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Just an update - I kept it outside in cool weather and did several passes of adding the various bases to bring the PH up. It was going slowly, but then I brought it inside and everythign kicked in... have a very high PH now... and the mead has a very strong "body". Perhaps even a milky...

TY! I've got oak powder left over from Wine kits. Same? Will it not impart some flavor?

TY! Wish I'd read this 2 days ago - I should have added the Calcium Carbonate first. I've corrected my previous post, and see it's not gypsum. I'm now at about a PH of 4.5 according to my tongue. It's Tolerable-drinkable, but not quite pleasurable drinkable. Also just added 1/2 tsp of...

Two days after adding 1/2 Tsp of Potassium Bicarbonate, it's taken the edge off. Almost drinkable. Today I degass and add Calcium Carbonate. Also cold crashing outside on my deck.

Ok! I assume it's ok to add all of these additives together? I did not see Pickling lime at the brew store - Any suggestions where to get?

Ok, I'll wait. I've put it out on the deck to cold crash in the near-freezing temps. If I don't see any mellowing, I'll add some of the Calcium Carbonate. will also Degass. I'll let you know how it goes. Thank you.

Excellent. Put in 1/2 tsp of PC today. How long until I should see a change? I also have Calcium Carbonate. Is it ok to add in addition to the Potassium Carbonate? As a third card, I may put in 1/4 tsp of baking soda as well. Am pulling out the stops to save this batch.

Prevent bottle fermentation. Don't want to use campden/sulfites, as some friends have sensitivities.

I'm bottling Mead in transparent and semi-transparent wine bottles. The temperature here is around the low single digits, and I've got a sunny spot. I know that Solar exposure can also be used to kill microorganisms. What about doing a cold-crash, outside, in the full sun? I'm thinking the...

Been making mead for years, and this is a first. Background: Honey came from my wax cappings from beehives. Contained dead bees, etc etc. Nutrient rich, but also added yeast energizer. Fermented in primary for 1 week siphoned off leaving solids behind. Check on it 3 weeks later and taste...

I guess there's the part I don't understand. With Cold crash, the yeast stays dormant after warming up, doesn't it? The two situations seem similar, but unfold differently. What am I missing?

I've harvested some yeast slurry, and put it in a pop bottle in my fridge. But doesn't the cold inactivate the yeast, like a cold crash?

Great response. Thanks for confirming/explaining.

Hi Folks, Aug 2016, I started a batch of mead using my honey-extractor washing water. There were no measurements taken. Yeast was thrown in (L111), and it was left to sit. By Oct 2017, it was still quite sweet. My tongue tells me it was about 9% alcohol. It seemed stalled, so I...

I wanted a spigot on a carboy to make bottling easier. Drilling the hole was easy - But tightening the nut on the inside was difficult, given human arm size vs narrow opening. Task was enventually completed, including washers on the inside and outside, and further sealed with silicone...

Being due to scheduling constraints, I didn't have time to let the water-and-slurry mixture settle before bottling in mason jars, so they were bottled with the sediment included. Mason jars are now in my fridge, where they've been for a few days. Will they be ok being stored without the...

Good question. First, I rinse used carboys to get the sediment out, and clean with a bottle brush. Then I fill with water, and add a few tablespoons of the pink chlorine cleaner, and let sit for a few weeks. Then I bottle brush again, give it a few rinses and a few shakes, and back...

Thanks for the replies, all. I should add that the plastic carboys are 25 years old.... so this may not be the same materials you currently know and love. I've sanitized the bejesus out of things, and am comfortable ruling that out. I used the bottle my mead quite green... but I...

I've brewed mead off an on for about 20 years, and am now looking at T'ej. I've looked at many recipes, and extracted the key ideas, but am finding they somewhat go against what I (think I ) know. Aparrently T'ej is bottled after 5 weeks or fermentation... but experience tells me there's...

Recent batches have been going vinegary, despite diligent sanitation and watching my waterlock. I've read that plastic carboys can transfer oxygen, and finally realized that this is what's probably happening in my case: Once fermentation is done, and positive pressure becomes neutral...