Bray's One Month Mead

Williams 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Fermaid O ferments a bit slower, but your talking about 14 days compared to 10 days. As far as aging out for drinkability, Fermaid O is faster.

For Lallemand Abbaye, I've only done 2 batches so far, so keep that in mind. So far, it is just as fast or faster than Wyeast 1388.
 
CKuhns said:
It just so happens the plate i have will hold a gallon container pretty easily. My brew area is at 64 Deg F plus or minus 1 Deg F year round and i suspect certainly would work well to keep the yeasties very happy in Primary up to the 2/3 break.
Click to expand...

I would encourage the stir plate up to around the 1/2 break, but strongly suggest against anything below.

What I witnessed when I attempted this (albeit at higher than suggested temperatures) the yeast ate through the first 1/2 very quickly compared to control (no stirring). But the second half went at the same speed. It finished a day earlier (~ish).

But what happened was, although the stirred tasted much better at the 1/2 break, and slightly better at the 1/3 break, it tasted worse when finished.

I've read before that agitation causes yeast to produce more fusels with agitation, but this was in a paper that didn't cite a source (poor science). I believe this to be true only when the yeast are stressed (i.e. low gravity).

Good luck!
 
loveofrose said:
KHCO3 works fine. Use exactly the same amount.

I've used the first yeast. It's not nearly as good as Wyeast 1388. This specific yeast is the key to a one month mead.

Recent experiments suggest Lallemand Abbaye ale performs equally well if rehydrated with GoFerm first.
Click to expand...


What was your fermentation temperature?
 
High temps are always a fusel producing nightmare. You've got to get your temp under control or your just wasting honey. I wouldn't even mix up a batch unless I know I can keep it below 74 F. Look up swamp cooler or buy/convert a mini fridge.
 
My problem was self induced. I have been so used to using M27 at 85-90F that I went ahead and did it for this new yeast thinking that it had the same temperature range. I even used a space heater to keep it at 85F. I have no problems keeping temps below 74F. I guess that I will have to set these aside in the corner for a while after I rack them off to secondary. Completely opposite of my intentions. At least I have plenty of carboys to do this with.

I am already shopping for a used chest freezer for my new fermentation chamber. I just bought a new temp control unit.
 
loveofrose said:
Fermaid O ferments a bit slower, but your talking about 14 days compared to 10 days. As far as aging out for drinkability, Fermaid O is faster.

For Lallemand Abbaye, I've only done 2 batches so far, so keep that in mind. So far, it is just as fast or faster than Wyeast 1388.
Click to expand...

I figured this would be a good place to put this. Here is an online calculator I put together using the recommendations from meadmaderight.com
http://app.calculoid.com/#/calculator/6004

Also here is a simplified spreadsheet version:
http://lejnd.ddns.net/TOSNA
*If you want the actual spreadsheet PM me and I will send it to you.

Thanks to members here for showing me meadmaderight.com and thanks to meadmaderight.com for posting their info. Also thanks to Nate Landis for his help devising the formulas based on meadmaderight.com

Mods, think we could get a sticky with this calculator?
 
Do you think the Abbaye at 68-69 would produce the same result, or should I adjust for slightly lower temp?
 
:confused:
Danmor1 said:
That was my overstressed rubbery locust. Curse the luck, I ended up needing to drink it all myself. The moral of this story: stick to my buckets for primary.
Click to expand...

Actually, I was just trying to find the way to connect the general theme of this thread with the awesome (yet wildly obscure) quote you'd provided. So many of the young whippersnappers here have no idea who starred in the REAL Batman movie...
 
loveofrose said:
I appreciate that. All I want is for you guys to make damn good mead. After you master it, open meaderies so I'm not forced to make it anymore!
Click to expand...

Hey again, Bray!

I should be putting together my first batch this week! I have waded through a ton of your great information here, and just wanted to run what I have planned, by you, to get your thoughts.

Picked up 5lbs of local orange blossom honey, for a 2 gallon split batch.

4oz honey 1L starter, stirred for a day or two, with 1/4tsp of GoFerm

roughly 2.5lbs of honey, for each gallon, with 1tsp of potassium bicarbonate, and 1tsp of Fermaid O per gallon. Then, 1 tsp of Fermaid O per gallon at the 1/3 and 2/3 sugar breaks, all while agitating/degassing daily, but ensuring I make Fermaid additions AFTER degassing.

When would you recommend adding blackberries/raspberries for a melomel, and how long would you keep them in? Also, when/how often would you recommend racking off the lees?
 
Bray, and all the other contributors here,

Thank you for this thread, i just finished all 86 pages. My homebrew experience is limited to one really ****ty homemade wine from a groupon kit that i dumped a few years back, and currently have two one gallons of cider going as an experiment in competency.

I think i only have one question after reading all of this. if you age the mead (3-6 months), is this aged in the secondary, move to tertiary after some point, or in bottles?

I may carb half of this to see which way we like better.

I think that's the only question i have left. Going to try the Fermaid O route, and get the OB honey online (we only have wildflower native honey near me in CT). I found 5 gallons of Gunther (SP?) for $18 from some restaurant supply shop, or swansonvitamins.com has 13.5 oz of raw unpasteurized OB honey for under $6 each, and they constantly bombard you with coupons...

Thank you again
 
slip_kid said:
Bray, and all the other contributors here,



Thank you for this thread, i just finished all 86 pages. My homebrew experience is limited to one really ****ty homemade wine from a groupon kit that i dumped a few years back, and currently have two one gallons of cider going as an experiment in competency.



I think i only have one question after reading all of this. if you age the mead (3-6 months), is this aged in the secondary, move to tertiary after some point, or in bottles?



I may carb half of this to see which way we like better.



I think that's the only question i have left. Going to try the Fermaid O route, and get the OB honey online (we only have wildflower native honey near me in CT). I found 5 gallons of Gunther (SP?) for $18 from some restaurant supply shop, or swansonvitamins.com has 13.5 oz of raw unpasteurized OB honey for under $6 each, and they constantly bombard you with coupons...



Thank you again
Click to expand...


Always happy to help. I generally cold crash primary and bottle for traditional mead. For mead with chunks of fruit, I cold crash secondary after the chunks are filtered out, then bottle.
 
loveofrose said:
Always happy to help. I generally cold crash primary and bottle for traditional mead. For mead with chunks of fruit, I cold crash secondary after the chunks are filtered out, then bottle.
Click to expand...

Thanks! Maybe the first one gallon we'll stick to a traditional, cold crash for a while and then bottle age. Then decide if we want it carbed in the future. This way I only tie up a jug for a month while the ciders age.
 
Okay... So my starting gravity is 1.110 for this batch I'm doing. I'm making a melomel, but, I'm using cherry extract, instead of a puree, etc. Do I still need to worry about oxidation with the cherry extract? If so, what do I change about the first and second sugar breaks? Would I just degas lightly without trying to add any additional oxygen in and add the ingredients as normal?
 
I know this has probably been talked about. But, I would like to step feed the mead batch I'm doing. Can I step feed it with cherry extract? Or should I do a mixture of the extract and honey also? When you step feed, do you do it in the primary after the fermentation process has finished, or do I siphon it to a secondary, then add what I need? Last question, what specific gravity should I be at to start with, before I start step feeding, and what should I stop at when adding in the extract and honey?
 
Depends on your goals. Do you want it dry with cherry flavor or sweet with cherry flavor? Cherry juice or extract (not the same). Need more info!
 
Greetings!

Thanks much for posting and maintaining this thread, as well as your other postings. I've had a chance to read through your website as well as gotmead and homebrewtalk threads and decided that my next round of meads are going to be a standard 1 gallon BOMM and some experimental variants while my last round of 5 gallon meads bulk age.

I have been into aromatic, hoppy beers lately, and was thinking of trying a braggot using BOMM as a base recipe. I was wondering if you have any experience using hops in your mead recipes, or if you know of any attempts using the BOMM format that I could learn from before setting out? The information/recipes regarding using hops in mead that I could find is sparse and appears poorly verified/researched.

Thanks for your wisdom.
 
I've done many braggots and braggot-like recipes in the past. Here is my advice:

Malt versus Specialty grains: you can make a braggot (50:50 fermentable sugar from malt and honey) or you can simply steep specialty grains in the water you will use to make a BOMM. The later is more mead like, but I enjoy both. I suggest Caramel 20 and/or Special B for a start, but it largely depends on your honey.

Hops: The general consensus is to keep your IBUs in the 10-15 range to avoid masking the honey character. You can dry hop like crazy as long as the hop aroma compliments your particular honey. Much trial and error here, but think about hops characteristics and match it to your varietal honey. For instance, Citra hops and orange blossom honey both have nice orange notes that pair well together.

If you want something stupid fast, beer like, and tried true, make this:
https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/Fidnemed/

You are welcome to bounce any ideas off me once you start formulating a recipe.
 
I would like the mead to be sweeter,but, not too sweet, and I am using cherry extract, not juice. And, I obviously want to try to get a higher Alcohol content to it
 
loveofrose said:
I've done many braggots and braggot-like recipes in the past. Here is my advice:

Malt versus Specialty grains: you can make a braggot (50:50 fermentable sugar from malt and honey) or you can simply steep specialty grains in the water you will use to make a BOMM. The later is more mead like, but I enjoy both. I suggest Caramel 20 and/or Special B for a start, but it largely depends on your honey.

Hops: The general consensus is to keep your IBUs in the 10-15 range to avoid masking the honey character. You can dry hop like crazy as long as the hop aroma compliments your particular honey. Much trial and error here, but think about hops characteristics and match it to your varietal honey. For instance, Citra hops and orange blossom honey both have nice orange notes that pair well together.

If you want something stupid fast, beer like, and tried true, make this:
https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/Fidnemed/

You are welcome to bounce any ideas off me once you start formulating a recipe.
Click to expand...


Great thanks. I'll probably give that a shot before I go adventuring.

Thanks again!
 
wkrawul2 said:
I would like the mead to be sweeter,but, not too sweet, and I am using cherry extract, not juice. And, I obviously want to try to get a higher Alcohol content to it
Click to expand...


Cherry extract won't add sweetness. You will definitely need to add more honey to raise the sweetness. Without knowing a target gravity (sweet but not too sweet is very objective), I don't know how much to tell you to add.
 
Unfortunately, this is the third batch I have ever made. I have no idea about making a target gravity for sweetness. The first mead I made with cote de blanc yeast, turned out to be a semi-sweet mead. I also added wine conditioner at the end to make it sweeter. Could i just do that, or if, I'm looking for sweeter, but, more of a honey taste, I use the honey?

My ending gravity has always been 1.000 or lower. So I guess, how do you go about making a dry wine, sweeter? And how does the gravity effect the outcome of how sweet it can become worth of step feeding?
 
I've added to my mead (at serving time) a Montgomery tart cherry concentrate, which definitely has sugar in it and makes it sweeter.

I've also used it in a chocolate stout, and the sugars fermented out leaving a tart chocolate cherry stout as opposed to the semi-sweet taste from before fermentation.

You should be able to use the nutrition information on the container to estimate sugar content.
 
That sounds pretty good. It definitely smells sweet. I'll see how it tastes tomorrow, before I add anything to it, to make it sweeter. For all I know, it may be prefect
 
I'm planning on cold crashing my mead after I wait a few more days to see if my FG drops below 1.020. I live in Ohio and it's about to get into the 20-30 degree F this week. I know my garage will be at least 10 degrees higher, than outside. Are these temperatures okay to do this. I'm assuming as long as things aren't freezing, it sounds be okay?
 
Sure. That will work. If it does freeze, you could always thaw the first 1/3 for some meadjack. I won't tell.
 
Don't cold crash too quickly. The colder Otis the harder to remove the co2. I don't cold crash until just before I'm ready to bottle.
 
Here is the 2 liter starter protocol. It took me a while to find it!:

loveofrose said:
For mead, you need to use honey in your starter to prime the yeast for mead fermentation. Using DME primes yeast for maltose fermentation, which is useless for mead. In fact, pitching a DME based starter into mead will stress the yeast out leading to off flavors. Here is how I do it for BOMMs:

2 Liter Starter for Mead

1. Sanitize 2 liter flask with cross shaped stir bar.
>To sanitize, use StarSan, OneStep, or cook it on the stove burner (let it cool before Step 2). I avoid iodine based cleaner due to staining.
2. Add 1 tsp GoFerm.
3. Add 1/2 cup honey (6 oz by weight).
4. Add sterile spring water to 1.8 liters.
5. Pitch smacked pack of yeast or rehydrated yeast
>Final volume close to 2 liters with smack pack volume added.
>I generally do break the internal packet for the nutrients, but you don't have to wait to pitch.
6. Allow to stir on stir plate for 3 days.
>Stir plate is best, but if you don't have one, just swirl it when you can and go an extra day.
7. Pitch in your mead. Don't forget that the starter will add 2 liters of volume!

For larger batches (>5 gallons), I just make a starter that is 1/10th of final volume and pitch after the yeast are obviously boiling.
Click to expand...

Do you need to heat the starter before adding Go-ferm?
 
I've read thru the thread and I'm kinda lost. I want to make the BOMM for my first adventure in making mead but there is some conflicting info on amounts and ingredients. Is there a current recipe out there somewhere? Is the one on Denard Brewing current? I'm wanting to do a 2 gal, batch and rack into 2 one gal. batches and back sweeten one.
 
plepper said:
I've read thru the thread and I'm kinda lost. I want to make the BOMM for my first adventure in making mead but there is some conflicting info on amounts and ingredients. Is there a current recipe out there somewhere? Is the one on Denard Brewing current? I'm wanting to do a 2 gal, batch and rack into 2 one gal. batches and back sweeten one.
Click to expand...

2-gal batch I did first:
1.50 gal Distilled Water
5 lbs Honey (1.0 SRM)
1.50 tsp Potassium Bicarconate
1.00 tsp Fermaid-K
0.50 tsp Diammonium phosphate
1 pkgs Belgian Strong Ale (Wyeast Labs #1388) Yeast (I made a starter with the yeast and 1.5L 1.030 honey-water 2 days before)

at 2/3 gravity add:
1.00 tsp Fermaid-K
0.50 tsp Diammonium phosphate

at 1/3 gravity add:
1.00 tsp Fermaid-K
0.50 tsp Diammonium phosphate

Degassed by stirring daily for first week. Fermented at 72F. Used a 3Gal carboy, almost had one huge mess on first degassing, a 5gal carboy wouldn't hurt.
Click to expand...

2.5gal batch I did next, with Fermaid-O instead of K. Also, I have a 0.1g scale now.
2.00 gal Distilled Water
6 lbs 3.2 oz Honey (1.0 SRM)
yeast cake from previous batch: Belgian Strong Ale (Wyeast Labs #1388) Yeast
6.00 g Fermaid-O
1.75 tsp Potassium Bicarconate

at 2/3 gravity:
3.00 g Fermaid-O

at 1/3 gravity:
3.00 g Fermaid-O

again, degassed daily for a week.
technically I should have done the nutrient additions at 1/4 intervals, but I messed up at first and so adjusted.
Click to expand...

I've been using cold-crashing to 38F and using Super-Kleer to make this drop clear at lightening speed. I haven't tried gelatin yet, which is my go-to for beer.
 

Similar threads

T
Mead has been fermenting for almost 2 months and is only at 6% ABV
Replies
8
Views
1K
AirsickErmine
A
superpig0
Mead Recipe Concern
Replies
2
Views
532
Dan O
Dan O
J
Beginner Mead Mistake?
Replies
8
Views
571
JamieDanger
J
MapleGroveAleworks
Newbie to mead - question on yeast nutrients
Replies
3
Views
575
Johnny2
J
J
Cinnamon Metheglin
Replies
18
Views
1K
jjwelchNola
J
Brewer's Friend 300

Latest posts

Back
Top