My mead question

I'm trying a 3-gal batch of orange blossom mead but I'm using sake wyeast 4134. Even though it says for cider, sake, and mead will this cause my mead to physically taste any different?


Another question is I added the nutrient at pitching and then at about 48 hours later. On 8/20/11 it will be two weeks and it is still bubbling from the airlock. My question is should I move it to the seconday or leave it a little longer before transfer.

I dont if this makes any difference, but I briefly opened it up and it still looks like its active and does have about 37 seconds between burps from my toilet bowl style airlock.

Although it physically smells more like a cider I dont really expect it to be 'mead' just as of yet as I know this takes time; but should I put it in the secondary on 8/20/11 or just wait a bit longer?

 

Hi Meadsupporter,

Any yeast you use will impart its own unique characteristics. I brew mine with Champagne yeasts and find I'm partial to that flavor. Maybe I'll experiment some day, but if it ain't broke, etc.

As far as when to transfer to secondary, I like to wait until fermentation has stopped. You know, the old 3 gravity readings that don't change thing?

Then I go to secondary for 1 -2 months. Then I go into gallon jugs to clear before I bottle. I have been known to rack another time in between the 5 gal to 1 gal jugs, but that can get hairy unless you are totally anal about sanitation.

I also once kept in the primary for 5 or 6 weeks because I went out of town for 2 weeks and never got the time to rack. That batch wasn't any better or worse.

Did you have a game plan when you started?

 

The whole primary/secondary thing, is more to do with fruit based meads (melomels, cyser, etc etc).

If the primary vessel, irrespective of carboy, bucket, etc is big enough for the batch, then there's nothing wrong in making it in, say a 5 gallon bucket, when the batch is only 3 gallons.

All the time it's fermenting, the CO2 build up will push any air/O2 out through an airlock. If you're happy with your technique and you've done all the staggered nutrient addition, aeration down to the 1/3rd sugar break etc etc, then if you haven't got any reason to disturb it, then don't. As long as you can see when it's thrown a sediment, and if it's a yeast that doesn't like being left, then fine. Leave it be, let it finish, then rack it when it's thrown that first sediment i.e. the "gross" lees. Then rack it to vessels closer to the actual quantity that you've made i.e. either a 3 gallon carboy or 1 gallon jugs etc etc.

As for the number of "burps per minute" - air lock activity, is a very poor way of trying to manage a ferment. If you've got a spare 3 gallon container, or 3 x 1 gallon jugs, then take a gravity reading..... if you haven't got a hydrometer, then get one (and a test jar). It's one of the most important pieces of kit outside the fermenter itself.

For instance, it could be "stuck" and is just releasing a little CO2 with changes in room temperature, etc etc - it's probably not, but it's possible and you've no way of checking the batch without a hydrometer.

Also, I know those damn liquid yeasts promise all sorts of wonders, how they're designed/specialised for this, or that. If you compare the amount of yeast cells you'd be likely to get in a pack of dry yeast, to the approximate amount in the liquid yeast packs, then IMO, they're very poor value for money and have to be kept cool/chilled etc - I even believe that to guarantee that they work, you have to make a starter.

Oh, and please post your complete recipe/technique, you may be new to "this mead lark", but that doesn't mean that someone else might not find your info helpful.

regards

fatbloke....

 

Actually Yes; I did. Just was wondering if sake yease vs. wine yeast etc would make any noticable difference.

 

Yes, it probably would. You have to remember that each yeast strain, is the selected source for grapes (or beers) from a specific region, to supply a given flavour/taste.

Plus, while the yeast gives different characteristics to grapes from different regions, just imagine how varied the honey's can be. Not only differing via region, but also by the amount of different plants visited by the bee's in that same region year on year.

Hence, the same yeast will give a different flavour, on what purports to be the same honey, yet nature doesn't allow the honey to be exactly the same, so any tiny differences when making the same recipe, are likely to magnify - think on how so called "vintages" are produced at the same vineyards and you will follow my meaning.

So it's probably better to try a few different ones, or if you're feeling a little impatient and don't want to go into long, drawn out, experimentation to work out exactly which yeast you prefer, it might be better to try some that have proved as making "good" (good, being relative of course) meads.

I like using Lalvin D21 or Lalvin K1V-1116.

regards

fatbloke