Recent content by greggdogg

Ah. So why so slow a fermentation?

Also, how cold-tolerant is Wyeast Dry Mead? Will it actually ferment at 62?

OK, we hit the one month mark the other day. I took a sample. OG was 1.097, right now it's at 1.029. It's still sickly sweet, but I'm fermenting cool (62.5F). Do you think the yeast will drop this another 30 points or so, or is it worth pitching a packet of montrachet yeast?

Actually, I did what I do for my beer primaries - Sanitized aluminum foil.

This is such a noobish question, I'm embarrassed to ask it - I'm also too lazy to sanitize a thief and hydrometer flask. Visually, there's almost no activity going on. No foam on top, save for a chunk of oddly white gunk. There's also barely any lees on the bottom. The must has darkened...

You know, I did that. But I believe I measured the gallons wrong. On a 1 gallon glass jug, where's the measure? At the lip, at the neck, etc.?

I'd say my measurements are a bit off in trying to "find" 5 gallons in a 6.5gal carboy. I mixed pretty fiercely for several minutes, so it doesn't appear stratified. In this case, what are my options? Feed it with some more honey, or just leave well enough alone> If it ferments down to...

hightest, that's pretty clear, thanks. At what point can I pitch the yeast? Is 48 hours too long a wait? One other thing - My OG only came out to about 1.097. Is that too low?

Well, not to ignore everyone, but... :) I mixed up the must earlier, dropped in 5 (crushed) tabs of Campden that advertise 30ppm of SO2 in 1 gallon must (each). I'll pitch yeast on Monday night, along with a dose of nutrient. Sound OK?

Can you define a healthy yeast pitch? I've got a smack pack of Wyeast Dry Mead. It's one of the "Activator" size ones. For beer, I'd normally make a starter. Can I just pitch this as-is?

Hi all, I'm making a mead this weekend. I've only done this once before, so I'll make sure I'm doing this right: 12lbs orange blossom honey Enough water to top off to 5 gallons Shake (in carboy) to completely dissolve. Dissolve five (5) crushed campden tablets. Let sit for 48 hours...

3279+5=3284

I cracked a few of these before I learned the secret. DON'T LET IT COME IN CONTACT WITH HOT WATER. I started washing/sanitizing in lukewarm water, and my latest one hasn't developed these cracks.

Ah, I should have mentioned: 1. I used apple cider, not apple juice. 2. I pitched champagne yeast, not montrachet. Does that change anything?

If I were to use Super Kleer KC or something of that nature, would that precipiate out all of the yeast? I need enough viable yeast to bottle condition/carbonate in a couple of weeks. Would repitching at bottling/priming do the trick?