Show mead with TJ's Mesquite honey

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phished880

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I mixed up 1 gallon of this lovely potion on 2/15/10
It had a SG of 1.114, 71b-1122 yeast
I was wondering when i might consider transferring to a secondary. I would like to minimize measuring(being 1 gal) until I rack but I wonder if this has been going to long or short.

I still see signs of fermentation (tiny bubbles rising to the top)

What shall I do????
 
I would for sure wait until you see no signs of fermentation, then wait a little longer (at least two weeks) before racking.

If you used nutrient additions, you might be close to finishing up; if not, it's gonna take longer.

And as usual, the only way to tell is a hydro reading. I'd wait until you think it's done, then take a reading to confirm, transfer and top off the ~4oz. you'll lose.
 
As the yeast convert sugar into carbon dioxide and alcohol, the specific gravity falls. When the yeast are done working, the SG levels off. This is the most reliable indication that fermentation has ended.
 
BTW, I've made the TJ Mesquite Mead twice, the OG was 1.120-ish, and the FG was 0.998.

So how long are you ageing these. I got 40 lbs around a year and a half ago, I made a couple of batches fermented out very dry, and they are ageing in bottles. The flavour is still kind of heavy, and they still taste a little hot but very good.
Maybe I need to open a bottle to see how it's coming along.
 
Heh, nice to see I'm not the only one with that idea. :)

I've got a 5-gallon batch that's been sitting in secondary since the summer and no doubt has a long ways to go - very dry, not a bad flavor (although my brother, who prefers sweet meads, hates it) - but still very "hot" tasting. I'm thinking about racking to a tertiary, maybe over another 3 pounds of mesquite honey.
 
So how long are you ageing these. I got 40 lbs around a year and a half ago, I made a couple of batches fermented out very dry, and they are ageing in bottles. The flavour is still kind of heavy, and they still taste a little hot but very good.
Maybe I need to open a bottle to see how it's coming along.

I made the first (1 gallon) batch in April 2009. I've opened one bottle since then at about 6 months. The first hydro samples up through bottling were like jet fuel. The bottle I opened was smooth and mild, almost too mild for my taste, but it's my first show mead, so I'm not really a good judge. Maybe it could've used an acid addition? Dunno.

Anyway, I just racked the second batch last week, just shy of two months. Jet fuel.

When did you taste yours? What was your honey/water ratio? I used 3# to the gallon.
 
I did a thread called "somebody slap me" on the first batch, started on 200811122.
OG was 1.123 FG was 1.008 for an ABV of around 15.3. It really did drop a good amount of sediment and became pretty clear.
Had a sample bottle yesterday, and the Kiawi/Mesquite flavour started out really heavy but has mellowed out along with the high octane kick in just the last 4 months. Needless to say, I think it needs more ageing to be the best it can be, but it is very drinkable even now.
 
Today I racked this and the SG was 1.006 that gives me a approx ABV of 14.6%.
Do you think it is fair to assume that the yeast has hit its limit? Thanks
 
How long has it been at 1.006? Generally I consider a fermentation with residual sweetness like that, done only when the gravity is steady over several weeks. Some yeasts can continue to chug slowly on seemingly regardless of the ABV, if conditions are right.

Also, although the yeast may have reached their ethanol tolerance in your batch and they may have stopped fermenting as of now, any change to the environment (including simply racking over to an aging carboy) can start them up again. It is best to rack off of the 71B lees into another carboy, and then let the mead bulk-age and continue to clear for a while longer, before declaring things definitely done. Even then, if you want to bottle this one with residual sweetness, you should consider chemically stabilizing it with metabisulfite and potassium sorbate. Bottling any sweet to semi-sweet mead, even one that appears to have been done fermenting months earlier, without stabilization can risk bottle bombs if the yeast wake back up.
 
That looks like yeast residue, which often forms at the top of my traditional batches after I've done the first racking. If it doesn't grow, doesn't smell bad, and doesn't begin to form descending tendril-like things into the bulk of your mead, then it is harmless.

But do plan on racking again shortly after you see more signs of clearing. You don't want to leave any mead on 71B lees too long, or you might get some off-flavors from autolysis of that yeast.
 
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