Recent content by CKuhns

Welcome Agree with @Srimmey 1118 will be very aggresive and likely strip out a lot of flavor. Consider US-04 or 05.

The best way to know how your ferment is going is by using a hydrometer and checking your Gravity.

No blind spot that I can see. Agree you cant measure fruit sugars with a hydrometer. Fruit does have some general rules of thumb for the amount of sugars they bring to the party. You can look them up and take them into account. Assuming The yeast can access them. Or find one of the Mead batch...

Couple of thoughts. If its still fermenting but slow. Let it go. See if it stalls. Sometimes you just get a slow one. Patience in Mead making is your friend. Yes you could add a bit of nutrient and repitch yeast. But there is some risk. Too much nutrient can add off flavors. The suggested...

My recommendation would ve to... Aerate or shake it 2Xs daily to 1/3 sugar break your yeast is in the aerobic phase and a bit of air will help. 1.081 OG to 1.054 is your 1/3. After 1/3 sugar break your yeast go anaerobic and air is their enemy. After 1/3 break swirl daily to suspend the yeast...

As @Maylar Suggested. The amount of sugar in the raisins you added is pretty small. Generally fruit sugars are to be considered in your ABV calculation as the yeast will eventually get to them.

Used in secondary near the end of the ferment for flavor. Not an issue at all. I wouldnt be too concerned in primary if using a starter and or adding after a very vigorous ferment was under way.

Mead sealed and temp controlled will not go bad. It acts similarly to wine when aged.

I typically shoot for very near 4.0 but have had sucess between 3.5 and 4.5. I have a traditional in the fermenter now that started at a pH of 3.3. (I didnt have any Potassium Bicarbonate to adjust). It hasnt stalled but has slowed way down at 1.050 from an OG of 1.125. As long as its still...

Yes OK to rack. But certainly doesnt hurt it to wait a bit either.

Welcome and enjoy the journey. +1To everything said above. Bluberries can get pretty astringent and give you some harsh flavors if left too long. 2 weeks or so shouldnt be a problem. In the future consider a staggered nutrient addition. Look up TOSNA 2.0 or 3.0. Age for virtually every mead...

One of the Slavic Countries... Georgia?

Check the pH. Anything less than 3.5 at the start could cause issues. Adjust up to about 4.5 with Potasium Bicarbonate. You can adjust duribg primary but di it in a couple steps. Like beer temo at yeast pitch is important. Be sure you pitch your starter close to the must temp.

Some Kviek strains are Ale Yeast. Not sure if they all are, but I suspect so. I have used the following Ale yeasts for Session Meads 7-8% ABV. - Wyeast 1388 - Voss Kviek Hot Head - Safale US 04 - Safale US 05 All produce a very good result. In my opinion Hot Head is the cleanest and most...

A SG of 1.112 is high but not too high. Ec 1118 should be able to handle that. The concern is the preservatives. Yes you could dilute it and that likely would help. Adjusting the pH was a good idea. Baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) was probably not your best choice. Not much you can do for it...