Bray's One Month Mead

loveofrose said:

It was found during the Belgian Yeast Ale Experiment I posted over at gotmead.com.

(One gallon)
Shake like hell to aerate.
Aerate daily by shaking.
(5 gallon)
Degas daily for at least a week.

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I went to gotmead.com and searched for Belgian Yeast Ale and for Yeast Ale Experiment. They limit the characters in the search. I could not find your experiment.

I understand to shake vigorously or stir/mix good to get oxygen into the must at first which would be aerating, but after that am I really supposed to shake it hard or just shake it gently to get the CO2 out of it which I think is degassing?

And thank you so much for both experimenting and sharing the results

Edbert said:

Edit to add for Misti, SG is often referred to as OG, same thing.



I stopped using liquid yeasts in my beers long ago but I've been using 1388 in all my BOMM batches, but now I gotta ask...why?

Is that the only yeast that yields a quality product in 4-5 weeks or is there something else?

Back to the subject of kegging the BOMM...I do not want it carbed like beer, some mild effect would be okay but I like it flat too. So what are my options for kegging? I am sick of bottling period and my keezer will be finished soon, I'd love to have me some BOMM action right there next to my ales and Apfelwein.

I have a two stage regulator, can I leave the BOMM kegged on very low pressure and live with a slow pour and thus avoid carbonating it? Or would I want to shut the air off at the manifold entirely until ready for a session?

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If you look in post #49 of this thread, I explain how I came to use this specific yeast. It is the Duvel strain. Sadly, there are no dry versions of this yeast.

I see no reason why you couldn't keg it and leave it on low pressure or turn it off. I generally don't care for carbonation in mead as it leaves a carbonic acid bite. Once it's kegged and sealed it should be fine turned off.

revjester said:

I went to gotmead.com and searched for Belgian Yeast Ale and for Yeast Ale Experiment. They limit the characters in the search. I could not find your experiment.

I understand to shake vigorously or stir/mix good to get oxygen into the must at first which would be aerating, but after that am I really supposed to shake it hard or just shake it gently to get the CO2 out of it which I think is degassing?

And thank you so much for both experimenting and sharing the results

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I've summarized the experiments in post #49. I suspect you need to get a free login and password to see that section on gotmead. I'm a member so I forget what is freely accessible.

To your question: it depends. If its a 1 gallon batch, pick it up add swirl it vigorously to get all the yeast on the bottom into suspension while avoiding foam overs. Start slow and build up. If it takes more than 5 minutes, you are doing too much.

For 5 gallon batches, I use a sterilized whisk or a drill powered stirrer. BE WARNED. A drill powered stirrer is how I had the worst MEA (Mead Explosion Accident) I've ever had! Go slow! Try a little and wait for a few minutes to see how it reacts. It generally has a delayed reaction initially.

RegarRenill said:

Started a 6 gal batch, but my LHBS doesn't carry wyeast brand, substituted WLP570. Will post tasting notes once it ferments out.

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While WLP570 was originally isolated from Duvel, differences in culturing between companies may have changed both of these yeast. I don't know if it will perform the same way or not to be honest. Please post your findings, but without a 1388 done side by side, it will be hard to tell if they are really the same.

loveofrose said:

While WLP570 was originally isolated from Duvel, differences in culturing between companies may have changed both of these yeast. I don't know if it will perform the same way or not to be honest. Please post your findings, but without a 1388 done side by side, it will be hard to tell if they are really the same.

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Gravity dropped from 1.1 at pitch to 1.09 after 1 day... So I'm doubting its going to be as quick as 1388... I have a pack of that on order from AHS...

Thought I would update everyone on how my cyser BOMM turned out. I will repost the recipe below as I made some changes along the way as well as tasting notes!

Cyser BOMM Recipe
Decided to try a cyser with the BOMM protocol. Loosely based on Oskaar's Mutiny on the Bounty cyser with a BOMM twist!

Start with 1 gallon of sprouts apple cider.
Remove 2.33 cup of juice to compensate for the volume of the other ingredients.
Added 2.4 oz dark brown sugar, 1.6 oz dates, and 1.33 cups orange blossom honey.
Added 1/2 tsp pectinase.
Add 1/4 tsp DAP and 1/2 tsp of Fermaid K.
Add 1/4 tsp K2CO3
Shake like hell to mix honey and aerate.
SG - 1.094

Pitched a slurry of Wyeast 1388 from a recent ferment.*

Secondary:
Add 1 vanilla bean and 5 Hungarian medium toast oak cubes 1 week before bottling. Bottled with Cooper's carbonation drops (3 per liter) 1 month after pitch and aged 2 months in bottles.

Tasting Notes at 3 months from pitching:
Appearance is crystal clear with a subtle carbonation. Cognac from the Hungarian Oak. That is the first thing I got. I love cognac so a definite plus for me. Nice and dry with a nice carbonation. Finish has the apple tart that lets you know it's a cyser. The previous harsh apple tannin has largely aged away. Likely better in 3 months, but damn good now.

Cheers!

Bray

Bray.. where do you get the Potassium Carbonate.. the Potassium Bicarbonate is easy to find.. but.. .. I'm having trouble with the recommendation.

K2CO3 = potassium carbonate = potassium bicarbonate. They are chemically the same thing no matter what you call it.

Quick followup: I started 3 meads in the style of BOMM. I did a 5 gallon BOMM to the letter (1388), then a 1 gallon catawba pyment (wyeast 1388), and a 4 gallon LoganBerry melomel (wyeast 3463). I started these about 6 weeks ago. The 2 batches with the 1388 haven't cleared yet. I just degassed them tonight. Considering using sparkolloid in a week or so.

I do my best with sanitation, I use Star San, my carboys are clean. I gave the smack packs plenty of time before I pitched them. I added nutrients at the 1/3 sugar breaks. Any suggestions why they haven't cleared yet?

The catawba pyment does have a bit of an ale taste to it, the BOMM does not.

The 3463 completed its ferment and cleared in 9 days. I racked it onto a vitner's harvest 96oz can of Loganberries. It has been in the secondary for about 4 weeks now. (no complaints on this one)

wuk-i said:

Quick followup: I started 3 meads in the style of BOMM. I did a 5 gallon BOMM to the letter (1388), then a 1 gallon catawba pyment (wyeast 1388), and a 4 gallon LoganBerry melomel (wyeast 3463). I started these about 6 weeks ago. The 2 batches with the 1388 haven't cleared yet. I just degassed them tonight. Considering using sparkolloid in a week or so.

I do my best with sanitation, I use Star San, my carboys are clean. I gave the smack packs plenty of time before I pitched them. I added nutrients at the 1/3 sugar breaks. Any suggestions why they haven't cleared yet?

The catawba pyment does have a bit of an ale taste to it, the BOMM does not.

The 3463 completed its ferment and cleared in 9 days. I racked it onto a vitner's harvest 96oz can of Loganberries. It has been in the secondary for about 4 weeks now. (no complaints on this one)

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I have the same issue. Mine is over 4 weeks and still very cloudy. I was thinking of adding a clearing agent as well.

Rate of clearing is largely dependent on honey. Northern Brewer orange blossom clears fast, but Tupelo does not. I've started use superkleer for my batches as I'm very impatient.

loveofrose said:

1. No heat means dump honey into cold water. That's it!
2. SG is Starting Gravity. FG is Final Gravity. Get a hydrometer.
3a. DAP = Diammonium Phosphate (Free Nitrogen Source); Fermaid K = a mixture of vitamins, trace minerals, and yeast hulls for nutrient feeding of yeast. Buy both of these at your homebrew shop, northern brewer, or amazon.
3b. If your SG was 1.099, 1/3 sugar break would be 1.066 and 2/3 would be 1.033.
4. Potassium carbonate=potassium bicarbonate=K2CO3: if your brew shop is good, they have it. Otherwise, search the shops suggested in 3a.
5. Wyeast 1388 is a smack pack yeast. Google Wyeast for the demonstration video, but yes, this is the yeast. IT MUST BE THIS YEAST!!!
6. Rack, don't rack, doesn't matter. You rack if you care about it being clear. If you (like me), don't care about cloudy, then you don't have to. Sometimes is falls clear without racking. I've found this largely depends on the honey. Some honey clears naturally better than other honey. Don't know why.

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ahhh ok, that helps. Thank you. I do have a hygrometer just didnt recognize the abbreviations lol Thank you much!

Here I was starting a new thread on speed when this was glaring me in the face the whole time! This is great, Bray. When I get to the LHBS to grab some hops and stuff for the George Washington beer recipe I'm planning on trying, I'm also going to pick up this 1388 and try to find some decent honey. The HBS I went to last week only had wildflower on the shelves. I'm hoping another one near my hometown while I'm there has some decent honey. If not, I guess I'll either use crappy honey and report back with my findings, or scour the grocery stores, Wal Mart, Target, and Farmers' Markets. How leery would you be of using wildflower honey for this if nothing else can be found? It would presumably come from the St. Louis area, if that gives you any indication as to what constituents would be involved in a Wildflower mix.

Wildflower Honey varies so widely, I could not give you an answer either way. I would have to taste it.

A gallon made with OB honey from AHS cleared in under 4 weeks and tasted great at 5. That stuff wa $15 for 3 pounds though. In an effort to save money i did 2 other batches withhoney from a local farmers market and one from commecrcial (store bought), neither was very clear at 5 weeks and one was pretty dark. Taste wasnot as good as the OB either but at 8 weeks it is good.

Edbert said:

A gallon made with OB honey from AHS cleared in under 4 weeks and tasted great at 5. That stuff wa $15 for 3 pounds though. In an effort to save money i did 2 other batches withhoney from a local farmers market and one from commecrcial (store bought), neither was very clear at 5 weeks and one was pretty dark. Taste wasnot as good as the OB either but at 8 weeks it is good.

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That corroborates my results using a local clover honey in this recipe. While still better than any recipe to date at 8 weeks thats about what it took for mine to clear. I'm thinking next time I do this I will rack at 1 month and wait for it to mostly clear then bottle carb it as is and sit for another month after bottling. I'll be playing around with other flavor additions too, hops perhaps, maybe a lapsang souchong tea.

loveofrose said:

Wildflower Honey varies so widely, I could not give you an answer either way. I would have to taste it.

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That's what I was kind of expecting, but figured I'd see.

Maybe I'll try it regardless? What's there to lose besides a few pounds of honey? Hey, it'll still turn out to be alcohol haha

subbed.

loveofrose said:

Northern Brewer sells potassium bicarbonate. It has come to my attention that calling it potassium carbonate instead of potassium bicarbonate had caused some confusion. They are the same thing.
Sorry for any confusion!

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They are not the same thing, one is dibasic and one is monobasic, meaning one you will have to add less for the same adjustment of pH.

The difference is really small since they are weak conjugate bases, and for this it probably doesn't matter - but they are different

IJesusChrist said:

They are not the same thing, one is dibasic and one is monobasic, meaning one you will have to add less for the same adjustment of pH.

The difference is really small since they are weak conjugate bases, and for this it probably doesn't matter - but they are different

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Correct. For this purpose they are interchangeable. I meant functionally the same thing.

loveofrose said:

Rate of clearing is largely dependent on honey. Northern Brewer orange blossom clears fast, but Tupelo does not. I've started use superkleer for my batches as I'm very impatient.

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Good to know. I mainly use clover honey. Finally got my hands on some Sunny Hill Brand Honey (Northern Illinois) it's a wildflower type.

I've been wanting to construct a recipe using natural ingredients to provide the nutrition and buffering of Fermaid K, DAP, and K2CO3 normally used in a BOMM (I'll spare you the homework that went into figuring nutrient content out). I want to do this partially for easy ingredients and also to make the recipe more accessible to others.

In trying to supplement a BOMM with fruit rather than nutrients, I found it very difficult to find dried fruit that does not have sulfur dioxide or sorbates which would prevent fermentation. What I did find commonly available that wasn't ruined by those chemicals was basically JAOM (Joe's Ancient Orange Mead) ingredients. Who am I to fight fate? Let's make a JAO BOMM.

Quite a few changes from the standard JAOM. I hate pith. I don't even put it in a standard JAOM anymore. Any pith that gets in is trace. I also added dried currents due to the high K+ content and additional nutrients contained in them. I also adjust some of the spices due to my taste and due to the fact that this won't need any aging.

The most significant change is the yeast of course as this is a BOMM. In my hands, a standard JAOM goes to 13-15% ABV. Some folks report 12%, but I've never seen it that low. Wyeast 1388 seems to also end up in the 13-15% ABV range so I don't think that will yield a significant difference.

Here we go:

JAO BOMM - 1 gallon batch
Draw a line at one gallon.
Remove 1.5 cup water and draw a line (This is space for fruit).
Remove 4.66 cups of water.
Add honey back to previous line (3.5 lbs)
-Sue Bee Raw Honey this time.
Add peels and fruit of one organic Valencia orange, minimal pith.
~25 raisins (a small box)
1/2 cup of dried currants for additional K+ and nutrients.
1/4 clove (You're not aging this!)
1/2 cinnamon stick
1/8 whole nutmeg and 1 allspice berry
Smack pack of Wyeast 1388.

Using the highly technical balloon airlock for JAOM authenticity!

Here is how it turned out:
Day 0 - SG 1.14
Day 2 - 1.09
Day 6 - 1.065
Day 8 - 1.054
Day 10 - 1.04
Day 12 - 1.038 (13.4% ABV) and this is the final gravity (FG).
Day 15 - Added a vanilla bean.
Day 19 - Strained and racked so that spices wouldn't become overwhelming. You can do this earlier or later to taste.
Day 20 - Cold crashed to clear and very delicious! No fusels. Doesn't taste as sweet as it actually is due to the balance provided by the spices.

At Day 20, this tastes like a 8 month old JAOM.

At Day 30, this is the Disappearing JAO BOMM!

Enjoy!

AWESOME!!

Will be my next 5 gallon!

I've only seen 1 person comment on the flavor contributions that this Belgian yeast would normally contribute. Are the normal phenolic/estery (banana/clovish) flavors just not here? I'm intrigued by the quick turn around but certainly have no desire to make a mead that tastes like Belgian dark ale. Or Belgian anything for that matter.

BWRIGHT said:

I've only seen 1 person comment on the flavor contributions that this Belgian yeast would normally contribute. Are the normal phenolic/estery (banana/clovish) flavors just not here? I'm intrigued by the quick turn around but certainly have no desire to make a mead that tastes like Belgian dark ale. Or Belgian anything for that matter.

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In my hands, I've never experienced any clove/banana esters with Wyeast 1388 in mead. I get no hint of "beer". It just tastes like really clean traditional mead.

With the JAO BOMM, there actually are cloves in the recipe so that's not the yeast.

Yes, I drink a lot of Belgian ales, even ones with some honey in them, and the BOMM is a totally different flavor.

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I made my first batches of standard mead over the weekend and have some honey left over. I'm going to try my luck with the BOMM as well, thanks for sharing your research and experience loveofrose and other posters.

Saw a couple of posts pondering the possibility of kegging. The cheap, simple way would probably be to keep the pressure off of it except while serving and/or use low pressure and a short hose. Another method that might work for you if you're so fortunate as to be endowed with the equipment (that really comes across wrong, I know) is to put it on straight nitrogen, or possibly even beer gas/G-gas at a lower than normal pressure. I don't find myself so endowed, but have considered the possibility of a mead tap. It will be several months at least before that is even a remote possibility, but I'll try to remember to report back with results if and when I do test it.

It might be beneficial to serve it on a stout tap in either case, as the diffuser plate would tend to knock more of the CO2 out of solution.

Made this in late November; cranked open a bottle last week.

It's quite tasty; more peachy than anything else. Strong white grape aromas, with some honey, waxy and spice notes in the finish. The flavor though was like the very center of a peach, those bits that cling to the pit that are dark red and taste a little different from the rest. The overall effect was similar to a dry, light bodied moscato. I will definitely keep a bottle of this in the fridge at all times during the summer.

Overall, a very tasty mead, even though I'm not sure I made it exactly how it was supposed to be made. I used 10 lbs orange blossom, 1 lb raspberry and 1 lb sage.

Definitely didn't taste like Duvel, or a tripel or a Belgian Dark; I would not have guessed that they were the same yeast (if I didn't know, of course).

I strongly encourage everyone to try this recipe; for beer people, you can blow your wine-snob friends out of the $%&#-ing water if you can get your hands on some really good honey.

Well I am 5 weeks in with my first batch of Bomm. It has cleared very nice and has a stable gravity of 1.004. My wife and I both sampled some and we both tasted an ale flavor in the back end. The ale flavor seamed to fade a bit as it sat in the glass(will it age out?). It is tasty but I am not sure it will ever take the place of wine yeasts for me. I don't think this will be my last batch either. Thank you LofR for sharing.

Day 29

On Day 21, I racked straining the spices out and started cold crashing. I have a 3/4 gallon jug and a 750 ml bottle from the racking. The tasting is done off of the sealed 750 ml bottle which developed a bit of carbonation. Normally, I'm not a fan of carbonated mead, but this is pretty tasty. I may do this again for reasons you will see.

Tasting Notes

Appearance: Cloudy, but a pretty yellow orange. I care not. Think wheat beer and drink it.

Aroma: Orange peel and honey dominate, but there is a hint of vanilla and clove in there.

Taste: Wonderful perfumed orange peel with honey sweetness. A bit of vanilla and clove on the back. Slight tongue numbing from the clove which was a bit heavy in this batch. Think JAOM at 8-10 months if it was light on pith and heavy on clove.

Overall: I won't hesitant to drink this now. In fact, I am drinking it now.
Would age make it better? Sure it would, diminishing returns though.
Changes? I would add 1/4 clove instead of the one clove in this batch unless you like the tongue numbing like I do. Even then, maybe 1/2 a clove.

I hope Joe doesn't mind if I broke the warranty and rules to make things a bit faster, but who can pass up a true 1 month JAO?

I've been over this a few times and have not figured out how in the world you're measuring out 1/6 tsp for the 1gal batches.

BTW, you can get all of the ingredients as called out in the recipe from morebeer.com.

enderst said:

I've been over this a few times and have not figured out how in the world you're measuring out 1/6 tsp for the 1gal batches.

BTW, you can get all of the ingredients as called out in the recipe from morebeer.com.

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I generally do it by weight, but report measurements by units I thought would be easier and more accessible to others. You can use 1/4 tsp with no problem if that is easier. I've done this before with the same end result.


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Checking back in, I've made four different batches now, some I've managed to leave long enough to age an additional month, some didn't last so long. lol.
Anyway, after a pair of experiments with Wyeast Forbidden Fruit, I really can't recommend it. (even though this is the Belgian Strong Ale yeast thread etc, I know FF was suggested for sweeter meads) FF just manages to put off this gross sulfuric note and even after clearing stays a bit harsh to the taste for at least a month afterward.

My best to date has been a BOMM made with Fireweed honey, backsweetened to 1.001. very nice, smooth flavor, color reminiscent of PBR- quite pale, quite clear. After a month of aging, any after-flavors the yeast seems to provide subside quite a bit and the barest nature of the honey seems to come out. I know I'd thought about a rhodomel earlier, but I think I may just go with another blackberry and try an acermel for my dad- a maple tapper. I will keep you all abreast of my BOMA progress and results.

Edit: UGH. I just read that JOABOMM recipe, LoR. Thanks. Thanks a lot. Now I have another experiment to want to pursue. Thank god SWMBO is alright with bubbling gallon jugs everywhere.

Thanks for reporting your results on FF. I only tried it that once so I didn't test reproducibility like I did for 1388. I figured why mess with second best?

At least your SWMBO is onboard with brewing. Mine hates mead!


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I am getting all of my ingredients together but have one question. I have potassium bicarbonate currently. Can I use this in a 5 gallon batch instead of the potassium carbonate. If so, what would you recommend for dosage?

romitaz said:

I am getting all of my ingredients together but have one question. I have potassium bicarbonate currently. Can I use this in a 5 gallon batch instead of the potassium carbonate. If so, what would you recommend for dosage?

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I would add 50% more to ensure there is enough K+. Round up to 1 and 1/4 TBSP for a 5 gallon batch.


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Thanks for the help!

Few... I have been procrastinating reading this thread for a while now and just sat down to read it all. Great stuff LofR. I have a couple one gallon meads going now that I want to contribute the findings for in this thread.

Basically the same as BOMM bit with 3 & 4 changes so I guess they actually are nothing like BOMM lol.

First mead is mead is made to a gravity of 1.06 with orange blossom honey. I have potassium bicarbonate so I upped the addition but probably by too much that I now have read everything correctly. I used 3/4 tsp in the batch. Finally I did change the yeast and went with a 100g slurry of Lalvin 71b-1112 from a previous white grape peach wine. Love of Rose I noticed that was not one of the yeast strains you compared so there may be some benefit to the tasting notes on this. Next Tuesday will be day 30 so I will give some tasting notes and additional info then then.

The second one used everything the same but I Caramelized the honey on a medium heat for 1.25 hours.

I've tested 71B before. It is pretty good for fast drinking melomels and cysers. By fast, I mean 3-6 months.

For traditionals, I find it lacking in dry mead. Sweet is just ok. You will have plenty of fusels at Day 30. Be sure to rack frequently as 71B is prone to autolysis if left on the lees.

I'm interested in your botchet BOMM. That is the only thing I have not tried!


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enderst said:

I've been over this a few times and have not figured out how in the world you're measuring out 1/6 tsp for the 1gal batches.

BTW, you can get all of the ingredients as called out in the recipe from morebeer.com.

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To measure a 1/6 of a teaspoon you need to think outside of the box. Take a 1/2 teaspoon of the powder and dissolve it in enough water to produce a solution of 9 cc. I would use a syringe (the one that comes with the testing kits of TA) and draw off 3 ccs of this solution. Those 3 ccs contain 1/6 of a teaspoon of the K--carb or whatever the chemical was.