Mead question: head space?

[thelusiv]

How much head space should I leave in my fermentation vessels for making mead? I know with beer I should have about 1/5 of the batch volume of space to leave room for kräusen even with a blowoff tube. I've read a lot about mead making but haven't a good idea of how much, if any, kräusen is produced during the early stages of fermentation.

I plan to make 2 gallons of sweet mead in growlers for my first batch of mead. I will put 1 gallon of plain sweet mead in my 1 gallon growler, and then split another gallon between two half-gallon growlers, adding spices to one and fresh fruit to the other. Thus I hope to try out sweet mead, pyment and metheglin all in one small batch.

Since I'm using smaller fermentation vessels, I want to make sure that I leave ample head space, and don't end up losing a significant amount of mead through a blowoff tube, weakening the end product, and throwing off my gravity measurements.

 

[bknifefight]

I have only done 1 batch of mead but had nothing of the sort that resembled krausen. I had a nice stream of bubbles but that was it. You could leave an inch of head space and probably be fine but I will let someone more experienced chime in.

 

[CandleWineProject]

I make wine and cider, and there is no kräusen with either one of those, and I didn't notice one on either of my two meads recently. I think meads sometimes have kräusen and sometimes don't, but I think when they do it is less than beer does. Again, someone with more experience will have to chime in.

 

[Bush_84]

From what I understand (and not from experience mind you) that the only time you need to worry about head space is when you add fruit.

 

[MedsenFey]

It also depends on the honey - some are incredibly foamy (heather for example) and the yeast, and the fermentation temp. It is always safer to use a larger fermentation vessel to prevent Mead Eruption Accidents (MEAs). I'll ferment 5 gallon batches in a 9 or 10 gallon fermenter, and 2 gallon batches in a 5 gallon bucket. During primary fermentation the headspace is irrelevant, so bigger is better. I can tell you that MEAs occur quite often as people aerate the must during the early stage of fermentation, so do so gently.

Mead musts which have been boiled tend to foam less as the protein level has been reduced, but I would not advocate boiling - the trade off with decreased aroma is too much. I am a big proponent of antifoam drops. They can save a lot of grief.

Medsen

 

[bob1852]

I can tell you that MEAs occur quite often as people aerate the must during the early stage of fermentation, so do so gently.

yes, and also be careful when adding nutrients mid-fermentation - you'll get a lot of foam!

 

[thelusiv]

Thanks everyone for your responses. Here's a little more information on my mead plan. I am using raw clover honey from eBeeHoney.com. I have 5 lbs but since this is a small batch, will probably use about half of that. I am going to use Wyeast 4184 Sweet Mead yeast. I do not plan to boil.

MedsenFey, you sound as if you have made a few batches of mead. Tell me more about erupting mead...I haven't heard of this. Why does it erupt?

The reason I ask is because some places I read, like:

http://www.rabbitsfootmeadery.com/CAGM/guide_to_mead.html

In the section "Equipment Needed - tools of the trade" it says you need two 5-gallon glass carboys. Then later it says that the recipes make 5 gallon batches. Since this would fill the carboy to the brim, there must be no need for head space. Likewise, on this page:

http://www.makemead.net/primary-fermentation-of-mead.aspx

You see a picture of yeast going into a nearly-full growler. So there must not be any kräusen to worry about?

 

[MedsenFey]

MEAs come in two forms. The first come when you stir them as you aerate, or when you pitch nutrients in dry. This cause a rapid release of CO2 dissolved in solution and if there is sufficient proteinaceous material, it will cause a big foam to rise up - I've seen it rising more than a foot above the surface of the liquid, and it can spill out of the fermenter. If you dissolve the nutrients in in a little water before adding, and if you stir or swirly gently to start with, you minimize the potential.

The second form of MEA comes from the natural foaming that occurs during fermentation. Frequently it will come up into an airlock, and you will often find threads from new mazers asking what to do (rinse it out and replace). In some cases the small holes on a 3-piece airlock can clog (especially with fruit batches) and then pressure can build until it blows the stopper and creates a geyser that can have you mopping the ceiling (literally). I had this happen last spring with a batch started with chocolate and orange (yeast apparently really like chocolate). It was like an explosion in a chocolate factory and sprayed the whole room with sweet cocoa must.

MEAs can occur even in the best of homes, but they are a preventable tragedy. Education and preparedness are key!

Medsen

P.S. That yeast is a never ending source of frustration for new mead makers. It is very finicky, and sensitve to pH, nutrients, and so forth. It frequently sticks. You might want to consider some other alternative. I'd choose a clean fermenting ale yeast over the Wyeast sweet mead strain any day.

 

[thelusiv]

MEAs come in two forms. The first come when you stir them as you aerate, or when you pitch nutrients in dry. This cause a rapid release of CO2 dissolved in solution and if there is sufficient proteinaceous material, it will cause a big foam to rise up - I've seen it rising more than a foot above the surface of the liquid, and it can spill out of the fermenter. If you dissolve the nutrients in in a little water before adding, and if you stir or swirly gently to start with, you minimize the potential.

MedsenFey, thanks so much for your insight. I have some spare buckets and am now thinking about doing primary fermentation in a 5-gallon bucket, then moving to the growlers for secondary/clarifying/aging. It makes sense to do this, since by that time, I should be past the point where I need to aerate (anaerobic fermentation), right? Using a bucket will also make it easier to stir, I won't need to buy one of those folding stir-stick things. [I would use my 6.5-gallon carboy or 5-gallon Better Bottle but they are both full of beer.]

The second form of MEA comes from the natural foaming that occurs during fermentation. Frequently it will come up into an airlock, and you will often find threads from new mazers asking what to do (rinse it out and replace).

So to be sure, it sounds like significant foaming can occur during mead fermentation. Maybe it's not necessarily a kräusen, but it is a factor to be considered when choosing a primary fermentation vessel.

P.S. That yeast is a never ending source of frustration for new mead makers. It is very finicky, and sensitve to pH, nutrients, and so forth. It frequently sticks. You might want to consider some other alternative. I'd choose a clean fermenting ale yeast over the Wyeast sweet mead strain any day.

Interesting. Is this the case with all the commonly available sweet mead yeasts? Northern Brewer also has a White Labs liquid Sweet Mead yeast available. Charlie Papazian seems to mostly suggest using Prise de Mousse wine yeast or a champagne yeast. From the reading I've done it seems that an ale yeast might not ferment to completion once the alcohol levels get high enough. This might be fine for a sweet mead since I want some of the honey to remain unfermented to retain the sweetness anyway. But how much will be left...? If not an ale yeast, what might you suggest as an alternative? fwiw, i planned on getting some pH test strips and doing some basic acid testing to try to at least get it within the proper range.

 

[drac0]

From the reading I've done it seems that an ale yeast might not ferment to completion once the alcohol levels get high enough. This might be fine for a sweet mead since I want some of the honey to remain unfermented to retain the sweetness anyway. But how much will be left...? If not an ale yeast, what might you suggest as an alternative?

I've done batches of mead using White Labs Super High Gravity Ale yeast (WLP099) with amazing results. This strain is quite happy in the high gravity musts that you'd see in a mead and ferments out nicely in the mid teens to low 20's in alcohol percentage.

 

[MedsenFey]

Northern Brewer also has a White Labs liquid Sweet Mead yeast available.

That strain is less finicky, but has a somewhat higher alcohol tolerance. I rarely use liquid yeast in mead making. The active dry yeast are reliable, good, and inexpensive.

Charlie Papazian seems to mostly suggest using Prise de Mousse wine yeast or a champagne yeast.

These yeast are good, but will take meads dry (or produce high alcohol levels).

From the reading I've done it seems that an ale yeast might not ferment to completion.... But how much will be left...? If not an ale yeast, what might you suggest as an alternative?

How much sugar will be left depends on the potential alcohol of the must and the alcohol tolerance of the yeast as essentially all the sugars in a mead must are fermentable. If you use a yeast such as 1056 with an alcohol tolerance of 10-12% for example and start with a gravity of 1.090 (about 12% potential alcohol), you likely end semi-sweet.

For making sweet meads with wine yeast I like 71B, ICV-D47, and Cote des Blancs. Montrachet can also be used, but I don't like it as much for traditional meads. These yeast will produce about 14% ABV if well managed, so as long as you start with a gravity of greater than 14% potential alcohol (around 1.105) you have residual sugar. This is not an absolute rule and yeast can sometimes go well beyond their expected tolerance, especially with fruit batches and most especially with apple juice (cysers).

The other way to get the sweetness exactly where you want it is to use a yeast that will take your batch dry at the alcohol level you want, then stabilize with sorbate and sulfite and backsweeten. That way you can adjust the sweetness gradually to have it exactly where you like it best.

I hope that helps.

Medsen

 

[thelusiv]

That strain is less finicky, but has a somewhat higher alcohol tolerance. I rarely use liquid yeast in mead making. The active dry yeast are reliable, good, and inexpensive.

I see, OK. I will try starting out with dry yeast then. I like using the Wyeast smack packs with beer because of the simplicity of starting the yeast up, no need for proofing. But it sounds like the dry yeasts make more sense for mead.

How much sugar will be left depends on the potential alcohol of the must and the alcohol tolerance of the yeast as essentially all the sugars in a mead must are fermentable. If you use a yeast such as 1056 with an alcohol tolerance of 10-12% for example and start with a gravity of 1.090 (about 12% potential alcohol), you likely end semi-sweet.

Hmmm, I do have an extra pack of 1056 in my fridge now...it's tempting to just use that.

For making sweet meads with wine yeast I like 71B, ICV-D47, and Cote des Blancs. Montrachet can also be used, but I don't like it as much for traditional meads. These yeast will produce about 14% ABV if well managed, so as long as you start with a gravity of greater than 14% potential alcohol (around 1.105) you have residual sugar. This is not an absolute rule and yeast can sometimes go well beyond their expected tolerance, especially with fruit batches and most especially with apple juice (cysers).

Since I was planning on adding the fruit post-primary fermentation, this shouldn't be an issue. I am shooting for 12-14% alcohol so that would work as well. Which do you think would make a better traditional mead, one of the wine yeasts you mentioned or 1056 American Ale?

The other way to get the sweetness exactly where you want it is to use a yeast that will take your batch dry at the alcohol level you want, then stabilize with sorbate and sulfite and backsweeten. That way you can adjust the sweetness gradually to have it exactly where you like it best.

I have until now never looked into stabilizers, having not yet made wine. On sulfites, NB has both Potassium Metabisulfite and Sodium Metabisulfite, what is the difference? Which is better for stabilizing mead, or does it matter?

I am liking the idea of backsweetening. That seems like a much more controllable way to get a certain level of desired sweetness than trying to choose just the right yeast beforehand.

MedsenFey, Thanks again for your help, I've really learned a lot!


drac0, thanks for your suggestion on the super high gravity yeast, but I don't think i am going to make it that strong this time around!

 

[MedsenFey]

Which do you think would make a better traditional mead, one of the wine yeasts you mentioned or 1056 American Ale?

I have until now never looked into stabilizers, having not yet made wine. On sulfites, NB has both Potassium Metabisulfite and Sodium Metabisulfite, what is the difference?

My preference would be to use one of the wine yeast. I'd shoot for a goal of about 13% ABV (SG 1.095-1.100) and let it go dry. Try 71B or D47, and be sure to provide adequate nutrients and early aeration, ferment at a cool temperature (less than 70 F ideally) and let it go dry. Then let it clear. Then stabilize using the combination of potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulphite (you need both). After that you can backsweeten as desired.

When you use the ADY, just be sure to rehydrate them properly in water that is 100-105F.

Potassium metabisulphite is preferred as an additive because it doesn't add sodium. The sodium metabisulphite is a good sanitizer, but is not one of additives approved by the TTB for commercial wine/mead.

 

[thelusiv]

MedsenFey, thanks again so much for your guidance. I have ordered the necessary supplies and now I just have to wait until they come in and I get time to brew!

I ended up getting the D-47 white wine yeast and potassium metabisulfite + potassium sorbate. I would not have even known about these items if not for your suggestions. Many thanks!