Hail from SW Oregon!

[Deltabeta1997]

Hello everyone, my name is Sean and I'm very fresh to the concept of home brew. I've been studying the process for a couple weeks and my first batch just hit 24 hours at 9:00 today. I'm definitely going to have more than a few questions but I don't plan to be a bother! I already made the mistake of attempting a Melomel for my first brew so we'll see how this process goes lol (picture is just after pitching yeast as I haven't returned home quite yet)
I wanted a stronger drink but looking at the CO2 bubbles I'm getting at the 24hr mark I'm really hoping I didn't overdo it on the sugar
Ingredients:
3 lbs honey
1lb Strawberries
1lb Raisins
1 packet D47 wine yeast
And the rest is water
Process:
I heated up the water(not to boiling but around 90°-100°) so that I could shake mix the honey in, then added my fruit, then pitched my yeast.(everything was sanitized with star san prior to starting this endeavor)

 

[JohnSand]

Welcome aboard!
I recommend following proven recipes when you start, until you have a good grasp of ingredients and methods. Let us know how yours works out.

 

[T Murph]

Welcome to the community from Alabama. Looks like you are off to a good start. Your recipe looks good and your process is on the mark. Now be patient let the yeast work. Don't try to rush it. Do you know about staggering nutrient additions? It is good to do staggered nutrient additions starting about one week into fermentation. Add about a quarter teaspoon then another addition 3 days later and a third 3 days after the second addition.

Stay focused and post your questions. That what this forum is for.

 

[redrocker652002]

Welcome from San Francisco. What part of Oregon? My brother just moved to a little town called Prineville just outside of Redmond. Looking for some retirement property out there. Post and and all questions. These folks are rock stars when it comes to answers and knowledge. Rock On!!!!!!

 

[Deltabeta1997]

Thanks for the welcome I'll try to address everybody in turn after a quick update.

48 hours in and lots of healthy CO2 bubbles. Temperatute is holding at a solid 63°-65° since pitching yeast. I'm making sure to punch the cap down at least 3 times per day, plus swirling(airlock on) to de-gas halfway between each cap punch. Despite that, with all the sugar it has bubbled up to the cork everytime I've had to sleep or work. The first time it pushed into the airlock, but nothing went past the pressure piece so no outside exposure.

From what I've come to understand Melomels tend to have longer fermentation stages and aging stages before they truly shine. I'm hoping for a 1 month primary fermentation, racked into more strawberries for a 1 month secondary fermentation, then to bottles. I only want to go to bottles instead of a bulk age because it's my first one, so I want to be able to have a couple friends and family try some, while holding a bottle or two back to age.

 

[Deltabeta1997]

Welcome aboard!
I recommend following proven recipes when you start, until you have a good grasp of ingredients and methods. Let us know how yours works out.

I looked through a couple recipes before kind of mashing them all together. Some people were calling for 5 lbs of honey, others for 5 lbs of strawberries so I tried to split the difference a bit. I wanted as high an abv as I could push, which is why I erred on the side of more honey than fruit. I added raisins because from what I understand they don't add much flavor while being a solid source of nitrogen, sugar, and tannins(but NOT a replacement for nutrients, not yelling just had to stress that I know not to rely on them for actual nutrients).

 

[Deltabeta1997]

Welcome to the community from Alabama. Looks like you are off to a good start. Your recipe looks good and your process is on the mark. Now be patient let the yeast work. Don't try to rush it. Do you know about staggering nutrient additions? It is good to do staggered nutrient additions starting about one week into fermentation. Add about a quarter teaspoon then another addition 3 days later and a third 3 days after the second addition.

Stay focused and post your questions. That what this forum is for.

Most of the resources mentioned staggered nutrients, but all the references I can remember were adding nutrients at days 0, 2, and 5. Is there a specific reason in your experience you recommend the second week over the first? Maybe because it's a Melomel so it has extra sugar at the start compared to a similar honey mead?

I wasn't able to grab proper nutrients at the time I was in the shop, but did make some yeast hulls after I got home. I haven't used them yet, with the near overflowing already I'm concerned to give it more reason to burst lol that does give me more reason to use them during the second week though.

 

[Deltabeta1997]

Welcome from San Francisco. What part of Oregon? My brother just moved to a little town called Prineville just outside of Redmond. Looking for some retirement property out there. Post and and all questions. These folks are rock stars when it comes to answers and knowledge. Rock On!!!!!!

I haven't heard of Prineville but I went through Redmond a couple times back in high school for events. I live down near the Or/Cali border in Grants Pass. You live a bit far but there are car meets for my make/model down there pretty regularly and I've wanted to go to those. Might as well bring some mead along and we could trade brews if you wanted?

 

[Saunassa]

First, welcome to the hobby (obsession), have fun with it. It is amazing the flavors that different yeast, hops and temp can create with the same grain bill

 

[Deltabeta1997]

Hey guys! 2 weeks done as of yesterday and everything seems to be going well! Still getting some minor bubbling(yay) but the lees is settling well so I'm hoping to rack to secondary in the next week or two. Temp has stayed at 64° the whole time and I spent the first two weeks punching the cap daily and doing minor degassing. I gave it some yeast hulls at the start of the second week when I noticed activity was starting to slow down, and I'm considering adding some more now to help carry it through eating up the rest of that cap. Can't wait to try it when I rack over and at the end of secondary, I'm beyond excited for this new way of life!