Going deep

[Shine0n]

I jumped into mead making back in August last year with both feet running ,Ha Ha

I just finished racking that first raspberry melomel for the final time, it's sweet, very much berry flavor and will be ready for the bottle very soon for what's actually left of it. It probably could've been bottled a while ago but I kept seeing sediment settle so I racked.

Starting out I knew how to ferment but didn't take into consideration the amount of time and patience needed to make a really good mead, now I have a bit of knowledge, understanding protocols and a little more patience and respect for this wonderful hobby.

I still have a way to go and thanks to this forum and it's members I have hope for my meads.

I probably have more than I need (right!) and I'll give you the list of current projects I'm working with.
Raspberry melomel 5 gal
Blueberry blossom traditional 3 gal
Traditional orange blossom oak aged 2 months 2.5 gal
Traditional orange blossom 2.5 gal
Blueberry melomel 3 gal

Multiple 1 gal batches for experiments by adding fruits after the first racking.
peach
raspberry/blueberry
ginger/orange zest
strawberry
strawberry/lemon zest

All are with standard 3 lbs per gal and 1/3 sugar break nutrients addition (fermaid o)

I've not used DAP for anything but that's subject to change if someone points me in that direction with solid evidence it's better than the current way I'm going.
I know it's a matter of preference but I'm always willing to learn and alway wanting to improve my skills.

Thanks for reading and a big thanks to those mead makers who share their stories for us new folk.

Shine0n

 

[madscientist451]

That's a lot of mead. You may want to change it up and try making some beer strength meads and cysers. They will generally be ready to drink faster.

 

[Shine0n]

I do want to do a hydromel, I'm looking into different recipes for something that catches my eye.

Any suggestions?

I think I'm looking for flavors as the traditional is great but I want to explore and enjoy at the same time, ya know.

I figure that if I make a good stock, I'll have options to choose during different gatherings at our home.

I'm reading about food and mead combos and I love to cook and love a good pour.

Plus I like to give a gift of something I made not a store bought brew. Makes it a little more personal IMHO

 

[bernardsmith]

For lower ABV meads (hydromels , or "session meads" ) you might check out the recipes published by Groennfell Meadery. They treat their recipes as "open source" rather than proprietary. Their "open" secret is to ferment at higher temperatures, (creating more esters to compensate for the reduced flavor caused by the reduced amounts of honey (1- 1.5 lbs/gallon)), to carbonate, and to use the very best ingredients you can find. They say that they are selling their meads 5 weeks after pitching the yeast (D47).

 

[Shine0n]

Thanks a bunch, I'm definitely going to look into that.

 

[Shine0n]

Thanks for that info, I've never really thought of less honey, higher heats during fermentation to create esters, good stuff!

Thanks again

 

[biochemedic]

Not to toot my own horn, but my hopped mead recipe also turns around as quickly as a batch of beer. I *don't* ferment at higher temps (I keep it to ale temps of ~62-65*F), and I get plenty of flavor between the hops and the backsweetening honey.

 

[Shine0n]

Thanks for that link, I've read it and it looks pretty good and will give it a go in the near future.
I did However start a 1 gal batch and an og of 1.080, I put in the nutrients upfront and it's fermenting at 75f.
I want to see what kind of esters this will put off just for S&G's

I have some racking to do today on a couple batches and clean some carboys out and get them stored away for a while then get ready to watch the upset of the year when the Jags take down Brady and the Pats. Yeah one can wish right

I'll be doing some small 1 gal batches until later this spring while I'm tapping my maples and making syrup for the year.

If I can have a good year with it I might make a maple something or another 1gal trial. I want my syrup more than the wine!

 

[bob1852]

That's a lot of mead. You may want to change it up and try making some beer strength meads and cysers. They will generally be ready to drink faster.

All of my meads are ready in ~6 weeks. It's amazing what modern nutrient schedules and a few extra tricks can do.

 

[GrandwizzardGillias]

I'm on month 3 for most of my one Gallon starts fermenting at 65-68° I can't seem to figure out why it is taking so much longer to finish fermenting I started at 1.15 hoping for a good sweet finish with d47

 

[Shine0n]

I usually start my ferments at 85f and place them in the closet where I have a constant 65f for the duration.

1.15 is high imo and I get a nice sweet (more Simi sweet) with 1.120 and cold crash at 1.020, stabilize it there and backsweeten it to whatever I desire.

Most of my one gallon meads ferment out around 2 weeks at that temp with D47 and degassing every day for 5 days, I also put the nutes in up front in a 1 gal batch. (Fermaid o)

 

[bernardsmith]

I'm on month 3 for most of my one Gallon starts fermenting at 65-68° I can't seem to figure out why it is taking so much longer to finish fermenting I started at 1.15 hoping for a good sweet finish with d47

Hi GradwizardGillias - and welcome. You are surprised that it is taking so long to ferment? I am surprised that it is fermenting altogether.

At 1.150 you are talking about 4.25 lbs of honey in a gallon of water. That is about 1.5 quarts of honey in the gallon carboy. That starting gravity is a bit like expecting someone to swim in a pool filled with syrup

Your experience may be very different but I don't know any yeast that would be comfortable being asked to transport that kind of concentration of sugars through cells walls. If I were to want to make such a mead I would step feed the yeast with honey and not dump the whole batch in at once. In other words, start at 1.105 (3 lbs of honey to make 1 gallon) and then add another 1/2 lb when they have almost reduced that to 1.000 and then add another half pound when they have almost reduced that once again to 1.000 and the rest of the honey at some later stage.

 

[GrandwizzardGillias]

There Was only 3lbs of honey to begin with but being my first go I probably read the hydrometer wrong

 

[bernardsmith]

Ah.. so 1 pound of honey mixed with water to make 1 gallon will raise the gravity of the water to 1.035, and 3 lbs to make the same 1 gallon will raise the gravity to 1.105 - so it may not have been a misreading but a typo.. That said, if you simply sprinkled the yeast on top and didn't rehydrate the yeast properly you may have lost a very large % of the yeast cells, so you would be starting with a relatively speaking small yeast colony but working with such a relatively high gravity must you really need a very large colony at the out set.

 

[Shine0n]

Ken Schramm uses 71B which he states could handle such a high gravity but he also finishes with a very high reading on some of his melomels.

I've not used it yet but still wouldn't want a gravity at 1.15.

Maybe was a typo or not using a temp correct reaxing