I don't know what I'm doing!!!!!

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Ok so I started Saturday and it's now Tuesday... A 5 gallon mead with about 16 pounds of honey and mixed berries in a glass carboy..the honey is from my yard in north Ogden UT mostly wildflower and some apple, pear trees and plum trees close by.. and the water I used is from a local fresh water spring and I used some fresh black berries then some frozen mixed berries... And yeast I used lavlin D47 and some fermaid k .. Sunday I had tons of white foam ... Monday I had about half white and half tannish foam on top...... But today there is no white at all it's just all tan wierd looking stuff on the top...... Sunday bubbles from the bottom up the side we're going pretty good but they have slowed down a little bit!
So my questions are, did I screw it up? Is it dead? Is the white foam supposed to be there? And does it look normal? I have no idea what's what how it should look or not look I just need someone to tell me if I screwed it up so I can start over or if I'm just tripping for no reason
 

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So, for full transparency, I am a beer guy, but have done many fermentations, beer, mead, wine etc..

All looks good so far, RDWHAHB(if you don't know, look it up and live by it..), let it finish(could be a while), and give it a taste. I think the mixed berries make it look like worse than what it is...

**edit because I ***may*** be drunk, but it's on stuff I made...
 
Thanks I think I'm just worried And over reacting it's my baby and I'm protective!
The white foam disappearing is what kind of worried me most
So, for full transparency, I am a beer guy, but have done many fermentations, beer, mead, wine etc..

All looks good so far, RDWHAHB(if you don't know, look it up and live by it..), let it finish(could be a while), and give it a taste. I think the mixed berries make it look like worse than what it is...

**edit because I ***may*** be drunk, but it's on stuff I made...
 
again, others may be better at this than I am, but all looks within bounds to me, At this point, "it is what it is", I wold roll with it, give it a smell when done, and it that's OK, give it a taste..

Better off pouring it later when you are sure than now when you are not..
 
I've made a lot of mead, it looks normal. The foam is the yeast doing its thing, sometimes it changes color. When it slows down, the foam dies back down and you start seeing what's called yeast rafts. That's the yeast flocculating and dropping out of solution. You're also seeing the sludge from the yeast tearing the berries apart. That stuff usually stays floating. I'd say you did great, just keep the airlock on and wait until it's nice and clear.
 
1) Smell it. If it is off, the whole solution will change color and not smell tasty.

2) never give up at first!!! Wait and see what happens. Lots of changes over time. let the yeast do their job!!
 
If I missed someone else saying it, sorry. But, make sure you keep the fruit wet. This is key when making melomels. Nothing will ruin your mead faster than mold on your fruit. Give it a light swirl a couple of times daily until you rack off of the fruit to keep it wet.
For future batches when using fruit, a food grade bucket with a brew bag makes addition & removal of said fruit much easier, then rack to glass for bulk aging.
I hope this helps you.
Happy meading 😎
 
Welcome to HBT!! ...and thank you for the best title on a post by a new member!
Looks like you have a nice batch of mead underway. :bigmug:
 
I've made a lot of mead, it looks normal. The foam is the yeast doing its thing, sometimes it changes color. When it slows down, the foam dies back down and you start seeing what's called yeast rafts. That's the yeast flocculating and dropping out of solution. You're also seeing the sludge from the yeast tearing the berries apart. That stuff usually stays floating. I'd say you did great, just keep the airlock on and wait until it's nice and clear.
Nice thanks so much I was just overthinking it just like everything else in my life haha
 
Welcome to HBT!! ...and thank you for the best title on a post by a new member!
Looks like you have a nice batch of mead underway.
Thanks I read some books and watched some videos but when it came down to it I just slapped it together just like I do every time I cook food! Didn't measure anything just tossed it all in ... And I was worried for a minute but when I make food it always comes out good so i shouldn't worry so much! Plus I have all you guys on here so I can bug y'all every step of the way for help and tips!
 
If I missed someone else saying it, sorry. But, make sure you keep the fruit wet. This is key when making melomels. Nothing will ruin your mead faster than mold on your fruit. Give it a light swirl a couple of times daily until you rack off of the fruit to keep it wet.
For future batches when using fruit, a food grade bucket with a brew bag makes addition & removal of said fruit much easier, then rack to glass for bulk aging.
I hope this helps you.
Happy meading 😎
Some things I have read and seen say that getting into it daily like that is a good way to contaminate.. one thing I did do right was make sure everything was clean and sanitized.... Wouldn't it be better to just keep it completely sealed for the next couple months until I rack it? Since it's already in the carboy.
 
Some things I have read and seen say that getting into it daily like that is a good way to contaminate.. one thing I did do right was make sure everything was clean and sanitized.... Wouldn't it be better to just keep it completely sealed for the next couple months until I rack it? Since it's already in the carboy.
You don't have to open it to give it a swirl to keep the fruit wet. Mead is pretty forgiving, a lot more so than beer, but, even then, if your sanitization practices are sound, you have less worries than you think.
Also, you will probably want to start tasting your must after 2 weeks to see where your tannic value is. All those seeds will contribute a fair amount of tannins by themselves.
(Just for reference, I'm into my fermentor daily for the first 7 days taking readings & then once a week for readings & tastings after that until I rack.)
 
You don't have to open it to give it a swirl to keep the fruit wet. Mead is pretty forgiving, a lot more so than beer, but, even then, if your sanitization practices are sound, you have less worries than you think.
Also, you will probably want to start tasting your must after 2 weeks to see where your tannic value is. All those seeds will contribute a fair amount of tannins by themselves.
(Just for reference, I'm into my fermentor daily for the first 7 days taking readings & then once a week for readings & tastings after that until I rack.)
Ok cool! I don't have any fancy tools for readings and such I'll have to go check out the local brew store.
So just swirl it around a bit then?
This is good stuff thank you! Best thing Ive done this year so far is join this website! Hah
 
Ok cool! I don't have any fancy tools for readings and such I'll have to go check out the local brew store.
So just swirl it around a bit then?
This is good stuff thank you! Best thing Ive done this year so far is join this website! Hah
Yes, give it a swirl, but, be gentle about it. Once your yeast have started eating sugars, it can foam up very quickly on you. Mead makers have a saying....there's no mess like a mead mess. I recommend putting your fermentor inside a dish basin or something similar to avoid major spills, at least then they'll be somewhat contained. If you don't have a hydrometer yet, get one. It's a vital piece of equipment if you're going to be making mead.


Here's a short list of essentials you'll need....., but, there will be additional items that will make the process easier for you in the long run.

Five Star - 6022b_ - Star San - 32 Ounce - High Foaming Sanitizer https://a.co/d/biFAV3S

28" Plastic Paddle Amazon.com: 28" Plastic Paddle : Home & Kitchen

Brewer's Elite Hydrometer & Plastic Test Jar - for Home Brew Beer, Wine, Mead and Kombucha - Deluxe Triple Scale Set, Hardcase and Cloth - Specific Gravity ABV Tester https://a.co/d/7IOnYj8

Regular 5/16" Auto-Siphon https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0064ODELI?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share
You'll need some hose for the auto-siphon as well.

I hope this helps you.
Happy meading 😎
 

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I have done 24 meads, and never have had a contamination. It happens, I don't mean to overly downplay it.

With that in mind, I would be more concerned about the potential for molding fruit, than contamination. Opening it and using a sterile (or even just dishwasher clean) spoon to push the fruit under wouldn't bother me at all.
 
I have done 24 meads, and never have had a contamination. It happens, I don't mean to overly downplay it.

With that in mind, I would be more concerned about the potential for molding fruit, than contamination. Opening it and using a sterile (or even just dishwasher clean) spoon to push the fruit under wouldn't bother me at all.
The only issue with that is the risk of oxidation.
 
Hi Jordanbachmanwork, and welcome to this forum.
The one tool you might find useful in helping you relax into your new hobby is an inexpensive hydrometer. Wine makers use this to monitor the progress of their wine. Before you pitch the yeast, you look for a density of the mixture of honey and water (and fruit sugars) of about 1.090. That is the specific gravity of the solution which converts to a potential alcohol by volume of about 12% . Active fermentation ends when there are no more fermentable sugars left in solution and so the density (gravity) drops to about 1.000 or lower. As long as you sanitize everything that touches your wine, you can take a sample and measure the gravity to see how well it is dropping from the starting number to the lower one.

Yeast do all the fermentation work, but we as wine makers , make the wine - so a gravity of 1.000 (or lower) indicates a dry wine. You may prefer a sweeter wine, and so you stabilize the wine and then back sweeten to the amount of sweetness you want.
 
If this was a batch of wine (I've never done mead), I would reduce the headspace to the bottom of the neck of your carboy; it will reduce surface area & the risk of oxidation and it will keep most of your fruit submerged & reduce the risk of mold
 
I have no idea what's what how it should look or not look I just need someone to tell me if I screwed it up so I can start over or if I'm just tripping for no reason
Going forward I would suggest trying 1 gallon batches, that way if you make mistakes its not as costly. There are a lot of methods, so by doing smaller batches you can determine what works for you.
What works for me:
--Using the TONSA method, which involves using Go Ferm when rehydrating yeast, (rehydrating the yeast has its own procedure) adding Fermaid O after the first 24 hours and measured, staggered nutrient additions after that. Some mead makers use a de-gassing whip every day of a few times a day (do it before you toss the staggered yeast nutrients in), but I just give the carboy a gentle swirl whenever I walk by it.
You can find a calculator for the nutrient and go-ferm additions on the Mead Made Right website.
I tend to over-pitch my yeast when making mead, and often use 1 pack when making a gallon and would use at least 3 packs of wine yeast for a 5 gallon batch.
My mead immediately improved when I adopted the TONSA method and started using 1 pack of wine yeast per gallon.
For the OP's 5 gallon batch, if it seems to be progressing slow, tossing another pack of yeast in now won't hurt anything.
 
My mead immediately improved when I adopted the TONSA method and started using 1 pack of wine yeast per gallon.
Mine as well. TOSNA (Tailored Organic Staggered Nutrient Additions) was one of the best things I did for my meads. Before I started using TOSNA, my meads were hot & needed to age out for several months before they were drinkable, several more months before they were really enjoyable.
 
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