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It was actually almost 3 gallons that I separated into 2 one gallon batches. I used a mini jet filter worked great, and I swear it tasted better after too.

Just filtered a cherry melomel

It could be the high initial gravity, or possibly a lack of nutrients. The first three batches have nutrients stored in the fruit, so they can do with less additions. Perhaps you could give the stalled batch a stir and then drop another tsp of yeast nutrient in there, wait 24hrs. Then test...

Don't know how you toss in your spices, but if you put them in a tea bag with a couple of marbles, it will sink nicely into the carboy. If you them tie a string to the bag you can pull the bag out when you feel the mead has enough spice.

Do you add any spices (cinnamon, clove or nutmeg seem obvious) or is it straight apple and pumpkin? Super cool idea btw.

Hey, I think you are a little low on the temperature side of things. Check out the info in this link http://www.lalvinyeast.com/D47.asp Be careful not to raise temps too much though because d47 is infamously temperature sensitive. Good luck!

"Oh...... Fu....dge!"

Looks good! I also do my primary fermentation in a bucket for ease of use / clean up. Others on the site add fruit in a secondary carboy to give a fruitier flavor. It would be interesting to do a comparison using the same recipe to see what the difference really is. Happy brewing!

Any info on the coffee vanilla pyment? Sounds interesting!

I think the 00:15 on your pack of yeast is probably to let it stand for fifteen minutes before you stir into the must to give it a chance to rehydrate. I am sure everyone does this a little differently, but this is what I do: Heat up one cup of orange juice in the microwave usually about 30...

Hmm.... Perhaps a bit risky if not a pro then, huh?

Just completed primary fermentation, specific gravity dropped from 1.100 to 1.005 in a little over four days! Racked into secondary carboy yesterday. Sorry in advance for the terrible picture. It looks like a bad photoshop job, but is actually my camera's flash lighting up a white towel.

I have been reading "home winemaking for dummies" recently (good book btw), and it says that you can stir the settled lees up in the carboy for, a process called batonnage. The purpose of this is to contribute "texture and mouthfeel - roundness, creaminess, and a softening of the astringent edge...

What about oak? It will add complexity without astringency.

What kind of yeast did you use? Have you had a temp change? Any funky smells?

Congrats on getting into beekeeping. I would say that you should check out if you have a local beekeepers association to start. 2 hives is a good starting point because you can compare whats going on in one to the other. "The backyard beekeeper" or "the beekeepers handbook" are good books that...

879 + 3 gallons of cherry blackberry melomel = 882 gallons

I prefer dry meads, but I found, like you, that a lot of the flavor is lost, hence why I added the tart cherry concentrate. I am hoping that it will extend the cherry flavor a bit better than the dark "sweet" cherries I have been using.

Aerate twice a day to help get rid of the campden tablets, or to dissolve O2 for the yeast?

Wanted to make a straight cherry mead, but I didn't have enough cherries in the freezer, so this is the result. Started this on Thursday. Any comments, queries or conundrums welcome. 3 gallon batch 3 lbs. 8 oz. dark cherries 14 oz. wild blackberry juice that was squeezed through a jelly bag...