Bray's One Month Mead

[dyqik]

I have a batch of mead that finished much higher than I calculated. I was going for 1.030 and it's right around 1.050. To combat this, I have started another batch that should finish around 1.000... as soon as it hits this level, I am going to blend it with the "sweet" mead and hope that some of the active yeast will further bring it down. Probably a 3:1 ratio at first, and then take a gravity reading in a week.

Has anyone ever had success getting some of the residual sugars out of a mead this way?

Are you going to add sweet mead to dry, or the other way round?

If you add 1 part dry to 3 parts sweet, I can see the alcohol level in the sweet mead (assuming that's why the yeast crapped out on you) killing off the active yeast from the dry mead as you won't have diluted the alcohol enough, depending on the alcohol level in the dry mead.

 

[Dan_K]

Are you going to add sweet mead to dry, or the other way round?

If you add 1 part dry to 3 parts sweet, I can see the alcohol level in the sweet mead (assuming that's why the yeast crapped out on you) killing off the active yeast from the dry mead as you won't have diluted the alcohol enough, depending on the alcohol level in the dry mead.

That's a good point.
I'm going to assume that there will be no more active fermentation and if there is, that'll be an added bonus. Some quick calculations here.

(Sweet Mead A = 1.050)
(Dry Mead B = 0.998)
If my target gravity is 1.032, that means I need 65% sweet mead and 35% dry mead.

Or I could blend about 33% dry mead and then wait a week and check gravity before blending in more.

Interestingly enough, I took a gravity reading of the Blueberry variant. Same base batch of mead as the "Sweet Pineapple". Blueberry was at 1.020! I did notice with the blueberry that there was some bubbling after I added them. I am not 100% happy with the flavor- I am going to be adding a bit more honey to sweeten things up, but it's got an almost musty note to it. I gave the blueberries 10 days of contact time. I was not as fastidious as I was previous with daily punch-downs of the fruit- only did that 2-3 times. After I get the sweetness level I want, I will give it some time and then taste. If it's still not right, may age on MORE blueberries or some other fruit to tweak the flavor.

 

[Dan_K]

I had a mead that finished up 3 weeks ago, 3lbs of fruit / gallon, very heavily fruited. Was moderately hazy at bottling time. But something amazing happened. Just over 3 weeks in the bottle and I pulled one to check. Amazing clarity, and I didn't even add fining agents as far as I can remember. It's crystal clear and the deep ruby color reminds me of robitussin. Each bottle has about 1mm of "sludge" in the bottom but I was able to pour almost 11oz of clear mead off the top. I also got a hiss of escaping CO2 when I opened the bottle, but the mead itself was completely still. Perfect.

 

[jsharp4684]

133 pages...I finally made it to the end. The amount of patience exhibited in this thread, by Bray and a couple others, with the same questions repeated over and over, is astounding. I'm ordering all of my ingredients and having them sent home, for me to make my first BOMM when I get home from my deployment. I made my first mead back in Feb and it will be a year old when I get home. Crossing my fingers that it's any good. At least my BOMMs won't take long if it ends up being terrible.

 

[Dan_K]

Has anyone had experience "acidifying" BOMM with either lemon juice or orange juice? I know on denardbrewing website a few of his recipes he adds an acid blend do the mead.

 

[loveofrose]

Yes. I prefer fruit juice to acid blend these days. Add half what you think you like in testing. It tends to intensify when you have a whole glass.

 

[RobWier]

Hi Bray, great job with this thread - I've learned a ton reading it.

I have 1 question, in your Ale/Belgian Yeast experiment you mentioned that Wyeast 3463 Forbidden Fruit was highly suggested for sweet meads (which is what I'm making). Did you choose to not use it in your high OG recipes (Sweet Sack Mead, Jadwiga and Sweet Meadowfoam) for uniformity in BOMMs, or because further testing showed 1388 to be better for sweet meads?

By the way, I'm 1 week into a Sweet Meadowfoam BOMM (using blueberry honey instead) and it's going great - tastes amazing and its already at 1.09.

 

[loveofrose]

Forbidden Fruit was inconsistent in fermentation and flavor from batch to batch. Sometimes it’s really good and others not so much.

I may revisit it now that I have a new nutrient protocol and temperature control.

 

[andrewmaixner]

Hi Bray, I'm wondering if it would be easy to add the nutrient masses (g) next to the volume measurements (tsp) in your BOMM recipes on the web site? Or a note somewhere with the volume/mass conversion? (I'm guessing that your SNA/DLNA calculation have been by mass, and the common volumetric measures are to make it more approachable by people new to it?)

Also a couple questions:

1) The 1gal BOMM recipe on your site doesn't mention degassing, while the 5gal recipe does. If there any reason for the difference?

2) When adding fruit (1-1.5lb/gal raspberry puree) to a BOMM base, I should keep the nutrient additions the same, and it is best to add the puree near the end of fermentation -- right? At what point would I want to add pectic enzyme, with the fruit?

Thanks!

 

[Lefou]

Bump to the top.

 

[loveofrose]

Hi Bray, I'm wondering if it would be easy to add the nutrient masses (g) next to the volume measurements (tsp) in your BOMM recipes on the web site? Or a note somewhere with the volume/mass conversion? (I'm guessing that your SNA/DLNA calculation have been by mass, and the common volumetric measures are to make it more approachable by people new to it?)

Also a couple questions:

1) The 1gal BOMM recipe on your site doesn't mention degassing, while the 5gal recipe does. If there any reason for the difference?

2) When adding fruit (1-1.5lb/gal raspberry puree) to a BOMM base, I should keep the nutrient additions the same, and it is best to add the puree near the end of fermentation -- right? At what point would I want to add pectic enzyme, with the fruit?

Thanks!

Mass Conversions are here: https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/Liquid-yeast-SNA/
Yes, I’m trying to keep it approachable. The years have also shown me that measuring grams and eyeballing it yield the same product. I tend to follow the KISS rule (Keep It Simple Stupid).

1. Degassing is beneficial for all batch sizes. I thought it was in the recipe. I will check and correct if it is absent.

2a. Keep the nutrients the same. Fruit varies too much to assume it contains proper nutrients.
2b. Adding fruit upfront tends to yield a wine like profile while adding in secondary tends to retain more of a fresh fruit character. Adding at both points gives a fruit bomb effect. When to add is based on your desired end product. Pectinase goes in whenever the fruit goes in.

Hope that covers it.

 

[Miraculix]

Mass Conversions are here: https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/Liquid-yeast-SNA/
Yes, I’m trying to keep it approachable. The years have also shown me that measuring grams and eyeballing it yield the same product. I tend to follow the KISS rule (Keep It Simple Stupid).

1. Degassing is beneficial for all batch sizes. I thought it was in the recipe. I will check and correct if it is absent.

2a. Keep the nutrients the same. Fruit varies too much to assume it contains proper nutrients.
2b. Adding fruit upfront tends to yield a wine like profile while adding in secondary tends to retain more of a fresh fruit character. Adding at both points gives a fruit bomb effect. When to add is based on your desired end product. Pectinase goes in whenever the fruit goes in.

Hope that covers it.

Bray, thank you very much for your consistent effort to guide people on their quests of making good and fast mead.

I am also going to brew this soon, and I went through a lot of the last pages here and some of the pages of your blog,but I am a bit afraid that I might have missed something regarding the current best practice of your recipe and the methods used in it.

Would it be possible for you to update the initial post with the most up to date version of it? I know the forum won't let you, but the admins are happy to do this for you if you click on the report button of the post and then provide them with the new text.

One last question, do you have experience with the yeast nutrient nutrivit from vinoferm? I got some at home and wonder if I would be able to replace the two nutrients you mention with it as those are not easy for me to get hands on.

Thanks again,

M

 

[CanadianJesus]

So my two 1 gallon test batches took a very long time to clear. I tried cold crashing them, but they didn't clear at all from that. I ended up waiting a few months with no clearing, so I added Sparkalloid. They are now racked into two separate 1 gallon glass carboys with spices steeping as we speak. I'm going to taste them in a couple of days to see how the spice profile is going.

Unfortunately my 5 gallon batch I did earlier still has that awful DAP taste. I think I'll just dump it all so I can re use the bottles... ah well, no big deal, I assume everybody has to dump a batch once in a while.

Soon here I will be getting two more 5 or 6 gallon batches started. One traditional BOMM, and one metheglin using whichever spice profile I like better from my test batches.


One question though, would this recipe/process work for an aecerglyn (maple syrup mead)? I plan on doing a single gallon soon to see how I like it. I love maple syrup and am fascinated to see how it would taste fermented in a beverage.

 

[PadawanMeadMaker]

Hello. I have really enjoyed reading this forum and I have learned a lot from the things I have read here. I am new to the world of Mead Crafting. I started just before Christmas. I only have a few batches I have made so far. As you can guess nothing I have made is done yet or really ready to drink.

So I found out about the BOMM idea from the Big Book of Mead recipes. I came here to learn more and found your 1 gallon Apple Cyser Recipe. I was so excited by what I was reading I ran out and got the missing items I even made sure to get the exact items on your list. One exception I used flame and golden raisins instead I have to say I have been amazed at how fast this worked. I have degassed it probably 6-8 times a day. I started mine 4 days ago with an OG of 1.096 at 72 F todays reading is 1.002. I added two tablespoons of honey and gave it a few swirls. Have I added honey too soon? I want to keep it going until the yeast gives up and then I like my drink a little sweet.

My second question is when making a starter for a 5 gallon batch is it okay to use some other kind of nutrient in place of the goferm?

Thank you for your time.

 

[CanadianJesus]

When back sweetening this recipe you have to be careful how much honey you add at a time. When adding very small amount like your two tablespoons you can end up with a very high ABV. In my 1 gallon batches I added 1 ounce of honey at a time (to raise SG by 10 points). I ended up with both batches just below 18% alcohol. This can be both a good and a bad thing depending on preference. For me it is not an issue. The high alcohol content I found did not negatively effect the taste. Actually it makes for more of a 'sipping wine'. Since those two batches are spiced meads, this is a good thing because I won't be tempted to drink it too fast and it will last longer. My yeast is dead, so I will be back sweetening some more actually. I like the spice profiles, but I feel I need more honey taste. I think I'm going to sweeten to 1.015 or 1.020. Right now they are both at 1.010 and I find the honey taste a little lacking.

 

[loveofrose]

Bray, thank you very much for your consistent effort to guide people on their quests of making good and fast mead.

I am also going to brew this soon, and I went through a lot of the last pages here and some of the pages of your blog,but I am a bit afraid that I might have missed something regarding the current best practice of your recipe and the methods used in it.

Would it be possible for you to update the initial post with the most up to date version of it? I know the forum won't let you, but the admins are happy to do this for you if you click on the report button of the post and then provide them with the new text.

One last question, do you have experience with the yeast nutrient nutrivit from vinoferm? I got some at home and wonder if I would be able to replace the two nutrients you mention with it as those are not easy for me to get hands on.

Thanks again,

M

Getting a moderator is more difficult than you think.

No experience with that nutrient. At the very least, you could email the company about DAP content. You really don’t want to add too much DAP.

 

[loveofrose]

So my two 1 gallon test batches took a very long time to clear. I tried cold crashing them, but they didn't clear at all from that. I ended up waiting a few months with no clearing, so I added Sparkalloid. They are now racked into two separate 1 gallon glass carboys with spices steeping as we speak. I'm going to taste them in a couple of days to see how the spice profile is going.

Unfortunately my 5 gallon batch I did earlier still has that awful DAP taste. I think I'll just dump it all so I can re use the bottles... ah well, no big deal, I assume everybody has to dump a batch once in a while.

Soon here I will be getting two more 5 or 6 gallon batches started. One traditional BOMM, and one metheglin using whichever spice profile I like better from my test batches.


One question though, would this recipe/process work for an aecerglyn (maple syrup mead)? I plan on doing a single gallon soon to see how I like it. I love maple syrup and am fascinated to see how it would taste fermented in a beverage.

The DAP off flavor is why I’ve now moved to my new Fermaid O based SNA. (See here: https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/Liquid-yeast-SNA/)

Yes, this recipe works very well with acerglyns. I would advise using this recipe replacing the sorghum syrup with maple syrup as a start point: https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/sorghum-bomm/

 

[yogi223]

Question about honey: I bought 2 gallons of raw orange blossom honey. I had a SG of 1.077 and I only had used 3 gallons of water. I ended up using another 1.5 lbs of my second gallon of honey to get the gravity to 1.1.

Did I measure wrong or is this reasonable to expect this with honey?

 

[Grad]

I am willing to answer any questions to help you make this wonderful mead!

Hello Bray! I am about to start my first 5 gallon batch of BOMM and I'm wondering if the stir plate is necessary for the starter? Would it be ok to prepare the starter as stated and just aerate/degas it manually several times a day(for 2-3days) before pitching?
Thanks a lot for your time!

 

[Grad]

I am willing to answer any questions to help you make this wonderful mead!

I'm sorry, I just found that you have already answered this question in the past! Thanks for the great recipe!
Grad

 

[loveofrose]

Hello Bray! I am about to start my first 5 gallon batch of BOMM and I'm wondering if the stir plate is necessary for the starter? Would it be ok to prepare the starter as stated and just aerate/degas it manually several times a day(for 2-3days) before pitching?
Thanks a lot for your time!

All the most current info is here: https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/BOMM5gallons/

Check the Note in point 1. Short answer: No, you don’t have to stir it. It will be fine.

 

[zonkman]

Would 1388 also work in fruit (e.g. banana) wines?

 

[loveofrose]

Would 1388 also work in fruit (e.g. banana) wines?

Its yeast, so yes. Was there a more specific question?

 

[zonkman]

Would 1388 allow high gravity fruit wines - that would otherwise need a year or two of aging - to be nice and smooth within a similar timeframe as your BOMM? I'm specifically looking at Yooper's banana wine....

 

[loveofrose]

If fed with my nutrient protocol, then yes it should work quite well.

https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/Liquid-yeast-SNA/

 

[zonkman]

Thanks so much! I have thus far only be ale to get my hands on Wyeast wine nutrient and LD Carlson products. Been doing the TOSNA schedule with the former. Have hardly tasted anyone's mead but my own... but I think it works *quite* well. Any tips? Finding out what exactly the various nutrient makers include in their products (how to tailor for anything other than Fermaid O) has been a dead end.

Will be sure to let you know how this turns out [in a year or two. Or less. ].

 

[BruceH]

OP:

Thanks for taking the time to post this. I've been researching mead yeast nutrients for awhile but it took until now to find this thread.

Great info!

 

[loveofrose]

OP:

Thanks for taking the time to post this. I've been researching mead yeast nutrients for awhile but it took until now to find this thread.

Great info!

Yeast nutrients have changed a lot since the creation of this post. The most current are as follows:

Liquid Yeast: https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/Liquid-yeast-SNA/

Dry Yeast: www.meadmaderight.com

I imagine it will change in the future, but both of these protocols will yield mead that is ready to drink very quickly regardless of the yeast you use. I still contend that Wyeast 1388 is the fastest though.

 

[Miraculix]

Yeast nutrients have changed a lot since the creation of this post. The most current are as follows:

Liquid Yeast: https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/Liquid-yeast-SNA/

Dry Yeast: www.meadmaderight.com

I imagine it will change in the future, but both of these protocols will yield mead that is ready to drink very quickly regardless of the yeast you use. I still contend that Wyeast 1388 is the fastest though.

Thanks for the update!

Things got easier!

Is there any of the common beer dry yeasts that you would recommend for this protocol? I know the 1388 is the standard yeast, but I only make one gallon batches and it is a bit of a hustle to use liquid yeast for those small batches....

 

[zonkman]

71B was recently recommended to me - by a handful of pro's - as a great dry alternative for 1388. Especially for the fruity stuff.

 

[loveofrose]

My recommendations for dry ale yeast are documented in this experiment: https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/DryBOMMAromatic/

 

[Miraculix]

Thanks Bray!

 

[Lefou]

Bump to the top. This really should have a pin ...

 

[Miraculix]

Bump to the top. This really should have a pin ...

+1 for sticky

 

[Gentle Jesus]

I was intrigued by The Perfect T'ej BOMM and decided to try it.

"Add 3.15 grams (0.7 tsp) Fermaid O again at 1.100 & 1.070."

I understand that you add the Fermaid O just before the sugar breaks because it takes longer for the yeast to react with it (compared to DAP), but when would you expect the mead to 1.100 and 1.070 respectively? 2 and then 4 days maybe, or is there any negative impact on checking the gravity once or twice a day?

 

[loveofrose]

I leave a sanitized hydrometer in the must for constant gravity readings. You can also check multiple times.

The truth is that adding upfront, 2, & 4 Days works fine as long as there are no yeast issues.

 

[BruceH]

My recommendations for dry ale yeast are documented in this experiment: https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/DryBOMMAromatic/

I have a mead going right now that is based on your experiments. 15 lbs of very thick honey and enough water for about 6 gallons total. Yeast is CBC-1. SG was 1.100, three weeks into it and gravity is 1.010. It's still cloudy but doesn't taste too bad. There is a whole lot of carbonation, so much that I can watch the hydrometer climb as the tiny bubbles rise and stick to it.

I didn't use Fermaid O for feeding. I've been using dead bakers yeast. At three weeks it's just a little hot tasting, I can detect some beeswax and a slight tartness that really compliments the honey flavor.

So far I would say the CBC-1 yeast is working very well.

 

[roweman07]

I have a mead going right now that is based on your experiments. 15 lbs of very thick honey and enough water for about 6 gallons total. Yeast is CBC-1. SG was 1.100, three weeks into it and gravity is 1.010. It's still cloudy but doesn't taste too bad. There is a whole lot of carbonation, so much that I can watch the hydrometer climb as the tiny bubbles rise and stick to it.

I didn't use Fermaid O for feeding. I've been using dead bakers yeast. At three weeks it's just a little hot tasting, I can detect some beeswax and a slight tartness that really compliments the honey flavor.

So far I would say the CBC-1 yeast is working very well.

The liquid yeast is a giant pain in the arse to get out in my area so I plan on using CBC-1 to make a BOMM. I'm going to use clover honey for it to. We'll see how it turns out.

 

[andrewmaixner]

The liquid yeast is a giant pain in the arse to get out in my area so I plan on using CBC-1 to make a BOMM. I'm going to use clover honey for it to. We'll see how it turns out.

I think that on his web site, Bray says that 72B yeast also works well with this nutrient schedule? That should be very easy and cheep to get.

 

[BruceH]

I think that on his web site, Bray says that 72B yeast also works well with this nutrient schedule? That should be very easy and cheep to get.

Just started a cyser with 71B. It takes off pretty quick. Did the first nutrient addition today. As much as I like experimenting I would also like to find the "house yeast" that works with my temps, ingredients, and water.

Have a berry melomel that is just finishing up. Used Lalvin 47 for it. 5 weeks into the ferment and it's fairly clear. Still just a tad hot tasting but also tastes more like wine than anything else.