First Mead Home Brew Ohio kit

[Gunkleneil]

On impulse I purchased this kit from Home Brew Ohio and some local Honey. This is my first attempt at mead. I don't even know if I like mead. I love honey so I'm hoping I like mead. Has anyone used this kit and have any advice based on the instructions that came with it? Since the instructions are on the listing page for the world to see I don't think it's wrong to put them here. So far I have mixed everything but the yeast and am waiting the 24 hours. I didn't get an SG reading yet I figure I should do that just before pitching the yeast. I'm new to all this. My first beer (from an extract kit) is fermenting now.

 

[pdhirsch]

This is a basic process which will probably work, but it's much better to add the yeast nutrient / energizer in 3 or 4 smaller hits, spread out over the first few days of fermentation -- rather than adding it all at the beginning.

I'm recommending what's called "staggered nutrient addition," or SNA. Google it -- you'll get *lots* of hits! But as a start, maybe instead of adding the whole 3/4 tsp of energizer at the start, you could add 1/4 tsp at the beginning, then another 1/4 tsp after 24 and again after 48 hours.

There are more complicated nutrient-addition protocols out there, as you will see if you research it, but for your first batch you could just keep it simple and do 1/3 three times. Assuming that your sanitation and other yeast-handling processes are basically good (proper temperature, etc), SNA is probably the single best thing you can do to improve the quality of your mead.

Just noticed that you said you've already mixed it -- OK, so SNA will have to wait for your next batch Without SNA your mead will probably require more aging, but you'll still end up with mead. (Like I said, 20 years ago we all added all of the nutrient at the beginning. And it was uphill in the snow, both ways! And we liked it!)

One more thing -- don't expect the mead to taste like honey. Depending on your yeast, it may well ferment out all of the sugar, leaving a very dry beverage. I think Premier Blanc is able to do that. There are ways to produce sweeter meads but the above process doesn't do that. Research "backsweetening" if you think you'll want a sweeter end result. There's still time to do it with this batch if you decide that you want to.

 

[bushpilot]

I started with the same kit, and it turned out quite good. A few years later, still making and enjoying mead!

 

[Gunkleneil]

@pdhirsch can I add a little Energizer at the 1/3,2/3 stage anyway or will that do something bad?

 

[pdhirsch]

@pdhirsch can I add a little Energizer at the 1/3,2/3 stage anyway or will that do something bad?

I don't think there's any real benefit to that. Part of the idea behind SNA is not to let the yeast gorge themselves all at once... but now that they already have all that energizer in there, gorge they will. If the kit is designed well, then they shouldn't need any more food -- that is, it's not the quantity of nutrient that's the issue, it's the timing.

Don't worry about it -- like I said, people added nutrients all at the beginning for a long time. The main benefit of SNA as I understand it is that it will help your mead mature more quickly (it will be drinkable sooner), but your mead should be fine without SNA too -- it will just need more aging.

 

[bushpilot]

Update?

 

[Gunkleneil]

The fermentation seems to have stalled at 1.050 I just added 1/4 tsp nutrition today to see if that helps it get going again