Naidirem
Well-Known Member
Here is my plan for my first mead which I decided to try after spotting a local apiary at our farmer's market. Please correct or critique my plans as I have some mead anxiety. I have been brewing for about a year and this seems simpler but the patience factor has me concerned about not knowing if I futzed it for 6 months to a year.
Eqiupment:
1) 1 gal glass jug
2) Bung with bung hole
3) airlock
4) brewing, racking and bottling equip from homebrew set-up.
Ingredients:
1) 3 lbs of local honey. (Forgot to ask for a primary source of nectar but the cap has an 'A' and, after consulting Illinois' Beekeepers Assoc. website, I believe it is likely to be alfalfa.)
2) 1 package Danstar Nottingham yeast
3) Yeast energizer (forgot the specifics)
4) Tap water (our municipal has a clean taste)
Steps:
1) Mix honey with about 25% of the water and shake the hell out of it to mix.
2) Top off to some location on the jug (I still have to figure out where 1 gal is on the sucker. I take it I need some room for foam etc.)
3) Shake the heck out of it to aerate (5 mins or is this redundant since I have to shake it to mix the honey and water?)
4) Take a hydrometer reading (I am really bad about this in homebrewing and only miss bottle bombs because I have been lucky.)
5) Seal er up and put her in my fermentation closet (It is about ~72 Farenheit in there.)
6) Use the hydrometer to determine when fermentation is done.
7) Bottle and wait until I can no longer wait and then wait some more.
Is it wise to use Nottingham? My room temp might be a little high for its upper end. I thought it might be less dry using it but the mead calculator says I'll only get about 14-15% anyway which is in Nottingham's range. I do like high floc though.
If I am impatient, should I try 2 lbs in the 1 gal jug in order to get a product sooner?
Do I need a 2nd jug to rack to for bulk aging or is it okay to bottle and age in bottle?
Eqiupment:
1) 1 gal glass jug
2) Bung with bung hole
3) airlock
4) brewing, racking and bottling equip from homebrew set-up.
Ingredients:
1) 3 lbs of local honey. (Forgot to ask for a primary source of nectar but the cap has an 'A' and, after consulting Illinois' Beekeepers Assoc. website, I believe it is likely to be alfalfa.)
2) 1 package Danstar Nottingham yeast
3) Yeast energizer (forgot the specifics)
4) Tap water (our municipal has a clean taste)
Steps:
1) Mix honey with about 25% of the water and shake the hell out of it to mix.
2) Top off to some location on the jug (I still have to figure out where 1 gal is on the sucker. I take it I need some room for foam etc.)
3) Shake the heck out of it to aerate (5 mins or is this redundant since I have to shake it to mix the honey and water?)
4) Take a hydrometer reading (I am really bad about this in homebrewing and only miss bottle bombs because I have been lucky.)
5) Seal er up and put her in my fermentation closet (It is about ~72 Farenheit in there.)
6) Use the hydrometer to determine when fermentation is done.
7) Bottle and wait until I can no longer wait and then wait some more.
Is it wise to use Nottingham? My room temp might be a little high for its upper end. I thought it might be less dry using it but the mead calculator says I'll only get about 14-15% anyway which is in Nottingham's range. I do like high floc though.
If I am impatient, should I try 2 lbs in the 1 gal jug in order to get a product sooner?
Do I need a 2nd jug to rack to for bulk aging or is it okay to bottle and age in bottle?