First brew

[MrSuperflex]

Hey.
My girlfriend and i just boiled our first 22 liters of mead yesterday night.
None of us have tried this sort of thing before, so i'd like to descibe how we did it, and hear your feedback. What will we need to do next, any tips, and will it even be drinkable?

We used
- 9.5kg honey - about 20lb
- 16 liters of water (i read that water without calcium was to be preferred, so i bought that kind of botteled water that is normally used for hot irons, car batteries and so on)

and the yeast we used was a "wine yeast" specially made for sherry. The guy in the store where we bought it said that that is what we needed. (it is 8grams)

Okay - this is how we did it.

First we boiled some of the water and half of the honey in two pots (we didnt have anything big enough to boil it all at one time - so its was made in two batches)
I read in an article that though most people boils it in 30 minutes or longer, 2min should be enough. So i boiled it in 2 minutes and forgot to remove any of the foam.. (don't know if that'll be enough to ruin the brew - we'll see)

It was poured into a big container with a "yeast tube" in the top, and the yeast was added this morning.

Since we added the honey concentraded with some of the water and rest of the boiled water afterwards, it seems that the must in the buttom of the container is darker than that in the top. Do i need to stir this, or will it mix itself?

As far as i understood the article, the must should be botteled as soon as the must has "cleared" - but how exactly do you define that. Just when it is transparent like water? How long will that be?

And raking? is that nessicary?, when, why and how do i do it?

As you can probably figure out, we are very new to this and have really no experience with brewing at all, so some help would be very much appreciated

I am not a native english speaker, so if i need to explain something, just ask

Thanks in advance,
- Thomas

 

[Jsin]

Hey.
My girlfriend and i just boiled our first 22 liters of mead yesterday night.
None of us have tried this sort of thing before, so i'd like to descibe how we did it, and hear your feedback. What will we need to do next, any tips, and will it even be drinkable?
It will be drinkable but it may take a while.
We used
- 9.5kg honey - about 20lb
- 16 liters of water (i read that water without calcium was to be preferred, so i bought that kind of botteled water that is normally used for hot irons, car batteries and so on)

and the yeast we used was a "wine yeast" specially made for sherry. The guy in the store where we bought it said that that is what we needed. (it is 8grams)

Okay - this is how we did it.

First we boiled some of the water and half of the honey in two pots (we didnt have anything big enough to boil it all at one time - so its was made in two batches)
I read in an article that though most people boils it in 30 minutes or longer, 2min should be enough. So i boiled it in 2 minutes and forgot to remove any of the foam.. (don't know if that'll be enough to ruin the brew - we'll see)

It was poured into a big container with a "yeast tube" in the top, and the yeast was added this morning.

Since we added the honey concentraded with some of the water and rest of the boiled water afterwards, it seems that the must in the buttom of the container is darker than that in the top. Do i need to stir this, or will it mix itself?- Thomas

It will mix but you should shake it up to get some o2 into it.

As far as i understood the article, the must should be botteled as soon as the must has "cleared" - but how exactly do you define that. Just when it is transparent like water? How long will that be?

After it ferments out and you rack it a few times it will drop clear. How long it takes depends on many things so there is know clear time table.

And raking? is that nessicary?, when, why and how do i do it?

Yes, you want to rack. After the first month and then every 3 months until clear. This gets your mead of the yeast and helps it clear. Siphon the mead and try to leave as much of the sediment behind when you do.

I am not a native english speaker, so if i need to explain something, just ask

Thanks in advance,
- Thomas

Your Welcome

I would also go to your homebrew/wine shop and get some yeast nutrients to add to your batch.

 

[Cregar]

If you like, I documented my first Mead on my website. You can check it out here:

The Great Mead Experiement.

It has been sitting in the secondary (clearing) carboy since Oct. 21st 2006. shortly I will rack it into bottles and let it age.

Goodluck with your first batch

(PS my site is a blog, so you will need to click on the "Previous Page" link at the bottom to read the rest of the posts.)

 

[MrSuperflex]

I would also go to your homebrew/wine shop and get some yeast nutrients to add to your batch.

The article i followed actually suggested not to use any of that, but a lot of sources on the internet tells me the oppoursite Can you telle me what advantages and disadvantages it has? We bought some nutrients with the yeast, but were not sure wether to use it or not.


Thanks for the feedback . i'm glad that nobody has called it a catastrophy yet Maby it will end up drinkable

- Thomas

 

[MrSuperflex]

If you like, I documented my first Mead on my website. You can check it out here:

The Great Mead Experiement.

It has been sitting in the secondary (clearing) carboy since Oct. 21st 2006. shortly I will rack it into bottles and let it age.

Goodluck with your first batch

(PS my site is a blog, so you will need to click on the "Previous Page" link at the bottom to read the rest of the posts.)

Looks very nice
Mine has'nt begun bubbling yet. Does the "one bubble per 45 seconds" mean that its almost finished, or doesent it bubble more than that when the yeast is working?

 

[MeadLover]

The article i followed actually suggested not to use any of that, but a lot of sources on the internet tells me the oppoursite Can you telle me what advantages and disadvantages it has? We bought some nutrients with the yeast, but were not sure wether to use it or not.

The main advantage to adding the nutrients, as most sources suggest, is to give the yeast a good starting environment. It gives them a good balanced diet. The yeast will still work it just may take a little longer to get going good. I normally use the nutrients in my starter but I also don't boil my honey at all. I won't claim to be any kind of expert but I have been making mead for about 4 years, just not very actively. But after reading your posts I can say that some 'mistakes' are other peoples common practices. Mead is normally very forgiving.

- David

 

[fatbloke]

My first batch is now under the stairs aging.

I only racked it twice to get it off the main yeast sediment.

I did also see if I could finish clearing it more, with filtration, but it just clogged the filter pad, so I fell back on fining it. I used a 2 part product called "kwikclear". Guessing the amount with a small cooks measuring spoon (2 measures of 0.6 ml per part of the kwikclear).

It worked a treat and was completely clear in 24 hours, so I siphoned it off into another "demijohn" and corked it and put it under the stairs.

A quick note though, I've read Ken Schramms' "The compleat Meadmaker" and as per what he explained in his book, it did indeed have a taste rather like that of "Listerine" (mouth wash). Though the book does explain that thats connected with the higher than normal wine amount of alchol.

And no, before you ask, I didn't bother checking the O.G. because my "experiment" was like being a kid with a new toy and I was just too damned impatient to see what would happen.

My recipe was taken from C.J.J. Berrys' "First Steps in Wine making". It was for a "dry" mead, though the other couple of recipes all seem to suggest about 2 kilo's of honey to 4.5 litres of water were appropriate proportions/ratio.

I also just used tap water (boiled with the honey as per the recipe) even though I noted that the taste would probably improve if I'd boiled it first (locally our water is very hard with a high chalk/calcium content).

With any luck, I think I'll try to plan my next batch properly, as the novelty of a new experience is wearing off and I now want to have a go at making a better quality batch.

Good luck with your efforts Thomas, I hope it goes well for you.

regards

John a.k.a. fatbloke

p.s. erm I let my first batch ferment until I only saw 1 bubble every 60 to 90 seconds before my first racking (about 6 weeks or so), plus both the books that I've read, suggest that you should leave it at least a year before "drinking it in anger " hence planning my second batch now:cross: I'm pretty sure, having tasted "professionally made" meads, that if mine does turn out to be drinkable, once I start, it's gonna be difficult to stop!

 

[MrSuperflex]

The main advantage to adding the nutrients, as most sources suggest, is to give the yeast a good starting environment. It gives them a good balanced diet. The yeast will still work it just may take a little longer to get going good. I normally use the nutrients in my starter but I also don't boil my honey at all. I won't claim to be any kind of expert but I have been making mead for about 4 years, just not very actively. But after reading your posts I can say that some 'mistakes' are other peoples common practices. Mead is normally very forgiving.

- David

Okay, i just added the nutrients and gave it a good shake. Then watched the yeast tube for a few minutes just to check is anything was going on - still nothing. Maby tomorrow then

 

[MrSuperflex]

okay, another question.

Does it seem like too much honey?
I heard that too much honey would make a bad fermentation. Do i need to fill it up with water, or should it work with this mix? (still no bubbles btw )
- Thomas

 

[Cregar]

Looks very nice
Mine has'nt begun bubbling yet. Does the "one bubble per 45 seconds" mean that its almost finished, or doesent it bubble more than that when the yeast is working?

I honestly can't remember what mine started bubbling at (first batch and all) but I think it was around 8 to 10 bubbles per minute. I had just decided that when it gets to 1 or 2 bubbles a minute I would rack to my secondary.

Does it seem like too much honey?

It would just make more of a sweet mead instead of a dry one.

 

[Evets]

Seems like alot of honey for 5g. batch. Maybe a 6 or 7g batch would be better? I'm a mead newby myself, so I'm only guessing. I just started a 3g recipe which calls for 10-11# for a semi-sweet mead.

 

[MrSuperflex]

Seems like alot of honey for 5g. batch. Maybe a 6 or 7g batch would be better? I'm a mead newby myself, so I'm only guessing. I just started a 3g recipe which calls for 10-11# for a semi-sweet mead.

well its already waiting for the fermentation..

Would anyone advise me to fill the tank up with water?

It is at 22 litres now, and there is room for 25 litres. Should i boil three litres and add it to the mix?

 

[bnektar]

okay, another question.

Does it seem like too much honey?
I heard that too much honey would make a bad fermentation. Do i need to fill it up with water, or should it work with this mix? (still no bubbles btw )
- Thomas

Yes, that IS a lot of honey, but shouldn't be too much. It's possible that you got some old (dead) yeast. You should have seen some activity by now. Go back to the brewing store and pick up some Champagne yeast. You need a yeast that will eat that much sugar, and champagne yeast is the one to do it.

I see that you used the nutrients. Good. Honey doesn't naturally have the nutrients that yeast needs.

I also see that you may not have shaken the batch enough when you first started. This too can cause a problem. For yeast to reproduce, it needs oxygen. When you boil water, the dissolved O2 evaporates. Shaking adds more o2 to the mix. Cover the top with a Vodka soaked paper towel and shake the hell out of it until your arms hurt. Then shake some more.

When you're done shaking, add two packets of Champagne yeast. That should get it going quickly. http://homebrewtalk.com/images/smilies/rockin.gif
:rockin:

 

[MrSuperflex]

Hey.

Well, i am still a little concerned.. It has'nt "really" started yet... The water in the yeast-lock does move from when i leave for work and to when i get home again, and i suspect that there is a tiny bubble now and then, but i have never seen it happen..

I just gave it a shake.

Could the reason be that i didnt make a yeast-starter, but just added the yeast directly to the mix?

Or maby it was too hot.. but i doubt that.. i left it for the night, and it didnt feel much warmer than when you touch your arm or something.

What will happen if a week passes before i get hold of the champaigne yeast?.. Nothing?.. Because the webpage i ordered from has really slow delivery.

 

[bnektar]

Hey.

Well, i am still a little concerned.. It has'nt "really" started yet... The water in the yeast-lock does move from when i leave for work and to when i get home again, and i suspect that there is a tiny bubble now and then, but i have never seen it happen..

I just gave it a shake.

Could the reason be that i didnt make a yeast-starter, but just added the yeast directly to the mix?

Very likely since this is a very high amount of honey. You probably shocked the yeast.

Or maby it was too hot.. but i doubt that.. i left it for the night, and it didnt feel much warmer than when you touch your arm or something.

I don't think that's your problem.

What will happen if a week passes before i get hold of the champaigne yeast?.. Nothing?.. Because the webpage i ordered from has really slow delivery.

The thing I'd worry about after a week is subjecting your must to bacteria and other foreign nasties. You might want to bring your must back to pasteurizing temps (170 will certainly do the trick), then cooling it quickly by submersing your pot in an icewater bath in your sink.

WHen it's cooled, add it to your carboy and shake like hell.

Get your yeast rehydrated before you start heating the must, and make sure the must is under 100 deg. before you pitch the yeast.

Try ordering from a place close to you to speed shipping. I use northernbrewer.com. They're in MN I think, so shipping to Detroit is only a couple days.

Good luck.

 

[NurseNan]

If you have kept your must in a closed system up until now, I wouldn't worry too much about contamination. Get some more yeast, champagne is great, rehydrate it (soak it in warm water for at least 15 minutes), and add it to your carboy. Make sure you keep your carboy in a place that is free of drafts or cool air currents. Don't forget to put the blow off tube back in place. Shaking it again at this point couldn't hurt, either.

 

[fatbloke]

The yeast I used for my first batch was labelled as "dessert/High Alcohol". The books that I consulted all mentioned about "starting" the yeast, though the bloke in the local Home Brew shop explained that with modern yeasts, it's usually not necessary to make a "starter".

So I just put the yeast in dry, and shook it some. It was fermenting fine after 2 or 3 days - though the books pointed out that the "start" process was to make sure that there was a big enough quantity of yeast cells to handle the batch of must.

the yeast packet was about 5 grammes, but said that it was enough for "up to 5 gallons" (I only made a gallon first time).

By just putting the yeast in dry, it just meant that it took the 2 to 3 days before I saw a good, steady ferment, but once started, it "bubbled, like a bubbling thing, on National Bubbling day, carrying a bag full of bubbling things" (sorry, couldn't resist the "BlackAdder" quote).

I've re-read my two books to see what it says about this, but the only thing that sounds close, is a "stuck" ferment i.e. when it might have either started and then stopped or not started at all. If you measured O.G. to start with, then measuring again, should (apparently) tell you if it's changed at all.

If not or not very much, then re-pitch "fresh" yeast (it's up to you and the yeast you select as to whether you "pitch" dry or "started" yeast).

regards

fatbloke

 

[MrSuperflex]

okay.. Yesterday i made a starter out of 1lb honey and 1 liter of water.. then cooled it down and added two small bottles of yeast. (the same i used the first time)

Then left it for the night, and today i added the starter to the must.. I'll get back to you if anything happends

 

[NurseNan]

okay.. Yesterday i made a starter out of 1lb honey and 1 liter of water.. then cooled it down and added two small bottles of yeast. (the same i used the first time)

That's still a lot of honey (4lbs to the gallon). Hope the yeast are hungry How did it look just before you pitched it?

 

[MrSuperflex]

That's still a lot of honey (4lbs to the gallon). Hope the yeast are hungry How did it look just before you pitched it?

Well, there was no foam on it.

But anyway - the mix i bubbling away.. music to my ears. It seems like it worked this time
Thanks for the help,
- Thomas

 

[MrSuperflex]

Wow.. do you still need to shake it evert day when it is fermenting?..

I just tried to shake it, and a LOT of air came through the yeast tube.. normally its a bubble every two seconds..

 

[NurseNan]

You don't need to shake it every day, but if the fermentation slows down too much before its done, it can help.

 

[MrSuperflex]

Okay, i dont have any measuring equipment to check wether the fermentation is finished. Can i just let it stand until is has completely stopped bubbling, or will it need further shaking?
I hear that too much oxygen will turn it into vineger.

And another question. I talked to someone who sells commercially meads in denmark, in the weekend. He said that i need to add alcohol to kill the yeast when i have reached the desiered alcohol level. if not, it will get a bad taste.
Is that true?

 

[olllllo]

I know nothing about mead making, but I scan the posts from time to time because I would like to do a batch sometime.

Thomas, your English is fine, I'm only prefacing this because I don't want there to be any misunderstanding. If you've read this board you know that we all like to joke.

I'm just a little bored at work and with a little creative omission, the first post reads like a Penthouse letter.

Hey.
My girlfriend and i just ...
our first ...
yesterday night.
None of us have tried this sort of thing before, so i'd like to descibe how we did it, and hear your feedback. What will we need to do next, any tips...

We used - honey- hot irons, car batteries and so on

The guy in the store said that that is what we needed.

Okay - this is how we did it.

First we.... honey in two pots ...big enough....
I read in an article that though most people ... 30 minutes or longer,
2min should be enough...
...the foam..
Since we added the honey...
buttom ...
And raking?
how do i do it?

As you can probably figure out, we are very new to this and have really no experience with ... at all, so some help would be very much appreciated

 

[docbee]

ROFLMAO!!!!

A "LITTLE" bored???

 

[NurseNan]

Okay, i dont have any measuring equipment to check wether the fermentation is finished. Can i just let it stand until is has completely stopped bubbling, or will it need further shaking? I hear that too much oxygen will turn it into vineger.

You need to let it stand in this fermenter until the bubbling has almost stopped (1bubble every 30-40 seconds.) Give it a swirl when it does. When fermentation stays that slow, or slower (1 bubble every minute), you will need to siphon it into another fermentation bottle. Replace the fermentation valve/tube, and let it sit until it is clear. This can take a long time.

Oxygen will not turn your mead into vinegar, bacteria does that. You are doing fine.

And another question. I talked to someone who sells commercially meads in denmark, in the weekend. He said that i need to add alcohol to kill the yeast when i have reached the desiered alcohol level. if not, it will get a bad taste.
Is that true?

Don't believe everything you hear. High alcohol levels will kill the yeast, but if you leave your mead alone, it will do that by itself. The yeast will use up the sugar making alcohol, and once the alcohol content of your mead is high enough, the yeast will die. Letting it sit in the original container on top of dead yeast for prolongued periods will make it taste bad. Just sit back, and relax.

 

[MrSuperflex]

Hi.
I just returned from new year celebrations at my fathers place, and the mead seems to be almost finished fermenting. I thought that was a little too fast.

when i first checked today, the must was bubbling every 30-40 seconds. I then gave it a little shake, and it started bubbling faster again, bur only for a few seconds. Then suddently it almost stopped. its about 1 minute between bubbles now.

It started fermenting the 12th december - thats less than three weeks of fermenting. Doesent that seem like too short a time? Does anyone has any advice for me?

I dont have any gravity measurement instruments, so i cant tell you the gravity, but the must is around 25 litres, and 9.5 kg honey. I added a small bag of nutrients and after one failed attemt with 8grams of sherry yeast, i made a yeast starter with 2x8gram of the same sherry yeast. - that started the fermenting.

The must smells a little like apple cider and champaigne btw

 

[Jsin]

Don't worry it is fine. Wait two weeks then siphon into secondary then wait until it clears before bottling. Then wait as long as you can (6 months plus) before opening your first bottle. :rockin:

 

[MrSuperflex]

after searching for options on the internet, i added 2.5 liters of water to the must yesterday. I think the must were too sugary. Later that evening it started bubbling again, and now its bubbling every 5 seconds.

I got a hydrometer today and just took a reading.. it said 1050, but i am a little lost right now..

There is a total of 9.5kg honey - 21 pounds
the must is "about" 27.5 litres.~7.2 gallons (if a gallon is 3.8liters)
the OG is right now 1050

With a OG on 1050, how far do you think the fermentation is, and how much alcohol can i expect it to end up on? (the yeast is for sherry, i dont know what its alcohol potential is)

- Thomas - hoping that the must will continiue fermenting with the added water..

 

[RoaringBrewer]

I don't know a thingggg about mead, but 1.050 is about the starting gravity of most beers. Considering your mead has fermented 3 weeks and is STILL at 1.050, I'd say it still has a way to go... but with several months in secondary I'd say it should finish sometime... Patience is the key with mead. You are looking at 6 months to a year before drinking.

Out of curiousity I checked on mead kits at MidwestSupplies and most of their 5 gallon kits come with 10-12lb. of honey. I know you made 7 gallon, but 21lb. of honey is A LOT of honey... This will slowly ferment out, but its going to take time. A ot of time. I'd leave that for a while longer...

Further, 21lb. to 7 gal. is 3lb. per gallon when most of the kits I've seen in my 5 minute research prove to be about 2-2.25lb. honey per gallon. Those kits offers 10-15% alcohol, so I'm guessing yours is going to top even that and be a bit tooo strong? Your yeast may not even be able to handle it; no clue...

Next time you should do a tad more research before tossing 21lb. honey into 5 gallon of water and just running with it... A years project is nothing to fly by the seat of your pants on. If it ends up horrible, you just wasted a lot of time, money, and a year of waiting...

Good luck!