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That's a lot of fruit. Yep, sounds like they mean Bentionite. Why would they add it during fermentation? That makes very little sense. Reading this over, it has to be for a five gallon recipe. 17 pounds of honey plus all that fruit would account for the high PH. (and it went up between...

Slurry is an odd word choice, but I can see why it would be used to describe Bentonite. Can you post the recipe? If it calls on adding Bnnt after racking or for clearing, then it probably refers to Bentonite.

I take it the Seasonal Brew (Paper? Logo) is on the other side to show clarity. That's great! If the lees is 1/4 inch or more, I'd recommend racking and filtering. Other than that, let it ride. Buy another hydrometer. Breaking one is almost a right of passage. I've lost count of how many have...

Almost forgot, Fleischmann's is primarily used for making bread. That's why it's so unusual for a mead recipe. When I first read it, I thought it was a joke, but it works. JOAM breaks a lot of rules in mead making, but it's a good beginner recipe precisely because it breaks those rules. The...

Thanks. I wasn't sure.

Wow, the dark honey is certainly unusual, but it's been known to happen. Like you said, you trust the source. Yeasts have different properties. According to Ken Schramm Lalvin D47 takes longer to age and is a good choice for medium to dry meads. It has to have a lot of nutrients and can get...

The advice I've gathered recommends aging mead for two years. The best I've been able to do is wait one year. Some batches taste so good they are great after only a few months. Now my question: 'When you say, this mead has been aging 6 months...' Is that from when you bottled it or from when...

Ok, That's normal. Tiny bubbles rising from the cake on the bottom is (I think) CO2. The sun isn't up and the coffee hasn't hit the blood stream yet. Brain not firing on all cylinders... yet.

Traditional, Serrano Pepper, Pineapple Ginger, Blueberry, Pear, Orange Cranberry, Pumpkin Spice, Prickly Pear.

3 months in primary? Have you used Bentonite?

35 gallons in several carboys and buckets. Basically blew my monthly budget for the year and created over 100 bottles in various flavors. I wanted to see what would happen if I used everything at once. Problematical when it came to racking. I had to buy one more bucket in order to hold the mead...

When you say 'bubbling away', are you referring to the airlock? Let the yeast sit (The carboy is in a cool shady spot, right?) and do it's thing. This is an exercise in patience. Oh, and May 16 pitching means it's only two months. If it's still bubbling in August or September, that's a different...

Yeah, some meads don't turn out the way we hoped, that doesn't make them bad. Failure is probably too strong a word. Creatively different flavors... yeah, that's it. Here's what you should have done different: NOT A DAMN THING. You've done everything right in the proper proportions. If it is...

Appearance-wise this looks like it's supposed to. Details please. What yeast did you use? Starting gravity? What kind and how much honey? Tell us how you made it. We share triumphs and commiserate failures here.

Most sites recommend 18 to 24 months depending on things like temperature and air exposure. That said, I've seen nutrient work after far longer than that. Make a bowl of nutrient broth add the yeast and see if it starts to bubble. Stranger things have happened.

Couple of things: The Camden tabs will prohibit yeast from doing it's job. The yeast will be busy fighting off the Potassium Metabisulphite and you will end up with fusal smells and a slow or stuck fermentation. You need more honey. 3-4 lbs. per gallon, and that's for a dry to medium sweet...

Nope, you seem to be on target. The rule of thumb is 3-4 lbs. of honey per gallon for a dry mead. 5 lbs. is not unusual and people generally prefer their mead to have a bit of sweet flavor. The rings sound like they could be from when the yeast first started to bubble. Taking a before/ during/...

Let me test my understanding. You are going to make six gallons of traditional mead, then after fermentation in the primary rack to two 3 gallon carboys. One will remain a traditional and the second carboy will have lingonberry, cherry and cinnamon. Sounds pretty straight forward. A four inch...

Yes. Adding honey after the yeast is gone is referred to as back sweetening. I imagine there can't be all that much left. Best to move on to your next batch with the experience learned.

How much honey did you use? A 1/2 gallon would be around 1 to 1.5 pounds of honey. (ball park guess. Your mileage may vary.) The general rule is 3 or 4 lbs. per gallon depending on how sweet you like it. The color and clarity looks great! You can add honey and let it sit for a few more weeks...