Third 1 gallon batch - thoughts?

BoxMan · 12-22-2011, 03:50 AM

Hey, all. So, I just threw together my 3rd batch, thought I'd see what you all thought.

3/4 gal water
4 lbs clover honey
1.75 - 2 lbs strawberries (not an exact measurement)
lalvin D47
nutrient and energizer, accordingly.

I'm know I'm a total noob when it comes to mead making, but I hope this works out. I'm super paranoid about cleanliness, I think I sanitized my stuff like 2-3 times..

I just moved into a place where they grow organic fruit, so I had access to a 5 pound bag of frozen strawberries. That's why it was hard for me to measure exactly. It weighed around 5 pounds when I started, and weighs around 3 pounds now. Then, of course, backsweeten however I find it necessary.

I plan on racking it over another pound or two of the berries for secondary, with a little bit of honey / water to bring it up to level.

OG was around 1.13.

So, thoughts, critique, etc?

Also, I'm definitely going to embark on a few more 1 gallon adventures in the future - any good suggestions?

gratus fermentatio · 12-22-2011, 10:10 AM

Sounds like it'll be a tasty melomel. I like to add fruit to both primary & secondary too, I think it adds depth to the flavour in the end product. You get the fermented fruit flavours from primary & the non-fermented fruit flavours from secondary/tertiary.

As for suggestions...
Since it's winter & fruit may be more difficult to get fresh, you might try some medium show meads from different varietal honeys. There is a BIG difference between orange blossom honey & alfalfa honey, just as there is a BIG difference between mesquite honey & acacia honey.

I'd bet orange blossom & teupelo honey would be relatively easy to find in KY, both make EXCELLENT mead. You could also make a show mead from something like clover honey & when fruit is in season, add it to the clover show mead. You could even do a 5 gallon batch & split it into single gallon batches with a different fruit in each if you want.
Regards, GF.

BoxMan · 12-23-2011, 02:12 AM

Thanks for all the ideas / encouragement.

Also, how often should I swirl it around / push the fruit back down into the must? And if my airlock is full of must / fruit particles, it is okay to swap it out, right? I mean, I did already, so I hope it is. I washed / sanitized the new airlock and stopper, of course... Anyway I've read varying opinions around the net, but y'all seem to have a pretty good base of knowledge.

gratus fermentatio · 12-23-2011, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BoxMan

Thanks for all the ideas / encouragement.

Also, how often should I swirl it around / push the fruit back down into the must? And if my airlock is full of must / fruit particles, it is okay to swap it out, right? I mean, I did already, so I hope it is. I washed / sanitized the new airlock and stopper, of course... Anyway I've read varying opinions around the net, but y'all seem to have a pretty good base of knowledge.

I'd punch that fruit down gently once or twice a day while in primary, eventually it'll sink to the bottom. If you slice the fruit, it'll sink more quickly & give the yeast better access to work it over. You can also freeze/thaw, freeze/thaw the fruit prior to fermentation, this will help to break down cell walls & release more juice/flavour. Pectic enzyme will help too.

Sure, change that airlock out, you sanitized the fresh stopper/airlock, so you're good to go. For future batches, you could also rig a blowoff tube for vigorous fermentations.

You might want to pick up a copy of The Comleat Meadmaker by Ken Schramm, it's very useful for new meadmakers; I have a copy on my bookshelf.
Regards, GF.

BoxMan · 01-07-2012, 10:16 PM

So, I know this is going to sound stupid, but I realized I made a huuuuge mistake.

I ended up using 2 containers of honey that I THOUGHT were only 2 lbs. After actually looking at them, I realize they're 2 lbs 8 oz. Woah.

So, yeah. looks like I used 5 pounds of honey instead of 4. I also did this on my 2nd batch.

But the good thing is when I rack and top off with water, it should be fine...

BoxMan · 01-08-2012, 01:02 AM

It's doing pretty well, actually. chugging along at around 13% if my calculations are right. I still see some pretty decent airlock activity. Burns, though. In a good way.

So question: Is it too soon to rack it? I've got a good inch or so or lees on the bottom.

BoxMan · 01-15-2012, 08:33 AM

Well, I made a rookie mistake. Racked it onto 2 lbs of frozen strawberries, lost more than I expected to, and topped up with .25lb of honey and a little bit of water (not much, I swear). But in my INFINITE WISDOM, I didn't think to mix the honey/water first. So I've got this nice little layer of honey on the bottom.

Took a reading before / after (figured I might as well learn from my mistake).
Before racking: SG 1.04
After racking: SG 1.03

It tasted a little 'watered down', too... I hope that fermentation will pick up a little bit and maybe balance it out.

So, did I completely screw myself?

Would it be a good idea to rack onto marbles / woodchips / anything other than water?

And I guess if I screwed up really bad, I could always give freeze concentration a shot!

gratus fermentatio · 01-15-2012, 12:51 PM

It's fine, the yeast will find the honey. Your best bet right now is to just leave it alone & let the yeast do their job.
Regards, GF.

**Insomniac** · 01-15-2012, 01:43 PM

I've done the same thing a couple of times now, I just gently swirled the bottom of the carboy every couple of days to mix in the layer of half disolved stuff and it was gone in a few weeks.

BoxMan · 01-20-2012, 06:05 PM

Yeah, I'm not sure why I was worried. I think it's just because I've read about honey separation happening in primary, where it's "ok" to shake it up.