Mead newbie's first batch
- Thread starter Taise
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Next time I think I'll heat the must a bit more. The honey separated almost right away. Also after thinking over the whole process I'll cut the orange into smaller pieces. I'm thinking getting the wedges out after racking should be a challenge.
fatbloke
Well-Known Member
hum ? I suspect you need some more research then.
Honey won't just mix in by magic. It tends to like a little agitation. Most consider heating honey as heresy. With the maximum heat allowed being just enough to make the honey run out of its container. No more.
Personally, I try not to even use that much. I will use a spoon/spatula/scoop of some sort and mechanical means to stir/whisk/aerate.
After all, what the point in spending, possibly a lot of money on your main ingredient, heating it, only to lose the aromatics and more subtle flavouring elements, that actually make it special ......... unless you're making a bochet ?
That's why I didn't heat it the first time. I mixed it with half the water warmed in a pan of hot faucet water and then shook the hell out of it for almost 10 minutes. It looked well mixed but separated out after about an hour.
Aquavitae
Well-Known Member
I just tried my first batch of JAOM the other day. My advice: patience. Wait for the fruit to drop to the bottom. Then wait another month. It is sweet and orangey.
For the record, the honey is going to separate because of the simple fact that it is heavier than water. And that is not a problem. The yeasties have absolutely zero trouble finding and eating it. I used an electric mixer to mix/aerate the must. It worked like a charm.
For the record, the honey is going to separate because of the simple fact that it is heavier than water. And that is not a problem. The yeasties have absolutely zero trouble finding and eating it. I used an electric mixer to mix/aerate the must. It worked like a charm.
fatbloke
Well-Known Member
The mixing has little to do with how the yeast works, as there is plenty of evidence to show a settled layer will get consumed in time.
Its more about fermentation management and consistency of product. You can't get an accurate reading from a must if its not the same all the way through, without readings, you can only guess at possible strength, if you don't know the strength or likely strength, its hard to diagnose any fault the batch might have, etc etc.
Hence proper mixing, to remove a variable.... just like taking a reading with X about of honey mixed into Y amount of water. Differing honey will give different reading with different sugars/water content, yaddah yaddah......
Its more about fermentation management and consistency of product. You can't get an accurate reading from a must if its not the same all the way through, without readings, you can only guess at possible strength, if you don't know the strength or likely strength, its hard to diagnose any fault the batch might have, etc etc.
Hence proper mixing, to remove a variable.... just like taking a reading with X about of honey mixed into Y amount of water. Differing honey will give different reading with different sugars/water content, yaddah yaddah......
