Joe's Quick Grape Mead

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I started a gallon of this last night. Bubbling along nicely :)

No buckwheat but I got the OG to 1.115 since I read on the EC1118 spec sheet it's capable of 18% Alc
 
Just started a batch of this tonight started bubbling in less than an hour! Can't wait to try it!

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Got around to tasting this after brewing it back in march, very good, too sweet for me, and the welchy, Concorde flavor is definitely there, that being said, I will make it again, just not back sweeten so much...
 
Alright lets get a little more advanced and make a great white grape pyment in a two gallon batch.

White Grape Pyment – 2 gallon batch

Ingredients
4.5 lbs Desert Mesquite Honey from Trader Joe's (a great light honey yet very affordable)
Two 64-oz Welch’s White Grape Juice with Vitamin C added (or equivalent - make sure it has no preservatives in ingredients other than Vitamin C added (Ascorbic Acid))
Balance water to make just under 2 gallons after adding honey mixed in water.
Lalvin EC-1118 or Lalvin ICV K1-V1116 yeast
1 gram Go-Ferm to rehydrate yeast
3/4 tsp. yeast nutrient
3 grams DAP (¾ tsp) and 2 grams Fermaid K (1/2 tsp.) rehydrated in 50 ml H2O at end of lag phase

(Go-Ferm and Fermaid-K are yeast nutrients and are exceptional to use if you can find them. They are well worth the effort to obtain. They can shorten the total fermentation time to achieve a very drinkable pyment by months. You can obtain via mail order through Morebeer.com)

Using a clean and sanitized two gallon closed bucket with a hole drilled in the top for a #6 stopper for the primary fermentation and two cleaned and sanitized gallon glass jugs for secondary fermentation. Add one 64 oz of white grape juice into the primary fermentation bucket. Warm the honey in a bath of water to improve it's pourability then add it to the white grape juice while stirring. Add more white grape juice. Shake or whip (I used a sanitized egg whip) the mixture well so the honey and juice are mixed and the must is aerated well also. Rehydrate the yeast in warm water (about 100°F +) for 15 minutes with 1 gram of Go-Ferm per the yeast instructions and add it to the must. Stir and add a bit more grape juice or drinking water to about 1.8 gallons. Leave some room at the top for a yeast cap to form. Add 3/4 teaspoon yeast nutrient. The OG reading after everything is set should be about 1.110 at least. Close the bucket, set in the partially water filled airlock and let it set at room temperature (I try to ferment in the high 60's/low 70's). Bubbling should begin in a few hours to a full day. Add the Diammonium Phosphate (DAP) and Fermaid K after about 24-36 hours and prepare for a volcano (rapid bubbling / boil over). Have a backup cleaned and sanitized airlock available because of the boil over. Plan on losing some of your batch due to the boil over once nutrients are added. But you can top up after racking to a secondary. After about one to two weeks in the 2 gallon fermentation bucket, rack the batch into 2 - one gallon sanitized glass jugs and top with more white grape juice. Let ferment until clear (anywhere from 1-3 months). Let this one ferment until dry – no sulfite/sorbate addition at the end. Bottle, age and enjoy.
 
Just bottled and tasted! Running out this weekend to buy ingredients to make a 5 gallon batch! So good

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So I made a 1 gallon batch but I habe to leave town for a couple of weeks. I could rack to a secondary at about 10 days after brewing, otherwise I have to leave it for an additional 2 weeks. That would mean it would be in primary for a total of 25+ days. I'm completely new at this, can anyone tell me what the differnece may be with either option I go with? Thinking I should just leave it in.

Thanks!
 
It will be fine, either way. But if you have the opportunity to rack after 10 days, check your SG--if it's below 1.000, you might as well go ahead and follow the rest of the steps since it's not going to go much further. If it's still above 1.000, just leave it be til you can get back to it.
 
I think I found my next mead recipe. I might have to make a batch this weekend. I need to start buying more buckets and car boys to make more beer! I have 2 meads in plastic gallon water jugs!
 
I don't know if anyone still reading this thread is still having a question about stopping fermentation, but just in case, here is my understanding: you can cold crash it in the fridge, which will stun the yeast (not kill it, just make it temporarily inactive) and lees fall out. In order to stabilize the mead, you are not stopping fermentation on a dime; adding the campden tablets AND the potassium sorbate does not kill the yeast, it basically neuters the existing yeast so that it cannot continue to reproduce. Unless it ferments dry, you will still have some fermentation going for a few days until all of the existing yeast dies out.
 
Started a batch of this on sunday but had only 45 ounces of the juice
because the welches is too sweet for my taste, I assume it should.still turn out ok since I can adjust more during the backsweetening
 
Just made a batch of this, hoping it turns out pretty tasty. Had to leave out the 1 oz of buckwheat honey since I couldn't find any local.
 
So i'm planning to make a 1 gallon batch of this and I'm seeing that most or all of the batches that's been posted hasn't been topped up? There's quite a bit of space there. What's the deal?
 
I topped one of mine of, then it began to be active again. My other one I left alone. You can do it no problem.
 
I topped one of mine of, then it began to be active again. My other one I left alone. You can do it no problem.

Well yeah I didn't think extra water would inhibit fermentation, just wondering about its effects on flavor/strength of the mead
 
Well yeah I didn't think extra water would inhibit fermentation, just wondering about its effects on flavor/strength of the mead

The last 2 batches i did i topped off with additional juice. They are both still fermenting, so I have yet to see the results.
 
So I made a gallon of this and did it really simple. I poured 2 pounds of clover honey straight into the carboy by itself. Then I poured in 64 oz of grape juice and topped up with water after that. Swirled it around until it was all mixed up. After that I pitched an entire packet of lalvin 1118.

5-6 hours later it was bubbling so rapidly that it was going up and leaking out of the fermentation lock and making a mess and continued to do so for about 24 hours.

I had about 3-4 inches of headspace in the carboy. Did I pitch too much yeast? I think the packet says to use 1/3 of it.
 
I set this one up today. Nice honey at Walgreen's is on sale right now for $4.99 for 32oz. After it was started, I poured out enough must to fill the empty honey container so it was about 3/4 full and the one gallon jug is 3/4 full now too and leaves a ton of headspace for both. Will combine into secondary. Can't wait!
 
I have a question about backsweetening and the use of sulfites/potassium sorbate.

I much prefer dry meads, so I would like to try making this recipe without backsweetening. I have a few questions:

-Will the lack of backsweetening still produce a drinkable mead?

-Since I'm not backsweetening, the Campden tablet is unnecessary correct?

-Should I still rack the mead into a secondary fermentation vessel for 2 weeks, or can I bottle it off the lees after the initial fermentation period?


Let me know. I'm new to mead making, but I'm familiar with red wine making.

Thanks for your time.
 
I have a question about backsweetening and the use of sulfites/potassium sorbate.

I much prefer dry meads, so I would like to try making this recipe without backsweetening. I have a few questions:

-Will the lack of backsweetening still produce a drinkable mead?

-Since I'm not backsweetening, the Campden tablet is unnecessary correct?

-Should I still rack the mead into a secondary fermentation vessel for 2 weeks, or can I bottle it off the lees after the initial fermentation period?


Let me know. I'm new to mead making, but I'm familiar with red wine making.

Thanks for your time.

I do believe that you still need the sorbate and the campden to kill off fermentation or you will get bombs after bottling.
 
I dunno about that. If you ferment to dry, that means you're fermenting til there are no more sugars for the yeasties to ferment. Nothing to ferment = no fermentation.
 
Well I did a cranberry mead recently, let it sit for 8 months, racked it four times, forgot to add those to stop fermentation, and got bottle bombs a few weeks into bottling - ruined almost the entire batch.

I am not an expert on this, but I would add these just in case. Furthermore, its in the original recipe, and if you want to travel off the beaten path from the posted recipe and not do the backsweetening, fine thats your decision, but I've never tried so I can't speak to the flavor.
 
just started this today...I used Kirklands Signature Newman's Own Concord grape juice though...hope it turns out ok...thanks for the recipe OP.
 
can i get by with just the sorbate, or will I need campden tablets as well?

Also, didn't use any buckwheat honey. Does it significantly alter the taste? maybe the next time I will use it to see the difference.
 
Just started a batch tonight. I ended up adding an ounce or two of dark pumpkin honey to go with mine. I figured this seems to easy to mess up.

I just read this entire thread and the concensus is that campden and sorbate are necessary for this recipe to stop the yeast activity.

I still have 1/2 gallon more grape juice and plan on making another batch tomorrow after I buy some honey. I have 2 gallons of JAOM going also and 5 gallons of apfelwein and some English Brown Ale fermenting away.
 
Just wanted to say I cracked open a bottle of this that I have had sitting since 11/11/11 and it is DELICIOUS. The grape flavor and hotness have mellowed out so much since then. Can't wait to crack open another bottle a year from now!

And a picture:
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Used up the other 1/2 gallon of grape juice last night and made batch #2. I did forget to add the pumpkin honey which should give me a benchmark of difference between the two. My first batch bubbled over through the airlock, but my second one didn't. It seems like the extra 12 ounces of space needed for racking is about the correct amount needed so it won't bubble over.

Another question, Is absorbic acid the only allowable thing other than juice and concentrate in the ingredients?

Sorbates are a certain no. What about citric acid, fumaric acid, or sodium citrate? Those were some of the things I saw in most of the various juice blends I looked at.

I only recall apple juice, grape juice and cranberry juice from the main juice companies that only had absorbic acid added.

Was hoping a cherry grape or something else if possible next.
 
Made this tonight with 22oz mesquite honey, 6oz of south carolina honey (not sure what kind) and 4oz of local ohio honey. I had an OG of 1.130 before dilution so I added 64oz of water (and had some left over) to end at 1.090. Really looking forward to this!

oh and i used an ale yeast. hah. munton's premium gold. brewstore was closed today and i really wanted to make something!
 
I back sweetened my first batch too much for my liking. Next time very little or no back sweetening. Also in my next batch I am adding some dried fruit to add some 'notes' in the final product. I have a bag of Antioxidant blend of dried fruits (from Costco). It has cranberries, plums, tart cherries and blueberries. I think a 1/4 cup of dried fruit, rehydrated to about 3/4 should be enough to add some notes to this recipe. Of course it will take a longer to clear even with pectin enzyme.
 
I amend my previous post (from 5/30/2012), just opened a bottle for the new year today, dang it's good! The welch's flavor has mellowed, and the color is like a tawny port, deep copper red...L'Shana Tova!
 
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