janzik
Well-Known Member
I've been itching to try something new, so when I got my July/August BYO, I saw the Strawberry Banana Melomel recipe and decided to give it a go. Off the top of my head, the recipe is..
22lbs wildflower honey
18lbs frozen strawberries (in the primary)
4lbs bananas (in the secondary)
3 gallons of water (I used bottled)
71-B yeast and a nutrient/energizer blend
It's been just under 24 hours and when I checked it this morning, it was definitely fermenting already. My 8gal wine pail's lid is bubbled up and I'm just waiting for it to explode. Some of the must got into the airlock, but it seems like its not clogged yet. I think I will go change the air lock in a few, but the BYO article says to do a staggered nutrient addition, so I need to add more this morning, so I'll do that as well. My question is, I keep seeing the term "fruit cap management". The article doesn't really mention what that means other than "punching the cap". So looking around, it appears I need to make sure the fruit doesn't get stuck at the top stalling/killing fermentation. What should I use to "punch the cap"? Can I just use my drill bit wine whip, without the drill, just to gently mix things up? Or is there something else I should be doing?
22lbs wildflower honey
18lbs frozen strawberries (in the primary)
4lbs bananas (in the secondary)
3 gallons of water (I used bottled)
71-B yeast and a nutrient/energizer blend
It's been just under 24 hours and when I checked it this morning, it was definitely fermenting already. My 8gal wine pail's lid is bubbled up and I'm just waiting for it to explode. Some of the must got into the airlock, but it seems like its not clogged yet. I think I will go change the air lock in a few, but the BYO article says to do a staggered nutrient addition, so I need to add more this morning, so I'll do that as well. My question is, I keep seeing the term "fruit cap management". The article doesn't really mention what that means other than "punching the cap". So looking around, it appears I need to make sure the fruit doesn't get stuck at the top stalling/killing fermentation. What should I use to "punch the cap"? Can I just use my drill bit wine whip, without the drill, just to gently mix things up? Or is there something else I should be doing?