My first mead

I'm now 4 days into the fermentation of my first mead and I thought I'd share the recipe I used and maybe ask a question

First off:
15 pounds local wildflower Honey
2 Gallons unfiltered apple juice
about 3 gallons filtered and boiled tap water
3 cinnamon sticks (1")
5 cloves (3 cloves removed after letting the must cool overnight before pitching yeast)
6 fuji apples, diced
1 packet Red Star Pasteur champagne yeast
2 tsp yeast nutrient

I sanitized everything with a bleach solution and rinsed with boiling water, and pitched the yeast with the must having cooled overnight to 88F

I forgot to take an initial gravity, since I was kind of in a rush to leave for work, and just pitched the yeast and nutrient, stirred, and sealed the bucket.

I've aerated the mead via stirring it twice, and once before the 1/3 sugar break by racking it through a sieve to get a lot of oxygen into it.

I did take one when I got home that night, and got a gravity of around 1.120
further measurements are as follows:

1.095 Gravity at 6:20pm 10/14
1.080-85 at 6AM on 10/15
1.070 at 10PM on 10/15

It seems like the gravity is dropping pretty quickly. Is this ok?

I also took a smell out of the bucket and it burned my nose a bit, but I didn't smell any sulfur, just a very "stinging" feel. I figure it just might be from the rush of CO2, since the smell went away after leaving the lid open for a moment.

DNSDies said:

I'm now 4 days into the fermentation of my first mead and I thought I'd share the recipe I used and maybe ask a question

First off:
15 pounds local wildflower Honey
2 Gallons unfiltered apple juice
about 3 gallons filtered and boiled tap water
3 cinnamon sticks (1")
5 cloves (3 cloves removed after letting the must cool overnight before pitching yeast)
6 fuji apples, diced
1 packet Red Star Pasteur champagne yeast
2 tsp yeast nutrient

I sanitized everything with a bleach solution and rinsed with boiling water, and pitched the yeast with the must having cooled overnight to 88F

I forgot to take an initial gravity, since I was kind of in a rush to leave for work, and just pitched the yeast and nutrient, stirred, and sealed the bucket.

I've aerated the mead via stirring it twice, and once before the 1/3 sugar break by racking it through a sieve to get a lot of oxygen into it.

I did take one when I got home that night, and got a gravity of around 1.120
further measurements are as follows:

1.095 Gravity at 6:20pm 10/14
1.080-85 at 6AM on 10/15
1.070 at 10PM on 10/15

It seems like the gravity is dropping pretty quickly. Is this ok?

I also took a smell out of the bucket and it burned my nose a bit, but I didn't smell any sulfur, just a very "stinging" feel. I figure it just might be from the rush of CO2, since the smell went away after leaving the lid open for a moment.

Click to expand...

Actually, it's not dropping as quickly as it could do, but that's not a bad rate at all.

As for the smell, well you do get some quite funky smells as the ferment progresses, and there's only a few that are worthy of note, mainly sulphur/stink bombs/rotten eggs. As that often means stressed yeast.

That yeast is very likely going to take it dry. Most champagne yeasts are good for about 18% ABV, and presuming that your start gravity was about the 1.120 mark and that dry is taken as per water (it's not, it's lower but it's a good point for the analogy) which is 1.000, then that's a 120 point drop, which equates to about 16.3% ABV. Of course, it could go lower (which would be stronger). You'll have to wait and see.

The fruit/juice presence suggests that you'll need to get some pectic enzyme (pectolase being on of the common names for that), too add after it's finished as you may get clearing problems with pectin (it's another reason for not using any heat with "white" or green fruit, as that can release/activate pectin, plus it can give a bit of a "cooked" taste to the juice part).

Some people only aerate the must until the 1/3rd sugar break some like to aerate to the 1/2 sugar break, some until it's moved to secondary (if it's moved and not just let to finish in a bucket fermenter.

It reads like you've done some research and are progressing fine. A bit more reading can be found here as it answers a lot of the questions posed by newer mead makers.

Well, I did buy some sparkolloid powder to clarify the mead.
It's VERY opaque at the moment, but that's to be expected.

The apple juice I used was completely unfiltered, so it's very very hazy.

I figure I'll add the powder after the first racking, give it a month, and decide on whether or not it needs pectic enzyme.

Also, took another hydrometer reading.

1.060 at 11AM, so it's losing about .010 per 12 hours.

DNSDies said:

Well, I did buy some sparkolloid powder to clarify the mead.
It's VERY opaque at the moment, but that's to be expected.

The apple juice I used was completely unfiltered, so it's very very hazy.

I figure I'll add the powder after the first racking, give it a month, and decide on whether or not it needs pectic enzyme.

Also, took another hydrometer reading.

1.060 at 11AM, so it's losing about .010 per 12 hours.

Click to expand...

I would add the pectic enzyme at this point, This way it can render more flavor from the juice. Also the Sparkloid powder is great but use it a bit further in, After the secondary has had a chance to go for a few months. Then rack off of that and onto the sparkloid.

Sounds like you are doing great and know what your doing though.

Matrix

Hmm, I don't have any pectic enzyme right now, so I'll have to buy some.
It's a pain to find this stuff at a place that doesn't charge outrageous shipping fees.

Also, I was planning on adding the sparkalloid during the first racking, could I also add the enzyme then? Maybe they'd interact weirdly, like the sparkalloid dragging all the enzyme down to the lees.

I'm also going to rack to a 6 gallon glass carboy for the secondary, and topping it off with more apple juice (filtered this time, probably). I'd like it to finish just a little sweet, and eliminate and head space in the carboy, so this seems like a smart idea.

I'm really in no hurry though. I can always rack a third or fourth time and let it age a few months while I clarify it.

Just to be safe, I added half a tablespoon of yeast nutrients last night, and that seems to have made the smell more pleasant. I think that Red Star Pasteur Champagne yeast is very greedy for nutrients.

Just took another hydrometer reading.
Seems to be just below 1.040.

The taste is VERY floral, but it's less pronounced than two days ago.
the apple is starting to come through, and the cinnamon and clove flavors are becoming more pronounced.

I can also smell some of those fusil alcohols, smells more like a distilled drink then a fermented one.
I think this may ferment to around 16%. I may have accidentally made a sack mead.

I'm debating whether or not to add a strong cup of oolong tea to this. I think it would benefit from some tannin, but I don't know if it's too late.

Part of the issue with mead making, is that you can get wonderful smells as well as rank ones. Equally, it sometimes can taste good during the ferment or totally hideous. It's quite likely that when its first finished, its not gonna be good and its hard to take it on trust that ageing improves it in an amazing way, as if it was a completely different brew!

I guess patience really is a virtue.
I went ahead and added 8 oz of strong oolong tea to the must.
Those tannins will taste good later, assuming the mead ages nicely.

Another gravity test and taste test:
12PM on the 18th: 1.029, and the must itself is starting to get some dryness to it.
The floral notes are muting, and the spice/apple is coming forward more.
18 hours after pitching the tea in and it's starting to get a little bitter note to it too, and the yeast really seemed to like the tea, as it got very active overnight to the point where there was foam on top of the must.

fingers crossed, for the next few months.

Ok, I got my pectic enzyme today.

From what I see, this stuff needs to be hot to activate?
I 'm going to sanitize some equipment and take a sample of my must, heat it up, and add the enzyme to it, then pitch it.

Hum ? As far as I'm aware, pectolase is used at room temp and excessive heat stops it/kills it off.

There isn't much point making a test. You won't see anything going on. Your only proof will be that it drops clear, and even then, you have no conclusive proof of it working.

It's one of those things i.e. did I need it or not ?
There's anecdotal evidence that it helps with colour and flavour extraction as well as metabolising any pectin. A sort of "belt and braces" thing.

The only certain thing is that normally if the instructions say 1 tsp per gallon of juice, you have to double it after the ferment.

Really? double it?
I see.

well, the instructions say 1/2 tsp per gallon, so I'll add 2tsp since I used 2 gallons of unfiltered apple juice.

If I top this batch off with filtered juice (after I transfer from a 5 gallon to 6 gallon for the secondary, I want less alcohol and more sweetness, I think it's hovering around 15% now), I don't need more pectic enzyme, right? It should just stay clear.

the gravity is about 1.010, and tastes like a very dry white wine. Its still fermenting, so I'm going to give it a couple more days on the lees and maybe rack to secondary and top it off around Sunday.

I think that if the instructions say to add hot, you are confusing it with Sparkloid. Sparkloid is hot, Pectic Enzyme is room temp.

Sounds like you are done fermenting, Run the Pectic Enzyme, Potasium Sorbate, and then After that hit is up with back sweetening.

Then after a few days, hit it with the Sparkloid.

You should be good after that. May take a month more to clear but the Sparkloid should do the trick.

Matrix

actually, it's not quite done yet.

Still getting some slow fermentation.
That red star yeast is a champ. Absolutely refuses to give up, and I think my ABV is around 17%, and the yeast is rated to 15%-16%.

Yeast is finally settling to the bottom, and I have a nice 1.5 inch cake forming at the bottom.
I should probably rack it soon.

One thing though, I've noticed this white residue forming above the must in the carboy.
Assuage my fears and let me know if the residue is just yeast or something worse.

Yes, its more likely a yeast scum/residue, than anything else.

Any nasties don't grow in pure honey, or in booze that's over about 12 or 13% ABV

oh good.
Yeah, this stuff is pretty strong, so I doubt any normal nasties would be in it.

On an unrelated note, I cultured some yeast from Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and I'm doing a 1-bottle batch of cyser (wine bottle with an airlock) with it in order to grow the yeast and see how it works with a mead.

It's fermenting pretty messily. I've had to clear the airlock three times two days due to foam.

DNSDies said:

oh good.
Yeah, this stuff is pretty strong, so I doubt any normal nasties would be in it.

On an unrelated note, I cultured some yeast from Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and I'm doing a 1-bottle batch of cyser (wine bottle with an airlock) with it in order to grow the yeast and see how it works with a mead.

It's fermenting pretty messily. I've had to clear the airlock three times two days due to foam.

Click to expand...

How did you get active yeast from it? I just had some and don't remember anything in the bottom of the bottle. If successful I might take a shot at doing this.

Two Beer or not Two Beer

next time you have a bottle, pour the bottle into a glass gently, then look in the bottom.
see that thin layer of white scum? That's the dormant yeast they use. It ferments in the bottle and carbonates the beer.

If you want to culture it, just leave a small amount of beer in the bottom (couple of teaspoons), swirl it around to gather the yeast, and pour it into a sterilized container.

You can either start a culture from there (takes longer), or do this about a dozen times and get a decent population for a starter. Add a tablespoon of sugar and a pinch of yeast nutrient, cover it with a clean cloth (or foil, or something not airtight that will protect it) and let it sit in a clean, dry, room temperature place and ferment for a few days.

From here, seal the container and put it in your fridge for a week or two so the yeast cold crashes and settles at the bottom (crack the container a few times a day to release any CO2 buildup, or use an airlock).

then, check and see how much sediment there is.
If you're happy with it, gently pour out the liquid and replace with clean water (boiled or bottled, just make sure it's sterile).

The yeast will keep in the fridge for a few months and can be used like any other liquid yeast.

DNSDies said:

next time you have a bottle, pour the bottle into a glass gently, then look in the bottom.
see that thin layer of white scum? That's the dormant yeast they use. It ferments in the bottle and carbonates the beer.

If you want to culture it, just leave a small amount of beer in the bottom (couple of teaspoons), swirl it around to gather the yeast, and pour it into a sterilized container.

You can either start a culture from there (takes longer), or do this about a dozen times and get a decent population for a starter. Add a tablespoon of sugar and a pinch of yeast nutrient, cover it with a clean cloth (or foil, or something not airtight that will protect it) and let it sit in a clean, dry, room temperature place and ferment for a few days.

From here, seal the container and put it in your fridge for a week or two so the yeast cold crashes and settles at the bottom (crack the container a few times a day to release any CO2 buildup, or use an airlock).

then, check and see how much sediment there is.
If you're happy with it, gently pour out the liquid and replace with clean water (boiled or bottled, just make sure it's sterile).

The yeast will keep in the fridge for a few months and can be used like any other liquid yeast.

Click to expand...

That's awesome, I just never noticed anything on the bottom of the bottle. Are there many commercial beers that are bottle conditioned?

Two Beer or not Two Beer

Off hand, I can't say.
Luckily, there's a thread here all about it:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/capturing-yeast-bottle-conditioned-beer-131619/

in that thread, you can find this link:
http://www.nada.kth.se/~alun/Beer/Bottle-Yeasts/

which has a HUUUGE list of bottle conditions beers and some notes on the yeast, like if they're similar to another yeast on the market or are a secondary used only for conditioning and not in the actual fermenting of the beer.

DNSDies said:

Off hand, I can't say.
Luckily, there's a thread here all about it:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f163/capturing-yeast-bottle-conditioned-beer-131619/

in that thread, you can find this link:
http://www.nada.kth.se/~alun/Beer/Bottle-Yeasts/

which has a HUUUGE list of bottle conditions beers and some notes on the yeast, like if they're similar to another yeast on the market or are a secondary used only for conditioning and not in the actual fermenting of the beer.

Click to expand...

Sorry for always quoting but this is only way I can reply from my phone for women reason.

Thanks for the info! I really didn't think it was possible, I also never looked too close to the bottom of the bottle before either. Thanks!

Two Beer or not Two Beer

So, my one bottle experiment with the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale yeast finished rather nicely.

I let the bottle ferment for 5 days, then cold crashed it for 3.

OG - 1.080
FG - 1.020

It's apple-y, sweet, and mildly alcoholic.
very pleasant. The yeast seems to have also imparted a mild nutty taste to the mead as well.

It's also quite fizzy as a result of cold crashing in a groslch style bottle.

I quite like this, I think I'll save the yeast from this batch and try it again on a large scale.

DNSDies said:

So, my one bottle experiment with the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale yeast finished rather nicely.

I let the bottle ferment for 5 days, then cold crashed it for 3.

OG - 1.080
FG - 1.020

It's apple-y, sweet, and mildly alcoholic.
very pleasant. The yeast seems to have also imparted a mild nutty taste to the mead as well.

It's also quite fizzy as a result of cold crashing in a groslch style bottle.

I quite like this, I think I'll save the yeast from this batch and try it again on a large scale.

Click to expand...

Do it!

I just put my 5 gallon sweet mead in secondary. I used 5 single gallons for this. One has about kilo of raspberries in it. I can't wait. Now I'm making a cider on the left over yeast cake.

Two Beer or not Two Beer