from hops. Hopping can be used of course but is not used in normal Meads. Also unlike spontaneous beers, you normally wouldn't be heating must(unfermented mead) up to a boiling temperature so the cooling process is a bit different.
Being that raw honey can have a host of microbes within it, the only way to do a true spontaneous mead fermented with ambient microbes is to use a pasteurized honey with water that has been pasteurized or boiled. Outside of this technique, it would be considered a wild Mead. You could also pasteurize your own honey by holding the must at 170 F but you may also risk loosing some of the honey's attributes and flavors.
==See Also==