Quote Originally Posted by Solaris View Post
Mead's been made for millennia without sterilization.
Wash your hands. Wash your gear. That's about all you need. I've read meadmakers who only rinse their carboys out to get the big particles out, with the aim and intent of keeping the live microbes in there.
This is true, but also remember that urine was sometimes used to correct a pH imbalance. Just because it can be done doesn't mean it should.