My first attempt at anything homebrew

[Rav]

Hi y'all, well I signed up and tried to post this before but it disappeared so here goes again. After a ton of youtube videos and skulking about your forums I ordered my gear and it showed up tonight. So I thought I would give it a spin. So here is the recipe for my first try, please if you see any glaring errors jump in and show me the way.

Black Currant / Tart Cherry Melomel

3.38 lbs - Dark Wildflower Honey - 100% pure raw
20 fl oz - Tart Cherry Juice organic 100% tart cherry no preservatives
16 fl oz - Black Currant Juice organic 100% black currant no preservatives
5 g - Lalvin D47 rehydrated at 98 degrees F
1/4 t - Yeast energizer - LD Carlson - start, to repeat 2/3
1/3 t - Yeast nutrient - LD Carlson - start, to repeat 2/3 and 1/3
Add to 1 gallon - water - natural spring

S.G. before yeast and nutrients - 1.120

Tasted it for giggles - its awesome - cherry pops to the front - then honey - and the black currant that I thought would slap me was hovering in the back with earth tones and a warm feel. I really want it to finish sweet. The color is dark burgundy almost black. Topped it with a Barcardi airlock was out of vodka.

 

[CKuhns]

Welcome to the wonderful world of brewing Mead. No glaring issues and looks very promising. Let us know how it turns out.

D47 will go pretty dry expect about 15% ABV. Unless you plan to bash them with chemicals to put them to sleep. It will likely create some fusels (Hot alcohol burn) the Nutrient addition and juice will help keep them down but will still be there. Expect 6 - 12 months to age out. Be sure to give it time and taste test each few months.

Good tasting Must at the start is a good indication of how it will taste after ageing a bit.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Sounds yummy, you may want to investigate using pectic enzyme in the future with fruit and fruit juice, before you pitch the yeast. So it is clear later on, if you like clear mead. Maybe some others can weigh in on that as well. Some people don't mind some haze, and it doesn't really effect flavor. Welcome to the craft, have fun and excercise patience. I'm always a little amazed at the flavor changes during the different stages.

 

[DungMonster]

As far as clearing you can use chemicals or you can have patience. I recently bottled a more orange powered version of JAOM. I used a quart of some orange juice for a 2 gallon batch(oranges were about to go bad so i juiced them and used in ferment over slicing them up) when I racked it into a secondary jug it went ontop of about 7 sliced up blood oranges with rind removed. About a month later I racked again and let it set after about 1.5 months enough mud built up I got annoyed. Finally third rack into my favorite bottle, an antique 8L wine jug from spain lol. After that rack it was as clear as you could hope for. The bottles you choose however can effect clarity. The image below are all the same mead from same ferment and bulk age from above. There is a 1 gallon clear plastic on left, 750 ml whiskey bottle in middle, and mason styled spring top from walmart or right. The clarity varies in each so if you truly want clarity pick the proper bottle and maybe not be soo mish mash as I am lol. Also it is funny I just noticed the mead is about the same color as my counter... and as for the rest of that batch it is in a gallon water jug that didnt even fill up so I am working on emptying it this weekend when I rake my leaves.

 

[Rav]

Yay, my yeast is working getting about 2-3 bubbles every 11 seconds or so ...
Here the part I'm a little fuzzy on. The S.G. starts at 1.120 where do you think it might finish at so I can stage the 2/3 and 1/3 feeds at?

 

[Rav]

Here's my second batch this one is an Apple Cyser Lightly Spiced

3.38 lbs - Natural honey 100% pure raw
3 - small clementines with peel cored
1 - small lime no peel cored
1/2 - small box 21 g - raisins
1 - cinnamon stick whole
1/4 t - allspice
1 t - vanilla extract organic

added apple juice - 100% pure raw - earth fare - very disappointed in this juice its very weak I have made apple juice before and this tastes watered down can I add some better quality juice to the secondary?

1/4 t - yeast energizer start again at 2/3
1/3 t - yeast nutrient start again at 2/3 again at 1/3

5 g - Lalvin 71B-1122 - rehydrated at 100 degrees F this yeast rehydrated like its on a mission much bigger bloom at hydrate than the D47 so this one is sitting in the sink tonight

S.G. - 1.156 - My house says its 70 degrees F but I can tell you the counter where they are sitting is a tad cooler and gets a chill if its windy

Not thrilled with the taste of the must it's still good but very honey can't taste the citrus at all yet a little vanilla taste the apple juice is not coming thru after the taste of the Black Currant Tart Cherry its a big let down

Question - if the end is very hot which I bet it will be can it be diluted like moon shine to take it down a hair???

 

[CKuhns]

Yay, my yeast is working getting about 2-3 bubbles every 11 seconds or so ...
Here the part I'm a little fuzzy on. The S.G. starts at 1.120 where do you think it might finish at so I can stage the 2/3 and 1/3 feeds at?

With D47 I assume 1.000 FG but may be slightly higher at 1.120 OG. Makes the math easy! Although it is important it is not critical to hit the 1/3 and 2/3 exactly. Release CO2 and aerate daily to 1/3 stir vigorously or shake. Start VERY, VERY SLOWLY and remember ther is a small lag between mixing and foaming, trust me on this Must fountains are not fun.

This next note is a bit open for debate and to some controversial. (Reader Beware) I release just CO2 (Very Gently stir or swirl.) each 24 hours until 2/3. The concern expressed is introducing air past 1/3 break can cause off flavors and or oxidation. But, we know CO2 inhibits yeast and my opinion is that happy yeast make for happy mead.

 

[DungMonster]

You could always just stick a vibrator under it to release co2 bubbles.... seen a few people who mix during fermentation and such. I always shake the hell out of the honey water mixture prior to adding any fruit or yeast. This helps to ensure mixture is actually mixed. Is a good upper body workout, my last batch was 3 gallons of water. 2 liters of coconut water and 15lbs of honey as the base and was quite a work out to shake lol. The last benefit is like above it areates the base to help the yeast take off better. That the only time I mix and such other than thana quick stir after adding the fruit and yeast. After that I let it do what it does and give it a hug everyday to encourage it, I love my alcohol

 

[Rav]

Did shake shake shake shake .... lol Also put two more batches together one red raspberry and one mix left overs so I could clean up ... now I want a nap

 

[DungMonster]

Awesome, if it is fruit I usually just make a smoothie afterwards. I used to have 4 8L antique green glass demijohns that my dad got from spain while stationed there way back before my egg was ferilized. He stopped making brews and I obtained them. I now have 3 due to some shake action during a not so well thought out mead making session. I was glad I don't have carpet which made cleaning up 2 gallons of honey water a lot easier... now I can only have 2 different s gallon experiments going on unless I rack into seperate vinegar jugs. Also dont buy 1 gall glass carboys they are expensive when you can just buy vinegar in 1 gallon glass jugs for a cheaper price and use the vinegar to make some num num to spread on a pig while cooking it. Just ansuggestion.

 

[Rav]

Good suggestion the apple juice down here comes in 1 gallon glass too... and what would you know about vinegar going on a piggy in the Barbie? you have to be from the south to get that right you know

 

[DungMonster]

Mmm pigs....take a few 1 gallong vinegar jugs and por a thing of red pepper flakes in it, wait a month or so. Toss a pig on your home made smoker (we just call them pig cookers) cook it with wood coals and slather the vinegar with flakes on it repeatedly while cooking. Simply amazing! Plus the jugs are endless and great for target practice. Fill with water and food coloring and poke them away. Plus my marlin 1895xls is itching to say boom gos the dynamite! Lol

As for where I am from I was a military brat to a texan dad and a North Carolina mom. Parents retired to Nc after we traveled around the world. I only spent 6 or so years here before joining the military and traveling around myself. After too many booboos I was retired against my choice and moved back to Nc. So I don't have any particular place to call 'home' or say I grew up there unless I can say the military. Since I have lived in Nc the longest I just say that when people try to delve. Though since the 90's I started cheering for the panthers and this year it has paid off! It makes it fun to poke at my cousins die hard cowboy husband... crack crack go the romo!

 

[Rav]

Well that explains the vinegar... lived on each end of NC so I'm betting your in the eastern half... after 10 or so years of New England I decided not to work in the snow anymore so now I live in the great state of Tenn. It still snows but we just stay home . Generally speaking I pull for the Panthers, Titans ... because I have to and the Falcons. An old oil drum (not the round one) lay it sideways cut the top off and hinge it, put it on wheels makes a dang fine pig cooker.

It's my thread so I can hijack it when I want to right?

Anyway question I have three batches with wine yeast doing fine the fourth is a modified joam with bread yeast its got bubbles but had a bad yeast raft that I stirred back down gently and now it has big sediment bed bout half an inch the wine yeasts barely any... Did I hurt it? Wasn't planning to feed the bread yeast one as the joam recipes say not too. Just wondering

 

[DungMonster]

J AO M. Not oa. Right? That just a basic mead with orange and a rasin for food to the yeast essentially so no nutrients required. Any mead where you add fruits into it the fruits turn into food during fermentation. I have made my version of JAOM many times with bread yeast prior to finally starting to buy yeast packets back in 2005 or 6 when I started trying d47 as it was getting good reviews. I used active dry bread yeast as the self rising tended to make bad alcohol. What does bad yeast raft mean? With bread yeast over something like D47 there is a lot more mud created and you really need to rack it a lot quicker than modern brewing yeast. Essentially as soon as the fermentation slows down I racked it. Otherwise there was a good chance the flavors would be rough and require over a year to settle down to be decently drinkable. I actually have a 1 gallon batch I made with bread yeast going atm I made when I didn't have any yeast in my freezer and didn't feel like waiting a week for yeast to deliver or driving over an hour for a cheap packet of yeast. It is on the third rack and still has mud but it is clearing up fine and finally started tasting ok. It gets racked again December 29th, as I have to go to Durham for an appointment so I will be replacing the cane siphon I broke while washing it the other day...

As for the the area yes eastern Nc I live just outside the pickle town and if you lived in NC you know what I mean too

 

[Rav]

Lived in Wake Forest I knew you were on the east side as the west side NC ers like there BBQ sauce red

Anyway the bread yeast one had a 3" bloom of yeast right on top on the side looked like it all floated up to the same spot and didn't stir in. So I stirred it a couple of hours later. Its showing a faint airlock activity right now but after reading its temp requirements I'm on the bottom end of it at 70 degrees F the red star wants 70 - 80. I used pulped clementines limes and lemon raisins and some cherry currant juices. I have tiny bubbles on the top but there is a fruit pulp layer on top that may be inhibiting it some. No where near the foamy crazy activity of the others. It kinda has me puzzled. And the sediment at the bottom is way thicker than the others. Was wondering if this was bread yeast normal. Also I can see the co2 bubbling up from the bottom in the others not so the bread yeast. Just wondering if I needed to add some more yeast feed stir warm it up or leave it the heck alone. They all have bottles blankets now and they seem to like em cuts down on the drafts.

 

[DungMonster]

First off... tomatoes on a pig should be a criminal offense... Secondly, I suggest let it be. Read yeast isn't bread to be a brewing yeast and as such isn't as fast and strong as the steroidal yeast for brewing. It will make Alot of mud from all my experience using it this has been true almost every time. As I said before don't let it sit too long on the mud unless you like the taste of wet cardboard. If there is already substantial mud you can rack and then add check the gravity. If it hasn't changed much you can always add a little yeast to keep the ferment going. You can always adjust things later so if you don't like what you have adjust it next rack and each rack adjust as you go. There are a few things you can't fix like the vinegar but overall with bread yeast you have to check more at each rack for adjustments that you need to make as the process goes on.

 

[Rav]

All are doing fine now, I think... The three wine yeasts are working hard they all dropped about 0.01 points in gravity at the read today. Stirred off the CO2 thanks for the warning about the foam successfully avoided sticky volcanoes.

Figured out what was stalling the bread yeast rechecked the temp where it was sitting it was 64 degrees F, the wine yeasts love it being smack in the middle of their happy place. But it was too cold for the bread yeast. Gave it a quick stir to push down the fruit pack moved it to the top of the fridge and gave it a hot water bottle now its up to 72 - 73 and working pretty good nice foam on top and bubbles.

The first feeding will be tomorrow evening after work. I doubt the cyser will need one but its getting one anyway. I got to laffing at the raspberry sitting in the plastic 2 gallon fermenter hadn't heard much activity out of that one but wasn't worried due to the extra head space but after the stir today to release CO2 it was off gassing thru the airlock like mad sounded like a distillery in here.

Tasted the cyser today it's taste has really improved although nowhere as good as the others.

The gravity of the bread yeast hadn't budged due to the late start from cold temp. But I expect it to drop about a point by tomorrow.

Got my spread sheet set up makes it way easier to track what's going on and take better notes. Once I know what to expect I won't take daily gravities but skip a day or two on the next batches and avoid the same oops. You can't improve your recipes if you don't remember what you did the first time and I hate keeping up with notebooks.

 

[DungMonster]

Wow, you are being technical, with daily gravity checks and such. I check it when I rack it after the 'bloop bloop' stops going. Generally, I will rack when I dont hear it bubble at least once every few minutes. The racking will cause it to start going slightly faster for a few days then slow almost to a stop as it starts accumulating mud. Then I check it from time to time a rack when I feel the mud is too much, repeating racking like this until no more mud exists and let that final rack bulk age a minimumof 6 month. I am soo lazy about this whole process, I am happy as long as it is drinkable and can give me enough of a buzz to 'not self medicate' at night lol. Funny thing is I have been making mead almost as long as I have been making .... umm roughly 13 or so years but have only started checking abv over the last 2 or so years out of curiousity.

 

[Rav]

Update on my first batches ... checked my gravities today
Black currant Tart cherry - 1.080
Red Raspberry - 1.044
Apple Cyser - 1.060
Modified Jaom left overs - 1.080

Going to feed it tonight just nutrients - then I'm not touching it until after new years at which point I think I will rack it. Did a taste test the Cyser I wasn't crazy about tastes the best lol, the dark red ones BCTC and MJaom dry and the fruit flavors are washed out a lot, the raspberry is dry and fruit flavors are washed out. Lots of alcohol fumes and some odd flavors that I don't know how to describe. Note the taste test was after the stir. None of it tasted what I would consider alcohol hot. On the rack I am topping the Raspberry with more frozen fruit. Going to top the BCTC and MJaom with Tart Cherry Juice the cysor I'm just going to top with Apple Juice I have left over. I may back sweeten on the third rack after the yeast has time to belly up.

Any suggestions am I missing something?

 

[DungMonster]

A nice muddy taste test lol. Many off flavors exist in the mud... try right before you rack without stiiring. Then add fruit to flavor if you want or you can be a gangster and go get fruit extract flavoring and say fk it. I know wal mart here has all sorts of all natural pure fruit flavoring extracts so if you live in or near a large city , I do not, then I am sure you could find even better at health food stores. Anyways other than tasting after mixing you are doing 'A OK'

 

[Rav]

Ok, update just racked the cyser today since it hasn't bubbled or shown tank bubbles in a few days... very nice taste can taste the citrus a little apple not so much on the cinnamon. The gravity was at 1.032 pretty sweet. Not quite sure of the ABV it started at 1.156 think around 11 percent right now. It certainly is alcoholic no burn tho. To my delight no off flavors and no fusel taste. Now its going to quietly sit in a dark corner til summer. The rack went well avoided most of the sediment and topped off with apple juice to the bottom of the neck. Pretty pleased with it so far. The other three are still working pretty regularly so gonna give them a few more days.