This batch is moving WAY faster than the last.

So, I started a new 6 gallon batch mead on 12-24-09.
I used 20lbs grocery clover honey, 4 gallons water, 2 pcks D47 wine yeast.

Right after I mixed the honey and water completely, I added 3tsp of energizer in and aerated vigorously for 10+ minutes.
I then pitched 2 pcks D47 (dry- no starter).
Put it under air lock.

Before I pitched the yeast the OG was 1.122
On the 26th I aerated the batch again, I didn't take gravity reading.

On the 28th I aerated the batch again and added 1.5tsp of energizer and mixed it in very well. I did take a gravity reading today and it was at 1.072, at this point the gravity had dropped 50 pts!!

Today, 12-30-09, I aerated the batch again for a few minutes and added another 1.5tsp of energizer. Another gravity reading at this time shows a reading of 1.058, another 14 pts! This batch has dropped 64 pts in 6 days! Actually less than 6 days when you take into account I started the batch late in the evening on the 24th and checked it early this morning. I'm somewhat amazed by this.

I'm wandering at this point if this batch will finish dry? If it falls in gravity by a total of .1000 then my FG will be 1.022 which is at the dessert mead range. The D47 has a tolerance of 14% so it may be able to take it beyond the 1.022? I'd like to get it around 1.014-1.016, middle range for a sweet mead.

Would you folks give me some insight on where you think this is going? I have never had a mead move anywhere near this fast. Thanks in advance.:fro:

Sounds like you're doing everything right!!!

Sounds like the 14% tolerance of the D46 should put it right around that 1.014-1.016 range, although I'd bet it will finish a bit dryer and you may want to backsweeten it just a touch, but you'll only know once it's completely finished.

Thanks jezter, I can't help feeling like I wasted a ton of time on previous batches waiting several months for them to ferment out. All that fermentation time could have been AGING time. hmhmhm. I don't have any problem with back sweetening if needed. I'm just jazzed it's moving along so quickly. I'm thinking at the rate it's going it may be done with primary ferment in another week or so?

It'll probably slow down a bit now that you're in the bottom 1/3 of the sugar. My guess is probably a few weeks, this was a hell of a batch and the yeast are going to get close to their max range soon.

Aerating and energizing really does produce results!

Yea, I think aerating and the adding of energizer at different stages of ferment has made a huge improvement. I'd much rather have the primary ferment last 3 weeks or so rather than 3 or so months!

Aeration and feeding will not only speed up the fermentation process, but reduce stress (off-flavors) and increase alcohol tolerance. D-47 will certainly go higher than 14%.

If it goes to 15% you're looking at a FG of about 1.010.
If it goes to 15.5% the FG will be around 1.005.

PS. I wouldn't add any more nutrient if I were you (off-flavors at this point).

+1,000 for staggered nutrient additions!

15% or so would be fine with me! I was looking to get down to a gravity of 1.014-1.016 to still have a sweet mead and be around the 14% abv. If it goes to a lower gravity thus more abv, SUPER! I can always sweeten it back if I need to or even add some fruit to help sweeten it up some. How high have you seen D47 go as far as alcohol tolerance?

With fermentation in a cool setting (65 - 70 F), I'd expect a careful feeding/aeration to bring it close to 16%. If fermentation temperatures are also modulated (a relatively unexplored area of performance maximization) or just remain statically warmer it might reach 18% or even 19%, perhaps at the cost of some off-flavors.

Yea, I would think at 20% abv there would be some off flavors. That would border on a liquor, like a whiskey or similar.

more like a schnapps or something....whiskey is usually double that (I thinks...)

I would bet this thing craps out somewhere ~15-15.5%.

Should we start taking bets now and the OP can advise once it's finished???

I only want a small percentage of the winnings as I believe in this situation is standard... Don't worry you can pay me in HONEY!!!!

I did a similar batch as my first mead. The diffrences were I used Alfalpha honey that was not filtered and added both yeast nutrient and energizer. For a 5 gal batch, I did 20 pounds too. Man did it turn out sweet and good and potent. I think that I got up to 18% with 2 packets of Lavin D-47 also. So it should be a good batch. Mine did take 1 year to age after it cleared. It still had a bit of a bite at a year but 1 1/2 years, OOOHHH that was good.

Awesome. That is good to hear. You wouldn't happen to recall what your FG was would you? My batch is closer to 6 gallons I believe, I used the 20lbs which is about 2 gallons, then 4 gallons of water. Hopefully it will be pretty close to the results you got with yours. Do you recall the OG of your batch?

jezter6 said:

more like a schnapps or something....whiskey is usually double that (I thinks...)

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This bottle of Crown Royal sitting behind me says "40% ALC BY VOL (80 Proof)"

Dave

thorson138 said:

Awesome. That is good to hear. You wouldn't happen to recall what your FG was would you? My batch is closer to 6 gallons I believe, I used the 20lbs which is about 2 gallons, then 4 gallons of water. Hopefully it will be pretty close to the results you got with yours. Do you recall the OG of your batch?

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Unfortunately, I did not keep gravity readings then. It was my first batch.
I used about the same proportions, 4 gal water, my honey turned out to be 1 1/2 gallons for 20 pounds. I then fermented for about 4 weeks in primary, racked to secondary and then racked again about every 2 months. It will reduce in volume each time you rack it. So you will end up with about 5 gallons. Should be pretty good. Alphalfa honey is nice and robust flavor so I ended up with a nice taste. I am not sure how just store bought will be. Basically, The goodness is in the ingredients. I followed the theory that chefs use. Better the ingredients the better the final product. This is true in most cases. But you still should get something very yummy and better than store bought mead.

Complete Mead Maker Guidebook is the bible of it. Websites like this and Gotmead.com are the continuing of learning. I find that the best thing about my mead is sharing it. Getting ideas and the like.

Good luck. Pictures are good. Though I am guilty of not posting pics or anything myself.

I didn't see it yet in this thread, but I think (and you probably know already) that you shouldn't oxygenate anymore....

there's a guy named Ken S. who happened to write a book, and is also now posting on this forum, that talks about quiting O2 additions when you get past ~50% fementation.

But, sounds like you have a great mead going!! I'm making a cherry mead in a couple of weeks, and I'll be following the SNA religiously for the first time!

I'm not gonnna aerate or feed this batch anything more at this point. My last batch turned out good, but I am even more optimistic about this one. I know it's because of the SNA and aerations that this batch is moving along so nicely. I wish I had been doing this since the begining. The guy who originally got me started brewing mead doesn't do it, and never mentioned it. Hell, he's been making mead for a lot of years, I believe since back in the 60s. He always turns out most excellent mead, but he certainly does it the old way. It wasn't until I found this forum that I even heard of such a thing as SNA. From now on I'll always use it.

Let me know how your cherry mead comes along AZ! I'm considering doing some fruits in the near future. Are you gonna use frozen fruit or freshly picked?

I saw Ken Schramm's name on here a few days ago and my first thought was "yea, right." hmhmhm. Then I saw a thread where it was confirmed it was him. I mean the guy does have somewhat of a celebrity status among mead makers. I think with him on here and the infamous hightest at work here, along with the numerous other great mead makers and brewers, all of our works in brewing and mead making will only get better and better.

Anyway, I'll keep you all posted on this batch. Air lock smells great! I have the batch sitting on the bar in my kitchen, so it's near th front door and I can smell it as soon as I walk in. It's a nice welcome home after a long day hmhmhm.

thorson138 said:

Let me know how your cherry mead comes along AZ! I'm considering doing some fruits in the near future. Are you gonna use frozen fruit or freshly picked?

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The cherries were bought fresh during the summer, and then frozen....

thorson:

I used some cans of Oregon (brand name) Cherry Puree I found at the LHBS...made a great cherry mead. I'm sure fresher is better, but considering the time of year, if you don't have some good fresh cherries, it's a good substitute.

Right on jezter... I'll see if my local brew store happens to carry the puree. How much of the puree for 5-6gal batch?

I believe I used 2 cans.

Just a quick upgate on this batch... I checked the gravity last night at about 0030 and it showed 1.038. When I had checked the gravity on the 30th it was 1.058. I'm only about 9 days in at this point. So I've gone from the 1.122 down to 1.038 already. The bubbling rate has slowed but is still fairly rapid. I tasted a small sample last night and it tasted different than my previous batches have tasted during ferment. Is this due to the rapid rate of fermentation??? The taste was pretty sweet but also rather acidic, more acidic than I anticipated for sure. The mead looks fine and has a distinct apple smell, which seems a bit strange to me cause I didn't add any apples Anyone had this before???

I checked the gravity on this batch again tonite. It has fallen another 10 points down to 1.028. I tasted some of it and I can tell it's getting along pretty well. It's still sweet but it's still bubbling along every few seconds. If I can get it to drop about another 12-14 points I'll be happy with that. I am thinking with the way it's moving it will go beyond that. Should I go ahead and wait till it's done fermenting all the way before I rack and then just rack till clear? I am planning on using sparkalloid to fine it out so when it's done fermenting maybe rack it to glass carboy and add sparkalloid after I rack it over???

A careful racking should reduce the yeast population enough to halt fermentation with an ABV of 14%. I would then let it sit for a couple of weeks to degass and start clearing on its own. Then I would add the sparkalloid and let it sit for another week to two. Then rack again.
I have found that while SNA does increase the primary fermentation, the mead will still need the same clearing and conditioning time.

Thanks Kauai, that sounds good to me. Seems like a good plan. I don't mind sweetening back if I really have to, but I'd really rather have it come out done in the right range. Who wouldn't right Anyway thanks for the reply and I think I'll do what you're suggesting and rack it- let it sit 2 or maybe more wks, then rack it- add sparkalloid (I'll probably let it sit for 2-4 wks with the sparkalloid). Then rack it again.

I racked the batch on 1-7-10 to glass carboy. The SG at that point was down to 1.018 and it's still working as of this morning. How low will she go! hmhmhm... Anyway, just wanted to update. It's falling 1-2 points/day at this stage in the game. Very slow. I look for it to stop any day now.

On 1-10 I went ahead and spiced this batch with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. It has been done with fermentation for a couple weeks now holding at a gravity of 1.006 even. On the 30th I racked it off the spices and then back into the glass. I'm surprised it got that low in gravity. I'm around 16.5%abv which is great and the spices I think will keep the dryness from being a problem for me. I usually like a pretty sweet mead, but I think the spices will offset the dry quality a bit.

This batch has a good little bite to it! Aging I'm sure will smooth it out. I'm gonna bulk age it in the glass carboy for a while. The sample I had of it was hot, but for being as young as it is, I thought it was pretty good.

Since I racked back into the glass on the 30th it hasn't dropped any more lees at all, but it hasn't cleared either. Will it clear on its own? If I use sparkalloid will it strip the spice flavors out to a significant degree? I don't want to strip any of the flavors out just to have a clear finished product. Do metheglins typically not drop clear on their own? Thanks for any replies.

This....thread....is made of win. Can't wait to get my equipment and make my mead!!!

What exactly does this reply mean?

Just that reading this topic is getting me excited to make my own mead. I learned quite a few things from it, but not sure I'll use such a strong yeast. I have a 3-4 nottingham packets around, I'll probably just use those.

Anyways....keep us updated. I enjoy reading about it.

How big of a batch are you planning on making? How much honey, etc? Is nottingham a bread yeast?
The jaom recipe uses a bread yeast which would be a good first batch due to it being done pretty quickly and you not having to do anything at all to it really, just mix the ingredients, shake it up, and leave it alone for a few months.
On the other hand if you are going for a 5 or more gallon batch using a lot of honey, bread yeast will die out before it eats all the honey and leave you with an intensly sweet mead. D47 is a somewhat aggressive wine yeast. It's somewhere in the middle on the power scale from my understanding and a lot of mead makers prefer it. It flocs well and has less of a tendency to cause off flavors. There are certainly much stronger yeasts out there.

I do offer the advice of using the staggered nutrient addition technique if you make anything other than the jaom. It will reduce your fermentation time several months! This batch fermented to completion in just over a month. My last batch took over 4 months and was very sluggish along the way. Whereas this batch was vigorous and steady pretty much start to finish. If you have any questions about what I did or when I did it, just ask. Good luck on getting started! I'm sure you'll have fun with it.

What's the ABV that D47 dies out at?

I plan on using my 6 gallon carboy to brew it. So I suppose I'd make a 5-6 gallon batch. I suppose I was thinking about making it with 15 pounds of honey and possibly raspberries. That's about as far as I've gotten with that. I'm currently just trying to read as much as I can about it before I dive in. I currently have my first brew going (hard cider).

It's listed at 14% but can, and often will, go beyond that, especially with fruit in the equation and proper fermentation management.