First time process - rate my plan

[liquorman42]

Hello I'm a first time mead brewer. I haven't started the process yet but I plan on ordering all of the equipment tonight. I'd like to share what recipe/process I plan on going with and I'd love some feedback in what you guys think.

I plan on using a 6.5 gallon (siphonless big mouth bubbler from Norther brewer not glass) for both my primary and secondary fermenter.

I plan on sanitizing the fermenter with sanstar no rinse, along with the airlock and Hydrometer for a few minutes.

Then after it all dries I plan on using 15lbs of wildflower honey, then mix with some water to dissolve. Then I plan on adding fermaid o (package is 12 grams should I use it all or use in multiple stages?), then I plan on adding goferm(all at beginning) (but how much should i use?)

Then I plan on dissolving 10 grams of 71b yeast in some water and adding it in the container.

Then I'd add the rest of the water (5 gallons total across all stages)
Then I'd like to add some fruit (probably about 1 gallon of fruit ) mixed between blueberries, cherries,and mango which are frozen)

Then, I'd take a Hydrometer rating, and seal the container with a 3 piece airlock. I'd gently stir the brew every other day or so to prevent fruit from modeling and keep it wry.

After 3 weeks I'd take out the fruit, and take another Hydrometer reading, (after it looks like fermenentstion stopped)

Then I'd add in fresh fruit (the same frozen kind) until the container is nearly full (since online ive heard you minimize hesdspace at thus time to prevent oxygen from messing up the flavor)

Then after a week I'd take a Hydrometer reading to see if it has changed from the previous time, then again 3 more days later. If the reading keeps changing I will keep everything as is. When the reading is the same across 3 days is then when I will transfer the mead to bottles without the fruit.

I'm planning to use 4 1-gallon glass jugs and 1 half gallon glass jug. Should I use 3 piece airlock on these glass jugs as well to insure there'd no exploding, or is that not necessary?

 

[MightyMosin]

I plan on sanitizing the fermenter with sanstar no rinse, along with the airlock and Hydrometer for a few minutes.

After you wash it, you want to thoroughly rinse to ensure all detergent is gone. A few minutes of sanitation should be fine, though I typically let me items sit in the sanitizer until read to use.

Then after it all dries I plan on using 15lbs of wildflower honey, then mix with some water to dissolve.
Then I'd add the rest of the water (5 gallons total across all stages)

I can't tell if you will add 5 gallons to what you used to dilute your honey of if your total volume will be 5 gallons before fruit additions. If your total volume will be 5 gallons, you will be targeting 14% ABV before considering sugars from the fruit.
If you are adding 5 gallons in addition to the water to dilute I will assume you will be closer to 12% and a total volume of 6 gallons... based on wanting fruit additions it is likely you mean 5 gallons of volume before fruit.

With that in mind, I would suggest 12 Lb of honey to target ~11.5% ABV and your fruit additions might push you to 12%. I suggest this as your fermentation will likely go smoother with the reduced sugars and you will have less wait for it to become something nice to drink. If you went with 10 Lb of honey you would be closer to 10% ABV and your wait time is reduced even further for aging. Obviously, your choice.

Then I plan on adding fermaid o (package is 12 grams should I use it all or use in multiple stages?), then I plan on adding goferm(all at beginning) (but how much should i use?)

How much to use depends on the volumes you use. Going with your original post of 5 gallons and 15 Lb honey, your SG should be about 1.108. Taking it to the TOSNA calculator gives us:

12.6 grams of Go-Ferm diluted into 250ml of water.
10 grams of 71B yeast.
19.1 grams of Fermaid-O... if you stagger it over several days you would add 4.8 grams each of those 4 days.
https://www.meadmaderight.com/tosna-calculator

Then I'd like to add some fruit (probably about 1 gallon of fruit ) mixed between blueberries, cherries,and mango which are frozen)

If you want your mead to come out clear, you will want some pectic enzyme added to the mix at least an hour before you add your yeast. Ideally, you could put the fruits in a stainless bowl or other sanitized vessel a day or two ahead of time with the pectic enzyme stirred in. Place that in the refrigerator and let the enzyme start working on it.

After 3 weeks I'd take out the fruit, and take another Hydrometer reading, (after it looks like fermenentstion stopped)

Then I'd add in fresh fruit (the same frozen kind) until the container is nearly full (since online ive heard you minimize hesdspace at thus time to prevent oxygen from messing up the flavor)

Then after a week I'd take a Hydrometer reading to see if it has changed from the previous time, then again 3 more days later. If the reading keeps changing I will keep everything as is. When the reading is the same across 3 days is then when I will transfer the mead to bottles without the fruit.

The big question here is how much fruit flavor are you hoping to have at the end and how much sweetness? If you are hoping that your second additions will keep the fruit flavoring and add some sweetness, then you have some choices to make.

The yeast will continue to eat the sugars from the fruit until they hit their alcohol tolerance. So you can either start with more honey like your 15 Lb plan and once they stop producing alcohol, the alcohol will pull flavor out of your fruit. The potential problem is your yeast might go much higher than the staed 14% tolerance and eat all your fruit flavor leaving no juice or sweetness. That is OK if you are OK with adding more fruit until that stops happening... you will be looking at a longer aging time though.

You could alternately, transfer to secondary, chemically stabilize the mead and leave it alone for at least 24 hours and then add your fruit so that flavors can be extracted.

I'm planning to use 4 1-gallon glass jugs and 1 half gallon glass jug. Should I use 3 piece airlock on these glass jugs as well to insure there'd no exploding, or is that not necessary?

Absolutely use some airlock to ensure that any latent fermentation has a way of expelling that CO2 so you don't end up with busted carboys. I would suggest stabilizing your mead before bottling

 

[liquorman42]

you want your mead to come out clear, you will want some pectic enzyme added to the mix at least an hour before you add your yeast.

Other than looks is there a difference in flavor or texture on shelf life if the mead is less clear? Thank you for all the info it's super helpful

 

[liquorman42]

The yeast will continue to eat the sugars from the fruit until they hit their alcohol tolerance. So you can either start with more honey like your 15 Lb plan and once they stop producing alcohol, the alcohol will pull flavor out of your fruit. The potential problem is your yeast might go much higher than the staed 14% tolerance and eat all your fruit flavor leaving no juice or sweetness. That is OK if you are OK with adding more fruit until that stops happening... you will be looking at a longer aging time though.

I was playing to have a fruity taste, but nothing too overpowering. What Dictates the yeast going over the tolerance point? Is it that fruit gives it an additional nutrient boost? Do you think it would still be about 14% abv if I did the following: 5 gallons of water total with 15 lbs of honey and .5-1 gallon(ish) of fruit, then wait until it's not fermenting anymore for a whole week(no Hydrometer change for 7 days. Then adding in the 2nd round of fruit, and moving the container to a colder location (about 55 as opposed to 70). Do you think the yeast could restart from round 2 od fruit after it's been dormant for a week and being transferred to a colder location?

 

[MightyMosin]

Other than looks is there a difference in flavor or texture on shelf life if the mead is less clear? Thank you for all the info it's super helpful

As far as a pectin Haze goes, I don't think you will notice anything different about texture or taste. For myself, I enjoy a need being clear. It's a personal thing

 

[liquorman42]

As far as a pectin Haze goes, I don't think you will notice anything different about texture or taste. For myself, I enjoy a need being clear. It's a personal thing

That is understandable. Thanks for the quick reply. Did you see my other question above as well? I think I posted it right as you replied to this one

 

[MightyMosin]

Do you think the yeast could restart from round 2 od fruit after it's been dormant for a week and being transferred to a colder location?

They can absolutely start up again unless you have done one or more of these:
They are at or above alcohol tolerance.
You have pasteurized your mead
You have sterile filtered the mead (very expensive)
You have used some chemicals to stabilize the mead.

Keep in mind that if the yeast are barely at or over the tolerance, that adding fruit means adding water and that dilutes ABV and could start the yeast up again.

 

[Raptor99]

@liquorman42 I see that @MightyMosin has already answered most of your questions. Just to make one thing clear:

Then I plan on dissolving 10 grams of 71b yeast in some water and adding it in the container.

12.6 grams of Go-Ferm diluted into 250ml of water.
10 grams of 71B yeast.
19.1 grams of Fermaid-O... if you stagger it over several days you would add 4.8 grams each of those 4 days.

The Go-Ferm gets dissolved in 250 ml of warm water, about 95-100 degrees F. You rehydrate the yeast in that for 15-20 min. to let the yeast wake up and get started, then you add that to your must. The Fermaid-O is added to the must according to a schedule (e.g. 1/4 of the total each day for 4 days).