Bray's One Month Mead

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@loveofrose I am sure this has been asked before, but I am in Sweden and it is apparently impossible to find potassium bicarbonate. I have found one source of potassium carbonate online. Are they totally interchangeable or must one be handled differently? I assume it's 100% necessary for a BOMM...?

Also, have you tried Voss Kviek at all, out of curiosity? I'm about to try a cider and/or cyser with it. The purported orange notes when fermented hot (32-38C) sound really interesting.
 
Yes, the carbonates are interchangeable. I’ve been using Hothead Kviek for meads that I want tropical notes. It is anything but neutral so your recipe can be helped or hurt by the esters. 1388 is clean so it works for more recipes.
 
I’m planing my next batch, a Black mead and berry death BOMM blend that I’m calling Black Deadthberry. So question is, with so much Vit C in black currant, how much potassium bicarbonate should I be adding? I’m planning on using vinterts harvest black currant, mixed with honey and water to 5 gallons, and adding the fruit to that.
 
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I’m realizing something in the recipe for the berry death BOMM. Based on your recipe for the 6gal batch, it says 96oz of black currant juice, which I used Knudsen’s. For my next batch, based on one i did blending 3qt of the berry death with 1qt more black current juice, I’m using a full 96oz can of vintners concentrate to make the 4-5gal and adding the fruit to that. I thought it would be different from your or curt stocks recipe. But am I wrong? What was your recipe calling for, 96oz of juice or concentrate?
 
Oh, so I’m not making something different, more like I made a lite version the first time around.
Well I still like the name I’ve been calling my batch, I’ll just have to make some alterations to make it my own :)
 
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I'm ready to try this. (been ready for about a month; finally getting off my butt) If I use a whole pack of the 1388 yeast to make one gallon, will the lees still be active enough to pitch a 4 gallon not-too-strong Belgian pale ale? (7% or so) Or at least to make a starter for that ale? Or will it be too stressed out from the mead? I know I could make a starter first; pitch 3/4 of it and then step up the rest. But that's why I've been stalled, trying to schedule brewing the beer.
 
z-bob said:
I'm ready to try this. (been ready for about a month; finally getting off my butt) If I use a whole pack of the 1388 yeast to make one gallon, will the lees still be active enough to pitch a 4 gallon not-too-strong Belgian pale ale? (7% or so) Or at least to make a starter for that ale? Or will it be too stressed out from the mead? I know I could make a starter first; pitch 3/4 of it and then step up the rest. But that's why I've been stalled, trying to schedule brewing the beer.
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I've been using the same pack of 1388 for about 6 months. I made a 1 liter starter with the full package of yeast, split this into 2 pint size mason jars and cold crash. On "brew" day, I remove 1 mason jar from the fridge and immediately decant 90% of the liquid from above the yeast and let the yeast come up to room temperature. I also add half a cup of must/mead to the mason jar and swirl it all up before pitching to make sure I get all of the yeast I can from the jar. I've made dozens of batches of mead and cider this way. When I'm ready to "brew" another batch I decant the liquid from the other mason jar and start another 1 liter starter with the remaining yeast. I've had zero issues with this method on my 1 gallon batches and assume you could do the same with larger batches/larger starters as well.

I can't imagine going back to wine yeast for ciders or meads ever again but I am having fun recently playing around with Kviek yeast mead/cider and still using the same BOMM/TOSNA nutrient schedule.
 
+1
To what he said. Keep making starters and saving some of it to make another.
I just keep making mini quart sized BOMM with half a pound of honey as starter or yeast farm. If I don’t use the yeast right away I let it go dry, rack out the mead and add more must to keep the colony fed. I save up the cleared low gravity meads till I get 3qts. I then add another 1-1.5lb honey and another dose of FermaidO to finish it up as a full strength mead. The first gallon I made from doing this just got racked onto some fresh picked blackberries.
 
I
beer-me-now said:
I've been using the same pack of 1388 for about 6 months. I made a 1 liter starter with the full package of yeast, split this into 2 pint size mason jars and cold crash. On "brew" day, I remove 1 mason jar from the fridge and immediately decant 90% of the liquid from above the yeast and let the yeast come up to room temperature. I also add half a cup of must/mead to the mason jar and swirl it all up before pitching to make sure I get all of the yeast I can from the jar. I've made dozens of batches of mead and cider this way. When I'm ready to "brew" another batch I decant the liquid from the other mason jar and start another 1 liter starter with the remaining yeast. I've had zero issues with this method on my 1 gallon batches and assume you could do the same with larger batches/larger starters as well.

I can't imagine going back to wine yeast for ciders or meads ever again but I am having fun recently playing around with Kviek yeast mead/cider and still using the same BOMM/TOSNA nutrient schedule.
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I'd love to hear more about your kveik brews! I recently did a cider with Sigmund Voss Kveik and wondering how others have played with it. I just got a pack of TYB Simoniatis Lithuanian Farmhouse and contemplating grabbing some Kveiking while the LHBS still has it in stock.
 
I have used Voss kveik yeast once to make cider just to try it, and it worked very well. And it was extremely fast. But I went back to using wine yeast because it works well too; I have about 20 packets in the fridge, and it's cheap.
 
Yeast are toolbox tools. They provide (or lack) esters that enhance (or fight) with your mead.

I enjoy neutral yeast that allow the pure honey to shine so Wyeast 1388 is my go to for most things.

However, if I want mango flavors in a mead, Omega Hothead at 95 F is the way to go.

If I want improved body, W15.

If I want floral notes, DV10.

If I want more acidity, D21 or CBC1.

And on and on. Fermaid O protocols have made all of these yeast pretty fast. If you ever need help, just email me or check out my site for examples. https://denardbrewing.com
 
@loveofrose I just made a 1388 starter yesterday as per your website instructions, graded up to 3L. Why the use of GoFerm with a liquid yeast? My yeast is nearing 6 months from production date and seems to be working slowly. I am seeing a little activity but it seems slow. I am gently using a heating pad intermittently. I just added 0.4g FermO, about 29 hours post pitch (which is probably underpitched for the volume but I wasn’t sure if the GoFerm counts as nutrients). The plan is to go 4 days per your site as I don’t have a stir plate, just swirling by hand maybe once an hour in a 5L glass carboy. I want to keep some as a perpetual starter. Should I pitch 2L and keep 1, or some other proportion? Do I always need to use 2L as the pitched starter?
 
I’ve been growing the same batch of yeast since May. You only need to save a few ounces of the culture to start another 1-2 liters and build up from there if needed. When the culture ferments dry, you can put some in the fridge till your next brew. But I’ve been keeping a continuous active culture going. I scaled BOMM recipe down to 1/2gal and using just a pound of honey like Brays starter instructions, and use that to feed the yeast. I rack the cleared low abv mead into a carboy and keep adding batches till it’s almost filled. then add another 1-1.5lb honey, another dose of nutrients and some yeast then let it finish as a full strength mead.
 
So in regards to my 3 liter starter. It seemed to be a sluggish fermentation (the smack pack was nearing 6 months from production date), so I used a heating pad intermittently and think it may have gotten too warm at times. I made 2 Fermaid O additions of 0.4 grams each on day 2 and 3. It's been in the fridge to cold crash for 3 or 4 days and I had a taste of the cleared liquid last night. It was... not good. I've never used 1388 before. The smell isn't bad, very beer-like and pleasantly yeasty, but the taste is pretty awful. Like cat piss. I have never had anything else taste like this. Is this a FermO off flavor? Was the yeast too old? Should I toss it all and buy a new yeast pack? I made up a plum melomel which I wanted to make into a BOMM but no point in ruining the batch if the yeast is bad. Help please!
 
As long as it started fermenting and growing, let it go, it doesn’t take long for them to get the colony size needed. It tastes bad because it’s not done yet. Also, it’s not a beer starter where you cold crash and decant off yeast. It’s a low gravity mead, account for the volume in your batch and pitch the whole thing in. I personally save a few ounces of the starter and use it to make the next starter.
 
Seamonkey84 said:
As long as it started fermenting and growing, let it go, it doesn’t take long for them to get the colony size needed. It tastes bad because it’s not done yet. Also, it’s not a beer starter where you cold crash and decant off yeast. It’s a low gravity mead, account for the volume in your batch and pitch the whole thing in. I personally save a few ounces of the starter and use it to make the next starter.
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Took your advice and shook up the starter and pitched 2L of it. I'm really hoping that off flavor was excessive nutrient, thinking I'll maybe skip one addition. There is about 3.5 kg of plums in already and I might add some dried prunes into secondary.
 
if the off flavors is from nutrients, it’s because the batch was not finished yet. Even once it’s fermented dry, the yeast will keep working on stuff and cleans up a lot of off flavors as they clear on their own. I Use buckets, so When I pull my fruit I rack into carboys. But when I do that, I give it all a good stir while racking so all of the yeast and lees go into the carboy to finish up primary. Don’t rack off the bulk lees until it clears on its own. Make a bit more than your main carboy can hold, put the extra in separate gallon carboy or bottle. Combine to top off when you actually rack off the bulk lees.
 
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I started a 4L batch a few days ago, using the BOMM protocol but with a pint of clover honey and a pint of homemade dark invert syrup that's just a little thinner than honey. I screwed up measuring the water, so about 2 or 3 ounces of the invert wouldn't fit in the jug, but I'm saving that, and when the mead starts to clear I will pour some off to taste it and add the last little bit of syrup and let it finish.

My 1388 yeast was a couple of months old (took about 10 hours to swell up the package) so I used the whole thing instead of holding some back to make a beer starter, and I only put the honey in at first so I wouldn't osmotic shock the yeast. About 24 hours later, with visible yeast activity, I added the invert syrup.

I'm planning to save the yeast cake and use it to brew a moderate-gravity Belgian blonde ale. (You don't rack this, right? You bottle right from the primary in about a month?) Then save the yeast from that.
 
motherofgallons said:
Took your advice and shook up the starter and pitched 2L of it. I'm really hoping that off flavor was excessive nutrient, thinking I'll maybe skip one addition. There is about 3.5 kg of plums in already and I might add some dried prunes into secondary.
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Don't add prunes, I repeat, DON'T ADD PRUNES!!!!

Prunes taste like oxidised iron when fermented, you don't want that in your mead, believe me!

I tried to make prune juice wine once...
 
T
Miraculix said:
Don't add prunes, I repeat, DON'T ADD PRUNES!!!!

Prunes taste like oxidised iron when fermented, you don't want that in your mead, believe me!

I tried to make prune juice wine once...
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Thanks for the warning!! Do you mean the dried prunes ( some fresh plums are also called prunes, confusingly)? I have procrastinated on adding them. I'll save them for eating instead. I did use a liter of prune juice for the must but it seemed to be a blend of plum, apple and lemon.
 
How long before the bubbling stops and the yeast clears? Mine has been going for 2 weeks now. I degas it every day or two (screw the lid on tight, shake it up, loosen the lid, repeat) and the next day I see lots of tiny bubbles again. There is a good bit of sediment. I'll stop shaking it up when the visible bubbling stops or I see evidence of it starting to clear at the top of the jug.

The smell has changed. The first week it mostly smelled yeasty. Now it smells kinda floral and alcoholic.
 
z-bob said:
How long before the bubbling stops and the yeast clears? Mine has been going for 2 weeks now. I degas it every day or two (screw the lid on tight, shake it up, loosen the lid, repeat) and the next day I see lots of tiny bubbles again. There is a good bit of sediment. I'll stop shaking it up when the visible bubbling stops or I see evidence of it starting to clear at the top of the jug.

The smell has changed. The first week it mostly smelled yeasty. Now it smells kinda floral and alcoholic.
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Once it starts to have that defined clearing layer, you can stop degassing if you want, but I find it helps it clear a bit faster if you keep at it a few more days. Bray has mentioned he waits at least 30 days before cold crashing. That said, I still wait till it’s basically cleared on its own before racking or cold crashing.
 
I think mine is ready to bottle. It's almost clear, but I think the slight cloudiness that's left might be yeast stuck to the sides of the glass jug. Is this better still or carbonated? It is too dry for me, and I like dry; it tasted better 2 weeks ago, so I'll have to sweeten it slightly. But I can still carbonate it and add a sugar cube or dab of honey syrup to my glass when I drink it.

It smells good, but I can't describe the smell. And it's just a little bitter from the dark invert I added (that's good, but probably also why it needs a little sweetness)
 
My BOMM has been going for 26 days now. I racked it after 20 days to take the fruit and spice off, however it's still bubbling away with the yeast rising and falling inside. I was hoping that this would be ready for Christmas day but at this rate, it might not be ready for New Year!

Any hints to get it finished quicker or am I at the mercy of the yeasties?
 
Did you check gravity? It could be done, but it takes a long time to degas naturally. If it’s stable, then degas and cold crash.
 
Taste it. If you want more, it’s done. It may not be clear, but I never let that stop me. More yeast = more vitamins and less hang overs!
 
Seamonkey84 said:
Did you check gravity? It could be done, but it takes a long time to degas naturally. If it’s stable, then degas and cold crash.
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Sorry, should have said that it's still fermenting. When I racked it, the gravity was 1.082. I checked again last night and it was 1.072. Still a way to go.
 
Well, I don’t have any troubles. I can’t speak for everyone though. That is definitely going too slow. Sounds like it’s too cold. Wrap it and put it on top back of the refrigerator.
 
loveofrose said:
Well, I don’t have any troubles. I can’t speak for everyone though. That is definitely going too slow. Sounds like it’s too cold. Wrap it and put it on top back of the refrigerator.
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The temperature in my kitchen is generally 20-22 deg C. I'll see if I can increase that by a couple of degrees C.
 
Miraculix said:
Why are you racking something still fermenting off the yeast that does the fermentation?
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Just following the BOMM instructions to stain off the spices after 19 days. It's my first BOMM, so I may need to taylor it to suit once it's done and I taste it.
 
begbie1976 said:
Just following the BOMM instructions to stain off the spices after 19 days. It's my first BOMM, so I may need to taylor it to suit once it's done and I taste it.
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AFAIK, you shouldn't remove the yeast while still fermenting, especially not if the fermentation goes already slow, for whatever reason. I mean, think about it, why would you remove the worker if the work is not finished?
 
Miraculix said:
AFAIK, you shouldn't remove the yeast while still fermenting, especially not if the fermentation goes already slow, for whatever reason. I mean, think about it, why would you remove the worker if the work is not finished?
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I know what you mean but when I racked, the mead was still actively fermenting so most of the yeast was transferred into the secondary. It was really only the fruit and spices that were removed. If you could see the mead now, you'd see the yeasties doing their stuff.

It just seems to be a temperature issue that's slowing the fermentation. The carboy is now wrapped in a towel to maintain or even increase temperature, and I'll move it somewhere warmer tomorrow.
 
begbie1976 said:
I know what you mean but when I racked, the mead was still actively fermenting so most of the yeast was transferred into the secondary. It was really only the fruit and spices that were removed. If you could see the mead now, you'd see the yeasties doing their stuff.

It just seems to be a temperature issue that's slowing the fermentation. The carboy is now wrapped in a towel to maintain or even increase temperature, and I'll move it somewhere warmer tomorrow.
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OK, that doesn't sound too bad then! I just mentioned it, because there are multiple recipes out there which specify to rack the mead off the lees every few days, which does not make sense at all, if you ask me. But staying too long on spices would be obviously also a great way to ruin a mead :D
 
@loveofrose Do you think it makes sense to start a BOWM (Brays One Week Mead) thread?

I've been experimenting with the Voss and Hornindal strains of Kveik and am insanely impressed by their speed. Not needing temperature control in Central Texas is the main benefit I am seeing but I have made clean tasting mead, from wort to bottle in 9 days using your methods.

I will post the recipe in a separate thread but when I got my hands on some Voss, I decided to throw together a quick 3 gallon batch with cranberry and juniper berries, simply cause I wanted to grow the yeast instead of letting it sit in the fridge. That took off and did what I expected it to do but left me with an amazingly clean product, with no fusels, no off flavors to speak of in 9 days. I harvested 2.5 quarts of yeast slurry (The stuff doesn't floc that fast but who cares) and for an experiment, let the half quart jar sit un-refrigerated for 1 week and a half before pitching it into the batch I plan on posting about. It is a 15 pound honey 4 gallon water batch and the stuff took off in about 3 hours.

I couldn't be more excited and while I have read things that lead me to believe it isn't without its flaws, this stuff is the easiest and fastest, cleanest yeast I have ever used.

I'm not saying I am challenging you to make a BOWM, but.......maybe I am cause if it can be done, you are the guy.
 

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