Newbie - done with fermentation.....now what

[Wulf60]

Hi all,

I just finished primary fermentation of my first batch of mead, now kind of at a loss what to do.

Specifics:

5 gallon batch

Note: used inexpensive ingredients for first batch to get the process down.

15# Kirkland raw honey
2 gallons Mango nectar
Lalvin D47 (10g)

OG 1.120

I activated my yeast with go-ferm,
And did 4 stage SNA of Fermaid O, Fermaid K, and DAP, as recommended by the BatchBuildr calculator on the Meadmakr website.

Fermentation progressed nicely (took about 1 month)

My FG as measured today was 1.004, which if I did the calculations properly puts me around 15.5% ABV.

I racked to secondary today (again, I got over-anxious and racked it 1 and a half weeks ago, only to find that it was still pretty actively fermenting.)

I transferred some of the mead to 4 sanitized Grolsch bottles, and refrigerated them to stop any more fermentation, but unsure if they will age properly while refrigerated, or if I just made time-delay bottle bombs that risk going off after I remove from the fridge.

Do I just let everything sit now for several months in the airlocked carboy?

 

[CKuhns]

Edited, reread your post.

If your at 1.004 and the D47 is not done then once bottled will carbonate your mead to about 2.5 volumes of CO2. Similar to beer. Grolsch bottles are typically built to handle the pressure.

 

[videojunkie1208]

D47 will easily go to .995 from 1.120...

If it's only a month old, how does it taste? You should have a hot alcohol flavor typical of green meads, but you should have clean flavors behind that. You should be able to taste the hint of mango, there shouldn't be any off flavors like sulfur smells or musty/mud flavors.

 

[Wulf60]

It is exactly like you describe. Clean and pleastant taste/smell with a hint of mango tartness, but quite alchohol forward.

I would say that the taste, while not unpleasant, is reminiscent of some of the Ethiopian honey wines I have had, which aren't really to my taste. Looking forward to seeing how it changes with some age

 

[videojunkie1208]

Age is now your friend. I would expect 3-6 months will change it from ehh to yum. Be very cognizant of oxidation from this point forward.

 

[T Murph]

@Wulf60 your Melomel is currently green. From here patient's is your best friend. It's now time to stabilize the yeast. D47 is my go to yeast for sparkling melomels. But it will revitalize if you don't stabilize it. Transfer it to a secondary closed vessel and add potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulphite in accordance with label instructions to prevent revitalizing the yeast. Put it in a cool dry location and wait. Then wait some more. I don't usually consider a melomel finished untill at least a year old. Take a sample monthly and record the aroma, taste, mouth feel, sweetness and carbonation. If carbonation increases monthly. Yeast have not stabilized properly. I point this out because should you need to adjust sweetness the yeast needs to be stabalized else it can resume fermentation when you add honey to adjust sweetness. With each monthly sample you should notice improvement in aroma, taste and mouth feel. Give it time, you'll be glad you did.