5 JAOMs with 5 different Lalvin wine yeasts

[Flumpy]

So I have my first batch of JAOM bubbling away with the recommended bakers' yeast.

However, I recently ordered the 5 different types of Lalvin yeasts. I was thinking of doing 5 different 1-gallon JAOMs, each with one of the 5 different yeasts. Everything else will be exactly the same for each except with the different containers set in different places within the house to maintain their individual recommended temperature ranges (D47 in a cooler place, etc).

Here are my questions:

-Is this even worthwhile to try? I understand that JAOM is designed for use with bakers yeast. Will the wine yeasts make 5 different worthless batches? Or would they be so similar that it would be a meaningless experiment?

-What will the difference in fermentation rates be? I hear that JAOM with bakers yeast is somewhat ready in about 3 months, though recommended to age 6 at least. Will the wine yeasts be faster or slower?

-I plan on rehydrating the yeasts per instructions rather than pitching them straight. Are there any other changes I should make? I'm trying to keep this as close to the original JAOM recipe and to use it as sort of an experiment to see how the different yeasts make different meads.

Thx vry mch!

 

[Onihige]

I wouldn't say worthless, and yeasts can vary alot so there should be a difference. From a scientific perspective - you can never know unless you try, and repeat your results. Although I'm quite sure you're not the first one to try, though.

Personally, I've never rehydrated yeast.

And for a yeast experiment, I would try it with a plain mead. Make a five gallon batch of just honey and water, split it into five one gallon batches. Then add various yeasts to each batch.

Also, I think bread yeast is used for JAOM to make it easier as a newbie mead.

 

[tweake]

you have to remember that the yeast all have different requirements. so you really need to meat those requirements to make the test mean anything. also the outcomes will be different eg different amounts of alcohol etc. so you need to take that into account, so don't write off a yeast because its made it dry or made bad taste because of lack of nutrients or poor temps etc.

most meads need at least 6 months before they are good. however its not a bad idea to see what they are like straight after ferment. so what happens as they age.

 

[ExoticMeadMaker]

I love these types of experiments! Ive done it similar experiments in the past. including same recipes only changing varietals of honey, same recipe/varietal but different producers, same recipe/varietal/producer but honey collected at different seasons/years... Everything you change, changes your final product!

 

[Insomniac]

I would probably pick one wine yeast to try it with first, if you dont like the result due to dryness, your not going to like any of them, which would be a waste.

 

[Flumpy]

if you dont like the result due to dryness, your not going to like any of them

I'll drink anything I just wanna taste the differences between yeasts.

But I agree that the spices, oranges, raisins, etc may overpower any nuances that the individual yeasts confer to the mead. But I'd also like to provide enough nutrition to the yeasts without going out and buying a ton of other things.

Maybe just a handful of raisins per each gallon?

 

[tweake]

I'll drink anything I just wanna taste the differences between yeasts.........
......... But I'd also like to provide enough nutrition to the yeasts without going out and buying a ton of other things.

thats the problem. different yeasts need different nutrition, so you will have to add some decent nutrition for the more hungry yeasts. otherwise you will starve the yeast making it taste bad.

unless you are hunting for a bread yeast replacement, in which case keep everything exactly the same until you get a yeast that matches the taste of the original one.

 

[huesmann]

I think you are better off trying 5 different traditional meads in 1-gallon batches, if you want to see if you can taste the differences in the yeasts. Use a neutrally-flavored honey, like wildflower or clover.

 

[Flumpy]

different yeasts need different nutrition, so you will have to add some decent nutrition for the more hungry yeasts.

Good point, but if I start changing things then where do I stop? I'd like to find something simple that will work for all 5 yeasts, that will contribute little to the overall flavor, and that will allow me to do it fairly easily without buying a bunch of extra stuff online.

 

[tweake]

at that. just up the nutrient if you use a more hungry yeast. leave temp and ingredients the same.

 

[truckjohn]

I think it would be a neat experiment.... and it could give some pretty fruitful results...

If you want to try it - then do it and post your results.... If you look at what CvilleKevin did over in the Cider forum - where he made up a million different batches of cider with all sorts of yeast... and it turned out that there were a couple yeasts that stood head and shoulders above all the rest....

As you say - it might be worthwhile to do it on a more traditional mead without all the spices and flavors... but... It's your experiment - you do what you want... not what we want! If you really like JAOM, and want to find out what yeast really does work best in your mind.. then do it!

Thanks

 

[fatbloke]

If you're doing this with the JAO ingredients, you may find, like I did, that it doesn't make for a good dry recipe (it was bloody horrible).

When I did a similar thing with 3 different yeasts and traditional mix, it was worth while as it gave me enough info to learn a few things.

EC-1118 is what lot of HBS suggest. Wrongly. They think about the levels of sugars available and say to new mead makers that you need a robust yeast like that, they're not correct. The sterile/bland taste was probably to do with the yeast blowing some of the aromatics and more subtle flavour elements straight out the airlock..... I avoid champagne yeasts like the plague, only keeping a pack around in case I get a stuck ferment.....

K1V-1116 was a little rough tasting to start with, but after it was aged for 6 to 12 months, came out brilliantly.

71B-1122 came out well and was ready to drink the quickest, but once the K1V had aged, it was better than the 71B.