What yeast for a dry mead?

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RedGuitar

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I'll be making 3 gallons of mead this weekend with 9 pounds of honey. I want this to be dry, as I will be adding various flavors to it down the road. Right now I'm thinking of using Lalvin 1118. Anybody use this for their dry meads? Is there a preferred yeast anybody using? (I don't want to use Wyeast's Dry Mead Yeast.)
 
theres far better yeasts for mead than ec-1118.
k1v-116 is a common one.

what range/brand yeasts can you get?
 
a few have mentioned ec-1118 tends to "blow aromatic out the airlock" and it certainly does smell like that when fermenting.
it often make a very hot fusel taste which k1v doesn't. the bad taste generally does age out but that can take a year or so. that is what happened with by test batches.
 
So obviously my lack of mead making experience is showing here. Not sure what you mean that 1118 "blows aromatic out the airlock".

Of course I want a clean tasting mead. I'm planning on breaking this up into 3 one gallon batches: 1 Strawberry, 1 vanilla oak and 1 honeysuckle. Would this effect your yeast choice?

(Not sure what yeast I'll have available at the LHBS on Friday when I go. They have a pretty large selection of beer yeasts, and in the past I've gotten some D47 and a couple other wine yeasts from there. They should have any "common" strain of yeast.)
 
I'll be making 3 gallons of mead this weekend with 9 pounds of honey. I want this to be dry, as I will be adding various flavors to it down the road. Right now I'm thinking of using Lalvin 1118. Anybody use this for their dry meads? Is there a preferred yeast anybody using? (I don't want to use Wyeast's Dry Mead Yeast.)

I've used EC-1118, it does tend to produce some fusel alcohols, which take more time to age out. I've also used K1-V1116 & had better results with it.

In the words of Jack Keller: "Choose your yeast like you would choose a tool."
Here's a link to yeast strains on Keller's site:
Winemaking: Strains of Wine Yeast

Most of the info is for Red Star & Lalvin wine yeasts but others are mentioned. Should give you a good idea as to what which strain of yeast is best for your application.
Regards, GF.
 
Getting back to the question of which yeast to use for dry mead: use whatever yeast you like, as long as you use the proper amount of honey to keep the ABV at or below the yeast's tolerance.
 
Any good quality red wine yeast will make a good mead; two things to do before making a mead. Check the pH and stay away from honey that has a natural high pH it can cause you mead to have a tin flavour. Depending on the dryness will be determined by the volume percentage of honey used in the mead. Once honey and water is blended adjust pH with Tartaric acid to about 5 beware of going down to low as some honey will produce fair amounts of tartaric and others acids. Air rate honey water and yeast food blend until the liquid has milk coffee look if possible, then pitch yeast. Let ferment for about 14 days then add fruit; this helps prevent the aroma from bubbling out and alcohol in must will extract flavours. Carefully rack then bentonite and re rack into bottles and age or age in carboy with wood chips for a few days or to taste before bottling and aging.
 
honey high in PH?
adjust PH with Tartaric acid to about 5?

what honey are you using as mine i tested at 3-4ph. the usual problem with honey is low PH rather than high PH.

what honeys have tartaric acid naturally in it ?
 
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