Getting into Mead, My journey

[MX1]

And
Could not find loose Oranges so I bought some Clementines how much peel should I use

Or can I just cut 2 up and toss it in

 

[Dan O]

And
Could not find loose Oranges so I bought some Clementines how much peel should I use

Or can I just cut 2 up and toss it in

2 should work fine in place of oranges

 

[MX1]

With adding orange and spices and such do I need to use a camp den tablet

If so how many for a gallon and how long should I wait to pitch yeast

 

[Dan O]

With adding orange and spices and such do I need to use a camp den tablet

If so how many for a gallon and how long should I wait to pitch yeast

If you're zesting the orange, there's no worry for it. Pitch right away.

 

[MX1]

Ok one more and sorry for all the questions, will the craisens be an"ok" sub for the currants, there are non around me

 

[MX1]

Starting these tomorrow:

1.2 Gallon Batch: JOA-ish BOMM

3lb OB Honey
Peels from 2 Cuties
1/2 Small whole Clove
1/2 Nutmeg Berry
1 All-spice Berry
1 Vanilla bean
Wyeast 1388

1.2 Gallon Batch BOMM

3lb OB Honey
Wyeast 1388


Will follow the SNA feeding protocol for both, I hope to have some pics tomorrow

 

[Dan O]

Ok one more and sorry for all the questions, will the craisens be an"ok" sub for the currants, there are non around me

The cranberries will give a bit of a different flavor, but, yes they will work. Craisins tend to have a slight oil on them though, so, I would give them a good long rinse with hot water & rubbed dry with paper towels before using them. Hopefully it get some of the oil off of them before adding to the must.
Good luck!
Happy meading

 

[MX1]

The cranberries will gi e a bit of a different flavor, but, yes they will work. Craisins tend to have a slight oil on them though, so, I would give them a good long rinse with hot water & rubbed dry with paper towels before using them. Hopefully it get some of the oil off of them before adding to the must.
Good luck!
Happy meading

For this Mead, I am going to skip them. The only JOAM that has currants in it is the Good Dr.'s so I am going with plane above.
Will start cleaning and prepping after coffee....

 

[Dan O]

For this Mead, I am going to skip them. The only JOAM that has currants in it is the Good Dr.'s so I am going with plane above.
Will start cleaning and prepping after coffee....

Don't rush, take accurate notes. I use this sheet as a guide to help me keep good notes.

 

[bwible]

You have a pleathora of wine yeasts to choose from instead of 1388 which is a diasticus strain, if you have trouble getting it. 71B 47D champagne strains etc.

Yes, a half tsp would be okay.

1388 is Saison yeast. It works at slightly warmer temps and I think thats why people think it works in a one month mead. Being a saison yeast it is going to contribute a flavor that a more neutral wine yeast will not.

I always thought of mead as wine, not beer. I have always used wine yeast whenever I’ve made mead. I have never used beer yeast. So I can’t really comment on that. It just stands to reason that if yeast contributes a flavor to a beer then there is no reason to think it won’t contribute flavor to mead. I have heard of people using Munton’s dried ale yeast and saying it makes a peach flavor.

I’ve had decent results with D47, RC212, and I once used a dessert wine yeast.

I don’t care for Belgian beers or Saisons myself, but thats me. So I would never use those yeasts in mead. Or anything.

 

[MX1]

OK, the Must are made, both have a starting OG of 1.087
Now, I am waiting on my Smack Packs to swell.... never had much luck with those, not really a fan
I thought I popped the inner packet, then checks 30 min later and nothing seemed to be going on, but I don't think I actually popped it
So I tried again, now I am waiting, and it is unusually cold today...so that is not helping either.

If I have to, I did pick up a pack of Mangrove Jace mead yeast, and I have a ton of neutral ale yeast or I can run and get some bread yeast for the JOA

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

1388 is Saison yeast. It works at slightly warmer temps and I think thats why people think it works in a one month mead. Being a saison yeast it is going to contribute a flavor that a more neutral wine yeast will not.

I always thought of mead as wine, not beer. I have always used wine yeast whenever I’ve made mead. I have never used beer yeast. So I can’t really comment on that. It just stands to reason that if yeast contributes a flavor to a beer then there is no reason to think it won’t contribute flavor to mead. I have heard of people using Munton’s dried ale yeast and saying it makes a peach flavor.

I’ve had decent results with D47, RC212, and I once used a dessert wine yeast.

I don’t care for Belgian beers or Saisons myself, but thats me. So I would never use those yeasts in mead. Or anything.

Yes, there’s a benefit to being able to ferment on the warm side and many wine yeasts allow for that. I read some brewers are experimenting with kveiks in mead, but I haven’t tasted nor read about results.

 

[MX1]

So as per my usual results with Wyeast Smack Packs, I got no significant signs of activity after about 3 hours.
I pitched the yeast last night and the inner packets were broken open. I know you can pitch without swelling...just not optimal.
I have some Mangrove Jacks Mead yeast being delivered today if there is not sign of activity when I get home from work tonight.

 

[Miraculix]

1388 is Saison yeast. It works at slightly warmer temps and I think thats why people think it works in a one month mead. Being a saison yeast it is going to contribute a flavor that a more neutral wine yeast will not.

I always thought of mead as wine, not beer. I have always used wine yeast whenever I’ve made mead. I have never used beer yeast. So I can’t really comment on that. It just stands to reason that if yeast contributes a flavor to a beer then there is no reason to think it won’t contribute flavor to mead. I have heard of people using Munton’s dried ale yeast and saying it makes a peach flavor.

I’ve had decent results with D47, RC212, and I once used a dessert wine yeast.

I don’t care for Belgian beers or Saisons myself, but thats me. So I would never use those yeasts in mead. Or anything.

Many of the specific flavour precursors that make beer yeast create the "beer" flavour are absent in fruit juice and honey. So the flavour expression of a beer yeast can be dramatically different when comparing fermenting grain derived wort and honey based must.

A lot of these beer yeast become surprisingly clean when fermenting honey with sufficient additional nutrients.

 

[Dan O]

So as per my usual results with Wyeast Smack Packs, I got no significant signs of activity after about 3 hours.
I pitched the yeast last night and the inner packets were broken open. I know you can pitch without swelling...just not optimal.
I have some Mangrove Jacks Mead yeast being delivered today if there is not sign of activity when I get home from work tonight.

Give it a chance....@ least 72 hrs of no signs of life before you repitch.
Yeast go through a lag phase when introduced to the must. Depending on how strong the colony is @ time of pitch & how high your gravity is will determ
ine how fast your yeast starts fermenting.
Patience, grasshopper

 

[MX1]

Give it a chance....@ least 72 hrs of no signs of life before you repitch.
Yeast go through a lag phase when introduced to the must. Depending on how strong the colony is @ time of pitch & how high your gravity is will determ
ine how fast your yeast starts fermenting.
Patience, grasshopper

Yeah, I am used to a lag at times, with all that diluted sugar, was not sure how long I could wait, but I can wait 72 hrs if that is a real thing.
The YTB protocol says that SNA is not a thing with SG of 1.090 or less and mine was 1.087, and to add 3.67g (IIRC) upfront, that I did...but I am thinking I might add another 1.5g tomorrow or the next day

 

[Miraculix]

Yeah, I am used to a lag at times, with all that diluted sugar, was not sure how long I could wait, but I can wait 72 hrs if that is a real thing.
The YTB protocol says that SNA is not a thing with SG of 1.090 or less and mine was 1.087, and to add 3.67g (IIRC) upfront, that I did...but I am thinking I might add another 1.5g tomorrow or the next day

Why?

 

[MX1]

Why?

because I was on the cusp of the gravities mainly, but also because of the issue I am having with my yeast
will adding more Fermaid hurt?

 

[Dan O]

because I was on the cusp of the gravities mainly, but also because of the issue I am having with my yeast
will adding more Fermaid hurt?

Don't over feed it. Give it a chance to work

 

[MX1]

 

[Miraculix]

because I was on the cusp of the gravities mainly, but also because of the issue I am having with my yeast
will adding more Fermaid hurt?

If you calculated the amount correctly, the amount will already be on the upper edge of what is managable by the yeast. More might hurt the taste.

 

[DBhomebrew]

I've made five BOMMs this past year, my first foray into mead. Each of them has had a whiff of meaty off-aroma and -flavor. On my last BOMM I made sure to rack it off its lees asap, still got the slight meatiness. Too much nutrient?

On my last mead, still finishing in the primary, I decided to go with one of the TOSNAs (~1/2 the nutrients of a BOMM), all else just like a BOMM. This batch smells super clean, I'm looking forward to tasting.

TL; DR: +1 above, don't go willy-nilly with the nutrients.

 

[MX1]

BOMM had signs of life or at least the airlock was bubbling...slow...I had water in the airlock to help alert me and to keep stuff out of it but have removed the water.
Still waiting on the JOA

 

[Dan O]

BOMM had signs of life or at least the airlock was bubbling...slow...I had water in the airlock to help alert me and to keep stuff out of it but have removed the water.
Still waiting on the JOA

Why remove the water?

 

[MX1]

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/brays-one-month-mead.429241/#post-5569559
At the bottom, do not want to "Void the Warranty"

 

[MX1]

Both meads going this morning!
Swirled to degas

 

[Dan O]

Both meads going this morning!
Swirled to degas

Pays to wait & see it come to life instead of rushing, right?

 

[bwible]

So as per my usual results with Wyeast Smack Packs, I got no significant signs of activity after about 3 hours.
I pitched the yeast last night and the inner packets were broken open. I know you can pitch without swelling...just not optimal.
I have some Mangrove Jacks Mead yeast being delivered today if there is not sign of activity when I get home from work tonight.

I’ve never seen a smack pack swell in 3 hours. The old rule of thumb is that it takes 1 day for every 3 months old the smack pack is. It used to be easier to tell before Wyeast changed their date codes. Sometimes they can take 3 or 4 days. I’ve used smack packs that were older than a year and they took about a week.

 

[MX1]

If:
Acerglyn, Braggot, Cyser are STYLES of mead
what do you call the dryness category of mead?

 

[MX1]

Working on this, any input will be helpful
The sugar break uses the following formula break=OG-(OG-FG)/3