First Mead, time for secondary?

I have started my first mead and I am wondering if it is time to rack it to secondary? My recipe follows:
20 pounds honey
Water to make it 5 gallons
3 tsp yeast nutrient
1.5 tsp yeast energizer
White Labs WLP720 Sweet Mead Yeast one vial
Nov 30 SG 1.142
Dec 26 Gravity 1.044

I plan on racking it into 5 1 gallon jugs where I will add a different fruit puree in 4 of them and keep one original.

Let me know your thoughts, criticisms, etc....

Why did you use a low ABV tolerance yeast with a high OG must??? Did you not read any threads about that yeast, at all, before using it in that high an OG must? Plus, 1.044 is so far beyond sweet it's insane. To top it off you plan on adding MORE sugars to it? WHY??? I hope the honey wasn't expensive since this is already headed towards being a dumper.

Before you make another mead, read the forums over at Got Mead? at the very least. Plus, mix the must to match what a yeast can handle. Don't just pick blindly. The White Labs sweet mead yeast has a tolerance of 15% ABV (listed right on the page for that yeast, so no excuses). IF you had selected a yeast that could go to 18%, then it would have finished around 1.010, which is a much better FG. Since you're not yet at the yeast's tolerance level, it could still be going. Besides, less than a month is NOTHING on a mead fermentation time frame. I've had meads take 3 months to ferment all the way.

I would also plan on giving the batch at least another month, once it reaches FG, so that it can flocculate out to a decent level. Since it's rated as 'low' in that category, it could take some time to start to clear.

Why is it that people go so sideways on their first meads? Seriously, I want to know why they think they can just toss some honey in water, pick a yeast at random and expect to have it finish in the same time frame as a beer.

Ok, really friendly place here. So should I pitch in a different yeast? If only everyone was as knowledgable as an expert when starting out.

Ok, so what Golddiggie is alluding to, is that there is the wyeast sweet mead yeast which is only tolerant to about the 11% ABV mark and its also finicky as hell to use - to be honest its a complete PITA.

There's also the white labs one, which I presume youre referring to that is tolerant to about 15% and has a much better reputation.

Now without access to my usual table to check, if it is at 15% or thereabouts, you'd be hard pressed to pitch another yeast, even doing an acclimatised restart and get it refermenting to drop the gravity down more.

Ok, just did a quick check on the pc and your 98 point drop equates too 13.3% ABV. So you try a restart but I'm not sure whether you'd get it to restart with a yeast that has "sharper teeth".

Your main issue is likely to be that if its stopped fermenting, the current quoted gravity is very much at the top end of "dessert mead" and likely to be cloyingly sweet. If you find it drinkable then that's great but I find batches that sweet a bit too much.

So, if some stirring and maybe either FermaidO (as different from the "K" nutrient) if you can get some or just try boiled bread yeast, to see if you could knock the gravity down a bit further, or if you have access to a dry mead of similar type you coild blend them or you could even just fortify it with vodka or everclear.

I suspect that the main thrush of Golddiggies post was that these so called "mead yeasts" seem to have issues. To start with how the hell do the yeast makers know what strains were originally used for meads as all the historic recipes make no mention and that yeasts/ferments weren't understood properly then. And with written records being little to non-existent it would seem that to call them "mead" yeasts is little more than marketing bollocks. It doesnt help that the majority of HBS know little or nothing of mead making and often make rubbish recommendations for materials and ingredients.

Its why most recommendations come from wine making technique and the experience of regular mead makers.....

Liquid yeasts seem to have a harder time with meads anyway, can't say exactly why but I suspect its connected with the much higher levels of sugars generally found in honey musts, plus the lower cell count and mead makers not generally making starters (just either straight rehydration or rehydration using GoFerm).

Thanks for the info Fatbloke. I guess I'll have to figure out if its drinkable or blend it.

K9Handler said:

Ok, really friendly place here. So should I pitch in a different yeast? If only everyone was as knowledgable as an expert when starting out.

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K9Handler said:

Thanks for the info Fatbloke. I guess I'll have to figure out if its drinkable or blend it.

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Did you bother to actually do any research on making a mead before making the first one?? IF you had, you would have seen the pitfalls you were walking towards/over. Do yourself a favor and go over to the Got Mead forums and start reading up BEFORE you make another batch.

Also, keep in mind, mead is NOT even close to beer in how it ferments, how you treat it while it ferments, and how long it will age before going to bottle or glass. Even when using the right processes and ingredients, you can have one go 2+ years (up to about 18% ABV) before it's really getting great. It will be ok, to good, in the 12-20 month range, but it really changes as it approaches even the 2 year mark. Trying to rush it through the process will only go to make something you'll not like, and you'll probably end up thinking that all mead is like that (which it's NOT)...

BTW, I found the Got Mead site via a google search over two years ago when I wanted to see what was needed to make a really good/great mead (the joy book is crap IMO). It's not difficult to locate, or read, and there are tons of people there with decades of mead making experience.

Odds are your batch will be on the super sweet side, especially since you still need to add the fruit components. Even if you reach alcohol toxicity on that yeast, you could easily reach 16-17%. It is quite common for the ferment to exceed the high end of the range, has happened to me many times. To be prepared for fixing it why don't you start a three-five gallon batch of x-% mead? That way you would have a volume on hand to blend and have a basic mead available that is perfect for topping up, etc.

We all learn from each batch that we make and usually that first one is the biggest hurdle to jump. For a while anyway, until you expand your mead/winemaking skills. But do not worry, all will be fine. Welcome to the forum!!

Golddiggie said:

Did you bother to actually do any research on making a mead before making the first one?? IF you had, you would have seen the pitfalls you were walking towards/over.

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I did do research and I had looked at the Got Mead site. The only thing I didn't understand was how yeast worked. I talked with the purveyors of the local home brew shop and I'm going to pitch in SN9 yeast after I make a starter. Once it starts I'm going to rack it into secondary with some fruit. I didn't expect it to be similar to beer, I expected it to take a while, 7-8 months before I bottle it.

saramc said:

Odds are your batch will be on the super sweet side, especially since you still need to add the fruit components. Even if you reach alcohol toxicity on that yeast, you could easily reach 16-17%. It is quite common for the ferment to exceed the high end of the range, has happened to me many times. To be prepared for fixing it why don't you start a three-five gallon batch of x-% mead? That way you would have a volume on hand to blend and have a basic mead available that is perfect for topping up, etc.

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I have been thinking of starting a another batch, although the local home brew shop has some chocolate infused honey that I was thinking of trying out. But from what I read it takes at least two years before you even think of drinking it. We'll see how it goes. I'm not really into brewing beer. I did a cider for my first brew which turned out pretty good, a little commercial tasting. I think the complexities of mead brewing will keep me challenged for a while. Thanks for the advice.

Some brews can indeed take a couple of years to come good, yet the use of acid addition or back sweetening can mask the flavour of a young mead, as can the addition of fruit to secondary.

It's basically the stronger/higher % the brew, normally the longer the aging it requires, equally the drier the batch the longer the aging.

Plus there's no real way of predicting how a batch will age, some just mellow some become smooth, some even recover a perception of sweetness, etc etc. Hence you can just make a batch that will likely finish in a certain way and then see how it progresses through the aging process......

While in primary how often, if at all do you guys recommend stirring the must to reincorporate the lees?

K9Handler said:

While in primary how often, if at all do you guys recommend stirring the must to reincorporate the lees?

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Twice a day is my protocol. Gives me a chance to visually inspect.

In regards to using chocolate infused honey, simply bypass that and make a chocolate mead of your own. I have made several chocolate wines/meads and they are fabulous. Nothing like a commercial chocolate wine, ick. You can go as simple as adding one cup of Hershey's syrup to a gallon of clear mead/melomel and in a matter of days this will drop out and infuse your mead with chocolate(just remember to use k-meta and sorbate if you want to retain the sweetness). I actually did this to a gallon of JMAO--fantastic!! Also, when bottling a basic mead with syrup added you can add a few drops of vanilla and voila! You can also use a quality unsweetened cocoa powder, dutch processed preferred, (or basic Hershey's unsweetened) 4oz by weight per gallon, while in primary. This does need headspace initially and creates chocolate fudge sludge lees--but wow! And if you plan on aging the mead 1-2 years anyway, well, a great time to use cocoa. Others use roasted nibs or actual chocolate bars. Can also incorporate fruit for a chocolate-fruit mead. Limited only by your imagination and carboys!!

I do twice a day for the first three day then once a day for 2 more days.....BTW
FATBLOKE....you were right it was the seal of my jug...and I pulled the life off on day four it was all wet so I aerated it into a carboy and its bubbling fine now

Saramc,

Do you have a favorite recipe for a chocolate mead? Just curious why you recommend skipping the chocolate infused honey?

Simply because you are paying for honey with chocolate added and you ideally want to control the chocolate that goes into your mead. JMHO

I do not have my recipes handy, but a favorite is Steve's Chocolate Mead recipe, I think it is a basic mead 1:4 ratio and when it is clear, no sediment, you add the cup of Hershey Syrup. They now make a Special Dark syrup. That drops clear in about two weeks, you rack. Bulk age. I add five drops of my home made vanilla per 750ml bottle. I started this in the fall and it was crystal clear in less than sixty days, bulk aging now. Ages well in six months. Good stuff. I remember I also added espresso granules to my mead, because coffee brings out chocolate.
Jack Keller has a chocolate cherry mead posted on his site that I am itching to make. Hope that gets you started.

That makes sense. Would you recommend the Lord Rhys recipe or to stay away from cocoa powder?

Definitely try the Lord Rhys recipe. I honestly think the only difference is cocoa powder versus syrup. Of course, you could make one of each and see what you prefer. And use a quality dutch processed cocoa, Droste or the like--- the acid is not as harsh and you will find you will not have to age as long.

Finally bottled this today. From left to right; original, spice, raspberry, cherry.
It's a little sweet but I don't think it tastes too bad for a first try.



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