Beer vs Mead Brewing: Which Should You Try First?

If you just got a beginner brewing kit and you're trying to decide what to brew first, beer and mead are the two most popular options. Here's how they compare for first-time brewers.

Ingredients

Beeruses malted grain (or malt extract), hops, yeast, and water. You'll usually buy a pre-measured ingredient kit for your first batch.

Meaduses honey, water, and yeast. That's it. You can add fruits or spices later, but the base recipe is dead simple.

Difficulty

Mead wins here for simplicity. Beer involves a boiling step with hops additions at specific times. Mead is basically mix-and-forget. If you're a true beginner, mead has a lower bar to clear. Check our mead brewing guide to see just how easy it is.

Time to Ready

Beer: 2-3 weeks. Mead: 4-6 weeks minimum, but really shines at 3+ months. Beer gives you faster results. Mead rewards patience. Read more about how long mead takes.

Flavor

Beer tastes like... beer. You know what to expect. Mead ranges from sweet to dry and can taste like wine, honey, or fruit depending on what you add. It's more of a blank canvas.

Our Recommendation

Start with mead if you want the simplest possible first brew. Start with beer if you want something familiar faster. Either way, a 1 gallon brewing kit works for both.