Getting into Mead, My journey

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OK, the Must are made, both have a starting OG of 1.087
Now, I am waiting on my Smack Packs to swell.... never had much luck with those, not really a fan
I thought I popped the inner packet, then checks 30 min later and nothing seemed to be going on, but I don't think I actually popped it
So I tried again, now I am waiting, and it is unusually cold today...so that is not helping either.

If I have to, I did pick up a pack of Mangrove Jace mead yeast, and I have a ton of neutral ale yeast or I can run and get some bread yeast for the JOA
 
bwible said:
1388 is Saison yeast. It works at slightly warmer temps and I think thats why people think it works in a one month mead. Being a saison yeast it is going to contribute a flavor that a more neutral wine yeast will not.

I always thought of mead as wine, not beer. I have always used wine yeast whenever I’ve made mead. I have never used beer yeast. So I can’t really comment on that. It just stands to reason that if yeast contributes a flavor to a beer then there is no reason to think it won’t contribute flavor to mead. I have heard of people using Munton’s dried ale yeast and saying it makes a peach flavor.

I’ve had decent results with D47, RC212, and I once used a dessert wine yeast.

I don’t care for Belgian beers or Saisons myself, but thats me. So I would never use those yeasts in mead. Or anything.
Click to expand...
Yes, there’s a benefit to being able to ferment on the warm side and many wine yeasts allow for that. I read some brewers are experimenting with kveiks in mead, but I haven’t tasted nor read about results.
 
So as per my usual results with Wyeast Smack Packs, I got no significant signs of activity after about 3 hours.
I pitched the yeast last night and the inner packets were broken open. I know you can pitch without swelling...just not optimal.
I have some Mangrove Jacks Mead yeast being delivered today if there is not sign of activity when I get home from work tonight.
 
bwible said:
1388 is Saison yeast. It works at slightly warmer temps and I think thats why people think it works in a one month mead. Being a saison yeast it is going to contribute a flavor that a more neutral wine yeast will not.

I always thought of mead as wine, not beer. I have always used wine yeast whenever I’ve made mead. I have never used beer yeast. So I can’t really comment on that. It just stands to reason that if yeast contributes a flavor to a beer then there is no reason to think it won’t contribute flavor to mead. I have heard of people using Munton’s dried ale yeast and saying it makes a peach flavor.

I’ve had decent results with D47, RC212, and I once used a dessert wine yeast.

I don’t care for Belgian beers or Saisons myself, but thats me. So I would never use those yeasts in mead. Or anything.
Click to expand...
Many of the specific flavour precursors that make beer yeast create the "beer" flavour are absent in fruit juice and honey. So the flavour expression of a beer yeast can be dramatically different when comparing fermenting grain derived wort and honey based must.

A lot of these beer yeast become surprisingly clean when fermenting honey with sufficient additional nutrients.
 
MX1 said:
So as per my usual results with Wyeast Smack Packs, I got no significant signs of activity after about 3 hours.
I pitched the yeast last night and the inner packets were broken open. I know you can pitch without swelling...just not optimal.
I have some Mangrove Jacks Mead yeast being delivered today if there is not sign of activity when I get home from work tonight.
Click to expand...
Give it a chance....@ least 72 hrs of no signs of life before you repitch.
Yeast go through a lag phase when introduced to the must. Depending on how strong the colony is @ time of pitch & how high your gravity is will determ
ine how fast your yeast starts fermenting.
Patience, grasshopper 🦗😋😆
 
Dan O said:
Give it a chance....@ least 72 hrs of no signs of life before you repitch.
Yeast go through a lag phase when introduced to the must. Depending on how strong the colony is @ time of pitch & how high your gravity is will determ
ine how fast your yeast starts fermenting.
Patience, grasshopper 🦗😋😆
Click to expand...
Yeah, I am used to a lag at times, with all that diluted sugar, was not sure how long I could wait, but I can wait 72 hrs if that is a real thing.
The YTB protocol says that SNA is not a thing with SG of 1.090 or less and mine was 1.087, and to add 3.67g (IIRC) upfront, that I did...but I am thinking I might add another 1.5g tomorrow or the next day
 
MX1 said:
Yeah, I am used to a lag at times, with all that diluted sugar, was not sure how long I could wait, but I can wait 72 hrs if that is a real thing.
The YTB protocol says that SNA is not a thing with SG of 1.090 or less and mine was 1.087, and to add 3.67g (IIRC) upfront, that I did...but I am thinking I might add another 1.5g tomorrow or the next day
Click to expand...
Why?
 
I've made five BOMMs this past year, my first foray into mead. Each of them has had a whiff of meaty off-aroma and -flavor. On my last BOMM I made sure to rack it off its lees asap, still got the slight meatiness. Too much nutrient?

On my last mead, still finishing in the primary, I decided to go with one of the TOSNAs (~1/2 the nutrients of a BOMM), all else just like a BOMM. This batch smells super clean, I'm looking forward to tasting.

TL; DR: +1 above, don't go willy-nilly with the nutrients.
 
BOMM had signs of life or at least the airlock was bubbling...slow...I had water in the airlock to help alert me and to keep stuff out of it but have removed the water.
Still waiting on the JOA
 
MX1 said:
BOMM had signs of life or at least the airlock was bubbling...slow...I had water in the airlock to help alert me and to keep stuff out of it but have removed the water.
Still waiting on the JOA
Click to expand...
Why remove the water?
 
MX1 said:
So as per my usual results with Wyeast Smack Packs, I got no significant signs of activity after about 3 hours.
I pitched the yeast last night and the inner packets were broken open. I know you can pitch without swelling...just not optimal.
I have some Mangrove Jacks Mead yeast being delivered today if there is not sign of activity when I get home from work tonight.
Click to expand...
I’ve never seen a smack pack swell in 3 hours. The old rule of thumb is that it takes 1 day for every 3 months old the smack pack is. It used to be easier to tell before Wyeast changed their date codes. Sometimes they can take 3 or 4 days. I’ve used smack packs that were older than a year and they took about a week.
 
If:
Acerglyn, Braggot, Cyser are STYLES of mead
what do you call the dryness category of mead?
 
1663096030096.png

Working on this, any input will be helpful
The sugar break uses the following formula break=OG-(OG-FG)/3
 
Dan O said:
I got this sheet from the archives here....somewhere, some time ago.
👇👇👇👇
Click to expand...
Not sure what you are pointing at, is it the one from gotmead they have on the newbee section?

Things are bubbling away, I had to put water in the airlocks, I wasn't sleeping well at night (LOL) I have been degassing before and after work and will take a gravity reading tonight when I get home.

Already trying to figure out my next 2 batches....
 
MX1 said:
Not sure what you are pointing at, is it the one from gotmead they have on the newbee section?

Things are bubbling away, I had to put water in the airlocks, I wasn't sleeping well at night (LOL) I have been degassing before and after work and will take a gravity reading tonight when I get home.

Already trying to figure out my next 2 batches....
Click to expand...
It didn't load, I guess.
 

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so, thinking of these at least one of these for next 2 batches

WINTER MEAD (1-Gallon)
3lb Honey (Clover/wildflower/Orange Blossom)
1qt Apple juice
1qt Cranberry juice
2 cloves
2 all-spice
1 cinnamon stick
Wyeast 1388
TOSNA protocol

REDSTONE VANILLA-CINNAMON (1-Gallon)
2.5-3 lb honey
2 Vanilla Bean
1 Cinnamon stick
1/2 Nutmeg berry
TOSNA - not sure what yeast yet...Mangrove Jack Mead maybe

DOUBLE CHERRY (1 Gallon)
1 lb Honey
2qt 100% Cherry Juice
1qt 100% Tart Cherry Juice
TOSNA - Yeast -TBD
 
MX1 said:
View attachment 780842
Working on this, any input will be helpful
The sugar break uses the following formula break=OG-(OG-FG)/3
Click to expand...
On my Word based forms, I keep an initial pH reading and have a portion to note any pH adjustment and what pH level I adjusted to.

When I take gravity readings, I periodically take pH readings. It has been useful to see if the final pH has dropped fairly low so I know I need a little pH buffering the next time around; in truth, I rarely need to do that, but the pH reading is important so you aren't just shot-gunning the stabilizers at the end.
 
MightyMosin said:
On my Word based forms, I keep an initial pH reading and have a portion to note any pH adjustment and what pH level I adjusted to.

When I take gravity readings, I periodically take pH readings. It has been useful to see if the final pH has dropped fairly low so I know I need a little pH buffering the next time around; in truth, I rarely need to do that, but the pH reading is important so you aren't just shot-gunning the stabilizers at the end.
Click to expand...
Right Now, I have no way unless I can use strips...sad to say I don't even check the PH of my beer...I do use calculators to get a rough idea, but that is about it.
JOAM= 1.068 (1.055 corrected)
BOMM= 1.075 (1.066 corrected)

These are fermenting in my basement which is a bit cool this week
 
Last edited:
So, I stop degassing at the 1 week mark, correct?
up to now been doing it 2 times a day
 
MX1 said:
So, I stop degassing at the 1 week mark, correct?
up to now been doing it 2 times a day
Click to expand...
On the >12% ABV stuff I will typically degas about twice a day until the 1/3 break and then I try and remember to degas once a day until the 2/3 break.
There have been plenty of times that I barely had the time/memory to do it past the 1/3 break and have had good results.
I would generally recommend doing the degas un through at least the 1/3 break; you need to degas before nutrients anyway.
 
1 Week Update
JOAM -1.026-can taste the Orange from the fruit/peels but no cinnamon or vanilla, will reevaluate when it is at terminal gravity possible secondary additions
BOMM - 1.040-Really sweet, pure honey

Both chugging away
 
Here's my BAM (Basic-ass mead) mead:

Equipment:
Large bowl
Funnel
Rubber band
Cloth
Vinegar

Ingredients:
1 gallon jug of spring water
2 lbs honey
1 pk yeast (anything)
1 kids pk of raisins

1. Rinse the funnel and bowl with vinegar
2. Rinse with a splash of that spring water.
3. Pour half of the water into the bowl.
4. Add all honey, raisins, and yeast into the jug.
5. Put the cap on the jug and shake violently for 5 minutes, or until you're sick of shaking it.
6. Pour the water back into the jug from the bowl, leaving 2 in head space.
7. Put the cloth over the mouth and secure with the rubber band.
8. Drink in 2 weeks. No sooner, but try to have it finished soon after.

This is how I started, and I never had a batch that I wasn't happy with. I learned the process and started developing recipes from there. I also read Ken Schramm's book a few times and hung out at gotmead.com a lot.
 
MX1 said:
I have had a question posted over there since Thursday with no replies....lol
Click to expand...
Granted, it's probably been almost 10 years since the last time I've been on there. It might not be the same as the days of yore.
 
Yeah, for as much as I read/hear that GotMead has the most information,it looks like it is locked behind a paywall for the most part.
It is what it is

On another note, I picked up 5lb of Wildflower honey at Costco
And ordered 3 lb of Gallberry and 3 lb of Star Thistle as well as a bunch of grade B vanilla beans.
 
I recommend doing a traditional with the gallberry and star thistle, in order to understand the flavors they provide. That way you can build some recipes off of those flavors. The vanilla beans would be great for the wildflower honey.
 
pvtpublic said:
I recommend doing a traditional with the gallberry and star thistle, in order to understand the flavors they provide. That way you can build some recipes off of those flavors. The vanilla beans would be great for the wildflower honey.
Click to expand...
my next meads will be a cyser and a cherry/berry mead i think, will order in some more wildflower for both of those i think
 

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