Recent content by FunkyMunk

I have 8x10" (quart-sized) plastic vacuum sealer bags, and was able to squeeze 3 oz of dried cones in each bag without a ton of effort. They can pack down pretty tight.

Glad it turned out ok. I got a recipe from my LHBS that called for adding acid upfront, I think, but the prevailing wisdom now seems to be to wait until after fermentation, backsweetening, etc. (basically the last thing you do before clarifying/bottling). I did some tasting trials on a 1-gallon...

Ok. I've heard different things about it, was just passing along what some other experienced mazers had said. Is potassium supplied at all by nutrients?

I see no reason not to try the kviek. I'm not positive but I believe it is a nutrient hog. Also, I don't think the potassium carbonate will be necessary if you're making a traditional mead. Highly acidic fruit MAY drop the pH enough to stress the yeast but honey on its own should be fine.

Your turnaround has been a lot quicker than is typical, at least for something that's not a BOMM. It will definitely improve with some age. If you're that impatient to drink it, you should get started on another batch ASAP, but I would recommend hiding a few bottles (if not the whole batch) for...

71b is one yeast that you supposedly want to get off the lees before autolysis sets in, although I'm not sure what the timeframe is. Personally I would rack it once primary had ended and there was a good layer of gross lees. Put it in a carboy or similar with minimal headspace, and save any...

I wouldn't add anything else now, your fermentation is well underway so I think your best bet is to put an airlock on if you haven't already and wait until it's done. Unless it stalls for some reason, it should go all the way dry, then you can stabilize and backsweeten if you want it semi-sweet...

Mead making is a lot of fun. That's cool you have that link to a family tradition. I was worried about my first few batches but they seemed to be well received by others. The only thing in your process that I'm questioning is where you got your nutrient amounts. I plugged a batch like yours...

I made one cyser, with about 3 lb honey add to 1 gallon of pressed juice. I was able to get it to 18% ABV with 1.020 finishing gravity, and loved it. Definitely going to oak the next batch. I was wondering if store-bought juice would make a passable cyser. I'm guessing it might call for some...

If you have a good handle on cider, mead isn't that much harder. My first batch was literally just honey, water, yeast (D47), and Fermaid O for nutrients. I didn't adjust acid or tannin or even add any sulfites, and left it dry. It still came out pretty good. Since then I've gotten into fruit...

I used to brew beer, but it's been a while since I've had the time, so nowadays I make mead. Satisfies my desire to ferment something, and keep a pipeline going, without needing a ton of time for any one step. Never really got into making cider using store-bought juice. I have a small batch made...

Thanks for this extremely informative thread. It appears that the liquid oak tannins from Morewine and BSG are both from the same company, Toasted Oak Inc. Good to know that they benefit from some time to integrate. Do you think it's possible that it's because you went with such a high dose (for...

Peeling and coring the apples are totally unnecessary, IMO. The seeds aren't going to hurt anything. Depending on how much fruit you're dealing with, it might be possible to use a paint strainer bag or a nylon mesh bag like that used in brew-in-a-bag beer brewing, lining a bucket, placing your...

I just started doing acid adjustments in mead, and have been doing it pretty late in the process. Would it be better to add acid early when doing it to preserve color?

Those gravities are appropriate starting gravities for wine, not finishing gravities. Even a sweet wine would hopefully not be any higher than, I don't know, 1.050? I personally find 1.020 cloying if there's not enough acid or something to balance it.