Eden192
Member
Ok, so, I decided to brew up my first and second batches of mead tonight after having looked thru the forums for a while. I started with making a 1g batch of J.A.O.M. and followed the recipe exactly. It turned out great, started bubbling away happily within a few minutes. SWMBO was really excited watching it go.
The second batch I made was a 1g batch of my own recipe (yeah I'm ambitious
). I decided to try and craft my own Cranberry/Pomegranete Melomel with some ingredients that I had. I took inspiration from J.A.O.M. and used Cranberry and Pomegranite juices (no preservatives, not potassium sorbate), a split Vanilla Bean (for flavor), a small handful of Raisins and Craisins (about 25-30 of each for flavor and tannins), the zest of one orange (again flavor), and somewhere between 3 1/2 and 4 lbs of honey (i think closer to the 4) because I forgot that the juices had some sugars added.
The mix smelled great and the small sample I took was fantastic, but my OG was off the hydrometer. If my reading was accurate then it thinks my final ABV would be around 25%. I know the yeast won't go that far but I'm worried about shocking my yeast and it dying off early. Anyone have any suggestions for preventing that? I did add a yeast nutrient at the beginning because I was worried that nothing I had added in would give enough fermentable material (other than just straight sugars).
What else should I do to keep this going good?
::Edit:: If it matters I also used Lalvin K1v1116 yeast instead of the bread yeast that I used for the J.A.O.M. because I thought it would attenuate better than the bread yeast and be a bit hardier.
The second batch I made was a 1g batch of my own recipe (yeah I'm ambitious
). I decided to try and craft my own Cranberry/Pomegranete Melomel with some ingredients that I had. I took inspiration from J.A.O.M. and used Cranberry and Pomegranite juices (no preservatives, not potassium sorbate), a split Vanilla Bean (for flavor), a small handful of Raisins and Craisins (about 25-30 of each for flavor and tannins), the zest of one orange (again flavor), and somewhere between 3 1/2 and 4 lbs of honey (i think closer to the 4) because I forgot that the juices had some sugars added. The mix smelled great and the small sample I took was fantastic, but my OG was off the hydrometer. If my reading was accurate then it thinks my final ABV would be around 25%. I know the yeast won't go that far but I'm worried about shocking my yeast and it dying off early. Anyone have any suggestions for preventing that? I did add a yeast nutrient at the beginning because I was worried that nothing I had added in would give enough fermentable material (other than just straight sugars).
What else should I do to keep this going good?
::Edit:: If it matters I also used Lalvin K1v1116 yeast instead of the bread yeast that I used for the J.A.O.M. because I thought it would attenuate better than the bread yeast and be a bit hardier.
