Cranberry Orange Short Mead

[landsknechte]

Hello once again,

My latest batch of mead is basically my first crack at a short (session?) mead. It's a 1 gallon batch.

-500ish g Clover honey
-1 cup organic OJ
-Juice of 1 large navel orange
-1 big handful of dried cranberries (no preservatives)
-1 tsp DAP
-1/4 tsp yeast energizer
-5g package of K1V-1116 (re-hydrated according to package directions)
-Enough tap water to make up one gallon

The SG was about 1.052 so I believe that's about 6.3% ABV. The idea, of course, is to be drinking this in under a month.

Am I wanting to rack this at all after it ferments dry? As far as I know, secondary is for aging and that defeats the purpose of a quick mead. Or can I just bottle it and stick it in the fridge to kill off any yeasties that are floating around?

I am hoping to drink this sucker in 2-3 weeks, tops.

Thanks.

 

[bernardsmith]

The OJ and the cranberries will lower the pH so this may may challenge the yeast and slow the fermentation. But that aside, sticking a carboy in the fridge won't kill off any yeast. It might put them to sleep but as soon as the temperature rises those yeast will be just as active as they were before. If your goal is to ferment this mead dry then cold stabilization and racking off the yeast may be fine but if you are hoping to stall the fermentation at full throttle then unless your plan is to open the carboy and chug down the gallon at one sitting yeast and sugar at room temperatures is an invitation to ferment.

 

[landsknechte]

Well basically the plan is to let it ferment out to 1.000 or what have you, bottle it directly and then pop it in the back of the fridge for several days to let any sediment cake in the bottom.

I am wondering if it's doable within under 30 days.

Also, I should add, Lallemand lists the K1V-1116 as working under the most extreme of circumstances. A fermentation temperature range of 10-35 celcius, works in low oxygen, low nutrient etc. Hopefully, if the pH dropped a bit then this supposed tank of a yeast can power through.

Essentially it seems like it's EC-1118 except the 1118 is more neutral in it's flavour. The 1116 is supposed to help enhance the fruit qualities, hence why I picked that one. I also find the 1118 needs more time to mellow because it gets super hot with the alcohol.

 

[bernardsmith]

Storing the wine in the fridge will help the particulates all drop out of suspension but I agree that this yeast is a sledge hammer.. and while it may be done fermenting (I expect that it will) in 30 days I am not sure that it will have cleaned up all the by-products it is likely to have produced... I might have used a gentler yeast - perhaps even an ale yeast

 

[landsknechte]

We shall find out. Would something like RC-212 have been more gentle?

 

[thm57]

Groenfell Meadery published their recipes recently and all the recipes they use are canned and shipped in under 1 month from starting. Might be a good place to get an idea on how to do short meads.

Also you'll do well to include the orange zest, it has most of the recognizable orange flavour. Just be sure to peel it away from the pith.

 

[landsknechte]

Groenfell Meadery published their recipes recently and all the recipes they use are canned and shipped in under 1 month from starting. Might be a good place to get an idea on how to do short meads.

Also you'll do well to include the orange zest, it has most of the recognizable orange flavour. Just be sure to peel it away from the pith.

From what I am seeing, the only real difference is just A) what I am flavouring the session mead with and B) The fact that they're using D-47 which my local home brew place doesn't seem to have very often. They consistently have RC-212 and EC-1118 (and on occasion said D-47 and K1V) plus ale yeasts.

With that said, I might have to just get some Nottingham Ale yeast or something, because that's what they have besides Wheat beer on a consistent basis. Or, I could possibly bug a beer brewing buddy to take me along with him to his trip to a nearby city for beer stuff. I know they have SAFale and such.

My only problem is that, if the Nottingham is all I can get, it's only in an 11g pouch. I am thinking that would be overkill and that half that would be more than enough for a gallon. Can I even store the other 5ish grams in a tupperware container in the fridge without it dying off?

 

[Maylar]

The K1V will be fine. I'd trust it more than an ale yeast with your recipe. For musts under 1.100 gravity, you only need one gram per gallon. Extra yeast must be refrigerated and sealed tightly - I wrap up the packet and seal with tape and it seems to stay viable for a few months no problem.

 

[fossilcat]

I also agree that KV1 will be fine. I made a 1 gal cranberry mead last year with 64 oz of cranberry juice, OG of 1.135 - yeah, way too high. But even with 1/2 the volume an acidic juice, a very high OG, and a temp at 62* it finished at 1.014 for an ABV of about 16.5%. So I created a pretty hostile environment for KV1 and it still powered through to a respectable ABV. And, it turned out to be a family favorite.

I use potassium carbonate to help buffer the must as the honey ferments, but I don't have any experience with session meads so I'm not sure it's needed in your case. I'm sure another more experienced member has a more informed opinion. However, the added potassium will help nonetheless.

 

[thm57]

Nottingham yeast has worked well for me in a ginger spruce hydromel I made last year. I've heard rumour that it doesn't store well after opening though.

 

[Drewed]

I was under the impression that if you wanted a quick ferment, with out a ton of rocket fuel, that you would want to us a ale yeast like a Wyeast 1388.
Where as K1V-1116, and 1118 are hammers that could pretty much ferment a brick, but then you have to shelve it for quite awhile for the paint thinner taste to dissipate.

 

[benco]

Yep on the 1388. I haven't tried it yet, but I have been researching the BOMM thread. Brays one month mead.

 

[Drewed]

Yep on the 1388. I haven't tried it yet, but I have been researching the BOMM thread. Brays one month mead.

I would think that this should make a lovely BOMM with just a couple of tweaks:

-2.5 lbs (1200ish g) Clover honey. Might have to back down on this so SG is 1.100(ish). Hey, if you're gonna make it, make it with kick
-1 cup organic OJ
-Juice of 1 large navel orange
-zest of said orange
-1 big handful of dried cranberries (no preservatives)
-Enough tap water to make up one gallon MINUS 1/2 cup for the volume of the smack pack
1 Wyeast 1388 or Wyeast 3463 (if you want sweeter mead) OR Lallemand Abbaye (Not Safbrew) if you want to use a dry yeast, but you will need to rehydrate with goferm type product.
1/2 -3/4 tsp K2CO3 or more depending on your OJ acid
Add 1/4 tsp DAP and 1/2 tsp of Fermaid K. Add these again at 1/3 (1.066) & 2/3 (1.033) sugar break. Or do a Fermaid O only 3/4 t and skip the DAP.

Dump everything in the primary but the yeast and shake the crap out of it to disolve the honey and add O2 to the must. Dump in the activated yeast. De-gas/ aerate daily and wait for the sugar breaks to feed - day 2 and 4ish (counting the day you pitch as day 0.) Should be done fermenting in just over a week - depending on temp and all.

 

[fossilcat]

The rocket fuel taste that we try to avoid does include as a factor the high ABV of a high gravity ferment. But what earns the label of "rocket fuel" are the fusels produced from an undisciplined ferment. If you adjust your process to reduce or eliminate fusel production, you can strive to meld the remaining high alcohol content to produce a very pleasing beverage within a reasonable aging period using wine yeasts too. LoR's BOMMs ferment to 15.7% and can be enjoyed at 1 month. That's high. And while I can't better that time frame with D47 or 71B, I am enjoying these meads at 3 months at the same level ABV. I'm expecting to enjoy my 20% orange-cranberry-hibiscus within 4 (it tastes good now, but I have to add more stuff to it, like oak). I used KV1.

Yeast is a live thing. You need to create a healthy environment for it to live in order to avoid unwanted byproduct (fusels) resulting from the yeasts struggles to live. Be a responsible pet owner. You do this by stabilizing it's environment. Control the speed of the ferment so your yeast are gradually conditioned to survive in an ever hostile environment. Adding food all at the beginning speeds up the ferment. The higher the temp the faster the ferment. Under both conditions the yeast doesn't have time to adapt because activity is at first frenetic, then it's not. Hi peak activity and low valley activity. Wouldn't it be healthier if it had a steady food supply and exercise regiment? I know I am.

Keep your temps in the low 60's and plan your feedings (SNA) - that's like 80% of your struggle right there. Take notes, do some research and plot your improvements using reasonable and informed assumptions. I'm trialing food sources right now: Fermaid K and DAP provides ammonia based nitrogen which yeast prefer and eat fast; Fermaid O provides amino acid based nitrogen that yeast consumes more efficiently at a slower rate. I'm using a combo of both. Degree of success will be based on how soon I can enjoy the mead.

 

[landsknechte]

I took a gravity reading yesterday and it was dry (1.000) already. There is a huge cake of dead yeast, not like the RC-212 and the EC-1118 I have used before. I'm not sure if that's something different about K1V.

I made a point of tasting a little of the brew. Besides the obvious yeasty component, it wasn't unpleasant at all. I wasn't really tasting any of the rocket fuel of my higher alcohol meads (+12%). In fact, I was mainly tasting the nice, zippy orange with a hint of cranberry in there. Tart, but not in a bad way.

Once this is done and chilled I think it will be refreshing. Oh, and I also made a point of aerating this to let any weird aromas blow away several times a day. Now, being as it's done, I'm not doing that anymore.

 

[fossilcat]

Well, the precipitate probably includes pulp from OJ and cranberries too.

Yeah, you shouldn't be aerating or stirring anymore. After my primaries ferment out - to lower than 1.005 - I set the bucket on my racking table for a couple of days without disturbing to help it drop/clear a bit before racking. I then let it sit for a couple of more weeks in secondary to allow more yeast and additive to drop before racking to tertiary and adding more stuff.

Your aerating and degassing adds greatly to a more efficient fermentation. Not only does it add O2 to the must early on when it really needs it, but it helps keep the yeast in suspension surrounded by substrate and nutrient, and reduces acidity by getting rid of the CO2. Also, gas in suspension keeps the yeast afloat and slows down your clearing process later on.

I stir aggressively until foaming reduces significantly - somewhere between the 1/2 and 2/3 sugar break. Then I gradually reduce aggressive stirring, switching focus from aerating to degassing. Towards the end (about 1.100) I'm stirring once every 2-3 days being careful not to make a sound in the must. I record a gravity reading once a day at the beginning during my 2-3 times per day aeration, then every time I stir later on when just degassing.

 

[landsknechte]

With this batch, what would you all suggest as far as how long to leave in primary? The previously mentioned brewer friend suggested about 2 weeks. Basically, let the yeast eat through any by-products it left behind.

I was browsing through some other short mead recipes and they said rack off after a week. Yes, I've decided racking is probably a good idea for clarity. I'm just going to have to buy another gallon jug. Hopefully I can find another one in the clearance bin.

 

[byronyasgur]

how did it turn out in the end - looking for a short mead - I might try it