Bray's One Month Mead

[cozmogeek]

I just realized that it might not be stalled, it might be done. The calculator says it's at ~11.2% ABV. I'm not sure why I didn't think about that earlier.
I picked up some of the Forbidden Fruit yeast today since my local shop had it in stock and will start a couple more gallons to use as my sweet mead with the fruits I've picked up.

 

[loveofrose]

How many days in are you? How many lbs of honey did you use? 1388 tolerance in mead is 15.7% ABV.

 

[andrewmaixner]

He mentioned order 1388, but receiving and using "wyeast 3822 belgian dark strong ale"

One option, if the batch is stalled too sweet to enjoy, could be making a healthy starter of high tolerance yeast (CBC, 1388, etc.), pour the starter into a new empty carboy at high activity, and step feed the stalled batch into the new carboy. you start with a very small amount, and I think you double the addition or the total volume every time, so the yeast doesn't get shocked/killed by the sudden change. Adding too little won't hurt it, just will take longer.

 

[cozmogeek]

I used about 2.5-2.75lbs of honey.. the SG wasn't as high as the recipe calls for so I think it's just finished already. I wasn't thinking about the fact that I need to use the refractometer calculator to figure out the actual gravity.. which it says is 0.993.

 

[cozmogeek]

I used a 1 gallon carboy and marked off the lines based on taking out the amount of liquid suggested but I need to move my water line down a bit before I do another batch. I think I'm going to etch it onto the bottle so I can just reuse it for this recipe without having to measure at all next time.

 

[loveofrose]

I used about 2.5-2.75lbs of honey.. the SG wasn't as high as the recipe calls for so I think it's just finished already. I wasn't thinking about the fact that I need to use the refractometer calculator to figure out the actual gravity.. which it says is 0.993.

This is completely done. Yeah, refractometers are nice, but you gotta remember the conversion.

 

[cozmogeek]

I started 2 more gallons today using the Forbidden Fruit yeast. I will use these 2 batches for my fruit flavored meads and leave the orange blossom stuff plain. I decided to not even wait to see how the first gallons turned out before starting some more.

 

[cozmogeek]

I bottled my first 2 gallons today (got 9 bottles). I think that Belgian dark strong ale yeast worked out fine. This stuff is pretty tasty. I probably go a bit overboard with my labels and whatnot for a guy just making this for himself

 

[cozmogeek]

One of the bottles in my 2nd batch seems to have stalled at 1.029 (~8%ABV). It never did bubble nearly as much as the other 3 gallons I have done. I'm not sure if it's the honey or what. That was using the forbidden fruit yeast. The other gallon using that same yeast (but different honey) is still fermenting away.

 

[cozmogeek]

The 2nd bottle ended up stalling too in almost the same place. I just split a pouch of 1388 between the 2 gallons and added some more nutrients. We'll see if that gets it going.

 

[cozmogeek]

Both bottles are happily chugging away again. I also started a new bottle with 1388 and some local blueberry honey that I got today.

 

[rjolin01]

I just ordered 6lbs wildflower honey from northern brewer hope that's enough for at least 3 gallons if not 5 gallons

 

[Jupapabear]

12lbs got my 5 gallons to 1.085. 6 is not near enough. Although I am using Orange Blossom and not wf.

 

[andrewmaixner]

I just ordered 6lbs wildflower honey from northern brewer hope that's enough for at least 3 gallons if not 5 gallons

6lb will get you about 3 gallons at 1.074, 2.33 gallons at 1.095, or 2.5 gallons at 1.088. with "average" honey composition

see this: http://mcarterbrown.com/mead/mead2.html
check box current gravity = 1.000
check box Target Volume = 2.5
check box Additional Sugars #1 = honey, 6lb

 

[rjolin01]

If I do a 3 gallon batch, would be advisable to still do a started and pitch whole thing? If so would need to do the 5 gallon addition schedule due to so much yeast or is it based on sugar available?

 

[zimmerj81]

Did you check the pH? I've had issues due to low pH. Using some potassium bicarbonate to raise the pH did the trick for me.

Edit: Sorry, I was replying to cosmo's fermentation issues

 

[cozmogeek]

Adding the other yeast seemed to kickstart it just fine. It's almost done now finally. I just got my PH meter so I could actually check it next time if this happens.

 

[jradams76]

Hello, Just wanted to say that I kicked off my 1 gallon version of Bomm on Friday and its going along nicely. I degassed and added first round of nutrients on Sat. Degassed only on Sunday and will be adding degassing and adding nutrients today. Do people normally let it sit in the primary for a week and then rack over to secondary and let it sit and clear up? I'm using a 2 gal bucket for my primary. One other question if I wanted to make another batch I could re-use the yeast from the first by just dumping the lees into the next primary bucket with the must and nutrients? Thanks

 

[rjolin01]

I am having a difficult time trying to figure an appropriate starter cocktail for a 3 gallon batch and also the TOSNA amount since I using fermaid-o. How much dap:fermaid-o for each addition. Can anyone help?

 

[loveofrose]

Hello, Just wanted to say that I kicked off my 1 gallon version of Bomm on Friday and its going along nicely. I degassed and added first round of nutrients on Sat. Degassed only on Sunday and will be adding degassing and adding nutrients today. Do people normally let it sit in the primary for a week and then rack over to secondary and let it sit and clear up? I'm using a 2 gal bucket for my primary. One other question if I wanted to make another batch I could re-use the yeast from the first by just dumping the lees into the next primary bucket with the must and nutrients? Thanks

Let it stay in primary the full month. The yeast tend to clean up off flavors during that time. You can rack before, but only if it tastes good.

You can reuse yeast as long as you started at 1.120 or below AND the batch is 1 month old or less. It can be variable if your sanitation isn't perfect though.

 

[loveofrose]

I am having a difficult time trying to figure an appropriate starter cocktail for a 3 gallon batch and also the TOSNA amount since I using fermaid-o. How much dap:fermaid-o for each addition. Can anyone help?

For a mead starter:
https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/Start/

Fermaid O has been a big bag of wormies. Here is what I've learned so far:
1. When it works, Fermaid O mead is very aromatic.
2. It doesn't always work for Wyeast 1388. Especially if you follow TOSNA.
3. Fermaid O has difficulty hitting the high ABV that Fermaid KAP reaches.
4. Fermaid O ferments are slower.

I like mead produced with Fermaid O, so I've done some experiments. My schedule is as follows:
Fermaid O BOMM SNA
SG - 1.100 - 6.6 g total. Add 2.2 grams upfront, at 1.076, and 1.043.

SG - 1.120 - 9 g total. Add 3 grams upfront, 1.090, and 1.050. This will finish off dry and take forever to clear without cold crashing.

Add potassium carbonate as originally stated.

 

[loveofrose]

The above is my current schedule. In the future, I will experiment with a Fermaid O & K mixture. I think the vitamins and trace nutrients in Fermaid K are missing from O and that's why Wyeast 1388 doesn't perform as fast.

 

[cozmogeek]

My local honey store has some raspberry honey now so I'm thinking about starting another gallon or two. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with all of this lol. I'm making lots of fruit wine too.

 

[jradams76]

Let it stay in primary the full month. The yeast tend to clean up off flavors during that time. You can rack before, but only if it tastes good.

You can reuse yeast as long as you started at 1.120 or below AND the batch is 1 month old or less. It can be variable if your sanitation isn't perfect though.

Thanks LOR. I plan on reusing the yeast lees from this batch for another batch so maybe I rack a little earlier than a month so the yeast is ok. My second batch will be another BOMM but I want to add fruit to it in the secondary.

 

[rjolin01]

Crap! Didn't realize how unprepared I am, I don't have GoFerm but I do have Yeast Energizer. It has DAP in it. I read the DAP is "bad" for yeast rehydration but since this is already rehydrated and used the included smack pack, will DAP still be bad? Nearest LHBS is over hour away, and kinda sucks. I wish I didn't smack the yeast last night. I may put it in fridge and let it sit while I order all the correct stuff. And maybe even a new 1388 just to ensure this one doesn't go bad.

 

[loveofrose]

Correct. Rehydrated yeast don't have a problem with DAP.

That smack pack is spent. There is only enough nutrient for a 3-5 hours in the pack. After that, the yeast go to sleep. It may still work, but you will probably have a long lag phase.

 

[rjolin01]

I will try a starter with the yeast nutrient I have and see what happens. Three days should give me plenty time to order some fermaid-k since fermaid-o seems to be less desirable

 

[jradams76]

Quick question. Is this method similar to what the commercial meaderies do? Places like B-Nektar and my local place New Day turn out some great mead but low ABV do they back sweeten? I want to try and make a clone of New Days Breakfast Magpie. Which is a black raspberry coffee mead. It's sooooo good.

Thanks

 

[zimmerj81]

Meads tend to finish below a gravity of 1.000 unless the yeast craps out from being above its alcohol tolerance. So yes, most commercial meaderies back sweeten. For example, Moonlight Meadery tends to back sweeten quite a bit and makes pretty sweet meads.

On the other hand, I saw a guy named Ricky the Meadmaker give a presentation at NHC this year. He doesn't back sweeten and serves his mead very very dry. I don't know the name of his meadery though.

 

[HawleyFarms]

Quick question. Is this method similar to what the commercial meaderies do? Places like B-Nektar and my local place New Day turn out some great mead but low ABV do they back sweeten? I want to try and make a clone of New Days Breakfast Magpie. Which is a black raspberry coffee mead. It's sooooo good.

Thanks

If you look in the mead recipes section, I believe there is a recipe named Good Morning Magpie that is what you are looking for from New Days.

Edit: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=463377