Bray's One Month Mead

[dios_es_un_tortuga]

I just want to comment on the subject of buckwheat. I have done a stout/buckwheat braggot and found them to be a perfect paring. Perhaps a little overpowering for lighter styles, but for bold flavors you can't go wrong.

 

[KitFoxley]

Hey Love of Rose, I'm thinking about making a BOMR rhodomel, would you recommend a rose petal tea as the base, or replacing some of the spring water with rosewater?

Also, does anyone tend to drink this mead without any backsweetening? I like it sweet, but my girlfriend prefers dry meads...

 

[loveofrose]

It is really hard to say which way will be better. Maybe try a tea and rose water side by side to determine your favorite.

I like mead dry and sweet depending on weather and mood. Hot weather calls for a dry mead while bitter cold begs for sweet!

 

[allhailRITTER]

Loveofrose,

Do usually bottle at a month without any racking? The reason I ask is because mine is at 1 month now. I plan on letting it age a bit yet before bottling. I am in the process of moving so I probably won't get around to racking for another 2 to 3 weeks. To get to my question, do you see any concern with leaving this on the lees for longer than a month? Like 6 to 8 weeks?

 

[loveofrose]

No worries. I've never left it more than 3 months, but anything less has never been a problem.

 

[Misti]

Please forgive me as I am brand new to this. I have 1 mead ferming now but thats the extent of my knowledge lol So here are my questions.

No heat method.-So you dont heat your honey to remove any additional beeswax etc...?

Added Orange Blossom honey to SG of 1.096 in 1 gallon jugs. What is SG?

Added 3/4 tsp of 1:2 DAP:Fermaid K; also, add this at 2/3 and 1/3 sugar break. I dont understand this part at all

Add 3/4 tsp potassium carbonate. Do the Brew stores usually have this?

Shake like hell to aerate.

Pitched Wyeast 1388 - Belgian Strong Ale activated overnight. pitched...is this meaning the yeast you added?

Aerate daily by shaking.

Pitching temperature 68 F, but the temperature in my house fluctuates from 70-80 F with no off flavors.

Do you rack this one at all?

 

[loveofrose]

Please forgive me as I am brand new to this. I have 1 mead ferming now but thats the extent of my knowledge lol So here are my questions.

No heat method.-So you dont heat your honey to remove any additional beeswax etc...?

Added Orange Blossom honey to SG of 1.096 in 1 gallon jugs. What is SG?

Added 3/4 tsp of 1:2 DAP:Fermaid K; also, add this at 2/3 and 1/3 sugar break. I dont understand this part at all

Add 3/4 tsp potassium carbonate. Do the Brew stores usually have this?

Shake like hell to aerate.

Pitched Wyeast 1388 - Belgian Strong Ale activated overnight. pitched...is this meaning the yeast you added?

Aerate daily by shaking.

Pitching temperature 68 F, but the temperature in my house fluctuates from 70-80 F with no off flavors.

Do you rack this one at all?

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.

 

[RegarRenill]

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

 

[Edbert]

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

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!!!

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?

 

[RegarRenill]

I thought it was: OG - Original Gravity(when the batch is begun), SG - Specific Gravity (gravity at this specific moment), and FG - Final Gravity(when he batch is finished fermenting...technically, i suppose, OG and FG would also be SG, for those specific times...

 

[revjester]

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.

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

 

[loveofrose]

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?

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.

 

[loveofrose]

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

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.

 

[loveofrose]

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

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.

 

[RegarRenill]

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.

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...

 

[loveofrose]

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

 

[HopSong]

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

 

[loveofrose]

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

 

[wuk-i]

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)

 

[allhailRITTER]

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)

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

 

[loveofrose]

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.

 

[Misti]

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.

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

 

[brandonman]

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.

 

[loveofrose]

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

 

[Edbert]

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.

 

[Atek]

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.

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.

 

[brandonman]

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

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

 

[estricklin]

subbed.

 

[IJesusChrist]

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!

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

 

[loveofrose]

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

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