Bray's One Month Mead

[Danmor1]

What I'd like to do is get 6-7 batches of 1-gallon BOMM off one yeast. Should I go light to dark, or will it really matter? Again, I have read all through this thread in the past.

 

[Homercidal]

Ok, so a while ago I started a BOMM. Followed directions pretty much to a T. Had to go a bit short on volume because I was working with a limited QTY of honey, however the OG was spot on.

I added nothing but nutrients and energizer and Golden Strong Yeast. I used Bottled Spring Water.

1 month later I'm about to put some gelatin in this bad boy and I rack to tertiary and get a taste and it's like grapefruit juice. I mean, it's Tart and Citrusy like a citrus juice.

So unless someone has been sneaking into the closet and adding Minute Maid to my mead, I am at a loss.

 

[skadalajara]

What kind of honey did you use?
I know you've been brewing for a while, so this is just a check-the-basics question; are you sure it's not vinegar you taste?

 

[IJesusChrist]

What I'd like to do is get 6-7 batches of 1-gallon BOMM off one yeast. Should I go light to dark, or will it really matter? Again, I have read all through this thread in the past.

Light to dark? Anyway shouldn't matter.

 

[loveofrose]

Ok, so a while ago I started a BOMM. Followed directions pretty much to a T. Had to go a bit short on volume because I was working with a limited QTY of honey, however the OG was spot on.

I added nothing but nutrients and energizer and Golden Strong Yeast. I used Bottled Spring Water.

1 month later I'm about to put some gelatin in this bad boy and I rack to tertiary and get a taste and it's like grapefruit juice. I mean, it's Tart and Citrusy like a citrus juice.

So unless someone has been sneaking into the closet and adding Minute Maid to my mead, I am at a loss.

A few questions to try and troubleshoot.
1. What type of honey? (Grapefruit?)
2. You used Wyeast 1388? Correct?
3. Did you use DAP & Fermaid K or other brands?
4. What sanitizer are you using?

 

[skadalajara]

Light to dark? Anyway shouldn't matter.

Sounds like a beer brewer. Conventional wisdom is, if you're reusing a yeast cake, to start with a lighter beer and make the next one darker or maltier.
Maybe in the mead world, start with a hydromel, make a show mead next, and finish with a bochet?

 

[Homercidal]

What kind of honey did you use?
I know you've been brewing for a while, so this is just a check-the-basics question; are you sure it's not vinegar you taste?

A few questions to try and troubleshoot.
1. What type of honey? (Grapefruit?)
2. You used Wyeast 1388? Correct?
3. Did you use DAP & Fermaid K or other brands?
4. What sanitizer are you using?

I used a honey I got from a local (well, about an hour away or so) beekeeper. I will have to ask if he knows what kind it is.

I used a white labs equivalent of 1388. I'd have to look it up, but it was the Belgian Golden Strong strain.

I used the LD Carlson DAP stuff and some energizer. Again, at work I can't remember exactly which ones, but definitely mostly DAP in one, and mostly DAP and maybe urea in the other. I used 1/2 the recommended amounts twice. Once at the start, and another when racking to secondary. It's half batch.

I use Star-San sanitizer.

It's a lighter mead, and other than only making half a batch, I think I followed the recipe real close. I did add oxygen at the start using an O2 bottle and SS wand.

I was very shocked at the flavor. My wife said it tasted like meat, but I couldn't detect that. There was a hint of yeast character but I haven't clarified it yet and it's only a few weeks old and still pretty hazy. I swear it tastes like some kind of citrus juice though.

 

[loveofrose]

I used a white labs equivalent of 1388. I'd have to look it up, but it was the Belgian Golden Strong strain.

There is your problem. It has to be Wyeast 1388. No other equivalents are equal!

Fermaid K is also a key part, but the yeast is the linchpin of the recipe.

 

[Beek]

I used a honey I got from a local (well, about an hour away or so) beekeeper. I will have to ask if he knows what kind it is.

It's Star Thistle Honey. I had the same thing happen with my last BOMM. And I used the Wyeast. And it can't be the honey because I've had it taste good before. I blamed it on the star san last we talked, but I'm not so sure, now that you are having the same issue. I may go back to just using wine yeasts. I can get a pretty decent mead in three or four months using 71b. And I've never had a bad batch.

 

[loveofrose]

Every part of the recipe is critical. The yeast especially. The specific brand of nutrients were chosen for the known content. Change amounts of nutrients or timing of additions lead to vastly different results. If you don't degas, you also get different results.

Many, many people both here and at gotmead.com have reproduced this mead successfully. My entire group of family and friends have this down...many first time Brewers!

If you are having problems, I am happy to troubleshoot, but please start by following the recipe exactly before you make variations.

It's not that variations aren't possible, but it's hard to troubleshoot if you did half of the recipe different!

 

[loveofrose]

By the way, I highly doubt star San is a problem. What was your issue, Beek?

 

[Beek]

Same thing as Homer. It was very citrusy. I thought more like lemons than grapefruit. Now this is just with my last batch. I've made it a half dozen times just fine. So I doubt it was the honey. Homercidal and I used the same honey, which is from my bees and it's our summer star thistle crop.

 

[TeeJo]

Well, dry, a little hot too, but not 'need a breath mint' hot.

Not sure how it went so dry, but it ain't all that bad as is.

Too many nutrients between the raisins/currants, and the FermaidK/Yeast energizer, or I missed something along the way?



TeeJo

 

[pennyloaf]

Honey makes a huge difference!

I made 2 batches (on same yeast cake, same process). The Gallberry honey was spicy - like I put some jalapenos in there. The orange blossom honey was really tasty!

for the OB honey I ended up oaking 2 gal and 6# of blueberry on the other ~3 gal (too much berries but I added them first). For the GB honey I just bottled and figured I would wait a year....

 

[Beek]

Star Thistle makes a fanstastic mead. I've made many with it. Plus a lot of commercial meaderies in Michigan use it because it's the the most produced variety in the state.

 

[Danmor1]

So, I saw a few threads around here and there that caught my interest, as we head into the end of summer and beginning of autumn. Apparently, some enterprising mazers have had success creating pumpkin mead by fermenting inside an actual pumpkin. What do you all think the odds of creating a successful BOMM are if the initial ferment week is done inside a pumpkin? Yeast, OG, and nutrients would stay the same. The goal would be to ferment it the first week of October and drink it for Thanksgiving.

 

[sublxed]

So, I saw a few threads around here and there that caught my interest, as we head into the end of summer and beginning of autumn. Apparently, some enterprising mazers have had success creating pumpkin mead by fermenting inside an actual pumpkin. What do you all think the odds of creating a successful BOMM are if the initial ferment week is done inside a pumpkin? Yeast, OG, and nutrients would stay the same. The goal would be to ferment it the first week of October and drink it for Thanksgiving.

This looks really good, but instead of making it in the pumpkin, why not just juice a pumpkin, then add the pumpkin pie spices while using the regular bomm yeast? Then it would be ready to drink in a month!!!!!!!!

 

[Edbert]

Honey makes a huge difference!

Indeed it does! Out of all the batches I've made it is the OB that really tastes out of this world good.

This looks really good, but instead of making it in the pumpkin, why not just juice a pumpkin, then add the pumpkin pie spices while using the regular bomm yeast?

I'm thinking the act of using the pumpkin is (at least part of) the point. But I prefer the way you think, so why not meet in the middle?
Make the BOMM the normal way and serve it from inside a pumpkin that you poured the mead into a week or so before.

 

[Danmor1]

I'm thinking the act of using the pumpkin is (at least part of) the point. But I prefer the way you think, so why not meet in the middle?
Make the BOMM the normal way and serve it from inside a pumpkin that you poured the mead into a week or so before.

Yeah, the pumpkin is part of the fun. I might try both ways, though: make one in the pumpkin and one normally, then serve the normal out of smaller pumpkins/gourds and the other normally. See which one my friends prefer.

 

[loveofrose]

From what I've heard from other folks who have done the pumpkin brew, you've only got 2 weeks in the pumpkin before it starts to get nasty.

Personally, I'm a fan of installing a tap in the bottom of a pumpkin to serve up the brew. I'm thinking the following:
1. Install tap to insure in holds water.
2. Add mead 4 days in advanced of serving. Have triple what you think you need in case it soaks into the pumpkin or it's terrible.
3. Taste a day before the event to adjust spices.
4. Floor your friends with an awesome presentation of how they won't remember the night.

 

[Danmor1]

I'd ferment for about a week before siphoning, then leaving on vacation for 10 days. This should fall within the BOMM method, so far as I know, and still be within the pumpkin's tolerances to mold.

 

[actech]

How important is the potassium? I can't find it local and online found a deal on ebay 16.50for #3. But really 3# when you use 1/6 teaspoon.

 

[loveofrose]

How important is the potassium? ....

Critical. You can find potassium bicarbonate on Amazon for $5. It is an equal substitute.

 

[madmulligan]

i tried to skim the thread to answer my questions but was unsuccessful. i'm looking at making a 5 gal batch. i did not realize i needed to have a stir plate and did not factor it to my budget, how integral is it to the process? second screw up, i some how purchased fermaid O not fermaid k is there a drastic difference in them. thank you for your time.

 

[Ike]

i tried to skim the thread to answer my questions but was unsuccessful. i'm looking at making a 5 gal batch. i did not realize i needed to have a stir plate and did not factor it to my budget, how integral is it to the process? second screw up, i some how purchased fermaid O not fermaid k is there a drastic difference in them. thank you for your time.

While loveofrose will be able to provide more info, WRT the stir plate my opinion would be it isn't critical, --> IF you're doing something else to ensure a decent yeast pitch count. So much about this recipe is using the right ingredients in the right proportions to create a smooth tasting mead. Using too little yeast could be as detrimental as using the wrong yeast. A manually stirred starter would be better than nothing but won't get you close to the count you need for 5 gallons (given the recipe suggests a whole smack pack for one gallon).

Possibility: make a one gallon batch; then when it's done, use the entire cake from the one gallon batch to make your five gallon batch?

Additional possibility: LOTS of HBT folks aren't using real stir plates. We're using DIY plates such as this one. I made it per the instructions and it's wicked easy:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=338695

 

[loveofrose]

i tried to skim the thread to answer my questions but was unsuccessful. i'm looking at making a 5 gal batch. i did not realize i needed to have a stir plate and did not factor it to my budget, how integral is it to the process? second screw up, i some how purchased fermaid O not fermaid k is there a drastic difference in them. thank you for your time.

If you don't have a stir plate, just make a gallon batch and pitch the whole thing BEFORE it ferments to 1.05. Around 2-3 days will be more than enough time to build the yeast numbers up. (Good answer from skydiver, by the way)

Fermaid O produces a more aromatic mead, but the dose is different. You will need 1 TBSP (~10 grams) per addition per gallon. So for 5 gallons, you need 50 grams per addition for a total of 150 grams. I only buy the stuff in kilos as a result.

Fermaid O ferments are slower and it is difficult to hit >15% ABV upon step feeding honey, BUT the quality of the mead is noticeably increased.

To be clear, Fermaid O replaces Fermaid K AND DAP.

 

[Danmor1]

Used a 'fall honey' to build a BOMM, then added banana and nut from brewer flavouring. Sweetened with a squirt of Skinnygirl Stevia with Vanilla, not bad. Question: is 'fall honey' one of those honeys that might require a bit more time than a lighter honey to settle in the BOMM method (primarily goldenrod and aster)? I love my orange blossom, and my locust is divine smelling after only a few days (can't wait to taste).

 

[Danmor1]

And yes, this same fall honey is what I'd look for in building a pumpkin BOMM.

 

[Edbert]

Used a 'fall honey' to build a BOMM, then added banana and nut from brewer flavouring. Sweetened with a squirt of Skinnygirl Stevia with Vanilla, not bad. Question: is 'fall honey' one of those honeys that might require a bit more time than a lighter honey to settle in the BOMM method (primarily goldenrod and aster)? I love my orange blossom, and my locust is divine smelling after only a few days (can't wait to taste).

I'd like to repeat your question, maybe LOR can chime in about the topic of more time improving the poor judgement of fail-honey.

 

[loveofrose]

Some honeys do require more time to reach peak. I suggest OB honey in the original recipe because it's good fast. I've not tried goldenrod or aster, so I don't really know. I know dark wildflower honeys need a few months to settle down. Some honeys make very bad mead (wildflower honey where bees got into milkweed is undrinkable). Others need a lot of age (100% buckwheat). So the answer is yes, honey variety matters!