Hello everybody,
This is my first mead that I've made, let me give you the run down and hopefully somebody can answer my questions and/or point me in the right direction!
Started with:
6 Gallon carboy/ 22 Litres
5kg of honey from a local family friend that is a bee keeper (not pasteurized)
1 packet of wine yeast
Tap water that was boiled then let out to cool and i mixed it with water and added it to the carboy
That was the first fermentation that lasted just over 8 weeks. The bubbling in the airlock was at this point about every 30-45 seconds.
Potential alcohol: 2.3-3
Specific Gravity: 10.25
I did NOT write down my initial reading when I first pitched the mead (mistake on my end).
Second fermentation:
4.75L Citrus mead (squeezed 3 oranges and 1 lemon)
4.1L Raspberry mead (removed any high quality raspberries and mushed them up with a fork so that it turned into a paste pretty much)
3L plain old honey mead
The rest was syphoned into another large 5-6 gallon carboy with one blended pineapple. The leftover pineapple mead ended up being approximately 11-12 litres.
I did not add any additional yeast/energizer/nutrients to the sealed carboys. The alcohol content of the mead is current 2.5-3% alcohol from what I can tell during the reading...its not what I wanted but it is my first time so I don't mind!
Questions I have:
1. Will I need to stir/shake the raspberry mead (due to the must getting to the top). I've read about cap management/explosions/mold growing on top. I've gently shaken it about twice a day...
2. I did not add any energizers/nutrients for the yeast once I put it into the new carboys (is this a mistake?I see bubbles forming so it seems like the yeast has gotten new food from the fruits I've placed inside)
3. I plan on racking it after another 3-4 weeks. Is there anything I need to take into account besides making sure that i don't syphon any of the must/dead yeast/etc?
4. Is there anything I can do for a higher alcohol content or am I stuck with where its at?
Thanks for all the help!
This is my first mead that I've made, let me give you the run down and hopefully somebody can answer my questions and/or point me in the right direction!
Started with:
6 Gallon carboy/ 22 Litres
5kg of honey from a local family friend that is a bee keeper (not pasteurized)
1 packet of wine yeast
Tap water that was boiled then let out to cool and i mixed it with water and added it to the carboy
That was the first fermentation that lasted just over 8 weeks. The bubbling in the airlock was at this point about every 30-45 seconds.
Potential alcohol: 2.3-3
Specific Gravity: 10.25
I did NOT write down my initial reading when I first pitched the mead (mistake on my end).
Second fermentation:
4.75L Citrus mead (squeezed 3 oranges and 1 lemon)
4.1L Raspberry mead (removed any high quality raspberries and mushed them up with a fork so that it turned into a paste pretty much)
3L plain old honey mead
The rest was syphoned into another large 5-6 gallon carboy with one blended pineapple. The leftover pineapple mead ended up being approximately 11-12 litres.
I did not add any additional yeast/energizer/nutrients to the sealed carboys. The alcohol content of the mead is current 2.5-3% alcohol from what I can tell during the reading...its not what I wanted but it is my first time so I don't mind!
Questions I have:
1. Will I need to stir/shake the raspberry mead (due to the must getting to the top). I've read about cap management/explosions/mold growing on top. I've gently shaken it about twice a day...
2. I did not add any energizers/nutrients for the yeast once I put it into the new carboys (is this a mistake?I see bubbles forming so it seems like the yeast has gotten new food from the fruits I've placed inside)
3. I plan on racking it after another 3-4 weeks. Is there anything I need to take into account besides making sure that i don't syphon any of the must/dead yeast/etc?
4. Is there anything I can do for a higher alcohol content or am I stuck with where its at?
Thanks for all the help!
