Hydromel! Please help me ♥

[Siara]

Hello! Some time ago I tasted hydromel for the first time in a pub and I loved it.
I looked it up and I tried to make 5 liters on my own but I need a little help. I need to tell you that I didn't do anything that would allow me to measure the alcoholic degree.
I will tell you what I used in short:
* 4 liters of water
* 2 Kg of mixed flowers (wild flowers) honey
* Between 3 and 3.2 grams of yeast for hydromel

The hydromel has been sitting in a 5 liters bottle for 1 month, then as recommended I transferred it into another 5 liters bottle trying to get rid of the deposit at the bottom of the first bottle (and I failed at it). In both cases, I used a bubbler cap. Now it has been almost 2 weeks that it is sitting in the second bottle and, as far as I know, it is time to transfer it in smaller bottles and leave it alone for at least 3 months. I will transfer it in the bottles by filtering it through a funnel with a cloth filter that I bought, hoping that this way the deposit at the bottom of the bottle will be caught in the filter.

My doubt now is the following: after one month and half the hydromel is still bubbling.. I see one bubble every 15-20 seconds, is this normal? Is it safe to transfer it into the smaller bottles?
After transferring it into the smaller bottles, do I have to seal the bottle with a proper cap (those plastic caps with the rubber gasket)?

Thank you for your time

 

[MightyMosin]

You have not made a hydromel. That much honey into that little of water will yield a mead of ~ 14.5% ABV, while a Hydromel will usually be below 8 or 9% though often close to 6%. If your total mixed volume was 15L, then you would be about 5.5% ABV

You are likely going to have a bit of a wait on your time for the flavors to integrate and smooth.
Your yeast amount is fine, though hydrating it with Go-Ferm would have been recommended.

The airlock bubbling isn't the correct way to check it, but if it is all you have, then wait until its bubbling only once every minute or two before racking it again.

 

[Siara]

You have not made a hydromel. That much honey into that little of water will yield a mead of ~ 14.5% ABV, while a Hydromel will usually be below 8 or 9% though often close to 6%. If your total mixed volume was 15L, then you would be about 5.5% ABV

You are likely going to have a bit of a wait on your time for the flavors to integrate and smooth.
Your yeast amount is fine, though hydrating it with Go-Ferm would have been recommended.

The airlock bubbling isn't the correct way to check it, but if it is all you have, then wait until its bubbling only once every minute or two before racking it again.

Thank you for the answer! I literally checked multiple recipes and videos (I admit that they were all made in my country) and they all agreed on that amount of honey, so I went with it!
Is it normal that it is still bubbling that much after 1 month and half then?

How much honey should I have used for 5 liters of hydromel?

So when I see it bubbling once every minute I can transfer it into smaller bottles, right? Should I then use a cap that completely seals it?

 

[Maylar]

1 Kg of honey in 5 liters would be about 8% ABV.

 

[MightyMosin]

Thank you for the answer! I literally checked multiple recipes and videos (I admit that they were all made in my country) and they all agreed on that amount of honey, so I went with it!
Is it normal that it is still bubbling that much after 1 month and half then?

How much honey should I have used for 5 liters of hydromel?

So when I see it bubbling once every minute I can transfer it into smaller bottles, right? Should I then use a cap that completely seals it?

It can be normal for it to still be bubbling... it depends on fermentation conditions, temperature, etc. Atmospheric pressure differences can make it bubble as well.

When you bottle, you want it to be completely sealed to keep O2 out of the bottle.
The proper way is to use a hydrometer and verify that your fermentation is complete and when you are sure, then you bottle to avoid the possibility of a bottle exploding related to fermentation inside the bottle.

How does the mead taste? Is it something that you enjoy how it is, or will you plan on sweetening it some?

 

[Siara]

1 Kg of honey in 5 liters would be about 8% ABV.

Thank you very much!!

It can be normal for it to still be bubbling... it depends on fermentation conditions, temperature, etc. Atmospheric pressure differences can make it bubble as well.

When you bottle, you want it to be completely sealed to keep O2 out of the bottle.
The proper way is to use a hydrometer and verify that your fermentation is complete and when you are sure, then you bottle to avoid the possibility of a bottle exploding related to fermentation inside the bottle.

How does the mead taste? Is it something that you enjoy how it is, or will you plan on sweetening it some?

I didn't taste the mead yet and I wasn't planning on adding anything because it is my first time and I'd like to keep it simple! Next time I will try something more complex and I will make hydromel with 1Kg of honey then.

Here in the spoiler I put an image of a hydrometer, is that what I need to check if the fermentation is complete? How can I tell if it is? I really don't want to risk that the bottles might explode.

Spoiler: hydrometer

Thank you again for the help!

 

[MightyMosin]

That looks like a hydrometer. If it fermented all the sugar, it will read 1.000 or lower (maybe 0.998).

Sanitize the hydrometer and measure the gravity and write it down. Check it again in a week or so. If the numbers are the same then it should be done. If the numbers have changed, then wait until they are stable at least 1 week.

Prior to bottling, Potassium metabisulfite would be good to stabilize the mead... probably about .4 grams added to the 5 liters.

Here is another one
https://www.amazon.it/UKCOCO-Idrome...=1687132790&sprefix=hydromete,aps,194&sr=8-19
https://www-amazon-it.translate.goo...l=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
This can help you plan your next batch of mead
https://gotmead.com/blog/the-mead-calculator/

 

[Siara]

That looks like a hydrometer. If it fermented all the sugar, it will read 1.000 or lower (maybe 0.998).

Sanitize the hydrometer and measure the gravity and write it down. Check it again in a week or so. If the numbers are the same then it should be done. If the numbers have changed, then wait until they are stable at least 1 week.

Prior to bottling, Potassium metabisulfite would be good to stabilize the mead... probably about .4 grams added to the 5 liters.

Here is another one
https://www.amazon.it/UKCOCO-Idrome...=1687132790&sprefix=hydromete,aps,194&sr=8-19
https://www-amazon-it.translate.goo...l=auto&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=wapp
This can help you plan your next batch of mead
https://gotmead.com/blog/the-mead-calculator/

Thank you very much again and for the links as well!

When you say that the hydrometer should read 1.000, do you mean the "100" at the top of the hydrometer?

I checked the metabisulfite that you linked, in the description it says 2 grams for 10 liters, should I use then 1 gram or .4 like you said?

Again, about the metabisulfite: you said that I should add it before bottling. How long before bottling? do I need to stir it somehow?

 

[Maylar]

Thank you very much again and for the links as well!

When you say that the hydrometer should read 1.000, do you mean the "100" at the top of the hydrometer?

I checked the metabisulfite that you linked, in the description it says 2 grams for 10 liters, should I use then 1 gram or .4 like you said?

Again, about the metabisulfite: you said that I should add it before bottling. How long before bottling? do I need to stir it somehow?

Yes, 1.000 at the top of the hydrometer. Metabisulfate has 2 uses here, as a sanitizer and as an antioxidant. The 2 gram per 10 ltr mix is for a SANITIZER, a cleaning agent. The standard dose for wine or mead is a tiny 1/4 teaspoon for 5 gallons (19 liters). For smaller volumes we use something called Campden tablets. One crushed tablet per gallon. Mixed well. You can use it any time before bottling.

 

[MightyMosin]

The amount to use is based upon the volume you are treating and the pH of the mead. Not knowing the pH, I gave you a value that is middle of the road for your 5L of mead.

I would use the .4 grams. I'd add it to a small amount of your mead and mix it in well until it is dissolved and then add it back to the 5L batch. You can bottle after that point.

 

[amber-ale]

If this is your first mead, then try a JOAM.
Easy simple no special equipment (but using a bubbler is better if you have it)
Designed to use bread yeast, but ale yeast gives better flavours.
It must age at least 3 months after it has stopped fermenting, is better with longer aging
Harsh flavours age away faster if you use the juice, meat and zest of the orange, but throw away the most of the white pith

 

[Maylar]

The amount to use is based upon the volume you are treating and the pH of the mead. Not knowing the pH, I gave you a value that is middle of the road for your 5L of mead.

I would use the .4 grams. I'd add it to a small amount of your mead and mix it in well until it is dissolved and then add it back to the 5L batch. You can bottle after that point.

.4 grams sounds like an awful lot. 5 liters is just over a gallon and that would need 1/16th of a teaspoon. Tiny amount.

 

[Siara]

Thank you all of you for the help! I will get a hydrometer and then post a picture of the result as soon as I can!

@MightyMosin I bought these 2 products in the spoiler, are they fine? I found lots of hydrometers with different scales.. The metabisulfite is in a bag of 250 grams. It is a lot but it was more convenient than the little 10 grams bags because the latter had shipping costs. I will use it to sanitize the hydrometer, the test cylinder and all the stuff that I will use for the hydromel.

Spoiler: Pics

 

[MightyMosin]

.4 grams sounds like an awful lot. 5 liters is just over a gallon and that would need 1/16th of a teaspoon. Tiny amount.

As it is unknown, I used a pH closer to 4 than 3.
I believe I made an assumption of a pH around 3.6

The closer to 4, the amounts move up quite rapidly.

 

[Siara]

Should I buy the pH strips to check it?

 

[MightyMosin]

I've been told that the pH strips are not accurate enough to be of real use, which is why we use a pH meter. For my first mead, I didn't know enough to even make something proper and that mead needed a long time to be something that was close to enjoyable.

Honestly, I would tend to focus on learning more about the process and why things are done and then you will have a better understanding that should translate to making better mead. I think Hydromels are a good place to start as they ferment faster and are ready to drink faster and most new mead makers can be impatient.

Try reading through these:
https://www.youtobrew.com/mead-making-101
https://gotmead.com/blog/making-mead/mead-newbee-guide/the-newbee-guide-to-making-mead-index/

 

[Maylar]

We should reference Squatchy's podcasts here too. I learned a lot from them.

 

[Siara]

Thank you all again for the answers!
I got both the hydrometer and the metabisulfite and now I realized that I have a doubt about how to use the metabisulfite. I understood that I must put 0.4 grams in my 5 liters of mead. I also tested the hydrometer with water and it reads exactly 1.000 so it should be fairly accurate.

In addition on the package there's a label that tells you how much metabisulfite I should use to sanitize the objects that will come in contact with the mead, and here I was wondering: lets say that I wash bottles and the tools with water and metabisulfite. Do I have to re-wash everything with water only after I used the metabisulfite? Do I have to wait a certain amount of time for the metabisulfite to do its job?

 

[MightyMosin]

Clean all your items normally and rinse well to get all cleaning agents off. In this use, the metabisulfite is a santizer and not your cleaner.

I am unsure of the contact time, but i guess a 10 minute soak would be good.

Start with sanitizing a container to put your items into. After sanitizing each item, that item can be put into the sanitized container and allowed to mostly dry prior to immediate use.

@Maylar may have better instructions.

 

[Raptor99]

I usually allow 10 minutes for the metabisulfite to sanitize equipment. It sanitizes surfaces by the fumes that it creates, so it would work to put a small amount in a bottle, shake it up to coat all surfaces, and then cover it with plastic wrap for 10 minutes. After that you can dump it out of the bottle and you are good to go. Be sure you have a window open and/or a fan on, because the fumes are not good to breathe. I generally try to cover any containers I am using to sanitize tools with metabisulfite, both because it works better that way and so I don't have to breathe the fumes.

No, you don't want to rinse it off afterward. That would defeat the purpose of sanitizing it.

 

[Siara]

Thank you! I was also wondering if I could use the type of wine bottles that I posted below to store the mead. If yes, can I use a cork? Or must the cap be made of plastic? These bottles don't allow you to use a mechanical stopper. Will it be fine or is the mechanical stopper mandatory?

 

[Maylar]

Corked wine bottles are what most of us use.

 

[Raptor99]

For a still mead, any wine bottle will do. You will need to get some corks and a hand corker to insert them, something similar to this: https://www.amazon.com/Bottle-Standard-Belgian-Synthetic-Plastic/dp/B07KJ6QN7V.

If you want to carbonate your mead, you will need bottles that can withstand the pressure such as sparkling wine bottles or beer bottles.

 

[Siara]

Thank you! I will use corks then! In the next days I'll post a picture of the hydrometer test!

 

[Siara]

Okay I tested the mead with the hydrometer and.. unfortunately even if 1 months and about 3 weeks have passed, it is still far from the 1.000 mark.
Just as a reminder, I used 2 Kg of wild flowers honey in 4 liters of water (and I know now that it was too much honey).
I tasted the mead, I'm not an expert but it didn't taste too bad, you could definitely taste the alcohol and it was a bit sweet.
After testing I put 0.35 grams of metabisulfite in the cylinder, mixed well and then I put the test sample back with the other mead in the jar.

How long do you think that it will take before it gets to the 1.000 mark? Will it ever get there?
Here's the picture of the test

 

[Maylar]

After 7 weeks it's likely done. What yeast did you use, and what is the temperature?

 

[Siara]

After 7 weeks it's likely done. What yeast did you use, and what is the temperature?

I used this Swedish yeast, about 3 or 3.1 grams. It has good reviews and it said that it is for hydromel. Right now the temperature is about 25 C (77 F), when I started in May it was a lower though. I don't have an AC. Considering the hydrometer test above, what should I do? @MightyMosin if you feel feel like helping too, I really appreciate your help!

 

[Maylar]

Read up on "stuck mead fermentation" and see if any solutions are available to you. Bray Denard's web page used to have instructions, but I can't find them now.

 

[MightyMosin]

I believe that this is the article that @Maylar is referring to.

https://denardbrewing.com/blog/post/Sfno/
If you cannot get the yeast that is listed, you will need to try and find a yeast with high alcohol tolerance such as the Lalvin EC-1118 which has a tolerance of 18% ABV. That process in the article is reliant on a yeast that can tolerate the high amount of sugar and alcohol and creating a large starter to put into your mead must to get it going again.

Alternately, as your original goal was a hydromel, you always have the option of diluting it with water prior to trying to restart the fermentation to ease the alcohol and sugar load that the yeast are trying to deal with. The yeast you listed says that the packet is already loaded with nutrients to get it going. I believe you have some of that yeast left over if you only used 3 grams.

You used enough honey to make something ~14.5% ABV. If your current batch size is about 5 Liters and you added another 4 Liters of water, you would drop the potential ABV to ~8% ABV if the fermentation starts again and finishes all the way.

However you decide to go, it will be important to rehydrate the yeast with water; do not us distilled water for the rehydration or water that has chlorine. If you can find Go-Ferm to use in the rehydration it would be very useful as it helps build a strong yeast colony. You are trying to get healthy yeast with strong cell membranes that can tolerate the pressure from a higher sugar content. As that article suggests, adding your mead must to the starter lets it get acclimated to the environment that you will be adding it to.

You would rehydrate the yeast, waiting ~30 minutes before stirring the yeast and then you add your mead must to it. Use a small amount (maybe 100ml) of the mead must to the rehydrated yeast to allow it to get used to the pH change. Wait another 15 to 30 minutes and you should probably see some change with the yeast. You can add another small amount of the must to it and wait again. You would typically see some activity at this point and can add it to your mead to try and get it started again.

 

[Maylar]

I believe that this is the article that @Maylar is referring to.

No, what I'm referring to is Bray's equivalent of this:

Scott Labs | Restart a Stuck Fermentation…

His was directed at mead making but the principles are the same.

 

[Siara]

Oh my this is so complex.. @MightyMosin how much yeast am I supposed to use with the new 4 liters of water? I can't figure it out

 

[MightyMosin]

If your current batch is 5L and you add another 4L of water you will cut the current alcohol from ~8% to ~4.4%.

If this was a fresh fermentation, you would only need a couple of grams, but you have alcohol already there. For myself, I would use the remainder of your 10g packet of yeast. Definitely rehydrate the yeast ahead of time.

 

[MightyMosin]

Has this been resolved?

 

[Siara]

Has this been resolved?

Hello!! I did as you said and it restarted to bubble a lot. I just came back from a one week vacation and I will be able to test it with the hydrometer again tomorrow or the day after tomorrow! I will keep you posted!

Since I added 4 more liters of water and I had to split the hydromel in 2 jars (so it is 2 additional liters of water in each one), should I add something like 0.05/0.1 grams of metabisulfite?

 

[MightyMosin]

For now, just leave it alone and let it finish fermenting.

 

[Siara]

For now, just leave it alone and let it finish fermenting.

I just tested the hydromel and this is the result!

It is going much better now and I'm feeling positive and hopeful that the fermentation will get to the end! Should I test it again in about 10 days?

Since I now have almost double the amount of what I had initially, I feel like that I should experiment with adding some flavor to a few bottles. When can I add the flavor though? I was also wondering if I can use dried cherries for example like these in the spoiler. Please let me know!!!

Spoiler: Dried cherries

 

[MightyMosin]

It will likely continue fermentation until it gets to 1.000 or possible a bit lower like 0.998.

Check it again in ~4 days. If it is at 1.000, then it is likely done though I might wait another 5 days and check again to ensure that it hasn't continued to ferment. You can let it sit like that for several weeks to allow more of the yeast to drop to the bottom and clear up some.

Many mead makers will transfer it to another container to get it off the lees (dead/inactive yeast) once fermentation is completed and then let it settle and clear in the secondary container. The choice is up to you, though for many yeast, leaving it on the lees for months can cause unwanted tastes; there are exceptions but I wouldn't worry about those at this point.

Stabilizing:
Potassium Metabisulfite - This is added to help avoid oxygenation as well as making an environment that is not health for bacteria. You will want this for shelf stability. I generally always use this; there are plenty of others that will pasteurize to avoid adding this and its personal choice.

Potassium Sorbate - This will inhibit yeast from budding and creating more yeast cells. This does not stop an active fermentation. This is important to use if you will want to add any fermentable sugars to the mead when it is done. If you decide to add fruit or more honey for sweetness you will need to use some of this. A non-fermentable sugar like lactose doesn't require you use this. If you pasteurized, you will have killed off the yeast and you don't need this.
Important note: If you use this, then you should consider the Metabisulfite as mandatory as there are some bacteria that will eat the sorbic acid as food and leave bad flavors behind and the Metabisulfite should take care of those if present. Again, pasteurization is also an option.

When you transfer to another container, you can/should stabilize. I don't know your pH (affects how much K-Meta to use) but I'll assume a pH of 3.5 and for the 10L batch I would use .68 grams or .068 grams per L.

Assuming 10L is your total and you ferment all the sugar out, you should be at ~8% ABV which would require 200mg/L of Potassium Sorbate to stabilize.

Add your stabilization chemicals to your secondary container and go ahead and siphon your mead right on top of it. You will have to divide the stabilizers up based on the size of containers you are siphoning into.

 

[Siara]

It will likely continue fermentation until it gets to 1.000 or possible a bit lower like 0.998.

Check it again in ~4 days. If it is at 1.000, then it is likely done though I might wait another 5 days and check again to ensure that it hasn't continued to ferment. You can let it sit like that for several weeks to allow more of the yeast to drop to the bottom and clear up some.

Many mead makers will transfer it to another container to get it off the lees (dead/inactive yeast) once fermentation is completed and then let it settle and clear in the secondary container. The choice is up to you, though for many yeast, leaving it on the lees for months can cause unwanted tastes; there are exceptions but I wouldn't worry about those at this point.

Stabilizing:
Potassium Metabisulfite - This is added to help avoid oxygenation as well as making an environment that is not health for bacteria. You will want this for shelf stability. I generally always use this; there are plenty of others that will pasteurize to avoid adding this and its personal choice.

Potassium Sorbate - This will inhibit yeast from budding and creating more yeast cells. This does not stop an active fermentation. This is important to use if you will want to add any fermentable sugars to the mead when it is done. If you decide to add fruit or more honey for sweetness you will need to use some of this. A non-fermentable sugar like lactose doesn't require you use this. If you pasteurized, you will have killed off the yeast and you don't need this.
Important note: If you use this, then you should consider the Metabisulfite as mandatory as there are some bacteria that will eat the sorbic acid as food and leave bad flavors behind and the Metabisulfite should take care of those if present. Again, pasteurization is also an option.

When you transfer to another container, you can/should stabilize. I don't know your pH (affects how much K-Meta to use) but I'll assume a pH of 3.5 and for the 10L batch I would use .68 grams or .068 grams per L.

Assuming 10L is your total and you ferment all the sugar out, you should be at ~8% ABV which would require 200mg/L of Potassium Sorbate to stabilize.

Add your stabilization chemicals to your secondary container and go ahead and siphon your mead right on top of it. You will have to divide the stabilizers up based on the size of containers you are siphoning into.

Thank you very much for the explanation!
It seems that pasteurization might be simpler than adding more chemicals, how do I do it though? Will it change the flavour?
My hydromel already has 0.35 grams of Metabisulfite that I added when it was only 4 liters of water and 2Kg of honey.
Should I still add .68 grams (splitting the amount in two since the hydromel has been split evenly in 2 jars)? Is this amount the same both if I add or not add the fruits?
As for the fruit, can I use the dried fruits like the ones I linked in the previous post? And how much per liter?

 

[MightyMosin]

Someone else will need to answer about pasteurization. I think there isca write up in the cider group.

Fruits don't generally change the amount of sulfite, unless it changes the overall pH.

I have read that tart cherries are preferred over sweet, but I don't have experience with that.

Generally, the more fruit, the more flavor. For fresh or frozen fruit I generally use about 2Lb per US gallon... Which should be about 240 grams per Liter.

Maybe someone else can comment on dried fruit.

 

[MightyMosin]

more info:

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/easy-stove-top-pasteurizing-with-pics.193295/