Bray's One Month Mead

[Scientific hippie]

I used Nottingham for something; it may have been Graff. I certainly wouldn't blame it for the way the Graff came out; I'd use it again.

 

[mopar440_6]

Don't forget, you'll need to degas the mead and check specific gravity at least once a day for several days.

In my current situation, 15mins to check and degas each day for a week is a lot easier to come by than dedicating an entire day to brew.

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.

Thanks for the info RPh. Guess I'll be voiding the warranty with the water but it hasn't let me down yet. Probably spring for the OB honey. All the swing tops are brand new but I think I'll try to trade a case or two off for some wine bottles. Some digging in the Cider sub-forum showed a bunch of members using WY1388 for quality cider so that seems a viable option.

If you haven't made mead before, why not try 1 gallon batches?

Several reasons. The primary one being that I tend to go all out whenever I do anything. Also, its the same amount of effort for 1g vs 5g and I can't seem to bring myself to spend $8 plus shipping for WY1388 for each batch. Lastly, based on SWMBO and my tastes for wine and cider, I'm inclined to think that mead is going to become a near mandatory item in our house. I may still attempt a couple small batches before going whole hog but haven't fully made up my mind yet. Still need to collect all the nutrients first.

 

[Scientific hippie]

Several reasons. The primary one being that I tend to go all out whenever I do anything.

I'm like you, but I have been restraining myself to one-gallon batches so that it's not a big deal if I don't like one. Right now I'm trying to salvage three gallons of 3-day mead where I mismeasured the honey. I wouldn't be so upset about it if it didn't have so much pricey buckwheat honey in it (I know the yeast is expensive as well; it's a tradeoff). I thought I had the recipe down pat, but when I had to use a different, full-size medical scale to weigh the honey, I think I weighed out too little (I should have written the weight on my hand). I'm glad I am doing one-gallon wine kits; I accidentally left out the oak chips on the first one, so I just put together a second one using the oak chips. Now I can compare the two before buying a six-gallon kit to use in my FastFerment (after I do the six gallons of NH apple cider I'm waiting for). Have you tried the 3-day (It's not really 3 days. It's 3 days in the primary fermentor and several days in the bottle)mead? It's good!

 

[thepicklebrewer]

Has anyone had any success keeping the near contious batches going? I am considering getting a few more 1 gallon primaries and quite a few 1 gallon secondaries and constantly refresh fermentation. If anyone has done this I'd love to pick their brains. How long do you think you can get the yeast to survive by contiously feeding it?

 

[Miraculix]

Dearest wisdom of the swarm,

I am still on my quest of finding a dry yeast that flocs well and that stops fermentation reliably fairly low, best would be at 10 to 12 %.

Does anybody have some experience with s04 in mead? I think it might actually work and I am intended to throw a 1gallon tosna mead at it with an og for 14%, to see where it stops and to hopefully end up with some residual sweetness, but not too much of it.

Anybody having any knowledge to share on this one?

 

[RPh_Guy]

It's simple to ferment a 10% mead to dryness with any yeast you prefer, and then clear, stabilize, and backsweeten. This lets you easily set the ABV and final sweetness, rather than being at the mercy of the microbes.

 

[piojo]

It's simple to ferment a 10% mead to dryness with any yeast you prefer, and then clear, stabilize, and backsweeten. This lets you easily set the ABV and final sweetness, rather than being at the mercy of the microbes.

I just learned that if you want to enter competitions, the BJCP guidelines say mead should not have a "raw, unfermented honey character". Is it even possible to tell whether a mead is backsweetened or cold crashed early then stabilized? The latter seems the safe way to go for competitions, and a GotMead radio interview guest said that strategy saves him from needing to rack too many times. The first strategy is much easier for a home user that can't do a super fast cold crash.

 

[RPh_Guy]

It won't taste like unfermented honey if the ABV is reasonably high or if the sweetness is reasonably low.

Besides cold crashing, could you run it through a 1-2 micron filter to arrest fermentation early?

S04 would probably work. Just my opinion that stabilizing/backsweeting is more reliable, and I'd feel a lot better about bottling a 10% sweet mead if it's stabilized.

Cheers!

 

[piojo]

Besides cold crashing, could you run it through a 1-2 micron filter to arrest fermentation early?

S04 would probably work. Just my opinion that stabilizing/backsweeting is more reliable, and I'd feel a lot better about bottling a 10% sweet mead if it's stabilized.

I didn't mean instead of stabilizing, but in addition. But the problem (aside from the time to get it cold) is that I don't know how to stabilize an active ferment except by pasteurizing. I gather there is a way, and it may involve filtering as you mentioned. I can't really give a full picture of what works well, besides to say that some serious people and pros stop the ferment early rather than backsweetening (according to the GotMead podcast interviews I've been listening to).

 

[Miraculix]

It won't taste like unfermented honey if the ABV is reasonably high or if the sweetness is reasonably low.

Besides cold crashing, could you run it through a 1-2 micron filter to arrest fermentation early?

S04 would probably work. Just my opinion that stabilizing/backsweeting is more reliable, and I'd feel a lot better about bottling a 10% sweet mead if it's stabilized.

Cheers!

Thanks, I don't want to stabilize, that's all.

 

[Maylar]

Dearest wisdom of the swarm,

I am still on my quest of finding a dry yeast that flocs well and that stops fermentation reliably fairly low, best would be at 10 to 12 %.

Does anybody have some experience with s04 in mead? I think it might actually work and I am intended to throw a 1gallon tosna mead at it with an og for 14%, to see where it stops and to hopefully end up with some residual sweetness, but not too much of it.

Anybody having any knowledge to share on this one?

You'd probably get more answers in the yeast sub forum - the beer guys may be able to help with that. But as for S-04, one of our members in the cider forum uses it for high gravity applejack and manages to get 14% from it.

 

[Mead'n It]

I've developed a recipe for mead that is clear and delicious with no off flavours in less than one month. It was found during the Belgian Yeast Ale Experiment I posted over at gotmead.com. I'll post the 1 & 5 gallon recipes.

Bray's One Month Mead aka "the BOMM" - 1 gallon
No heat method.
Added Orange Blossom honey to SG of 1.096 in 1 gallon jugs.
Added 3/4 tsp of 1:2 DAP:Fermaid K; also, add this at 2/3 and 1/3 sugar break.
Add 3/4 tsp potassium carbonate.
Shake like hell to aerate.
Pitched Wyeast 1388 - Belgian Strong Ale activated overnight.
Aerate daily by shaking.
Pitching temperature 68 F, but the temperature in my house fluctuates from 70-80 F with no off flavors.

The BOMM - 5 gallons
Smack Wyeast 1388 pack for overnight.
Pitch into 1.5 liter starter with 6 oz honey and pinch of Go Ferm.
Put on stir plate for 2-3 days before pitching.

Add 1 gallon OB honey to 3.5 gallons water.
Use a drill powered mixer to mix honey.
Dose the following at must creation, 2/3, & 1/3 sugar break.
1 tsp DAP + 2 tsp Fermaid K
Add 3/4 tsp potassium carbonate.
Stir again to aerate and add starter.
Add additional water to SG 1.096-1.1.

Degas daily for at least a week.

This mead is great at 24 days! Enjoy!

Hey Bray,

I am about to start a must for a melomel using a recipe from Schramm's book. The recipe says to add the DAP and Energizer (Fermaid K) at the beginning but he never mentions a nutrient schedule like you have here.

I tried his way on my first mead and ran into a slow fermentation. Can you nutrient schedule be used for any 5 Gallon batch?

I plan on doing the primary fermentation in the bucket then racking it over to the carboy with the fruit later. Also, do you add the potassium carbonate each time you add the nutrients.

Obviously I am new to this, so any additional advice if I'm missing something would be great.

Cheers!

 

[loveofrose]

Dearest wisdom of the swarm,

I am still on my quest of finding a dry yeast that flocs well and that stops fermentation reliably fairly low, best would be at 10 to 12 %.

Does anybody have some experience with s04 in mead? I think it might actually work and I am intended to throw a 1gallon tosna mead at it with an og for 14%, to see where it stops and to hopefully end up with some residual sweetness, but not too much of it.

Anybody having any knowledge to share on this one?

I know WLP001 and WLP002 both stop around 13% and make great mead. Billy Beltz based his Meadery off of WLP002.

 

[loveofrose]

Hey Bray,

I am about to start a must for a melomel using a recipe from Schramm's book. The recipe says to add the DAP and Energizer (Fermaid K) at the beginning but he never mentions a nutrient schedule like you have here.

I tried his way on my first mead and ran into a slow fermentation. Can you nutrient schedule be used for any 5 Gallon batch?

I plan on doing the primary fermentation in the bucket then racking it over to the carboy with the fruit later. Also, do you add the potassium carbonate each time you add the nutrients.

Obviously I am new to this, so any additional advice if I'm missing something would be great.

Cheers!

Schramm’s book was the original mead book that started it all. That being said, it is dated now. We now have better products and knowledge then we had back then.

I would suggest going to my site ( https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/brays-one-month-mead/ ) for the latest recipe/practices.

 

[Miraculix]

I know WLP001 and WLP002 both stop around 13% and make great mead. Billy Beltz based his Meadery off of WLP002.

I will try MJ californian lager with the TOSNA protocoll next. This is a lager strain that works well at room temperature (and I have an open package flying around). It is listed as 9% abv, but this value is obviously meant for beer wort.
I will throw honey for 13% abv in for the start, if necessary I will step feed more. That will give us at least an Idea about the direction of how high this yeast is going to ferment. I also never heard about a lager mead. Going to be interesting

Btw. I bottled my first TOSNA Mead today. Success! Sweet but not cloyingly sweet. Very nice. My girlfriend will like it

I used CBC 1.

I found out that my hydrometer was giving false readings.... so the 23% statement regarding this mead was incorrect. I guess it goes more into the 16% direction, but I cannot tell.... I exchanged the hydrometer and calibrated it, this one works.

Next one on the list, Raspberry honey TOSNA with MJ California Lager.

 

[loveofrose]

This is what a yeast isolation lab looks like! Cheers!

 

[Miraculix]

After 36 anxious hours, my mead finally started showing signs of life.

I somehow manage to **** stuff up every time I brew a mead. With beer, everything is straightforward, although it is more complicated in nature. With mead, something always goes wrong.

I wanted to created a raspberry honey only mead with a bit of acacia honey if my 1.6kg of honey weren't enough... Well... At the end it became 1.6kg raspberry, 1kg needle tree and 0.6kg acacia........ I read my hydrometer wrong, thought I overshot my gravity, watered it down, realized my mistake and then needed to bring the gravity up again. Had to use all the honey I had flying around. It is now also 8l in a bucket instead of 5 liter in a small glass demijon.

I heated the water slightly to solve the honey, I then cooled the final must in the bucket in the sink.... After 20 minutes I dropped in the yeast, mangrove Jack California lager, going to be interesting, and 15 minutes later I realised that the temperature was still around 40c. Way too hot.

I hope that the temperature at the bottom was cooler as the bucket wasn't fully immersed in water and the cool water sinks to the bottom.... Well, another waterbath after reading the temperature.

First 24h, no sign of life.

36 hours, gravity dropped by 0.005, and some bubbles, here we go!

I use TOSNA 3.0 for this one. Let's see!

 

[Tatmia]

I've read all #1457 comments and glad that I did as it cleared up most of my questions.

I do have two that I didn't see addressed.

1) My SG was 1.130 as I prefer a mead around 1.010. The sugar breaks originally posted and on Gotmead match my very limited understanding for how to calculate:

Nutrient Addition Timing Adjustments
1.120 - Add upfront, 1.080 & 1.040.
1.130 - Add upfront, 1.090 & 1.050.
1.140 - Add upfront, 1.100 & 1.060.
1.150 - Add upfront, 1.110 & 1.070.

However, the liquid yeast nutrient schedule on the blog post lists:

I didn't pick up on why the breaks are calculated higher on the new protocol. Apologies if it was discussed and I overlooked it.

2) I had planned to reuse my yeast, but now understand that is not recommended since my SG was above 1.120. So for my next batch I'm planning to make a 2L starter and make a yeast bank as outlined on the website. What I am confused about is how to know how much yeast to put in each tube for the BOMM as it seems to require more yeast than normally used for a gallon. Or, is that something future starters will take care of for me?

Thank you so much for all of this. I can't wait to see how this batch turns out and I'm enjoying thinking about the other recipes on the site.

 

[loveofrose]

I've read all #1457 comments and glad that I did as it cleared up most of my questions.

I do have two that I didn't see addressed.

1) My SG was 1.130 as I prefer a mead around 1.010. The sugar breaks originally posted and on Gotmead match my very limited understanding for how to calculate:

Nutrient Addition Timing Adjustments
1.120 - Add upfront, 1.080 & 1.040.
1.130 - Add upfront, 1.090 & 1.050.
1.140 - Add upfront, 1.100 & 1.060.
1.150 - Add upfront, 1.110 & 1.070.

However, the liquid yeast nutrient schedule on the blog post lists:

View attachment 608603

I didn't pick up on why the breaks are calculated higher on the new protocol. Apologies if it was discussed and I overlooked it.

2) I had planned to reuse my yeast, but now understand that is not recommended since my SG was above 1.120. So for my next batch I'm planning to make a 2L starter and make a yeast bank as outlined on the website. What I am confused about is how to know how much yeast to put in each tube for the BOMM as it seems to require more yeast than normally used for a gallon. Or, is that something future starters will take care of for me?

Thank you so much for all of this. I can't wait to see how this batch turns out and I'm enjoying thinking about the other recipes on the site.

1. The new breaks are based on using Fermaid O. Fermaid O requires the yeast to process peptide chains into YAN. You can find all the details here: https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/Liquid-yeast-SNA/

2. Mead is a higher gravity than beer. That is why we require more yeast. Forget what the yeast packet says: that is directions for beer. I find 1 pack will do 1-2 gallons. After that, it becomes cheaper to make a starter. Starters are designed to build up massive yeast numbers. It is really impossible for a home brewer to overpitch so starters take care if it. In general, you want your starter size to be 1/10th of the batch total volume.

 

[Tatmia]

You are wonderful for continuing to help newbies like me.

1. The new breaks are based on using Fermaid O. Fermaid O requires the yeast to process peptide chains into YAN. You can find all the details here: https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/Liquid-yeast-SNA/.

Ugh - I’m so sorry that I completely skipped over the explanation. “ I subtract 10 points from the normal 1/3 sugar breaks for my additions.”

. 2. Mead is a higher gravity than beer. That is why we require more yeast. Forget what the yeast packet says: that is directions for beer. I find 1 pack will do 1-2 gallons. After that, it becomes cheaper to make a starter. Starters are designed to build up massive yeast numbers. It is really impossible for a home brewer to overpitch so starters take care if it. In general, you want your starter size to be 1/10th of the batch total volume.

I guess my concern is that if I harvest yeast for future use from the starter, those tiny little vials won’t hold enough yeast on their own for a BOMM. I guess that could be mitigated by using a few vials for each batch.

 

[andrewmaixner]

I guess my concern is that if I harvest yeast for future use from the starter, those tiny little vials won’t hold enough yeast on their own for a BOMM. I guess that could be mitigated by using a few vials for each batch.

Use a mason jar, they come in many sizes and can be easily cleaned and sanitized.

 

[Dan_K]

Thanks, I don't want to stabilize, that's all.

I used to not add sorbate and sulfite. Now I do.
Why? Better control over ABV and sweetness, and better longevity. My "living" meads that were never stabilized start to taste old after a year or so. Trust me when I say, the best meads in the world are dosed with sorbate and sulfite at some point before they are bottled.

Sulfites will scavenge oxygen from your mead, so it helps then stay fresher longer, or protects them from oxygen in the fermenter if you are bulk aging. It can also discourage infection as well from Acetobacter or other nasties. And when used in the proper amount, you won't be tasting them. We're talking 1/4 tsp in 5 gallons, IIRC.

Google "Sorbate and sulfite" and read some of the science behind it.

 

[NeverDie]

At what SG does the Wyeast 3463 - Forbidden Fruit typically settle at using the OP's recipe? On page 1 the OP referred to it at his preferred choice for sweet mead.

As it happens, I just started a cyser using Wyeast Sweet Mead, so I'll see how that goes. I think I need to adjust the pH though, because it's off to a very slow start.

 

[GurraG]

According to Bray's homepage, his Forbidden fruit trial batch finished at 1.02.

 

[loveofrose]

At what SG does the Wyeast 3463 - Forbidden Fruit typically settle at using the OP's recipe? On page 1 the OP referred to it at his preferred choice for sweet mead.

As it happens, I just started a cyser using Wyeast Sweet Mead, so I'll see how that goes. I think I need to adjust the pH though, because it's off to a very slow start.

After further testing, Wyeast 1388 was better for sweet mead. It just needs a higher SG to end sweet.

 

[NeverDie]

After further testing, Wyeast 1388 was better for sweet mead. It just needs a higher SG to end sweet.

Glad to hear that, as Wyeast doesn't appear to be producing the Forbidden Fruit yeast at this particular moment in time--at least I wasn't able to find any in stock anywhere.

I notice that you're in Dallas. Have you tested the Kveik's yet? I've tried Hothead, Voss, and Hornindal. They ferment quickly at higher temperatures without the usual problems associated with that, and they have a very nice sweet aroma that seems to somehow amplify the scent of honey in a very pleasing way.

 

[z-bob]

Hi Dr Denard! I've been surfing your web site and reviewing this thread. I have a jar or two of wildflower honey in my pantry (28 ounce Atlas mason jars that spaghetti sauce used to come in) from when my father was a beekeeper maybe 20 years ago. I don't eat much honey, so the jars just sit there taking up space and being precious. It's almost black as tar but IIRC it's pretty mild. I think I'd like to make mead with them while my father is still alive to try some. I made some kind of sparkling ginger mead from Papazian's book a long time ago and he still talks about how good it was.

Is BOMM a sparkling mead or still, or can it go either way? I don't know that I've ever had still mead. Also not sure that I have enough honey to make a gallon with any residual sweetness.

I should maybe make a test batch using cheap grocery store clover honey first.

Also a question about yeast banking: I have a bunch of florist tubes with rubber caps. They are clear hard plastic and look like test tubes, about 3ml. I don't know if the caps have a hole in the top or if they are just scored and you punch a hole in the top when you insert the rose stem. Would those work for freezing yeast cultures if I sterilize them? If they caps do have a hole, I could probably seal them with a drop of glue. I've wondered about this for my normal yeast banking; I'm bringing it up here because I don't want to buy 2 packs of 1388.

 

[NeverDie]

Also a question about yeast banking: I have a bunch of florist tubes with rubber caps. They are clear hard plastic and look like test tubes, about 3ml. I don't know if the caps have a hole in the top or if they are just scored and you punch a hole in the top when you insert the rose stem. Would those work for freezing yeast cultures if I sterilize them? If they caps do have a hole, I could probably seal them with a drop of glue. I've wondered about this for my normal yeast banking; I'm bringing it up here because I don't want to buy 2 packs of 1388.

Hi Z-bob,

I started a new thread which is related to your last question:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/best-sealed-vials-for-freezing-yeast.662240/
Feel free to re-post your question there too if you wish. The science vials are allegedly already sterile, so they are maybe slightly more convenient. Not sure whether rose vials are food grade or not (it would matter to me, but maybe not to you).

 

[z-bob]

Hi Z-bob,

I started a new thread which is related to your last question:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/best-sealed-vials-for-freezing-yeast.662240/
Feel free to re-post your question there too if you wish. The science vials are allegedly already sterile, so they are maybe slightly more convenient. Not sure whether rose vials are food grade or not (it would matter to me, but maybe not to you).

Thanks. I posted a link to the vials I have. I don't know if they are autoclave-safe, but they are clean, and a soak in a benzylkonium chloride based cleaner should render them sterile. (but then how thoroughly do they need to be rinsed in sterile water?)

 

[loveofrose]

Glad to hear that, as Wyeast doesn't appear to be producing the Forbidden Fruit yeast at this particular moment in time--at least I wasn't able to find any in stock anywhere.

I notice that you're in Dallas. Have you tested the Kveik's yet? I've tried Hothead, Voss, and Hornindal. They ferment quickly at higher temperatures without the usual problems associated with that, and they have a very nice sweet aroma that seems to somehow amplify the scent of honey in a very pleasing way.

I’ve not tried the Omega yeast yet. Which one was better?