Recent content by KenSchramm

Honey and tea will create a very nutrient poor fermentation environment. You'll want to add some nitrogen to get and keep things moving. I am fond of using a combination of diammonium phosphate for nitrogen, and Fermaid K or Fermaid O for the micronutrients. They are critical, too. Have a look...

Any corporate entity that added Two Hearted and Oberon (et al, really) to their portfolio would be beyond stupid to mess with them, and I don't see that being the case here. Those two labels are both massively successful just as they are. Lion can keep the ship on the same course and make a...

I was strictly speaking for myself.

We're not going to hit 5000 gallons this year, I don't think, but that doesn't mean we're not trying.

Hello Ganbei- I am wondering if you can provide any additional information about mead makers in China. I have an academic friend seeking information about the mead culture there. Thanks, Ken

Thanks for the info on the aromas and flavors of this mead. I wish I knew which batch this was, so we could pull a bottle from the library to see where it is now. I will say this: while the characteristics you noted were, I am sure, accurate in your view, the causes are very much not correct...

FWIW, I have a couple of meads that have been under crown caps for 20+ years, and they're fine. I would recommend reducing the head space, if the recipe is one that is prone to oxidation. Ken

Struggling fermentations can cause off flavors. pH does sound like the culprit here. You could try some potassium or calcium carbonate, and see if it things pick up. I prefer to do citrus meads by completing the fermentation first, and adding the citrus component afterward, to avoid the risk of...

If you read the book carefully, I say that I do not heat any longer, and that's still true. I mix the honey and water at room temps, and pitch. Creamed honey can be used exactly like liquid honey. If my honey is fully crystallized (I buy in 5 gallon buckets pretty much all the time any...

Just a quick suggestion for future reference - if you cold crash, then rack the mead off leaving behind as much of the yeast as you possibly can, then hit it with the sorbate, you'll have a much better chance of preventing a re-start of the yeast.

I'm a little more worried about a drop in pH. If you have a pH meter, see if it is near or below 3.0. If it is, a little potassium carbonate to get it up closer to 3.4 should get things moving again. KDS

OK, so let's have some details here. Can you provide the full recipe? Did you use any nutrient? Did it ferment all the way out and then throw this surface film? And what yeast did you use? That could be 1118 going all gonzo and making a really dry 19% monster. It doesn't look like mold or...

I generally try to match up my OG and the expected attenuation from the chosen yeast strain to end up where I want to be with the finished sweetness level. Sometimes, I need to dink a little bit, but not much any more.

I'd go with this: 18 lbs Orange blossom honey Water to 5 gallons, stirred throughly to mix 10 grams Lalvin D-47, or rehydrated per package directions w/12.5 grams of Go-Ferm 2.5 tsp Fermaid K, added 1 tsp at pitch, the .5 tsp with the DAP below 3 tsp Diamonnium Phosphate (AKA: DAP), added 1...

Glad to hear that. EC-1118 would have been a bit heavy handed for the peaches. It should take a couple of years to really knock you out, but it sounds like a winner to me. You may want to add a touch more honey - maybe a pound and a half? As it is, it will end up around .994 - .996. FWIW...