malenkylizards
Active Member
Hi again guys,
So my Peppa Ya Mango Mead never came to fruition, because I was ascared for my yeast. Full details in another of my posts on a beer forum, but quick synopsis: I got impatient, due to a post-midnight start and sleep deprivation, with my yeast starter, and pitched the yeast while it was still warm. I wasn't thinking clearly and didn't even take a temperature, foolishly, but the *jar* felt lukewarm, i.e., above skin temperature, i.e., above 92*F, call it 97-100*F, and that's on the wrong side of the glass. I've gotten conflicting messages from folks, some saying that the yeast will die in that temperature, some saying they'll not just survive but thrive and ferment very vigorously. Anyway, after 24 hours, there were scarcely any bubbles, and I decided not to brew. The next morning, however, I wasn't sure what to make of it. There was a thick brown sludge on top. I thought it could be either the result of a very good, vigorous fermentation that was just off to a late start, or something horribly, horribly wrong. I didn't feel comfortable wasting a lot of honey and mango and TLC on this risky looking thing, and none of my advice-toting pals were picking up their phones, and at this point the weekend was shot anyway, so I just tossed the stuff.
<tangent>I plan on restarting this Saturday, and won't let anything get in my way...er, unless my yeast doesn't arrive on time. I decided to stop paying $7 per five gallon batch on wet yeast, when the dry stuff seems to work just fine for everyone else. I also couldn't get to my local homebrew store, so found an online distributor, Homebrew Heaven in Washington State. I'd like a closer supplier so I don't have to spend extra on shipping if I want it here soon, but it'll do for now. I bought ten packets of Red Star Pasteur Champagne Yeast, along with some potassium bisulfite and some sparkalloid.</tangent>
Anyway, back to topic. Assuming the yeast arrives in a timely fashion, I'll be making the yeast starter this Thursday, but even if I don't, and even if I somehow botch this yeast starter as well, I'll make the mead and just pitch the dry yeast. I'll always feel safer with a yeast starter though, so I'd like to get a good detailed, yet easy, technique down, compared to my relative winging it this last time.
Roughly, here's my plan that I'd like to edit for detail and efficiency: I'll start by sanitizing one of my five-pound honey jars. I'll stir up a cup of honey, three cups of water, a handful of raisins and some pieces of the fruit [mango] I'm using, and heat it on low, before pouring it into the jar, and putting it in the fridge for half an hour or until it gets close to 70*F. At this point I'll sanitize a clean, freshly laundered cotton dishtowel, dissolve some potassium bisulfite in warm water, and soak the dishtowel in it before wringing it as bone dry as I can. Aerate like crazy, pitch yeast and stir, then rubberband the dishtowel on top. Then just wait.
Questions:
1. WTF happened to my last starter???
2. Sulfite on the towel was an idea I got from meadmadecomplicated.org, to keep foreign entities from entering/surviving. I don't follow their instructions to the letter because, well, they're anally compulsive, but when something has a reasonable safety-to-difficulty ratio, I might as well. However, I'm nervous about the proximity of my poor little baby yeasts to that toxic stuff. Which concern is right? Does it matter one way or another?
3. Temperature. What temperature should I bring it to to pasteurize, and what range should I strive for when pitching? Any good ideas for how to bring the temperature down more quickly? I've got a copper coil for running hose water through, but that fits in my twelve gallon stock pot, not a half-gallon honey jar. I could add ice but you can't really pasteurize ice, in which case you might as well not pasteurize at all. If this is the only/easiest way to do it, I might mix up the must the night before I pitch, let it stabilize at room temperature overnight and cap it with the original lid, then prepare towel, aerate, pitch yeast and seal.
4. I've only used wet yeast before. Anything I'll need to consider with the dry stuff? Do y'all know if it has a shelf life? Do I need to rehydrate it BEFORE making the yeast starter, or does that count as rehydration?
So my Peppa Ya Mango Mead never came to fruition, because I was ascared for my yeast. Full details in another of my posts on a beer forum, but quick synopsis: I got impatient, due to a post-midnight start and sleep deprivation, with my yeast starter, and pitched the yeast while it was still warm. I wasn't thinking clearly and didn't even take a temperature, foolishly, but the *jar* felt lukewarm, i.e., above skin temperature, i.e., above 92*F, call it 97-100*F, and that's on the wrong side of the glass. I've gotten conflicting messages from folks, some saying that the yeast will die in that temperature, some saying they'll not just survive but thrive and ferment very vigorously. Anyway, after 24 hours, there were scarcely any bubbles, and I decided not to brew. The next morning, however, I wasn't sure what to make of it. There was a thick brown sludge on top. I thought it could be either the result of a very good, vigorous fermentation that was just off to a late start, or something horribly, horribly wrong. I didn't feel comfortable wasting a lot of honey and mango and TLC on this risky looking thing, and none of my advice-toting pals were picking up their phones, and at this point the weekend was shot anyway, so I just tossed the stuff.
<tangent>I plan on restarting this Saturday, and won't let anything get in my way...er, unless my yeast doesn't arrive on time. I decided to stop paying $7 per five gallon batch on wet yeast, when the dry stuff seems to work just fine for everyone else. I also couldn't get to my local homebrew store, so found an online distributor, Homebrew Heaven in Washington State. I'd like a closer supplier so I don't have to spend extra on shipping if I want it here soon, but it'll do for now. I bought ten packets of Red Star Pasteur Champagne Yeast, along with some potassium bisulfite and some sparkalloid.</tangent>
Anyway, back to topic. Assuming the yeast arrives in a timely fashion, I'll be making the yeast starter this Thursday, but even if I don't, and even if I somehow botch this yeast starter as well, I'll make the mead and just pitch the dry yeast. I'll always feel safer with a yeast starter though, so I'd like to get a good detailed, yet easy, technique down, compared to my relative winging it this last time.
Roughly, here's my plan that I'd like to edit for detail and efficiency: I'll start by sanitizing one of my five-pound honey jars. I'll stir up a cup of honey, three cups of water, a handful of raisins and some pieces of the fruit [mango] I'm using, and heat it on low, before pouring it into the jar, and putting it in the fridge for half an hour or until it gets close to 70*F. At this point I'll sanitize a clean, freshly laundered cotton dishtowel, dissolve some potassium bisulfite in warm water, and soak the dishtowel in it before wringing it as bone dry as I can. Aerate like crazy, pitch yeast and stir, then rubberband the dishtowel on top. Then just wait.
Questions:
1. WTF happened to my last starter???
2. Sulfite on the towel was an idea I got from meadmadecomplicated.org, to keep foreign entities from entering/surviving. I don't follow their instructions to the letter because, well, they're anally compulsive, but when something has a reasonable safety-to-difficulty ratio, I might as well. However, I'm nervous about the proximity of my poor little baby yeasts to that toxic stuff. Which concern is right? Does it matter one way or another?
3. Temperature. What temperature should I bring it to to pasteurize, and what range should I strive for when pitching? Any good ideas for how to bring the temperature down more quickly? I've got a copper coil for running hose water through, but that fits in my twelve gallon stock pot, not a half-gallon honey jar. I could add ice but you can't really pasteurize ice, in which case you might as well not pasteurize at all. If this is the only/easiest way to do it, I might mix up the must the night before I pitch, let it stabilize at room temperature overnight and cap it with the original lid, then prepare towel, aerate, pitch yeast and seal.
4. I've only used wet yeast before. Anything I'll need to consider with the dry stuff? Do y'all know if it has a shelf life? Do I need to rehydrate it BEFORE making the yeast starter, or does that count as rehydration?