RocketMan said:
Interesting ...
Danstar CBC-1 might be a decent option, too ...
It's engineered for refermentation's, specifically ...
misc Recipes - Mead
- Thread starter RocketMan
- Start date
Interesting ...
Danstar CBC-1 might be a decent option, too ...
It's engineered for refermentation's, specifically ...
I'm still pretty sure I neglected to aerate the must so yesterday I sanitized the air stone and made a little honey water with a teaspoon of yeast nutrients added and let the go all morning. Then at lunch I pitched the yeast and resealed the bucket. Wishing I'd gotten a SG reading but it didn't even dawn on me to do so. If I don't start seeing any action in the bubbler today or tomorrow I'm going to open it up and get one then rack it to a secondary to get it off the Leeds and just seal it up and let it go. One way or another we'll see where it goes.
Ok, all I can say is WOW!!
So I went out and took a sample and an SG, low and behold it was down from 1.100 to 1.010 (11.8% ABV) and a beautiful clear golden color. It must have been leaking CO2 out around the blow off tube or the lid or was just a super slow ferment. Just take a look:
A little sip and again, WOW, notes of Sherry and Cognac. So, tomorrow is one month that its been in the primary. Here's what aim thinking. I'll wait a day or two so y'all can chime in. Im thinking its time to rack it over to the secondary. I'm thinking adding 2 cups of brewed black or green tea and a couple of ounces of Dark toasted Oak Chips I have left over from a Stout I made. Give it 2 weeks to a month on the oak, add some Potassium Sorbate and Potassium Metabisulfite and bottle a couple days later. Let the bottles stand to 3 days and the lay them down so the corks stay wet.
So I went out and took a sample and an SG, low and behold it was down from 1.100 to 1.010 (11.8% ABV) and a beautiful clear golden color. It must have been leaking CO2 out around the blow off tube or the lid or was just a super slow ferment. Just take a look:
A little sip and again, WOW, notes of Sherry and Cognac. So, tomorrow is one month that its been in the primary. Here's what aim thinking. I'll wait a day or two so y'all can chime in. Im thinking its time to rack it over to the secondary. I'm thinking adding 2 cups of brewed black or green tea and a couple of ounces of Dark toasted Oak Chips I have left over from a Stout I made. Give it 2 weeks to a month on the oak, add some Potassium Sorbate and Potassium Metabisulfite and bottle a couple days later. Let the bottles stand to 3 days and the lay them down so the corks stay wet.
Ozzy2001 said:
I have about 10 more bottles of commercial examples + a gallon of tangerine blossom honey (to use) to try to convert me yet ... but so far, I'm not all that excited by mead ...
Ok, I misread the Hydrometer, its at 1.002 which makes the ABV 12.86%
A few notes about Mead making. This is stuff that I didn't know going into making this batch and learned from the great people over at GotMead.com.
Yeast starter with Mead should be nothing more than temperate water. Don’t add Nutrients other than Go-ferm, by its protocol. When the cell membrane is dry it has no capacity to distinguish harmful from beneficial ingredients so it absorbs everything. In doing such it absorbs many things that cause damage to the cell. It's only after the cell membrane is established that it is then able to sort the good from the bad.
The yeast also has to be at a matching temperature to the must. A difference of +- 10 degrees will shock the yeast
Degassing should be done on a daily basis. Some recommend a couple of times per day while others say daily. This is because the buildup of CO2 can potentially affect the yeast. When used with a universal stopper the easiest way to degas is using one if these,
Which you can pick up from Walmart for about $15.00.
At bottling add Potassium Sorbate and Potassium Metabisulfite to the Mead. The Potassium Sorbate will preserve the color and flavor of the Mead over a long period of time and the Potassium Metabisulfite will prevent further fermentation. Follow label directions and let it sit for 2 days before sweetening (adding 1 cup of honey per 5 gallons) and bottling it.
Corks, #9 corks that are 1.5 inch corks work the best. Boil some water and remove from heat. Add the corks to the water, cover and wait 5 minutes.
To make sparkling mead add 2/3 cup of honey to 5 gallons of mead and bottle in Champagne bottles with Champagne corks and wire cork restraints.
A few notes about Mead making. This is stuff that I didn't know going into making this batch and learned from the great people over at GotMead.com.
Yeast starter with Mead should be nothing more than temperate water. Don’t add Nutrients other than Go-ferm, by its protocol. When the cell membrane is dry it has no capacity to distinguish harmful from beneficial ingredients so it absorbs everything. In doing such it absorbs many things that cause damage to the cell. It's only after the cell membrane is established that it is then able to sort the good from the bad.
The yeast also has to be at a matching temperature to the must. A difference of +- 10 degrees will shock the yeast
Degassing should be done on a daily basis. Some recommend a couple of times per day while others say daily. This is because the buildup of CO2 can potentially affect the yeast. When used with a universal stopper the easiest way to degas is using one if these,
Which you can pick up from Walmart for about $15.00.
At bottling add Potassium Sorbate and Potassium Metabisulfite to the Mead. The Potassium Sorbate will preserve the color and flavor of the Mead over a long period of time and the Potassium Metabisulfite will prevent further fermentation. Follow label directions and let it sit for 2 days before sweetening (adding 1 cup of honey per 5 gallons) and bottling it.
Corks, #9 corks that are 1.5 inch corks work the best. Boil some water and remove from heat. Add the corks to the water, cover and wait 5 minutes.
To make sparkling mead add 2/3 cup of honey to 5 gallons of mead and bottle in Champagne bottles with Champagne corks and wire cork restraints.
One more thing ...
If you are making a melomel, you have to punch down the fruit layer for the first three days or so of the most active fermentation, to both allow gas escape and also to keep from trapping heat from the fermentation such that it decreases the flavors of the honey a la cooking ...
I ordered a Fermentap Gas Whip, which attaches to a drill, for twice daily de-gas'ing ...
Most of what you've written fits what I was going to write-up, and I have a little bit more detail and techniques for the SNA/TOSNA ... in terms of strategies for GoFerm + DAP + Fermaid K vs GoFerm Fermaid O etc ...
If you are making a melomel, you have to punch down the fruit layer for the first three days or so of the most active fermentation, to both allow gas escape and also to keep from trapping heat from the fermentation such that it decreases the flavors of the honey a la cooking ...
I ordered a Fermentap Gas Whip, which attaches to a drill, for twice daily de-gas'ing ...
Most of what you've written fits what I was going to write-up, and I have a little bit more detail and techniques for the SNA/TOSNA ... in terms of strategies for GoFerm + DAP + Fermaid K vs GoFerm Fermaid O etc ...
I finally had a really nice mead last night (and again, now) ...
The 810 Meadworks Fresh Squeezed is #amazeballs tasty ... so light, and 15% ...
<3 ...
The 810 Meadworks Fresh Squeezed is #amazeballs tasty ... so light, and 15% ...
<3 ...
Oaked Wildflower Mead.
Ingredients:
15 lbs Wildflower Honey
Spring Water
Lalvin 71B-1122
Yeast Nutrients
Yeast Energizer
French Oak Chips
Potassium Sorbate
Potassium Metabisulphite
Add 15 lbs of quality wildflower honey to a carboy. Put in enough spring water so that the volume equals 6 gallons. Stir vigorously, mainly for aeration, you don't have to mix all of the honey into the must, just some of it. The yeast will eat all the honey at the bottom later. Add 3 teaspoons of yeast nutrient, and 1.5 teaspoons of yeast energizer. Mix vigorously again.
Make a yeast starter with spring water and 1 tablespoon of honey from the batch. Once ready, pitch the yeast into the must, and throw an airlock onto your carboy. 2 days later add 1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient, and 1 teaspoon of yeast energizer, and stir vigorously. Be careful at this point, because the mead will foam over! Reseal it with the airlock. 2 days later, stir the must one last time for a minute or so. Check your gravity in 3 more days. You should be well past your 1/3 sugar break, and should not stir or add any more nutrients at this point.
Once 2 weeks has elapsed, add 2 ounces of french oak chips. I prep my oak chips by soaking them in 1Step for 20-30+ minutes. This will take that dark oak color off of the chips, and sterilizes them. Rinse them off, then add them directly to the mead.
Over the next month, taste your mead once a week to determine how oaky it is for your taste. Once it reaches the desired level of oakiness, rack it off the oak chips into another clean carboy.
At this point you want to give it a few weeks to begin clearing, then rack it again to another carboy to clear. You will inevitably lose some mead volume in this process, don't worry about it, this is a hobby, and supposed to be fun, right? It's worth it anyway to have a nice clear finished product anyway.
In another 2 weeks to a month you will have a clear mead ready to bottle. Use your Metabisulphite and Sorbate per bottle instructions depending on your final volume, then bottle it with good corks. Sit upright for 3-5 days, then lay on their side to age. Even though it tastes good right away, it's best after 6 months to a year, and worth the wait.
*I had to factory reset my Note 5, and lost all of my S Notes, so I don't have my OG or FG this one unfortunately. I wish I had thought of that before the wipe, because I lost a lot of good brewing and recipe notes*
Ingredients:
15 lbs Wildflower Honey
Spring Water
Lalvin 71B-1122
Yeast Nutrients
Yeast Energizer
French Oak Chips
Potassium Sorbate
Potassium Metabisulphite
Add 15 lbs of quality wildflower honey to a carboy. Put in enough spring water so that the volume equals 6 gallons. Stir vigorously, mainly for aeration, you don't have to mix all of the honey into the must, just some of it. The yeast will eat all the honey at the bottom later. Add 3 teaspoons of yeast nutrient, and 1.5 teaspoons of yeast energizer. Mix vigorously again.
Make a yeast starter with spring water and 1 tablespoon of honey from the batch. Once ready, pitch the yeast into the must, and throw an airlock onto your carboy. 2 days later add 1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient, and 1 teaspoon of yeast energizer, and stir vigorously. Be careful at this point, because the mead will foam over! Reseal it with the airlock. 2 days later, stir the must one last time for a minute or so. Check your gravity in 3 more days. You should be well past your 1/3 sugar break, and should not stir or add any more nutrients at this point.
Once 2 weeks has elapsed, add 2 ounces of french oak chips. I prep my oak chips by soaking them in 1Step for 20-30+ minutes. This will take that dark oak color off of the chips, and sterilizes them. Rinse them off, then add them directly to the mead.
Over the next month, taste your mead once a week to determine how oaky it is for your taste. Once it reaches the desired level of oakiness, rack it off the oak chips into another clean carboy.
At this point you want to give it a few weeks to begin clearing, then rack it again to another carboy to clear. You will inevitably lose some mead volume in this process, don't worry about it, this is a hobby, and supposed to be fun, right? It's worth it anyway to have a nice clear finished product anyway.
In another 2 weeks to a month you will have a clear mead ready to bottle. Use your Metabisulphite and Sorbate per bottle instructions depending on your final volume, then bottle it with good corks. Sit upright for 3-5 days, then lay on their side to age. Even though it tastes good right away, it's best after 6 months to a year, and worth the wait.
*I had to factory reset my Note 5, and lost all of my S Notes, so I don't have my OG or FG this one unfortunately. I wish I had thought of that before the wipe, because I lost a lot of good brewing and recipe notes*
Attachments
Looks good to me!
Last night I racked the Paladin Mead to Secondary, was on my own and leaning on the crutches so I didn't get any pictures. For the wonderful golden color in the glass it was really dark looking in the bucket. I added 2 cups of strong Black Tea, Orange Pekoe and Black I think, Then mixed up 3 teaspoons of Bentonite with a cup and a half of 104 dF water and let it sit overnight. This morning I added the Bentonite, gave it a gentle stir to mix in and sealed it up. Really need to get a 6.5 gallon Carboy 
maybe next month. Going to give it 2 weeks on the Bentonite then rack it off of it and give it another 2 weeks at which point I'm thinking I'll add the Potassium Sorbate and Metabisulfite and cold condition for 3 days then bottle
As greenchilimonster said once bottled 3 to 5 days standing up and then on it's side till 6 months has passed. At that point I'll chill one down and take a sampling.
Cheers y"all
maybe next month. Going to give it 2 weeks on the Bentonite then rack it off of it and give it another 2 weeks at which point I'm thinking I'll add the Potassium Sorbate and Metabisulfite and cold condition for 3 days then bottleAs greenchilimonster said once bottled 3 to 5 days standing up and then on it's side till 6 months has passed. At that point I'll chill one down and take a sampling.
Cheers y"all
BTW, I picked up this recipe for a Cyser that's supposed to be bullet proof.
Start with 4 gallons of unfiltered, unpasteurized juice. Pour it into a sanitized bucket, take a gravity reading, and then begin adding honey, using a sanitized paint stirrer attachment on a cordless drill (this seems like a great tip for mixing honey), until you get to your desired OG. Mine is usually around 1.130. At the same time, mix in 5 tsp Fermaid-O.
Hydrate one packet of Cote des Blancs yeast using Go-Ferm, and 104 degree water, for 30 minutes. During this time, the temp will come down. Temperate by adding small amounts of the must to the hydration container at a time, and when the temp is the same as the must, pitch. Then I drain the whole thing into a 6.5 gallon glass carboy, drop an oxygenation stone in, and pump pure O2 in for about 30 seconds.
Fit an airlock, and wait. I try to keep the must temperature in the mid 60s throughout the ferment. When the lag phase is over, I stir in 2.5 tsp. Fermaid-O. When the SG gets to 1.075 (1/2 break), I degas and stir in another 2.5 tsp. Fermaid-O. Then I set it somewhere quiet and out of the way until I see the yeast drop out. At this point, I rack and begin testing for stability. When the SG stays the same for a couple of weeks in a row, I bottle (carbonated) using raw honey for the priming agent. I don't wait for full clarity because I like my ciders and cysers bottled like hefewiezens. You can pour them clear, or stir them up a little; however you like it.
If I'm going to add spice, I add it in large pieces (chunks, not powder) in a steeping bag, during secondary, until I get the flavor character I want. One of my next batches will involve using fresh ginger, which I will shred and add to the primary; probably 2-3 ounces.
Cheers
Start with 4 gallons of unfiltered, unpasteurized juice. Pour it into a sanitized bucket, take a gravity reading, and then begin adding honey, using a sanitized paint stirrer attachment on a cordless drill (this seems like a great tip for mixing honey), until you get to your desired OG. Mine is usually around 1.130. At the same time, mix in 5 tsp Fermaid-O.
Hydrate one packet of Cote des Blancs yeast using Go-Ferm, and 104 degree water, for 30 minutes. During this time, the temp will come down. Temperate by adding small amounts of the must to the hydration container at a time, and when the temp is the same as the must, pitch. Then I drain the whole thing into a 6.5 gallon glass carboy, drop an oxygenation stone in, and pump pure O2 in for about 30 seconds.
Fit an airlock, and wait. I try to keep the must temperature in the mid 60s throughout the ferment. When the lag phase is over, I stir in 2.5 tsp. Fermaid-O. When the SG gets to 1.075 (1/2 break), I degas and stir in another 2.5 tsp. Fermaid-O. Then I set it somewhere quiet and out of the way until I see the yeast drop out. At this point, I rack and begin testing for stability. When the SG stays the same for a couple of weeks in a row, I bottle (carbonated) using raw honey for the priming agent. I don't wait for full clarity because I like my ciders and cysers bottled like hefewiezens. You can pour them clear, or stir them up a little; however you like it.
If I'm going to add spice, I add it in large pieces (chunks, not powder) in a steeping bag, during secondary, until I get the flavor character I want. One of my next batches will involve using fresh ginger, which I will shred and add to the primary; probably 2-3 ounces.
Cheers
That looks like a good plan there RM! The toughest part about mead is the waiting game. That's why I like to make a batch every 3 months or so, that way I can drink it year round, while everything is aging. I just drink on batches that have already aged for 6+ months. The plastic 6.5 gallon Big Mouth Bubblers have worked very well for me, plus they are lightweight and inexpensive.RocketMan said:Last night I racked the Paladin Mead to Secondary, was on my own and leaning on the crutches so I didn't get any pictures. For the wonderful golden color in the glass it was really dark looking in the bucket. I added 2 cups of strong Black Tea, Orange Pekoe and Black I think, Then mixed up 3 teaspoons of Bentonite with a cup and a half of 104 dF water and let it sit overnight. This morning I added the Bentonite, gave it a gentle stir to mix in and sealed it up. Really need to get a 6.5 gallon Carboy
As greenchilimonster said once bottled 3 to 5 days standing up and then on it's side till 6 months has passed. At that point I'll chill one down and take a sampling.
Cheers y"all
Traditional (show) Sack Mead.
One 60 lb. bucket of wildflower honey
Spring water
Wyeast 4632
Yeast, water, and honey. This extreme gravity mead requires step feeding, because if you put 30 lbs of honey per batch initially, your yeast will pretty much die upon contact with the must.
This recipe is for a split 6 gallon batch.
Start with 21 pounds of honey per carboy, and fill with spring water so that the volume equals about 5.25-5.5 gallons. Aerate the hell out of it, your must will look almost black initially due to the high wildflower honey content. Make a yeast starter with Wyeast 4632, spring water, and 1 tablespoon of the honey from the batch. Pitch the yeast. Add an airlock. After 2 days you should see some extremely vigorous activity in the airlock, and you should aerate the must for a good 5 minutes. Since there aren't any nutes, the oxygen will be your yeasts best friend at this point. 2 days later aerate for another 5 minutes. Once the 4 days have elapsed, add 3 lbs. of honey per batch, and do not mix into the must. Just let the yeast bottom feed. After another 4 days add another 3 lbs per batch to bottom feed. Continue bottom feeding every 4 days until you are out of honey, 30 lbs per batch. Your yeast will eat all of the honey at the bottom of your carboy, step feeding is a great way to not stress the yeast with such a ridiculously high gravity.
2 weeks after the last honey addition, you will notice that the yeast has eaten all of the honey at the bottom of the carboy, and the yeast is beginning to flocculate heavily. Rack the meads into 2 clean carboys.
2 weeks in the new carboys, then rack them into new carboys. Repeat these steps every 2 weeks, until your mead is ready to bottle. When you make batches of mead with 30 lbs. each of wildflower honey, it will never clear out completely, but it will give an amazingly tasty golden mead.
Bottle your mead with potassium sorbate and metabisulphite per bottle instructions, then age accordingly. Since it is a traditional (show) sack mead, it will taste very strongly of the honey you use. The honey I used in this recipe is a local honey, and I love the flavor and aroma. You want to make sure to make this recipe with something that you enjoy.
One 60 lb. bucket of wildflower honey
Spring water
Wyeast 4632
Yeast, water, and honey. This extreme gravity mead requires step feeding, because if you put 30 lbs of honey per batch initially, your yeast will pretty much die upon contact with the must.
This recipe is for a split 6 gallon batch.
Start with 21 pounds of honey per carboy, and fill with spring water so that the volume equals about 5.25-5.5 gallons. Aerate the hell out of it, your must will look almost black initially due to the high wildflower honey content. Make a yeast starter with Wyeast 4632, spring water, and 1 tablespoon of the honey from the batch. Pitch the yeast. Add an airlock. After 2 days you should see some extremely vigorous activity in the airlock, and you should aerate the must for a good 5 minutes. Since there aren't any nutes, the oxygen will be your yeasts best friend at this point. 2 days later aerate for another 5 minutes. Once the 4 days have elapsed, add 3 lbs. of honey per batch, and do not mix into the must. Just let the yeast bottom feed. After another 4 days add another 3 lbs per batch to bottom feed. Continue bottom feeding every 4 days until you are out of honey, 30 lbs per batch. Your yeast will eat all of the honey at the bottom of your carboy, step feeding is a great way to not stress the yeast with such a ridiculously high gravity.
2 weeks after the last honey addition, you will notice that the yeast has eaten all of the honey at the bottom of the carboy, and the yeast is beginning to flocculate heavily. Rack the meads into 2 clean carboys.
2 weeks in the new carboys, then rack them into new carboys. Repeat these steps every 2 weeks, until your mead is ready to bottle. When you make batches of mead with 30 lbs. each of wildflower honey, it will never clear out completely, but it will give an amazingly tasty golden mead.
Bottle your mead with potassium sorbate and metabisulphite per bottle instructions, then age accordingly. Since it is a traditional (show) sack mead, it will taste very strongly of the honey you use. The honey I used in this recipe is a local honey, and I love the flavor and aroma. You want to make sure to make this recipe with something that you enjoy.
