Mead - the homebrew thread

[sweemzander]

Just bottled my latest.
A Zinfandel base pyment aged with raspberries, cacao nibs, vanilla, and oak

 

[Beerontwowheels]

Just bottled my latest.
A Zinfandel base pyment aged with raspberries, cacao nibs, vanilla, and oak

Nice presentation!

 

[Indytruks1381]

My first batch is annoying me a little. I have read everywhere of people using D47 and having complete fermentation in 3 days. I did a very standard traditional semi-sweet. I used Ozarka bottled water, 14 lbs local wildflower honey, and 2 packets of D47. I properly rehydrated at 104 with 12.5 grams of go-ferm to the 10 grams of yeast. I slowly added must to bring the yeast re-hydration down to temp and pitched. Next morning I added 4 grams each of Fermaid and DAP. I de-gassed twice a day and added 1 gram DAP a 1 gram Fermaid each day. I pitched my yeast a week ago, last Thursday. 3 days in the SG had only dropped from 1.110 to 1.100. I was using my beer fermentation chamber and had temp set at the bottom of the D47 range, 62 degrees F. I bumped it up to 64, and now to I have it up to 69 after slowly bumping up. The gravity is continuing to drop but still only down to 1.067 after a week. I feel its a pretty slow ferment for D47. Am I just being crazy and impatient? I know I need 6 months to a year of aging after this, but from what I had read I expected quicker primary from D47.

 

[mjohnson171]

My first batch is annoying me a little. I have read everywhere of people using D47 and having complete fermentation in 3 days. I did a very standard traditional semi-sweet. I used Ozarka bottled water, 14 lbs local wildflower honey, and 2 packets of D47. I properly rehydrated at 104 with 12.5 grams of go-ferm to the 10 grams of yeast. I slowly added must to bring the yeast re-hydration down to temp and pitched. Next morning I added 4 grams each of Fermaid and DAP. I de-gassed twice a day and added 1 gram DAP a 1 gram Fermaid each day. I pitched my yeast a week ago, last Thursday. 3 days in the SG had only dropped from 1.110 to 1.100. I was using my beer fermentation chamber and had temp set at the bottom of the D47 range, 62 degrees F. I bumped it up to 64, and now to I have it up to 69 after slowly bumping up. The gravity is continuing to drop but still only down to 1.067 after a week. I feel its a pretty slow ferment for D47. Am I just being crazy and impatient? I know I need 6 months to a year of aging after this, but from what I had read I expected quicker primary from D47.

Patience is a mead's best friend. Unlike beer, mead is best left untouched for extended periods of time (aside from nutrient additions or punching the fruit cap). I wouldn't be too concerned with numbers at this point. It sounds like you might be overthinking it a bit too much. For example degassing twice a day seems way overkill. If you don't have a fruitcap and plan on letting your mead sit for a few months you really shouldn't have to worry about CO2 enough to degass, especially not daily. (FWIW I've never degassed and never had CO2 issues)

Typically D47 is a pretty fast fermenter. I almost always have fermentation started within about 8 hrs. But I also see active bubbles in the airlock for 1-2 weeks. I'm not the best person to ask about gravity b/c I don't really care to check gravity often (an OG and a FG a few months later). But I would suggest just be patient. Even a fast mead takes 8 weeks or so. Most meads seem to take longer to let the flavors round out.

 

[jivex5k1]

Just bottled my latest.
A Zinfandel base pyment aged with raspberries, cacao nibs, vanilla, and oak

I'm very interested in how you design and print your labels.

 

[Indytruks1381]

Patience is a mead's best friend. Unlike beer, mead is best left untouched for extended periods of time (aside from nutrient additions or punching the fruit cap). I wouldn't be too concerned with numbers at this point. It sounds like you might be overthinking it a bit too much. For example degassing twice a day seems way overkill. If you don't have a fruitcap and plan on letting your mead sit for a few months you really shouldn't have to worry about CO2 enough to degass, especially not daily. (FWIW I've never degassed and never had CO2 issues)

Typically D47 is a pretty fast fermenter. I almost always have fermentation started within about 8 hrs. But I also see active bubbles in the airlock for 1-2 weeks. I'm not the best person to ask about gravity b/c I don't really care to check gravity often (an OG and a FG a few months later). But I would suggest just be patient. Even a fast mead takes 8 weeks or so. Most meads seem to take longer to let the flavors round out.

The nutrient and de-gassing schedule was based on the 2005 article on honey fermentation from Ken Schramm:
Addition of 1 gram (0.25 teaspoon) DAP, plus 1 gram (0.125 teaspoon) Fermaid K with a vigorous aeration at 12-hour intervals until 50 percent sugar depletion or five days, whichever occurs first.

I know it comes across as impatient, but I fully understand the mead won't be ready to drink for many months, I was more just wondering about the slow start for the D47. I actually have seen no airlock activity, there has been a very minimal krausen but checking the gravity was my only real indication of how far along fermentation is. I'll keep checking her every so often and try to relax and have a brew!

 

[Jb123]

Patience is a mead's best friend. Unlike beer, mead is best left untouched for extended periods of time (aside from nutrient additions or punching the fruit cap). I wouldn't be too concerned with numbers at this point. It sounds like you might be overthinking it a bit too much. For example degassing twice a day seems way overkill. If you don't have a fruitcap and plan on letting your mead sit for a few months you really shouldn't have to worry about CO2 enough to degass, especially not daily. (FWIW I've never degassed and never had CO2 issues)

Typically D47 is a pretty fast fermenter. I almost always have fermentation started within about 8 hrs. But I also see active bubbles in the airlock for 1-2 weeks. I'm not the best person to ask about gravity b/c I don't really care to check gravity often (an OG and a FG a few months later). But I would suggest just be patient. Even a fast mead takes 8 weeks or so. Most meads seem to take longer to let the flavors round out.

Yup! 8 weeks, that sounds absolutely on point to what I've found. Then if you add anything to secondary i.e. Fruit or juice that son of a bitch goes even longer. I haven't figured out what I like more loading the primary with massive amounts of fruit or splitting the fruit additions into primary and secondary. Leaning more towards all primary just to speed it up as much as possible. Making "mead" has taught me a lot about patience!

 

[mjohnson171]

Yup! 8 weeks, that sounds absolutely on point to what I've found. Then if you add anything to secondary i.e. Fruit or juice that son of a bitch goes even longer. I haven't figured out what I like more loading the primary with massive amounts of fruit or splitting the fruit additions into primary and secondary. Leaning more towards all primary just to speed it up as much as possible. Making "mead" has taught me a lot about patience!

I'm currently in this conundrum as well. It's easier and faster to fruit the primary and that's usually the route I go. But I've also had good luck with using some fruit in the secondary as well. But it also usually requires tertiary+ to clean and clear up the mead, which = more time.

 

[mjohnson171]

the slow start for the D47. I actually have seen no airlock activity, there has been a very minimal krausen but checking the gravity was my only real indication of how far along fermentation is.

2 packets of D47 with no airlock activity after a few days does seem strange. How big is your batch, 5 gal if you used 14lbs of honey? How much extra headspace do you have in your fermenting vessel? If there's some room and you frequently open it to add nutrients/degas then maybe there isn't enough CO2 pressure to create many bubbles in the airlock.

Or maybe you had a back pack of yeast or something so initially there isn't a ton of viable critters, give it some more time and see if things pick up after the yeast have had more time to multiply.

 

[Jb123]

The mead that started out as a blueberry white ish type style turned out as a blueberry mead, I'm ok with that. Been a few months. This mead has seen a ton of trouble. I bottled too early, it fermented in bottle. I pulled a cork off to share with family and it blew off and mead went everywhere. Frustrated I pulled all corks out and none of the other bottles gysered that way. Literally poured them into a carboy added sulfite sorbate and then days later honey. Resting for another month this mead has hit a point where I could drink this daily and I'd be happy! This is a really nice mead, to me anyways .

 

[mjohnson171]

Just put my 27lbs of honey to good use. Whipped up roughly 4.5 gal (6 gal total vol w/fruit) of my Super Berry Melomel (black currant/strawberry/raspberry/blueberry/blackberry). I ask made a 1 gal batch of just black currant. Dem Agnus feelz.

 

[Jb123]

Just put my 27lbs of honey to good use. Whipped up roughly 4.5 gal (6 gal total vol w/fruit) of my Super Berry Melomel (black currant/strawberry/raspberry/blueberry/blackberry). I ask made a 1 gal batch of just black currant. Dem Agnus feelz.

 

[Jb123]

Just put my 27lbs of honey to good use. Whipped up roughly 4.5 gal (6 gal total vol w/fruit) of my Super Berry Melomel (black currant/strawberry/raspberry/blueberry/blackberry). I ask made a 1 gal batch of just black currant. Dem Agnus feelz.

Currant juice, in the carboy ?

 

[mjohnson171]

Currant juice, in the carboy ?

Yep. Currant concentrate.

 

[Jb123]

Yep. Currant concentrate.

Will be doing the same thing, eventually.

 

[bigk84]

Just put my 27lbs of honey to good use. Whipped up roughly 4.5 gal (6 gal total vol w/fruit) of my Super Berry Melomel (black currant/strawberry/raspberry/blueberry/blackberry). I ask made a 1 gal batch of just black currant. Dem Agnus feelz.

I think we need to swap some meads down the line

 

[Jb123]

I think we need to swap some meads down the line

I think we need to, too....

 

[Jb123]

Pulled a sample from the orange vanilla mead, huge delicious vanilla flavor but lacking orange. Sweet and balanced by far the best mead I've made and it's not even 2 months old. Added some fresh squeezed orange juice and peel. Hoping that helps. Mexican vanilla is where it's at. Worth the price imo.

 

[bigk84]

I think we need to, too....

Yup

 

[Beerontwowheels]

Just put my 27lbs of honey to good use. Whipped up roughly 4.5 gal (6 gal total vol w/fruit) of my Super Berry Melomel (black currant/strawberry/raspberry/blueberry/blackberry). I ask made a 1 gal batch of just black currant. Dem Agnus feelz.

What was your OG?

 

[mjohnson171]

What was your OG?

No idea. I mentioned it on the other page but I'm not really good at remembering to take readings. I'm pretty laissez faire when it comes to brewing. I let it sit until it tastes ready, not what a reading says.

I honestly tried to take a OG reading but I had already added all the fruit and the fruitcap was so dense that the hydrometer just sat on top of the fruit. oh well. No OG for this batch. Guess I'll just have to wait until she tastes ready.



Side note: on day 2 I went down stairs to punch the fruitcap down and found that it blew the top off the airlock and sprayed fruity honey on my ceiling. Vigorous fermentation confirmed. I've since added a larger blowoff tube.

 

[Beerontwowheels]

No idea. I mentioned it on the other page but I'm not really good at remembering to take readings. I'm pretty laissez faire when it comes to brewing. I let it sit until it tastes ready, not what a reading says.

I honestly tried to take a OG reading but I had already added all the fruit and the fruitcap was so dense that the hydrometer just sat on top of the fruit. oh well. No OG for this batch. Guess I'll just have to wait until she tastes ready.



Side note: on day 2 I went down stairs to punch the fruitcap down and found that it blew the top off the airlock and sprayed fruity honey on my ceiling. Vigorous fermentation confirmed. I've since added a larger blowoff tube.

Only asking because I had an OG of 1.160 that stopped at 1.060, which I believe is around 13.5% ABV or so. Sickly sweet. Bought some UVaferm yeast that is supposedly goof up until 18%. Hoping that can dial down the sweetness. 2 gallons of honey, 15 lbs of organic whole cranberries, water to six gallons. Not sure if I should dilute to get to a reasonable FG or trust introducing this new yeast.

 

[Jb123]

Only asking because I had an OG of 1.160 that stopped at 1.060, which I believe is around 13.5% ABV or so. Sickly sweet. Bought some UVaferm yeast that is supposedly goof up until 18%. Hoping that can dial down the sweetness. 2 gallons of honey, 15 lbs of organic whole cranberries, water to six gallons. Not sure if I should dilute to get to a reasonable FG or trust introducing this new yeast.

My Orange vanilla : 9lbs honey water to 2 gal, sweet but not too sweet OG I think 1.18

7 weeks out, slow fermentation still happening not sure on gravity currently

 

[RunninMixz]

Bottled up my Black Currant mead yesterday...it's beetus in a bottle, so good.

For an amusing pic of this from abawol01 , see here.

Sounds awesome.

 

[RunninMixz]

Just put my 27lbs of honey to good use. Whipped up roughly 4.5 gal (6 gal total vol w/fruit) of my Super Berry Melomel (black currant/strawberry/raspberry/blueberry/blackberry). I ask made a 1 gal batch of just black currant. Dem Agnus feelz.

I'm working on on something similar.

 

[RunninMixz]

My first attempt thus far. Went big.

18lbs locally sourced wildflower honey.
3.5 Gallons of water.
71B Yeast packet
Added Energizer and Yeast nutrient First 3 days. Fermentation started roughly 24 hrs after pitch.

"Mistakes so far" based on my research:

Rehydrated the yeast hours before pitch,
In an bowl I forgot to sanitize, then left it out uncovered for hours .

Pitched it at 80°F which prob should have been done at a lower temp.

Stirred the must too vigorously at the top causing some foaming when I fed the must.

I hope it turns out. Not adding fruit until secondary so I can keep lots of fresh fruit flavor in it. Thinking strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and currants this batch. And planning on doing a smaller batch of pear / apple with Champagne yeast in the near future.

 

[pdurrrr]

Stirred the must too vigorously at the top causing some foaming when I fed the must.

I am interested to hear what a professional has to say about this. Idk why this is an issue, though I've read it can be a problem

 

[RunninMixz]

I am interested to hear what a professional has to say about this. Idk why this is an issue, though I've read it can be a problem

Naegerbomb

 

[sweemzander]

I'm very interested in how you design and print your labels.

Just vistaprint. Designed myself and uploaded it. Pretty simple

 

[RunninMixz]

Really great link for beginners. Wish I found this sooner. Great layout, steps, and photos.

https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/how-to-brew/mead/making-mead/