Dry-hopped blood orange hydromel

[Mjød brygger]

Good evening folks

I been wanting to make a hydromel for awhile now, and I was thinking about making a dry-hopped hydromel with fresh blood orange with a ABV around 6%.
I was thinking adding the blood orange during primary fermentation and hopping the hydromel later in secondray along with some blood orange again.

Have any you tried to make hydromel? Any tips on adding fruits to hydromel and which yeast to use? For yeast nutrients, would add less nutrients than if you were making a high ABV mead?

Thanks in advance for your time!

 

[CKuhns]

Dry hopping works well in secondary. Use whole hops or leaves in a small sanitized mesh bag. Anything more than 8-10 days they get a little "earthy" i use 2 oz in 5 gallons for a very light hop flavor in 10 days.

Blood orange in primary or secondary both works well.

For a mead at a target 6% pretty any yeast will work.

Yep nutrients would be less than a higher ABV. Consider adding them all up front.

 

[Mjød brygger]

Dry hopping works well in secondary. Use whole hops or leaves in a small sanitized mesh bag. Anything more than 8-10 days they get a little "earthy" i use 2 oz in 5 gallons for a very light hop flavor in 10 days.

Blood orange in primary or secondary both works well.

For a mead at a target 6% pretty any yeast will work.

Yep nutrients would be less than a higher ABV. Consider adding them all up front.

Thanks for the info!

How much yeast will you add to one gallon? 1 gram for 1 Gallon (1:1)
And would you say half the nutrient needed for a hydromel, compared to a high ABV mead?

 

[CKuhns]

You really cant overpitch yeast.

1 to 5 grams would be fine in a gallon. IMO more is better. 1 gram could cause a slight lag, go with closer to 5. I have only done a few 1 gallon batches but pitched a whole 5 gram pack with no ill effect. (My normal 5 gallon batches get 10 grams and start them 24 to 48 hours prior to pitch, makes a ton of yeast that start eating the sugar pretty quickly)

Nutrient depends upon the yeast nitrogen requirements but for 6% mead i would go with 1/2 tsp Go Ferm and 1 tsp Fermaid-O ( or the same DAP and Fermaid-K) all at yeast pitch and aerate well by mixing or shaking it. Then stir it 2Xs a day for the first 3 days or so.

Good luck, let us know how it goes.