Bray's One Month Mead

[andrewmaixner]

You can also use Super-Kleer to drop out all of the yeast and other sediment, after you are sure the yeast is all done. It's like a month in a cold brite tank, but overnight.

 

[ntheknow]

Wait. When did you rack the first time? I never rack until at least a month. The yeast need time to clean up. Is it crystal clear? The yeast can also add a chemical flavor sometimes.

Although, I imagine your temperature was higher than you thought and is likely the culprit. No worries. It will age out quickly.

I need to look back at my notes. I believe it was 10 days after pitching the starter. day 8, 9 and 10 all had the same SG and I assume fermentation was complete.

I will do the following different next time:

- keep mead in bucket for 28 days to allow for yeast to clean up after themselves. (I do this with beer in carboys. most of my ales stay in primary for 3 weeks. no secondary)
- ensure there is bucket space in my fermentation area (64F) vs keeping under the kitchen table with fluctuating temps.

 

[Amphand]

Hey Love,

Noob question but on your site for the BOMM 5 gallon recipe are the measurements accurate? I was reading thru the posts here and there seemed to be some confusion.

V/r

 

[loveofrose]

Hey Love,

Noob question but on your site for the BOMM 5 gallon recipe are the measurements accurate? I was reading thru the posts here and there seemed to be some confusion.

V/r

The correct recipe is here:
https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/BOMM5gallons/

 

[Amphand]

The correct recipe is here:
https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/BOMM5gallons/

Awesome thank you, I just completed the starter yeast and will be mixing that for the next 3 days.

I noticed tonight when I opened my Wyeast packet that there was a double pouch inside assuming yeast nutrient, but looks like only one was popped open. Is this common enough to find or did I mess up when trying to activate the pack?

Thanks for all the help!

 

[pricelessbrewing]

It's fine, the smackpack is there to boost vitality and ensure the yeast are still viable for older packages. Don't worry too much about it this time, it's just icing on the cake.

 

[Amphand]

So I am on my last night before I add my starter to my must. Is it fine to just add the starter with the sediment to my must or should I siphon from the starter to the must?

 

[loveofrose]

Pitch the whole starter. Just make sure the final volume is 5 gallons (don't add too much water).

 

[Amphand]

I just finished pitching my starter into my must, ended up using around 10lb of honey which was a bit shy of 1 gallon and my gravity reading with my starter added was roughly 1.075. Do you think this will be a problem with the gravity being lower then the range you had in your recipe and what sugar breaks should I be looking for?

Thanks again for helping a newbie out!

 

[Sadcheese]

I just
finished pitching my starter into my
must, ended up using around 10lb of honey which was a bit shy of 1 gallon and my gravity reading with my starter added was roughly 1.075.

10# of honey in a 5 gallon batch? That gravity is right. Try this next time:
http://www.meadmakr.com/batch-buildr/

Also worth reading the newbie guide at gotmead.com. Will answer all your questions.

 

[loveofrose]

I just finished pitching my starter into my must, ended up using around 10lb of honey which was a bit shy of 1 gallon and my gravity reading with my starter added was roughly 1.075. Do you think this will be a problem with the gravity being lower then the range you had in your recipe and what sugar breaks should I be looking for?



Thanks again for helping a newbie out!

You can always add a few more lbs of honey (2 lbs) once it hits the 1.010-1.005 range.

For a gravity that low, I would add the rest of the nutrients at 1.050ish. You've voided the warranty, but it should be fine.

 

[rjolin01]

Does it necessarily have to be orange blossom honey? I have a local bee keeper supplier of fresh honey which I assume to be more along the lines of wildflower since I am in northern Wisconsin! I am not completely aware of the differences in honey other that the different flavors. Is one mor heavier than another so quantities vary?

 

[loveofrose]

As long as it is good, raw honey, it will be fine. Local is better if you like the honey! Buy in bulk for a better price!

 

[Amphand]

Add all the nutrient as in both the first and second sugar break? Also what do you mean I voided the warranty?

 

[loveofrose]

Just add nutrients upfront and 1.040. Forget about the third addition. Your gravity isn't high enough to need it.

If you change anything about the recipe, I cannot say it will turn out well. It may or may not turn out well. That's what I mean about voiding the warranty.

 

[Lefou]

Go here and double the amounts:
https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/brays-one-month-mead/

My site is always the most up to date resource. Cheers!

Ah, fabulous. More great info for inquiring minds, well worth a bookmark.

 

[Amphand]

Thanks for all the help, I just did a gravity reading today and it was right at 1.050 so I added the remaining ingredients and degassed. Hopefully with a little luck and some time it will come out tasty. I was wondering since I have no further steps why I wait 1 week until adding water to the airlock and also do I rack at any point in time or do I just ferment in the same bucket for the full month until I can bottle?

 

[loveofrose]

Generally, oxygen is a good thing until you approach low gravity. You can add around 1.03.

Don't rack until at least a month. The yeast need some time to clean up after primary ferment.

 

[Amphand]

Should I be degassing daily for the one month?

 

[loveofrose]

No. Just until 1.03.

 

[Amphand]

So now that my gravity has dropped to 1.03 and I have put water into my airlock is there anything else I should be doing for my 5g batch while I wait for the 30 day mark?

 

[loveofrose]

Nope, nothing you have to do. You can taste a bit weekly just to see how the flavor develops. At day 25, you can stick it in your fridge to speed up clearing. All optional of course.

 

[Amphand]

So where I live has been hit with a bit of a cold spell and I was wondering if I should be concerned about the fermentation slowing down or stopping due to the temperature drop in my home. I have noticed that the airlock is bubbling less frequently as a result.

 

[loveofrose]

Put it on the top/back of your refrigerator. That will keep it warmer. How cold is cold?

 

[Amphand]

Looks like I was about to keep it around 60-65 degrees, the airlock doesn't seem to be bubbling anymore though not sure it if it should still be or not. Unfortunately my fridge isn't in a location where I can put my batch on top or behind.

 

[loveofrose]

What's the gravity?

 

[Amphand]

Just took a gravity reading tonight and it came out to 1.000, smells great too.

 

[loveofrose]

It's done. Congrats! You can cold crash or wait for it to clear. Once clear, you can bottle it. I've been known to drink it cloudy...just sayin'.

 

[Amphand]

How can you tell that it is done, are you going by gravity or by the airlock bubbling?

Also when clearing, should I siphon to a carboy to cold crash and clear or should I wait until after it has cleared itself up to transfer?

 

[Lefou]

Gravity is the best indicator.

As for me, I siphoned my melomel into secondary and plan to keep it at room temperature to clarify. I don't have a temperature-controlled refrigerator or freezer right now. The mead stopped major fermentation in the primary, but the yeast was still a bit active in the secondary after transfer as evidenced from a whitish carbonation ring in the neck of my carboy. That's dissipated over the course of a couple weeks now and I've seen absolutely no evidence of airlock activity the whole time.

My gravity before transfer was 1.012, down from 1.12. I'm assuming when it's transferred a second time, the gravity might change but a semi-sweet 1.012 is fine with me.