Crap - conical fermenter and honey

[Mikeinblack]

I'm brewing a braggot. Previous recipes I have used involved adding the honey to the tail end of the boil. This recipe recommended adding to the primary to preserve the subtle notes in the honey. At this point. I only have one fermenter, a Ss Brewtech Chronical. I should have thought it through better, as the recipe was likely set up for a flat bottom vessel. I'm pretty sure the honey surface area exposed to the yeast is very small as the honey filled up the bottom trub collection area of the vessel. To confirm, I cracked the valve, and raw honey oozed out. The fermentation has been pretty consistent (10th day), now down to about a bubble every 14 seconds. As all of the sugars are on the bottom, the sg is deceptively low... Any recommendations on how to make the best of this situation?

 

[VikeMan]

Any recommendations on how to make the best of this situation?

Patience. The honey will eventually dissolve and the yeast will find it.

 

[Mikeinblack]

Ok, so it may just need an "extended" time in primary? Should I worry about off flavors due to inability to get the dead yeast out at some point?

 

[VikeMan]

Ok, so it may just need an "extended" time in primary? Should I worry about off flavors due to inability to get the dead yeast out at some point?

Assuming healthy yeast to start with, I personally wouldn't be very concerned about noticeable autolysis flavors showing up by the time the honey is gone.

 

[Mikeinblack]

Thanks!

 

[bernardsmith]

But you mention "boil" Is there a reason for a boil when you are making mead in 2023. Obviously in some countries and some parts of the US your drinking water ain't potable, but assuming you can obtain spring water, and assuming the honey is being extracted using current best practices , boiling is not only not needed in mead making but high temperatures destroys the very reasons why we use honey and not sugar to make a mead. If I wanted to make a braggot, I'd add the honey to the cooled wort and keep the honey at room temperature unless I wanted to make a bochet.

 

[Mikeinblack]

But you mention "boil" Is there a reason for a boil when you are making mead in 2023. Obviously in some countries and some parts of the US your drinking water ain't potable, but assuming you can obtain spring water, and assuming the honey is being extracted using current best practices , boiling is not only not needed in mead making but high temperatures destroys the very reasons why we use honey and not sugar to make a mead. If I wanted to make a braggot, I'd add the honey to the cooled wort and keep the honey at room temperature unless I wanted to make a bochet.

The boil is required for the wort. I think the main issue is the vessel I am using. With the previous braggots I have made, mixing the honey into the wort right after flame out allowed the honey to go into solution, and then ferment very vigorously in the conical, making some excellent beer. I assume that a flat bottom fermenter is what I should have used in this case, as the honey would have significant surface area exposure to the yeast when poured in at room temp. This one is moving along slooowly...