Recent content by bconstant

I do all mine in carboys with airlocks. I have a blueberry melomel that was in danger of overflowing, so I drained a bit out and it settled at a happy point and hasn't threatened to escape since.

Add blackberries or blueberries. You can use red and blue synthetic dyes, too. They are typically non-reactive and are regulated for chemical content. But if you use enough you will most certainly impart unwanted flavors. If you've ever tasted cheap frosting before you know what I mean, it'll...

Make sure you cut your fruits into small enough pieces so you can get them out again. JAOM recipe specifically tell you to slice them a certain size for this very reason. Additionally, after the yeast has finished eating the fruit they will soften significantly and it will be easier to get it...

Why not spring water? It's my understanding that spring water has minerals that are helpful to the growth of yeast, whereas distilled water has been stripped of all that stuff.

Dealing with 1 gallon batches is kind of a pain in the ass. I have four going now and I won't do it again due to the work of racking each individually. I'd much rather do as you suggested: start it all together, and move it to smaller batches.

So essentially the only way to backsweeten without stabilizers is to ferment to the maximum tolerable ABV for the yeast used, and then add more honey? I guess the only tricky thing is making sure your records are good and that you've actually hit that limit.

Can you elaborate on this? I didn't know you were supposed to rack 71B early.

Let it age.

Got it, thanks my man.

Apple pressing season *just* ended. You can probably find tons of inexpensive cider from your local farmers market.

This post is particularly enlightening. Quoted below: Personally, I wouldn't add apple cider because it's going to add flavors that I didn't intend. At such an early stage I'd much rather add water.

This doesn't taste too vegetably? I infused vodka with celery to use in cocktails and drinking the vodka straight tastes downright awful.

I would err on less water. If the water is even warm it's pretty easy to dissolve the honey into it, and you can always add water afterwards if you still have volume to fill. But if you start with too much water and dissolve the honey into it, you're sorta hosed and you lose out on some honey.

I don't have enough experience to say first-hand, but from reading this forum a lot I can predict what the answer will be: aging is always a good idea. As for bulk vs bottle aging, bulk aging gives you a more consistent result in the first stages of aging before it is bottled. Once the mead goes...

Don't scrap it. Unless you need this container really badly for something, let it roll man. If it's in a nice carboy transfer it into a 1 gal Poland Spring bottle and do it there, and use your carboy for a second, more confident batch. Dropping the lid in isn't good. The StarSan isn't the end...