First Mead questions

[Demaskee]

Hello,

I'm going to be making my first batch of mead this next weekend. I'm planning on making a 5 gallon batch and after 3 weeks, racking into 5 different, 1 gallon size bottles to age. I was thinking about adding different fruit and/or spices to 3 of the gallons and leaving 2 just straight mead.

I have a couple of questions:

1) I'd like the mead to be sweet but not maple syrup sweet, (more riesling sweet). How much honey should I use to acheive this, and what yeast would you recommend?

2) Do you have any fruit/spice recommendations? I'm looking to experiment a little, but would like to be doing it with something that has been tried by someone and enjoyed. I'd hate to have something aged this long be terrible.

3) I'm planning on drinking at least part of this in late July. Would this be enough time to be enjoyable?

Thank You everyone for taking the time to read this!

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

You should ferment it dry and backsweeten to your liking. It gives you way more control.

As far as fruit and spices, a lot of people use cinnamon, vanilla beans, ginger, anything you want really. Fruit again is something that it's whatever you want. When adding citrusy fruits like lemons, oranges limes, you should watch your PH levels.

Edit: if you keep your ABV at or below 12%, you should have something decent by July if you keep your ferment temps low (below 70), you'll be in even better shape.

 

[Arpolis]

Wanting a sweet mead for a first time it is good to back sweeten as stated above. Here is what you want to collect before you start.

Hydrometer for checking gravity
About 10lb of honey (acceptable starting gravity of about 1.070 - 1.080. Which fermented dry is about +-10% ABV.
Camden tablets
Sorbate
Yeast nutrient
Yeast energizer
Yeast (lalvin 71b-1112)

Mix up your honey, water and nutrients. You should not be afraid of the nutrients. Mead has very little nutrients and a low PH so adding plenty to your must is essential to a good mead. Also look up staggered nutrient additions in the sticky in the main mead forum.

When you rack to the one gallon batches add the Camden and sorbate per instructions on the package. Wait at least 12 hours then add about 1/3 cup of honey to each mead along with the fruit and/or spices. Gravity after honey should be about 1.006 - 1.008. That should give you some good loose rules to follow.

 

[Demaskee]

Thanks for the responses! They are exactly what I was looking for.

One more question, I already bought 18lbs of honey because many of the recipes i'd been checkin out called for somewhere between 15-20. You've recommended 10. Does adding more honey simply mean there will be more alcohol? What would it do to the taste?

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

It will result in higher alcohol: BUT

It can create stalled batches and gravity issues. You will need a combination of Staggered nutrient addition and possibly step feeding.

It will also likely need more aging time. There's a rule of thumb (ish) that 1 month aging per % of abv. I feel that that's a good starting point but you can easily cut those times down with good technique (keeping control of your ferment, nutrients etc). After 14% I feel you really do need at least a year before it turns into something great (may be good before then but it'll really develop after that).

 

[Arpolis]

Marshmallowblue is spot on. I recommended 10lb because of the reduced ABV and reduced need for aging time. Many meads do not taste good young and that turned newbees off. A good 14+ABV mead should be attempted by the more experienced.

 

[Demaskee]

Copy that. Thanks for the explanation. Forgive me if I sounded like I was questioning your judgement. There is just so much literature out there it can be a little difficult to figure out what 'right' looks like. 10lbs it is!

 

[Kdog22]

I'd like to just add emphasis to using the hydrometer as noted above. After adding the 10 pounds of honey and mixing well, test a sample with the hydrometer and see what the gravity reading is and take note. That way you can also figure out when it's done fermenting and how much sweeter you've made it after backsweetening if you test it then, too. Not a necessity to do but it'll help learn to fine tune your mead and future batches.

 

[Demaskee]

I'd like to just add emphasis to using the hydrometer as noted above. After adding the 10 pounds of honey and mixing well, test a sample with the hydrometer and see what the gravity reading is and take note. That way you can also figure out when it's done fermenting and how much sweeter you've made it after backsweetening if you test it then, too. Not a necessity to do but it'll help learn to fine tune your mead and future batches.

Good stuff. I have a hydrometer already so it should be no issue to get an OG and FG. Thanks!

 

[Demaskee]

Thanks for all the advice. I went to my LHBS and picked up the yeast, nutrient and energizer, yeast killer as well as five, one gallon jugs, and vaporlocks for my secondary. I'll be making my batch this upcoming Saturday. Wish me luck!

 

[Arpolis]

Good luck!

 

[fatbloke]

If you're making traditionals (honey, water, nutrients/energiser etc) then the only thing not mentioned, but which can be handy to be aware of, is pH.

We all forget (or just don't know), that honey is quite acidic. That just happens to be marked by the high sweetness level of the honey.

You may well be lucky like I was when I first started and mix your ingredients up and let it go. But as has already been alluded to with the emphasis on taking hydrometer readings (and yes, as long as all the kit used to take a sample, then test it, has been sanitised, you should be fine putting the sample back in-I routinely do that), it does help to know a little more of what is occuring inside the ferment, as it can forstall issues that could lead to stuck ferment.

So, you would just need some pH test strips for about a 2.8 pH to 4.6pH range. When mixed the must would be about 4.0ish, once the ferment kicks in nicely it drops to about the mid 3.X area and it's fine at that. If it dropped below 3.0 it can stall a ferment.

This isn't scaremongering stuff, just routine - particularly with traditionals as they have little to prevent (buffer) it.

While it shouldn't be an issue it may help to have the test strips and some potassium carbonate available, as you'd add a little of that if a pH reading was too low......

Generally once you see a good ferment bubbling away you can leave it. The gravity range suggested for this inaugural batch should, if kept at room temp, take about a week to two, too finish. When you see a marked slow down in the bubbling, you can test gravity. If it's in the 1.000 to 1.020 sort of area its likely fine, if its still above much more than about 1.050 after 2 weeks I'd be testing pH......

Oh and if you wanted too, you could start the batch a bit higher. I generally start at about the 1.100 sort of area. Which basically does the same as already suggested but with a little more alcohol. The numbers suggested earlier give a good margin for a likely successful first batch with some room for manoeuvre.

In the meantime, the front page over at gotmead forums has their "NewBee" guide linked in the left side box. Its a bit of a read but its stuffed full of good guidance for a new mead maker and of course, even better, its free.........

 

[Demaskee]

Thanks to everyone for all the information.

I started my first batch Saturday. It has been bubbling like crazy for the past 36 hours or so. I'll be watching it carefully to see if it needs a little TLC along the way.

Thanks again!

 

[Demaskee]

Ok, The Mead has been fermenting in the primary for a week now. The airlock is bubbling about once a second at this time. Should I add some more nutrient at this point or should I wait until the action in the airlock slows a little more?

 

[RegarRenill]

What was your OG and ways your current SG? Your first nutrient addition should be around your 1st 1/3rd sugar break(divide your OG by 3, each increment of that number are your 1/3rd sugar breaks) hit it with some more nutrients at the 2nd 1/3rd break and let it ferment dry and bulk age, is my advice. Then dose with kmeta and sorbate, let site for a few days and backsweeten as desired with more honey when you are ready to bottle