Bray's One Month Mead

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Is there any substitute yeast for the wyeast 1388? I am not sure if I can get a living liquid yeast this time of year where i live. Will K1V-1116 work?
 
Does the first sugar break usually happen on day 3? Also, I only had access to superfood and used it as directed. Will that cause me any headaches? Ferment is going strong and I have aerated/degassed on both day 1 and 2.
 
I have been. Just wondering what kind of time frame I should expect, so I should know if things aren't happening when they should be. I am still a greenhorn at this; but learning fast.
 
Cool. It'll be fine.

I think around a week is normal(?) but depends on the yeast, temp, OG, etc.
 
I tried to ask in a seperate thread, but got no answer.... maybe somebody here can help me out?

I made a tosna mead and step-fed till the yeast gave up (CBC 1), resulting in a 22% mead. I know, sounds unbelievable, but I saw the amount of honey that went in. It is blackberry season in uk and I thought I might collect some and add them to the mead directly into primary ast I want to keep the process as simple as possible.

Would the following process work?

Collecting the berries, squeezing them a bit, adding them to the mead, waiting till the fermentation that they kick off subsides, stepfeeding honey again till yeast gives up, letting it all settle out, bottle.

Everything done in primary, without racking and berries not in a bag.

Theoretically speaking,I don't see problems with this.But am I missing something? Should I put the berries in a bag?
 
Bray's? That's my last name! Where does it come from? Just curious. Maybe family in some sort of way.
 
Miraculix said:
Would the following process work?

Collecting the berries, squeezing them a bit, adding them to the mead, waiting till the fermentation that they kick off subsides, stepfeeding honey again till yeast gives up, letting it all settle out, bottle.

Everything done in primary, without racking and berries not in a bag.
Click to expand...
You'd get much better juice extraction if you mash, puree, or freeze the berries before adding them.

I've added fresh blackberry puree to a cider in primary. Totally fine.
Just make sure there's enough space in your fermenter.

Are you planning to bottle directly from primary? That's something I never do.

FYI, both TOSNA and step feeding are known to allow yeast to go beyond the listed alcohol tolerance.
 
RPh_Guy said:
You'd get much better juice extraction if you mash, puree, or freeze the berries before adding them.

I've added fresh blackberry puree to a cider in primary. Totally fine.
Just make sure there's enough space in your fermenter.

Are you planning to bottle directly from primary? That's something I never do.

FYI, both TOSNA and step feeding are known to allow yeast to go beyond the listed alcohol tolerance.
Click to expand...

Yes, NOW I also know about this tosna and step feeding side effect :D

I am a bit worried about tannins from the little stones in the blackberries which might get cut when using a blender. Ever heard about something like this happening?
 
Blackberries are best frozen and added in a bag. Yeast will break them down. You can pull the majority of the blackberries out around 1-2 weeks to avoid too much astringency from berry seeds/skins.

As with all melomels, expect 20-25% loss of mead with sediment (even with the bag).
 
I was looking through this thread and couldn't find what I was looking for. Has anyone tried using a kveik like Voss or Hornindal for making mead? You might need to go a little heavy on the nutrients but they definitely finish quickly.
 
Tried out the BOMM recipe as posted above about 30 days ago. Fermentation seemed to go well, but my brew is not clearing. Am I being too impatient or is this unusual? I made two 1 gallon batches so I could easily cold crash; but I don't want to rush it if I am just being impatient. Advise?
 
My cbc 1 tosna finally looks like it's done fermenting. Yeast gave up at about 23%abv. That. Is. Strong. Stuff.

Will back sweeten it with some clover honey and let it settle out for a month when I'm traveling. Will be good, but a little bit too strong for my liking.... But now I know at least what NOT to do next time :D
 
RPh_Guy said:
Use hydrometer to measure daily :)
Click to expand...

You aren't kidding! I just assembled mine last night, and it's down this morning to 1.081 from 1.092 (I checked it before coffee; am I nuts or what?). I'm wearing my magnifying glass around my neck so I will remember to check it later on in the day.

One question: While assembling and shaking it, the fluid level appeared to dip; I kept adding more honey to get it back to the line. Now it's over the line. Physical chemistry is not my strong suit; did this have to do with two liquids combining? I hope I didn't do anything detrimental by adding more honey.
 
Do you recommend adjustments to the Potassium Carbonate amount depending on OG, or if you are making a cyser or pyment? I imagine the starting Ph can very in a fairly large range. I'm assuming the set amount is for simplicity sake.

I have a batch going, OG was 1.124 with the starter and the Ph last time I checked was 3.05 which is in the low end. It's been fermenting for 11 days now but still needs to drop about 20 more points.

I also heard that Superstition adds "lime" I am assuming highly basic pickling lime to modify the pH of the must up front before they pitch the yeast.
 
Have a question about brewing. I started a five gallon cherry Mead batch. I have a six gallon brewing pale. I was only able to put in two gallons of water because the honey and crushed cherries took up over three gallons of space. 15lbs of cherries, 15lbs honey.
I'm going to put in 9lbs cherries for secondary fermentation. Once I remove the mead off of the cherries can I add water to get the give gallons I am wanting without screwing up the batch?
 
Well folks, this thread finally got me to make my first post since 2015. I've been brewing with a friend for about 4 years but finally got some of my own equipment and I've been itching to fill some of these empty carboys which led me here. First I'd like to thank Bray for all the effort. I've read all 36 pages and can't believe the wealth of information here. I've never tasted or made mead so I'm really excited about the prospect of making something that doesn't require an entire day.

I'm planning to attempt a 5g BOMM exactly to the original recipe so I've got 1388 and all the adjuncts on order. I'm also planning a 6g batch of cider so I've got 6g of local apple cider incoming. So a few questions I wasn't able to find answers to in the rest of the thread.

1: Can I use filtered tap water? (Unchlorinated well water, limestone watertable, will turn off softener, has been used successfully for many beers) I do have the ability to boil and chill prior to adding honey if necessary. I'd prefer not to have to buy spring water as its simply adding cost and we don't have any proven brands locally.

2: Orange blossom @ $89.99 or Star Thistle @ $54.99? Is the orange blossom really worth the extra $35 or can I save some money and still make a quality end product?

3: Can I bottle mead in swing top bottles? I've got several cases of 1L swing tops but only a few wine bottles and no corks.

4: Has anyone used 1388 successfully for a cider? I'd like to double down on the starter and split between the mead and the cider if possible.
 
mopar440_6 said:
I'm really excited about the prospect of making something that doesn't require an entire day.
Click to expand...
Don't forget, you'll need to degas the mead and check specific gravity at least once a day for several days.

I think I can answer your questions.
1. You can *probably* use your water. Different localities all have different levels of minerals that contribute flavor. Alkalinity also plays a role and varies a lot. YMMV.
2. Any honey will do. The flavor of the mead comes from the honey though, so the quality and flavor of whatever you use will surely affect the final mead. I've had traditional wildflower mead, and it's definitely not bad, but I prefer something more interesting.
3. Swing tops are fine but they are prone to leaking. Make sure the gaskets are in good shape.
4. At least one person posted that he made cider with 1388 and it was good.
 
Just an update: I’ve been working on a hardcore meadmaking Guide. One that goes beyond the “here is a recipe” and into “this is how to master the craft”.

My question is “How do you want to get this information?” A book? Online website? Something else? My goal is to make it as accessible as possible. Can you folks give me an idea of what is wanted? Thanks in advanced. -Bray
 
I think a website or maybe a large PDF like book would be really useful. Anything with a search function so I can go back and re-read for more information or if I've had a few too many while learning.
 
loveofrose said:
Just an update: I’ve been working on a hardcore meadmaking Guide. One that goes beyond the “here is a recipe” and into “this is how to master the craft”.

My question is “How do you want to get this information?” A book? Online website? Something else? My goal is to make it as accessible as possible. Can you folks give me an idea of what is wanted? Thanks in advanced. -Bray
Click to expand...

I think a book would be fantastic! I usually get my books on Kindle, but recipe/food books I get in hard copy, as I don't want to spill stuff all over my Kindle. I'd certainly spring for a book; I didn't know anything about mead, and have discovered how much I like it from your recipes.

By the way, I finally found the honey mixture I like for the 3-day mead. I set out to make three gallons, but my small scale couldn't handle the big pot I was using to mix it; I wound up standing on a big scale with a pot and slowly adding honey, and I have a sneaky suspicion I used 3.5 lbs instead of 4.5 lbs. The S.G. has been stuck at 1.020 for two days now (It is now Day 6); should I give it some yeast nutrient? Should I give it the missing honey?
 
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mopar440_6 said:
Well folks, this thread finally got me to make my first post since 2015. I've been brewing with a friend for about 4 years but finally got some of my own equipment and I've been itching to fill some of these empty carboys which led me here. First I'd like to thank Bray for all the effort. I've read all 36 pages and can't believe the wealth of information here. I've never tasted or made mead so I'm really excited about the prospect of making something that doesn't require an entire day.

I'm planning to attempt a 5g BOMM exactly to the original recipe so I've got 1388 and all the adjuncts on order. I'm also planning a 6g batch of cider so I've got 6g of local apple cider incoming. So a few questions I wasn't able to find answers to in the rest of the thread.

1: Can I use filtered tap water? (Unchlorinated well water, limestone watertable, will turn off softener, has been used successfully for many beers) I do have the ability to boil and chill prior to adding honey if necessary. I'd prefer not to have to buy spring water as its simply adding cost and we don't have any proven brands locally.

2: Orange blossom @ $89.99 or Star Thistle @ $54.99? Is the orange blossom really worth the extra $35 or can I save some money and still make a quality end product?

3: Can I bottle mead in swing top bottles? I've got several cases of 1L swing tops but only a few wine bottles and no corks.

4: Has anyone used 1388 successfully for a cider? I'd like to double down on the starter and split between the mead and the cider if possible.
Click to expand...


If you haven't made mead before, why not try 1 gallon batches? That's what I have been doing. It took me a while to figure out what kind of honey we like; it tends to be a mixture of 2/3 medium amber (often generic supermarket honey) and 1/3 buckwheat honey (dark, rich, delicious, and pricey). If you prefer a very fragrant mead, you might try the different light honeys like orange blossom and clover. I have used filtered tap water with no problem (I did use spring water, although not the prescribed Ozarka, for the BOMM; I want to get the recipe right before I start improvising). I suggest trying the BOMM and the 3-day mead (made with honeybush tea; it's wonderful!) with different honeys in 1 gal batches until you find the right mix. I have used swing-top bottles successfully; of course, being a newbie, mine are relatively new so they don't leak.

I can't speak to cider yet; my efforts at Graff were not good. I have my first four gallons (one gallon made with supermarket juice and Wyeast Mead & Cider 4632, three gallons made with organic unfiltered juice and Montrachet) in bottles; they're not ready yet. I want to taste it before I get my pricey NH juice and pour it into my brand-spanking-new FastFerment and add D47, which the guy at the store recommends for a straightforward cider, the kind my husband likes.
 
Scientific hippie said:
I can't speak to cider yet; my efforts at Graff were not good. I have my first four gallons (one gallon made with supermarket juice and Wyeast Mead & Cider 4632, three gallons made with organic unfiltered juice and Montrachet) in bottles; they're not ready yet. I want to taste it before I get my pricey NH juice and pour it into my brand-spanking-new FastFerment and add D47, which the guy at the store recommends for a straightforward cider, the kind my husband likes.
Click to expand...
Someone has a thread here where they used over a dozen different yeasts split across the same apple pressing, and found that Nottingham ale yeast consistently gave the best results. I have used it to good result many times.
Also, I've had good results with the Mangrove Jack's and Brewers Best dry cider yeasts, (actual strains not disclosed)
 

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