GROUP BREW: Strawberry Mead

[jaxn]

Yes wait 24 hours before you pitch as camden will kill your yeast fast. I used the camden as to deter any wild yeast from interfering with my batchs. I typically use fresh picked berries right from the farm, so there is no telling whats on them. LOL

1/3 honey to 2/3 water usually gives you a reading of 1.150 on your hydrometer. Strawberries will drop your SG to about 1.128 or so being they do not have a high concentration of sugar in them. So your right one the money or real close. I highly suggest you get a hydrometer or using one on every batch. Its the only real way you can reproduce a winning mead.

When taking your specific gravity when using fruit, use a turkey baster and syphone below the cap. This leaves the chunks behind. YMVV

Sweet. Thanks for the tips, yo.

I'll take the OG tonight before I pitch. :rockin:

 

[Poobah58]

Crap, forgot to buy strawberries today!

 

[jaxn]

I just mixed it up really well. Got the strawberries and everything pretty well mixed and an OG of 1.138. Then I mixed it up again and got an OG of 1.115.

Do you guys typically have trouble getting good OG readings with this much fruit floating around and dissolving in primary?

I pitched the 1116 today. I'll just take another SG reading tomorrow and figure out which was closer.

 

[cheesecake]

i might be in on this one....just have to pick up the ingredients anyone break this down for a 3 gallon batch yet..

 

[jrss13]

I just started my 1 gallon batch (OG 1.140). I only used half of my yeast packet... and have left over honey... plus an empty 1 gallon carboy. I guess I need to go get more strawberries to start a second batch... because I'm pretty sure this stuff is gonna go fast once its finished.

 

[flyweed]

I too started my batch today..I am going to be using a yeast starter..it is on the stirplate now, and will pitch tomorrow. I will post my initial measurements at that point. Hope you are all doing well. Yomamma...did you get another batch whipped up???

 

[vulture1963]

I just mixed it up really well. Got the strawberries and everything pretty well mixed and an OG of 1.138. Then I mixed it up again and got an OG of 1.115.

Do you guys typically have trouble getting good OG readings with this much fruit floating around and dissolving in primary?

I pitched the 1116 today. I'll just take another SG reading tomorrow and figure out which was closer.

I have made a recipe like this 4 or 5 times now: http://www.utahpagans.org/StrawberryBanana.html

The chopped up (I use frozen) berries make it virtually impossible to get an accurate gravity reading, so I take the reading before adding the berries - I like 1.142 at about 4.2 gallons.

The cap can be a pain. BE VERY CAREFUL when degassing this thing or feeding it. IT WILL FOAM-UP LIKE NOTHING ELSE!

 

[flyweed]

yep...don't put a lid on, or airlock at this point...keep a lint free, cotton cloth over the top of it..so you can punch and watch for "overflow"

Dan

 

[Poobah58]

Holy crap, $42 for 16# of frozen strawberries!!!

 

[flyweed]

yeah..but it is gonna be $42 worth of drinking goodness!!

 

[jaxn]

yep...don't put a lid on, or airlock at this point...keep a lint free, cotton cloth over the top of it..so you can punch and watch for "overflow"

Dan

Yeah. After 2 consecutive mornings of waking up to an airlock 5ft from the fermenter and stawberry sludge all over the place, I'm changing to a blow-off tube. :cross:

Holy crap, $42 for 16# of frozen strawberries!!!

Yeah. It was about the same for me.

 

[Poobah58]

Got mine started. Only put 1/2 the honey in for now. Gonna split it up into two 3-gal batches and add Zinfidel juice to one. Will put more honey in other batch during secondary.

 

[jaxn]

I added some more Ferm K and DAP today (day3), then stirred. About 3 seconds into stirring, my carboy turned into Old Faithful. I just stared in awe for a few seconds then grabbed the blow-off tube. It's still going.

Strawberry is everywhere!

 

[flyweed]

LOL...I just pitched my 1116 this morning. SO my batch is now going. My initial readings before pitching yeast are: Temp: 65F S.G. 1.138 or 33 brix.

So now, time to watch and wait for the strawberry blowoff to start.

 

[jrss13]

I pitched my yeast almost 48 hours ago. How long til i should start seeing activity?

 

[jaxn]

I pitched my yeast almost 48 hours ago. How long til i should start seeing activity?

That's about when it started for me.

 

[Poobah58]

I pitched my yeast almost 48 hours ago. How long til i should start seeing activity?

Only takes a few hours to see activity.
1) Did you rehydrate with Go-Ferm?
2) Did you use nutrients?
3) Did you aerate at innoculation.
4) Did you aerate the next day?
5. Are you punching the cap down several times a day?

 

[Poobah58]

Poobah's Strawberry Pizazz Brew Log:

15.0 lbs Honey (7# Wildflower, 6# Blackberry, 2# Blueberry)
0.5 gals Zinfandel Blush Grape Juice
12.0 lbs Strawberry (Pri)
4.0 lbs Strawberry (Sec)
0.5 lb Coconut Shreds, Dried (Sec)
3.0 Vanilla Beans (Sec)
1 Pkgs Lalvin - K1V-1116

Notes:
As you can see I deviated a bit. Really wanted to use the grape juice up. Also wanted a drier mead. I just bottled a sweeter one last month.

1/24/10: Mixed honey, added strawberries and 5 campden tabs. OG: 24 Brix (1.103).
1/25: Morning: Added 1.5 tsp pectin (all I had). Evening: Rehydrated yeast with Go-Ferm. Added 4.5g Fermaid-K & DAP. Pitched and aerated w/oxygen.
1/26: Aerated with O2. SG = 22 Brix (1.084).
1/27: Added 2.8g Fermaid-K & DAP. 20 Brix (1.070)
1/28: Added 1.8g Ferm-K & DAP. 16 Brix (1.041)
1/29: 14 Brix (1.028)
1/30: 10.5 Brix (1.005)
1/31: 10 Brix (1.002)
2/1: Racked to secondary, 9 Brix (0.995). Added strawberries.
3/10: Racked, added coconut, vanilla and 2# honey w/water.

 

[jrss13]

I used a yeast nutrienr prior to pitching... as well as energizer twice now. I've stored it up multiple times and left a paper towel on top to allow air in. It is in a closet at about 60 degrees... I've had no problem getting my regular mead going down in my basement at 52. Should I pitch more yeast?

 

[Poobah58]

What happens when you give it a stir? Does it foam up? What was the OG and what is it now?

 

[YoMomma]

18lbs Strawberries (frozen then thawed)
14lbs Micgigan Wildflower honey
Water to 5 gallons
10g DAP
10g Fermaid
10g Kv-1116 Rehydrated in 105F must for 15 min.
OG after fruit 1.129
Pitched 10:00 pm EST 1-24-10
Lag was reached 7am EST 1-25-10 Punched Cap
Added 5g DAP and 5g Fermaid aerated heavily for 2 min.
SG 1.122
Punched Cap 12:00pm and 4:00pm Aerated both times for 1 min.

SG 1.102 1-26-10 @ 6:30am EST Areated 2 min.

 

[Ryan]

Are you guys adding the strawberries to primary? I am going to get it going this weekend, but I think I might add them to secondary. I have read that fruit in the primary can lead to less flavor and aroma. Thoughts?

 

[flyweed]

in this recipe..you are suppose to add all ingredients to the primary.

 

[Poobah58]

Mine didn't fit so I will be adding some to secondary.

 

[Poobah58]

YoMomma, that's a lot of nutrient and DAP for a 5-gal batch!

 

[flyweed]

Yomamma's recipe has changed a bit in the above post, from the original. Including the original said to pitch 5g -1116 after 2 hours of rehydration in must.

Just curious as to why those changes??

Dan

 

[jrss13]

I pitched yeast 72 hours ago and still not seeing activity. I've added 1 tsp of energizer 3 separate times and have stirred and shaken the hell out of it. Og was 1.140. Should I add more yeast at this point?

 

[jaxn]

I forgot to post my log, so here goes...

1/21
18lbs clover honey
17lbs frozen strawberries (mostly thawed)
3.25 gallons filtered tap water (to 6.5 gallons in carboy)
3 campden tablets crushed

OG 1.138

1/22
2 tsp CaCO3 (to get pH from 3.3 to 3.9)
1 tsp (~4g) Fermaid K
1 tsp (~4g) DAP
10g 1116 rehydrated in filtered tap water 15 minutes
mixed well with lees stirrer

1/23
1/2 tsp Fermaid K
1/2 tsp DAP
mixed well with lees stirrer
(airlock blew off overnight, strawberries everywhere)

1/24
1/2 tsp Fermaid K
1/2 tsp DAP
mixed well with lees stirrer
(airlock blew off overnight, again, strawberries everywhere. Then it really exploded when I mixed with the lees stirrer. I finally wised up and started using my blow-off tube.)

1/26
SG 1.064
pH 3.3

Should I be worried about a pH of 3.3 at this point? Or would it be better to just ride it out and see where it goes?

 

[Nurmey]

I got mine mixed tonight and sitting on campden tabs. Accidentally made 5 gallons instead of the 4 gallons so it will be a little weaker than planned (OG 1.126).

I put in my biggest bucket but after reading the original thread at Got Mead and this one, I think I will ferment this in my utility sink with the lid loosely sitting on top.

 

[YoMomma]

The original recipe is the one that I could recreate and used for 3 batches. I changed it a little due to Bnektars protocol which caused the ferment to go a little faster. A vigorous ferment is the best and thought I would try it out at home. We shall see. Thats why we have a group brew right. Little variations leads to a better mead!