Another Pumpkin Mead

Hello fellow mead makers. I'm not exactly new around here, though most have never seen me post. In the just over 3 years I've been a member, I've posted 3 times. That's not important though.

After a couple years of doing beer (probably only 3 or 4 five gallon batches total) I decided to try my hand at mead. Mead just suits me better.

So a few month ago I went ahead and tried the "Simple Mead" recipe from gotmead.com. The only thing I changed was I used distiller's yeast instead of the fleischmann's called for. This was at the recommendation of the guy at my local homebrew store who only uses distiller's yeast in all his meads.

I must say, it turned out great. I loved it. It was a bit hot due to being so young, probably could have benefited from some aging. However, it was only a 1 gallon batch, finished just as the family came to town for christmas, and everyone HAD to try some. They all loved it. Gone as fast as it was bottled.

Here are some pictures. First up, just after bottling (I used some Cheerwine bottles I had laying around).


Next, here is a glass shot.


Now, the holidays are over, and I've got a couple cans of pumpkin that didn't get used. I thought a pumpkin mead would be great. Of course, I'm going to test the recipe first in a 1 gallon batch. I've got my basic recipe ready, but was looking on advice on what else might be good to add, and when to put the pumpkin and spices in.

Basic recipe

3 lbs. orange blossom honey
1 15 oz. can Libby's pumpkin
1 tsp. vanilla extract (already have it, or I would go get some vanilla beans)
2 stick of cinnamon (I love cinnamon, can never have too much)
1 oz mashed ginger
Distiller's yeast (I have since forgotten how much I put in my first mead, as I didn't write anything down. I want to say it was like 1/2 a tbsp, but it's all kind of hazy now).

So, I guess the questions are...

1) Put the pumpkin and spices in right from the get go in the primary, or rack the must onto the pumpkin in the secondary and add the spices then.

2) Anyone with experience with the distiller's yeast (DADY), how much is needed for a 1 gallon batch?

3) The "Simple Mead" recipe from gotmead.com didn't mention anything about adding yeast nutrients, but every other recipe I see talks about them. Would I need to add them to this batch (since it is using pumpkin, if I put it in the primary, the yeast should have more nutrients than they would from just a plain honey mead)?

Thoughts? Ideas? Words of admonishment? I'll take it all.

Thanks

Awesome looking mead by the way. I think fermenting with at least the pumpkin would be best. From the results I've read on this site, the pumpkin seems to put a bit of a really awesome sort of buttery mouth feel to the mead. Idk how racking it onto pumpkin in secondary would go though.

I have done a couple of Pumpkin meads. A Pumpkin Toasted Almond and a Pumpkin Spice. I have in the carboy a Pumpkin Hazelnut.

i use the pumpkin itself. I get some pumpkin pie pumpkins and cook them in the oven and then scrape off the skins and into the carboy's secondary, actually a brew bucket with the pumpkin in a large mesh bag. Spice bag, I use a hops bag seperate.

So here is my sugestion even using canned.

1. Put your spices and pumkin in the secondary. You may have some preservitives in the canned pumpkin and that will stop the yeast cold. Potassium Sorbate is a big one that is comercially used.

2. Get a yam and cook it and put it in too. There is not much pumpkiny taste in the pumpkin, even caned. Sweet Potatos/Yams help out the flavor.

3. Put in a large mesh bag in a Brew bucket if you can.

4. Go easy on the spices, when it ages after clearing the spices will come to the forefront. For a 5 gal batch I only use 1-2 whole cloves, 1/2 a whole nutmeg, and 1-2 cinnamon sticks. Trust me, even in a 5 gal batch this will come out plenty spicy. I put it loosly into a muslin hops bag that you can pick up in a brew shop for around $1.

5. The hotness in your prevoius brew was due to no aging. After clearing, let it age for at least 6 months, a year is best.

6. Oak it. Put in 1 oz of oak chips, 1-5 gal size, I would use medium toast, though light toasted oak will work as well. Put in as it is clearing when you rack off of the pumpkin for about 3 weeks. Then rack. Should be very tasty.

7. Since it's distiller's yeast, you didn't mention the brand, you will likely end up very dry. I recomend using Lavin D-47 (if your ferment area will not get over 70 degrees) or Lavin 71B (For a warmer ferment area, up to 82 degrees but you need to rack it quicker as it gets nasty if it sits on more than 1/4 inch of sediment for a long time.) This should produce a medium sweetness. Add 1/2 more pounds of honey as backsweetening, use potasium sorbate a day prior to adding the honey, mix honey with a bit of water to disolve, 1 cup water should do. Then after the sorbate you may add the honey.)

Also by your recipie, you are doing 1 gal, yes? Use 1 cinnamon stick and 1/4 oz of ginger. That will be more than plenty, unless you WANT it very spicy.

Clearing agents may help the clearing process, I use hot mix sparkloid. But not neccessary. Wait til you can read through it and then bottle and forget about it for 6 months to a year.

Those are my recomendations. Hope it works out for you.

Matrix
(Post pics if you can and let us know)

Forgot to mention, for a 1 gal primary, use 1/2 teaspoon of both yeast nutrient and yeast energizer for best results. for my 5-6 gal I use 1 tablespoon each.

Matrix

Thanks, Matrix, for the response. I'll give that a try.

As for the first mead, I know it really needed to age awhile. But like I said, it was the first batch, family was in town, and they all wanted to try some. It was still great, everyone loved it. I know it would have been much better with some aging though.

if you use canned pumpkin, have fun racking, haha.

I have a pumpkin cyser. I threw in 5 ounces canned pumpkin in a one gallon class jug. It will need to be strained, becasue the pumpkin has not settled down past three inches.

cgenebrewer said:

if you use canned pumpkin, have fun racking, haha.

I have a pumpkin cyser. I threw in 5 ounces canned pumpkin in a one gallon class jug. It will need to be strained, becasue the pumpkin has not settled down past three inches.

Click to expand...

This is why I suggested a mesh bag. That way you strain it when you bring it out. It may need some more than that but mostly it helps alot.

Matrix

Def. second using a mesh bag, haha. I learned the hard way with my first one.

Curious how this turned out, if you are still around. Thinking about doing a smoked pumpkin mead.