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New issue, old thread:
Ok, so I now have 5.5 gallons of clover mead. OG of 1.077.
I'm using Wyeast Dry Mead yeast.
So how much Fermaid K should I add to my recipe? Any opinions?
The old, original, topic is below...
I've been slowly acquiring small bottles (1/2 gallon or 1 gallon) for use in experimental mini batches. Yup. That's right. I want to create a sort of beer college for myself where I can taste 10-30 nearly identical recipes with slight variation. And then rinse and repeat in another direction.
One thing I want to do, first I suppose, is play with meads. Now, maybe it's just me, but it seems like mead makers are far less sure of their craft than brewers. I suppose part of that is the natural variation found in honey from location to location and year to year. That's reasonable, I suppose, but I want to start off with a good education. So I'm thinking about 20+ meads to start.
Four 2-gallon batches. Same OG. Orange Blossom, Clover, Wildflower, and Goldenrod (with an additional side batch of buckwheat to use for mixing).
Once they are done with primary, split them into 4 half-gallon batches and oak them in secondary, half american oak, half french oak, half medium toast, half heavy toast, all soaked in bourbon.
Pull one 12oz bottle off from each at 2 months, another 12oz'er at 4 months, another 12oz'er at 6 months, Then, two months later, drain whatever's left in the secondaries.
Now you can taste the following 20+ meads:
Clover no oak
Clover 2 months oak
Clover 4 months oak
Clover 6 months oak,
Clover 8 months oak
Orange Blossom no oak
" 2 months oak
" 4 months oak
" 6 months oak
" 8 months oak
Goldenrod
ditto
ditto
ditto
ditto
ditto
Wildflower
ditto ditto ditto ditto ditto
And some reasonably well-aged buckwheat
Find a nice blend that works well, and then brew up 10 gallons and let it age for a year. While it's aging, get to work on another year-long round of experiments, perhaps with yeasts... Allowing me to fine-tune my craft as time goes on...
Any thoughts?
Ok, so I now have 5.5 gallons of clover mead. OG of 1.077.
I'm using Wyeast Dry Mead yeast.
So how much Fermaid K should I add to my recipe? Any opinions?
The old, original, topic is below...
I've been slowly acquiring small bottles (1/2 gallon or 1 gallon) for use in experimental mini batches. Yup. That's right. I want to create a sort of beer college for myself where I can taste 10-30 nearly identical recipes with slight variation. And then rinse and repeat in another direction.
One thing I want to do, first I suppose, is play with meads. Now, maybe it's just me, but it seems like mead makers are far less sure of their craft than brewers. I suppose part of that is the natural variation found in honey from location to location and year to year. That's reasonable, I suppose, but I want to start off with a good education. So I'm thinking about 20+ meads to start.
Four 2-gallon batches. Same OG. Orange Blossom, Clover, Wildflower, and Goldenrod (with an additional side batch of buckwheat to use for mixing).
Once they are done with primary, split them into 4 half-gallon batches and oak them in secondary, half american oak, half french oak, half medium toast, half heavy toast, all soaked in bourbon.
Pull one 12oz bottle off from each at 2 months, another 12oz'er at 4 months, another 12oz'er at 6 months, Then, two months later, drain whatever's left in the secondaries.
Now you can taste the following 20+ meads:
Clover no oak
Clover 2 months oak
Clover 4 months oak
Clover 6 months oak,
Clover 8 months oak
Orange Blossom no oak
" 2 months oak
" 4 months oak
" 6 months oak
" 8 months oak
Goldenrod
ditto
ditto
ditto
ditto
ditto
Wildflower
ditto ditto ditto ditto ditto
And some reasonably well-aged buckwheat
Find a nice blend that works well, and then brew up 10 gallons and let it age for a year. While it's aging, get to work on another year-long round of experiments, perhaps with yeasts... Allowing me to fine-tune my craft as time goes on...
Any thoughts?