GROUP BREW: Strawberry Mead

[flyweed]

Jaxn...you got your airlock and lid on way too early. You should just have that thing covered with a lint free cloth for now....

 

[jaxn]

Jaxn...you got your airlock and lid on way too early. You should just have that thing covered with a lint free cloth for now....

Ok. How long is good to wait until putting on the airlock?

 

[jrss13]

I finally started seeing activity at 96 hours. I think mine started slowly because it was initially in my basement at too cold of a temp for first 48 hours. Anyways... today when I got home it was looking a little different. I gave it a good stir and it began overflowing with foam. I'm keeping just a cloth on it for now... to allow a lot of air in and out.

 

[flyweed]

You'll want to keep the lid off and just covered with a cloth so you can continue to aerate down to 1.100 and then you can put on your lid and airlock when you hit 1.030 or close to that.

 

[jaxn]

You'll want to keep the lid off and just covered with a cloth so you can continue to aerate down to 1.100 and then you can put on your lid and airlock when you hit 1.030 or close to that.

Interesting. I've heard of people doing that but never described as a necessity or with such a specific timeline.

I've just been whipping it up for a few minutes once a day for ~3 days with a lees stirrer with good results, but I'll give this a go on my next batch.

What is the logic behind leaving it exposed to ambient air for 3/4 of fermentation? I thought aerating was just intended for the first 1/3 of sugar break. Wouldn't 1.100 be a more appropriate time to add the airlock?

 

[YoMomma]

Well for one its ease of enterance for aerating. For 2 imagine living in an enclosed area with just a small hole to breath out of. Hard HUH? There is so much CO coming off your fermentation that its hard for it to push through that little opening. Also being that there is so much CO coming off, nothing can enter, and if it did it wouldn't live long. The next time you open that airlocked bucket stick your head in and get a sniff...........Then add a towel to it for 12 hours and do it again and see which way makes your yeast happier. The ease of airchanges for your yeast makes it easier for them to do there job. It has been said many times that happy yeast makes a happy mead.



I aerate until the 2/3 sugar break. Some do exactly what you do and aerate until 1.100. Both will do fine if it works for you. The reason I dont airlock so early is, I like my ferment to be just about finished before I rack. When you rack you kickstart the ferment again or in your case make it even stronger. Then the CO trying to release is concentrated out that little opening causing it to explode, also known as MEADSPLOSION. You end up with a sticky mess instead of keeping the nectar in your bucket.

 

[jaxn]

Well for one its ease of enterance for aerating. For 2 imagine living in an enclosed area with just a small hole to breath out of. Hard HUH? There is so much CO coming off your fermentation that its hard for it to push through that little opening. Also being that there is so much CO coming off, nothing can enter, and if it did it wouldn't live long. The next time you open that airlocked bucket stick your head in and get a sniff...........Then add a towel to it for 12 hours and do it again and see which way makes your yeast happier. The ease of airchanges for your yeast makes it easier for them to do there job. It has been said many times that happy yeast makes a happy mead.

I struggle to put myself in the yeast's shoes since I wouldn't survive completely immersed in juice and honey anyway.

But you guys definitely know more about this than I do, so I'll certainly give it a whirl on my next batch.

 

[flyweed]

Yep..what yomamma said..I LOVE the smell of a good mead "fermenting" away with just a towel over it..you can tell those yeasties are happy by how much activity you see up on your fruit. (lots of bubbling and movement) and it smells really nice too. when you close off that air with a lid...it really starts smelling like alcohol and NOT the nice honey and fruit aroma's you get now..and you also will start a co2 buildup in your must.

I will keep my lid and airlock off until I hit 1.030, and then I'll rack off the fruit into secondary and then airlock it, and let it finish down to about 1.015.

Dan

 

[jrss13]

When I get to 1.030 and rack off the strawberries... should I top off with water to leave as little headspace as possible?

 

[YoMomma]

Yes sir.... You should leaveas little space as possible. That stops the space for spoilage organisms to grow. Less room the less chance.

 

[jaxn]

Since I'm doing primary in glass anyway, should I just keep mine in there until it hits 1.015?

 

[YoMomma]

Well, first I would go to your local donut shop and get a frosting bucket. Usually they give them out for free and use that for your primary.

Your glass will be fine until 1.015 if you want. I have never brewed fruit in a glass jug, other than JAO. So I really cant help with experience, however through thought..........you probably wanna rack off your lees at around 1.020 due to the taste of yeastiness. You also have a sludge with tons of seeds that with over tanin your mead. IMHO

1-27-10 broke my hydrometer

 

[jaxn]

Well, first I would go to your local donut shop and get a frosting bucket. Usually they give them out for free and use that for your primary.

Your glass will be fine until 1.015 if you want. I have never brewed fruit in a glass jug, other than JAO. So I really cant help with experience, however through thought..........you probably wanna rack off your lees at around 1.020 due to the taste of yeastiness. You also have a sludge with tons of seeds that with over tanin your mead. IMHO

1-27-10 broke my hydrometer

Thanks for the tips. I wouldn't have thought of a frosting bucket. But I have lots (too many according to SWMBO ) of buckets already that I can use. It wasn't a matter of not having the equipment, it was more that I hadn't realized how vital a bucket was for a mead primary.

How are you planning to rack? This strawberry sludge has me anxious. I was thinking of tying a hop sock around my auto-siphon.

 

[jrss13]

I only did a 1 gallon batch... so I am using a 1 gallon carboy. I know once I take out the 3 lbs of strawberries (and sludge)... I am going to have a lot of headspace. There isn't any problem topping off with water is there?

 

[flyweed]

Just an update on my batch of Strawberry Pizazz......I am following Hightests standard Nutrient additions. I am punching the cap twice daily and aerating for 2 minutes. My strawberries have all but disappeared and turned into a foamy sludge "cap" now. Foam has died down some during aeration.

1/28/10: Temp: 70F and S.G. 1.080 (light pink color, great strawberry smell)

2/01/10: Temp 70F and S.G. 1.020 (light pink color, pleasing strawberry/honey smell, strong, HOT taste right now.

Tomorrow I'll be racking off the sludge into secondary and airlocking.

Dan

 

[Poobah58]

Racked mine to secondary. What a fight. Shoulda used a grain bag!

 

[flyweed]

HOLY BEJEEBERS...I racked this to secondary and topped off with water, and the renewed activity is sending foam up through my airlock!! Got it in the kitchen sink for the night!! I am getting about 4 or 5 bubbles per second right now!!!

Dan

 

[Poobah58]

HOLY BEJEEBERS...I racked this to secondary and topped off with water, and the renewed activity is sending foam up through my airlock!! Got it in the kitchen sink for the night!! I am getting about 4 or 5 bubbles per second right now!!!
Dan

What was the SG when you racked?

 

[flyweed]

my SG last night before racking was 1.020 at 70F..this was a measurement taken after punching the cap again , and aerating and then letting settle a bit. taken off the bottom of my fermentation vessel..so only liquid, no chunks, seeds or nothing.

 

[lucasszy]

Is it too late to join this brew session?

 

[Grancru]

I am in if detailed instructions are provided. This will be my second attempt at mead. !st is a Medium Show Mead from Ken Schramm. Sounds very interesting.

 

[flyweed]

Just another update...after that Crazy restart after racking 2 days ago....my carboy has now settled down and I am getting about 1 bubble every 3 or 4 minutes. Still a nice orangish/pink color, cloudy.

Dan

 

[flyweed]

Wow..no posts lately here...how ya'll doin???? How's it look and smell? I assume you are all at the "aging" part now, so not much to talk about.

 

[Poobah58]

Looking good!

 

[YoMomma]

Sorry for the delay. I was out of town.

Racked to secondary.
SG 1.018
PH 3.7
Temp 68F
1-2 beats per 5 min. so almost done
Starting to clear with a nice rosey orangish pink kind of color. Taste is kinda hot as all young meads are. Nose is Strawberry through the front with a good hint of Goldenrod smell at the end. I am guessing thats from the late hervest honey.

All is well, now the slow drudge of aging it for 3 months before bottling.

 

[jaxn]

9 days ago it was at 1.024, pH 3.5. It tasted of sour strawberry but was still drinkable.

I finally got a chance to rack to secondary tonight. Holy smokes! 1.001 and SUPER HOT!!! That puts my ABV at almost 18%! Yikes.

I think I'll put it on some more honey and strawberries in tertiary and age for a while longer. But we'll see how it tastes in three months.

 

[bob1852]

9 pages of a group mead brew and no pr0n? Come on, where's the strawberry mead group pr0n?

 

[jaxn]

I did a no-no by going straight to glass. But here is mine on day -1. I'll have to take a current photo.

 

[bob1852]

wow. Have fun cleaning up that mess after you rack!

 

[jaxn]

wow. Have fun cleaning up that mess after you rack!

It's funny. Everyone said that, but it mostly went like a typical racking. :fro: