Advertise Here
Main · BrewSpace · Recipes · Wiki · Groups · Clubs · Gallery · Reviews · Video · Blogs · Store

Old Hops Grab Bag!5% off Coupon - KegCowboy.Com2011 Crop Cascade On Sale! $11/lb
Go Back   Home Brew Forums > Wine, Mead, Cider & Soda > Mead Forum



Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 02-15-2008, 03:31 AM   #1
Senior Member
Recipes 
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 160
Default wanting opinions of recipe (its fermenting)

5 1/2 gal batch.
13 lbs orange blossom honey
3 lbs Dole canned pineapple+ it's juice (no sugar added)
1 tbsp gypsum
1/2 oz energizer
1/2 oz Nutrient
2 packets yeast (12 grams Lavlin Champaign yeast).
-
Honey + 2 gallons of water was boiled for 15 minutes and the foam was skimmed.
Then the fruit was steeped in a hop bag at 160' for 20 minutes at the end
Topped up to 6 gallons and yeast was re hydrated and pitched at 90'

It is on day 16 and is bubbling about 3 times a minute.

When should I rack to secondary? Should I add more nutrient or energizer when I rack?
How long total before I bottle?
How long Aging?
Thanks in Advance!



Last edited by Waboom!!; 02-15-2008 at 03:33 AM.
Waboom!! is offline Reply With Quote
Old 02-15-2008, 03:52 AM   #2
Senior Member
 
PintOfBitter's Avatar
Recipes 
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: USA
Posts: 1,169
Default

wow, sounds interesting. Don't know if I can offer a lot of help, as I've not brewed much mead. How vigorous was the initial fermentation?

You may consider some pectic enzyme.
__________________
-PoB

Maybe you can use these Grain, Hops, Yeast Reference Charts
Come visit WildHopsPrintShop.com- custom bottle caps, beer glassware, tap handles, and more!
PintOfBitter is offline Reply With Quote
Old 02-15-2008, 10:39 AM   #3
Senior Member
Recipes 
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 160
Default

For the first 7days it was more active than any beer I've made. and is now slowing a little. Its definately working!
Waboom!! is offline Reply With Quote
Old 02-15-2008, 01:07 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
BigKahuna's Avatar
Recipes 
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Eastern Colorado
Posts: 5,794
Blog Entries: 10
Default Og?

What was your beginning gravity on this concoction? I always end up scolded for boiling the honey, but I think that with the Pineapple, you won't have a lot of Honey character left.
That being Said, The Big Kahuna LOVES Anything with Pineapple.
I will look forward to hearing how this turns out.
According to the "Complete Mead Maker", if you are going for a still mead, bottle when your mead is clear, and have seen NO air lock activity for 2 weeks. This is to ensure that fermentation doesn't re-start and blow the corks out of your bottles.
I have stunted fermentation by racking too early, and gotten some funky flavors from leaving the lees for too long, so I am reluctant to advise on this issue.
__________________
Seriously. I'm here for BEER
It's Not The Size Of Your Rig That Counts....It's How Often You Use It.

Quote:
Originally Posted by TxBrew View Post
This forum is like America's money spread. 90% of the posts were created by 1% of the community.
BigKahuna is offline Reply With Quote
Old 02-15-2008, 02:44 PM   #5
Senior Member
Recipes 
 
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Spring Valley, Ohio
Posts: 1,370
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by BigKahuna
According to the "Complete Mead Maker", if you are going for a still mead, bottle when your mead is clear, and have seen NO air lock activity for 2 weeks. This is to ensure that fermentation doesn't re-start and blow the corks out of your bottles.
I have stunted fermentation by racking too early, and gotten some funky flavors from leaving the lees for too long, so I am reluctant to advise on this issue.
It would be much better to rely on hydrometer readings. While no airlock activity would certainly indicate or imply a complete fermentation, it could also be stuck or just simply bubbling when you are not looking. On the opposite side, airlock activity doesn't mean that fermentation is continuing. Differences in atmospheric pressure, ambient temperatures, etc etc, could lead to gas release in the carboy.
__________________
Meads: Leap Year, MAOM, Habanero/Serrano Capsicumel \m/ Oo \m/, Show Mead for Berry Melomel and Cinnamon Vanilla Metheglin
Ciders:3 Ciders with differing additives TBD, Strawberry/Apple Cider
Wine: Trader Joe's Triple Berry Wine for SWMBO, Cherry Port, planning my Black Currant Vanilla Wine, Banana Wine

Quote:
Originally Posted by Snuffalupagus View Post
the idea of homebrew is to make something that tastes better, is better for you, and reflects your personal tastes better than a commercial brew... not to power your lawmower
Tusch is offline Reply With Quote
Old 02-15-2008, 10:39 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
malkore's Avatar
Recipes 
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Nebraska
Posts: 6,887
Default

You must have hydrometer readings on a mead. You can't just guess when its done. the airlock WILL lie to you.

I would expect this to be a really dry mead, that will probably take 12 months of bottle aging to mellow.
Dry meads with champagne yeast are like that.
__________________
Malkore
Primary: English Mild
On tap: Pale Ale, Lancelot's Wheat, English Brown Ale, Steam Beer, HoovNuts IPA
Bottled: MOAM, Braggot, Raspberry Melomel, Merlot, Apfelwein, Pyment, Sweet mead, Cabernet
Gal in 2009: 27, Gal in 2010: 34, Gal in 2011: 13, Gal in 2012: 10
malkore is offline Reply With Quote
Old 02-15-2008, 11:08 PM   #7
Senior Member
Recipes 
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 160
Default

Ok sounds pretty good so far. My O.G. was almost 1.125, I dont know what it is now. I don't want to F with it yet

Last edited by Waboom!!; 02-15-2008 at 11:38 PM.
Waboom!! is offline Reply With Quote
Old 02-16-2008, 02:32 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
malkore's Avatar
Recipes 
 
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Nebraska
Posts: 6,887
Default

It probably has at least another 7-10 days. don't rack to secondary until its stopped dropping in gravity.
__________________
Malkore
Primary: English Mild
On tap: Pale Ale, Lancelot's Wheat, English Brown Ale, Steam Beer, HoovNuts IPA
Bottled: MOAM, Braggot, Raspberry Melomel, Merlot, Apfelwein, Pyment, Sweet mead, Cabernet
Gal in 2009: 27, Gal in 2010: 34, Gal in 2011: 13, Gal in 2012: 10
malkore is offline Reply With Quote
Old 02-16-2008, 03:26 PM   #9
Member
Recipes 
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Texas
Posts: 63
Default That brings up a question

How often do you measure the gravity? I thought removing the stopper to much would cause problems?

Don "Ho"
__________________
Bottled & Drinking: Joe's Ancient Orange.
Orginal Mead (From a kit),
Blackberry Mead
Secondary A: Leap Year Mead
Don "Ho" is offline Reply With Quote
Old 07-11-2008, 05:00 PM   #10
Senior Member
Recipes 
 
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 160
Default

Well we bottled this batch of mead on the July 3rd. It is now a perfect translucent honey color. It fermented to a F.G. of .98. I racked a total of 3 times in 6 months. The last time I racked was 1 week prior to bottling and added Sodium Metabisulfite and Potassium Sorbate. I ended up with 4.25 gallons total.
Today I am tasting ( admittedly It is before Noon.)
It tastes very good, strong but very drinkable.
It starts perfectly sweet followed by a fairly strong push of alcohol. But like I said very drinkable.
The pineapple added NOTHING to the final taste that i can tell.
I can't believe my first batch turned out well. I'm not sure how much of this will make past a year old!!


Waboom!! is offline Reply With Quote
Reply
Thread Tools
Display Modes


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Which Bitter recipe would you recomend for someone wanting... bfbf Recipes/Ingredients 5 08-18-2009 04:13 PM
Please critique this pm recipe wanting to order stuff monday hotammo All Grain & Partial Mash Brewing 5 10-14-2007 04:01 PM
porter fermenting timeline opinions please Brewer#19 Extract Brewing 9 09-05-2007 10:00 PM
Opinions on this recipe please. fezzman Recipes/Ingredients 11 04-20-2007 09:44 PM
opinions on recipe sconnie Mead Forum 18 09-25-2006 02:07 AM





Contact Us - Top - Privacy - All times are GMT. The time now is 04:01 PM.
Copyright © Group Builder, Inc - All Rights Reserved
Craft Beer & Brewery Forum