GreenMtnBrewer
Well-Known Member
Hey there everyone.
Just some background... I have been brewing bee for quite some time and finally decided to try my first go at making some mead. I live in northern Vermont, so I sourced some local wildflower honey. Here is the jist of what I attempted:
11/3 Initial Must Making Date
1 full gallon (to what I am aware would be 12-12.5lbs) Wildflower Honey
Red Star Cotes de Blancs Yeast 1.5 packs (no yeast starter but hydrated as per directions.
Honey into brew pot (had to de-crystalize a bit) w/ approx 3.5 gallons Tap H2O
Dissolved Honey -> stopped at 120 degrees F
Stirred 3 teaspoons Fermax Yeast Nutrient into brew pot
O.G. Reading = 1.144
racked into 1 glass 1 gallon jug and rest (2-2.5 gallons) into 3 gallon Better Bottle
1 week into fermentation added 1 tablespoon Fermax Yeast Nutrientn into 3 gallon Better Bottle fermentor and approximately 1/2 tablespoon Fermax Yeast Nutrient into the 1 gallon glass jug.
on 11/28 I read gravity of the 3 gallon Better Bottle @ 1.030 (slightly sweet rocket fuel is what I would call it) and cloudy still. At this point, if calculations were correct, I was at around 14.96% ABV.
on 11/28 I read gravity on the 1 gallon jug fermentor @ 1.026 (not sure why that is?) was cloudy as 3 gallon Better Bottle and same characteristics as described above. Sharp, stingy to nose, yet a slight sweet back to it... and what I would call an odd aftertaste, well that is what I wrote down anyway.
On 1/8 I checked things out again:
Mead in both fermentors still a bit cloudy, but cleared some, more noticeable when pulling a sample.
Taste at that point was that there was a potent alcohol type burn in mouth if let sit in mouth. Still a bit "fuely." and definately not as sweet as noticed after the second gravity reading listed above. Gravity reading at that time = 1.014
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Pheewww - I think that was enough background to get into what some of my questions are for anyone who is willing to take some time here for me.
1) Critique of my process, length between readings, additions of fermex, initial honey/water ratios.
2) This seems to be a strong mead right? too strong? average? Thoughts of it actually mellowing out... or too strong with lower water to amount of honey ratios for recipe?
3) If it is too high of a ABV, would you suggest, or ever dilute with water?
4) After reading tooo much and getting crazy ideas of adding fruit, I went and got some wild Maine blueberries (frozen) 4 lbs.
Is it too late to add fruit? How much would be good enough to add to the 3 Gallon Better Bottle (with 2.5 ish gallons of Mead in it at this point)?
I guess I wanted to find out about the fruit thing and also open up a discussion so that I can learn more from what I did to what the experienced folks out there can offer in the form of guidance.
Thanks much for your time everyone and look forward to reading through the posts and following up by answering any other additional questions that are needed for help.
Cheers!
Bump? Can anyone help?
Just some background... I have been brewing bee for quite some time and finally decided to try my first go at making some mead. I live in northern Vermont, so I sourced some local wildflower honey. Here is the jist of what I attempted:
11/3 Initial Must Making Date
1 full gallon (to what I am aware would be 12-12.5lbs) Wildflower Honey
Red Star Cotes de Blancs Yeast 1.5 packs (no yeast starter but hydrated as per directions.
Honey into brew pot (had to de-crystalize a bit) w/ approx 3.5 gallons Tap H2O
Dissolved Honey -> stopped at 120 degrees F
Stirred 3 teaspoons Fermax Yeast Nutrient into brew pot
O.G. Reading = 1.144
racked into 1 glass 1 gallon jug and rest (2-2.5 gallons) into 3 gallon Better Bottle
1 week into fermentation added 1 tablespoon Fermax Yeast Nutrientn into 3 gallon Better Bottle fermentor and approximately 1/2 tablespoon Fermax Yeast Nutrient into the 1 gallon glass jug.
on 11/28 I read gravity of the 3 gallon Better Bottle @ 1.030 (slightly sweet rocket fuel is what I would call it) and cloudy still. At this point, if calculations were correct, I was at around 14.96% ABV.
on 11/28 I read gravity on the 1 gallon jug fermentor @ 1.026 (not sure why that is?) was cloudy as 3 gallon Better Bottle and same characteristics as described above. Sharp, stingy to nose, yet a slight sweet back to it... and what I would call an odd aftertaste, well that is what I wrote down anyway.
On 1/8 I checked things out again:
Mead in both fermentors still a bit cloudy, but cleared some, more noticeable when pulling a sample.
Taste at that point was that there was a potent alcohol type burn in mouth if let sit in mouth. Still a bit "fuely." and definately not as sweet as noticed after the second gravity reading listed above. Gravity reading at that time = 1.014
__________________________________________________________________
Pheewww - I think that was enough background to get into what some of my questions are for anyone who is willing to take some time here for me.
1) Critique of my process, length between readings, additions of fermex, initial honey/water ratios.
2) This seems to be a strong mead right? too strong? average? Thoughts of it actually mellowing out... or too strong with lower water to amount of honey ratios for recipe?
3) If it is too high of a ABV, would you suggest, or ever dilute with water?
4) After reading tooo much and getting crazy ideas of adding fruit, I went and got some wild Maine blueberries (frozen) 4 lbs.
Is it too late to add fruit? How much would be good enough to add to the 3 Gallon Better Bottle (with 2.5 ish gallons of Mead in it at this point)?
I guess I wanted to find out about the fruit thing and also open up a discussion so that I can learn more from what I did to what the experienced folks out there can offer in the form of guidance.
Thanks much for your time everyone and look forward to reading through the posts and following up by answering any other additional questions that are needed for help.
Cheers!
Bump? Can anyone help?