At Wild Atlantic Honey & Mead, we believe mead making is both an ancient craft and a modern science. We are passionate about exploring the relationship between technology and traditional Irish mead.

While mead has been produced for thousands of years using traditional methods, today we are combining that heritage with modern fermentation technology to help us produce more consistent, refined, and carefully monitored meads.

One of the technologies now playing an important role in our pilot meadery is the Tilt™ wireless hydrometer system see https://tilthydrometer.com

What Is a Tilt Hydrometer?

The Tilt hydrometer is a floating wireless sensor placed directly inside the fermenter during fermentation.

It continuously measures:

Specific gravity (sugar levels)
Fermentation progress
Temperature
Fermentation trends over time

The data is transmitted wirelessly to a smartphone or tablet, allowing real-time monitoring without repeatedly opening the fermenter.

This is particularly valuable for mead production, where fermentation can sometimes progress more slowly and delicately than beer or cider due to the unique nature of honey sugars.

Why This Matters

Traditionally, monitoring fermentation required:

opening the fermenter,
manually taking samples,
using hydrometers,
and exposing the mead to oxygen or contamination risks.

With Tilt technology, we can monitor fermentation continuously while leaving the fermenter sealed and stable.

That means:

fewer unnecessary interventions,
more stable fermentation conditions,
improved consistency,
and better long-term data collection.

Better Data = Better Mead

Every fermentation behaves slightly differently depending on:

the honey variety,
yeast strain,
temperature,
nutrient levels,
and fermentation timing.

By collecting ongoing fermentation data, we are building a deeper understanding of how different Irish honeys behave during mead production — including wildflower and heather honey fermentations.

Over time, this helps us:

refine recipes,
improve consistency,
optimise fermentation temperatures,
and better understand flavour development.

A Blend of Ancient and Modern

Mead may be Ireland’s oldest drink, but that does not mean production should stand still.

We see technology as a tool that supports craftsmanship rather than replacing it.

Good mead still begins with:

quality honey,
patience,
careful fermentation,
and respect for the process.

But modern monitoring systems like Tilt allow small-scale craft producers to better understand fermentation in ways that simply were not possible even a decade ago.

Current Fermentation Snapshot

The screenshot below shows one of our active pilot fermentations currently underway, with live gravity and temperature readings being monitored in real time.

Watch Fermentation in Action

Few things are more satisfying than watching a healthy fermentation in progress — the quiet bubbling, rising aromas, and transformation of honey into mead.

For us, every batch remains part tradition, part experimentation, and part rediscovery of one of the world’s oldest drinks.