Round 2

[DrWizzard]

Just starting my 2nd batch of mead.
I used some about 6lbs of raspberry honey
And some purified water about 6 quarts.
The tonsa calculator didnt have my type of yeast as a option so i kinda went with the the medium m nutrients as it seemed like the best option.

After pitching my yeast i poured it into my carboys only to realize i probably used to much water for my pich as my fill line sits real high. Not sure if that will be a problem but lets see. The dark purple one has ube extract. Ube is a purple root and it has a nutty vanilla like flavor.

 

[DrWizzard]

Good news is i didnt kill my yeast when i poured it into the honey water mix. Bad new is i definitely filled it up to much i haven't even fed them yet but there was a bit of leakage inyo the airlocks

 

[Maylar]

Gotta leave room for the foam, bro.

 

[IslandLizard]

Looks very nice!

As @Maylar already said, those jugs are way too full!
You're best off transferring some of the mead from each jug into a (small) jar or bottle for each, to prevent it from spewing out.

Aside from glass, small plastic soda or water bottles are fine to use.
If you don't have spare airlocks, you can use a piece of plastic wrap or aluminum foil draped over the opening and a few inches down. Then crimp it around neck to substitute for an airlock. Make sure there are no fruit flies around!

Sanitize everything well, of course.

 

[DrWizzard]

Starting to think that there might be something in my extract thats making this guy go crazy because he keeps foaming over im gana geuss the syrup

 

[DrWizzard]

Looks very nice!

As @Maylar already said, those jugs are way too full!
You're best off transferring some of the mead from each jug into a (small) jar or bottle for each, to prevent it from spewing out.

Aside from glass, small plastic soda or water bottles are fine to use.
If you don't have spare airlocks, you can use a piece of plastic wrap or aluminum foil draped over the opening and a few inches down. Then crimp it around neck to substitute for an airlock. Make sure there are no fruit flies around!

Sanitize everything well, of course.

Darn wish i saw this sooner i just poured it into a cup and had some fizzy honey water with ube. It was good but way to sweet

 

[IslandLizard]

Starting to think that there might be something in my extract thats making this guy go crazy because he keeps foaming over im gana geuss the syrup

Not just the syrup...
The yeast ferments most or even all of the sugars you've added. Sugars from the honey, fruit, and other sugar containing additions. That produces alcohol and CO2. The (tiny) CO2 bubbles create foam.

Controlling your fermentation temps toward the lower end of the yeast's temp range helps reduce foaming and generally creates better tasting mead, wine, beer, etc.

In lieu of controlling fermentation temps and keeping somewhat larger headspaces, possibly adding one drop(!) of Fermcap-S to your (fermenter) jug may help reduce the amount of foaming. But read up on that before going that way, because I've never used Fermcap in anything else but beer, which contains proteins, and your juices don't.

Best is to leave ample headspace above the must for the foam to collect. It settles out eventually.

Now when most of the fermentation has completed, you'd probably want to rack the mead into another jug (called a "secondary") to get your mead off the lees (lees are the solids that collect on the bottom) and let it "age" for a few months or longer in that "secondary" fermenter. Those secondaries do need to be almost full, leaving merely 1 inch of space under the bung (stopper) also provided with an airlock that needs to be kept full all that time.

Since secondary fermentations are very slow, the jug can be filled that high without issues, while the small headspace will prevent oxidation and possible spoilage. Small jugs like the ones you're using can probably be filled to 1/2" under the bung.

Lots to read up and learn...

 

[DrWizzard]

Not just the syrup...
The yeast ferments most or even all of the sugars you've added. Sugars from the honey, fruit, and other sugar containing additions. That produces alcohol and CO2. The (tiny) CO2 bubbles create foam.

Controlling your fermentation temps toward the lower end of the yeast's temp range helps reduce foaming and generally creates better tasting mead, wine, beer, etc.

In lieu of controlling fermentation temps and keeping somewhat larger headspaces, possibly adding one drop(!) of Fermcap-S to your (fermenter) jug may help reduce the amount of foaming. But read up on that before going that way, because I've never used Fermcap in anything else but beer, which contains proteins, and your juices don't.

Best is to leave ample headspace above the must for the foam to collect. It settles out eventually.

Now when most of the fermentation has completed, you'd probably want to rack the mead into another jug (called a "secondary") to get your mead off the lees (lees are the solids that collect on the bottom) and let it "age" for a few months or longer in that "secondary" fermenter. Those secondaries do need to be almost full, leaving merely 1 inch of space under the bung (stopper) also provided with an airlock that needs to be kept full all that time.

Since secondary fermentations are very slow, the jug can be filled that high without issues, while the small headspace will prevent oxidation and possible spoilage. Small jugs like the ones you're using can probably be filled to 1/2" under the bung.

Lots to read up and learn...

Oh wow never considered that sence it summer the yeast would be more active. I keep my apartment coo but can only do so much with out ac. Ya for my secondary i was planning on adding fruit for the the plain mead havnt decided on the fruit yet might nust do what evers in season. I live in oregon so ill have plenty of options. Would i be able to use one of my old growlers for 2ndary i would just need a airlock?

 

[IslandLizard]

Would i be able to use one of my old growlers for 2ndary i would just need a airlock?

Sure!
And as I mentioned before, once "active" fermentation has completed, you should fill those secondaries up to an inch under the stopper. So plan your volumes well, so you don't end up with half-filled secondaries.
During transfers any exposure to air (Oxygen) is unwanted, as it will (slowly) oxidize your beverage. Adding a little sulfite (Sodium or Potassium Metabisulfite) to your beverage, right before transfer, helps keep oxidation at bay, "sequestering" any picked-up oxygen (by turning Sulfites into Sulfates). Read up about that and how much to use.

For that reason, keep oxygen exposure to a minimum when transferring the beverage from "primary" to "secondary" fermenter. There are a few techniques to read up on. And always rehearse unknown methods by using plain water, until you got the knack and perfected it.

 

[DrWizzard]

Sure!
And as I mentioned before, once "active" fermentation has completed, you should fill those secondaries up to an inch under the stopper. So plan your volumes well, so you don't end up with half-filled secondaries.
During transfers any exposure to air (Oxygen) is unwanted, as it will (slowly) oxidize your beverage. Adding a little sulfite (Sodium or Potassium Metabisulfite) to your beverage, right before transfer, helps keep oxidation at bay, "sequestering" any picked-up oxygen (by turning Sulfites into Sulfates). Read up about that and how much to use.

For that reason, keep oxygen exposure to a minimum when transferring the beverage from "primary" to "secondary" fermenter. There are a few techniques to read up on. And always rehearse unknown methods by using plain water, until you got the knack and perfected it.

I got a racking kane and ive used it on my last batch to bottle and to transfer my mead to another carboy to get rid of the dead yeast hulls. But last time i did i didnt know how to get the last bits without grabing some of the yeast so a few of my bottles turned out bitter. Is there a way to get every last drob or is it better to just toss the last bit?

 

[DrWizzard]

Sure!
And as I mentioned before, once "active" fermentation has completed, you should fill those secondaries up to an inch under the stopper. So plan your volumes well, so you don't end up with half-filled secondaries.
During transfers any exposure to air (Oxygen) is unwanted, as it will (slowly) oxidize your beverage. Adding a little sulfite (Sodium or Potassium Metabisulfite) to your beverage, right before transfer, helps keep oxidation at bay, "sequestering" any picked-up oxygen (by turning Sulfites into Sulfates). Read up about that and how much to use.

For that reason, keep oxygen exposure to a minimum when transferring the beverage from "primary" to "secondary" fermenter. There are a few techniques to read up on. And always rehearse unknown methods by using plain water, until you got the knack and perfected it.

Also thanks for the advice.

 

[Maylar]

I got a racking kane and ive used it on my last batch to bottle and to transfer my mead to another carboy to get rid of the dead yeast hulls. But last time i did i didnt know how to get the last bits without grabing some of the yeast so a few of my bottles turned out bitter. Is there a way to get every last drob or is it better to just toss the last bit?

What works for me is to rack from the primary fermenter to another container, leaving behind the gross lees. There's a definite loss there. Then when that clears you can bottle from it. There may be still a dusting of lees that you'll have to avoid.

 

[IslandLizard]

I got a racking kane and ive used it on my last batch to bottle and to transfer my mead to another carboy to get rid of the dead yeast hulls. But last time i did i didnt know how to get the last bits without grabing some of the yeast so a few of my bottles turned out bitter. Is there a way to get every last drob or is it better to just toss the last bit?

As @Maylar said with some diligent racking you leave the solids on the bottom behind.

There are things and methods that help transferring mostly the cleared mead off the top to the secondary, leaving the (trubby) lees behind.

Tipping the fermenter somewhat by sticking a rolled-up towel under one end creates a "corner" where the siphoning well stays deeper. That's where you suspend the racking cane. There are some videos around on these techniques.

Using a racking cane, make sure there is a (plastic) diverter tippy on the bottom of the cane. It diverts the incoming stream to coming in from the top of that tippy, leaving the lees on the bottom undisturbed and behind.

Although most of these techniques can be done by one person, it may help to have an extra pair of hands available. Especially when you're new(ish) to this.

Again, train with water to get the various techniques down pat.

 

[DrWizzard]

Update so far about 3 weeks in the yeast has slowed down considerably but still fermenting cana check gravity tomarrow. But my mead with the ube extract turned green i think yeast yeast absorbed the color because the the silt at the bottom has a purple color to it

 

[DrWizzard]

Ok so its been about 1 month i too a gravity reading for both jugs one was at a 1.15 and the other at 1.1 i believe they are done fermenting but i will wait a week before confirming that. The green one that. Put the be extract has lost most of the flavoring from the extract so i will add a bit again to its aging stage. They both are a bit a a rough after tast but imagine that should mellow out as they age.

 

[DrWizzard]

Should i transfer my mead to new clean containers because theres a a good layer of the dead yeast on the bottom. Or would it be better to make sure there not still fermenting

 

[Maylar]

Transfer when the SG hasn't changed for a week.

 

[DrWizzard]

Ok so i reracked my ube mead and added a bit more extract at the flavor was more suttle then i wanted i do realize this could be a mistake as it might over power everything as it ages but future me will worry about that. I did strawberry and pineapple for my other batch about 3.25 lbs. And i put some wax paper over it as the only wide mouth carboy i could find was a 2.3 gallon so to try and ruduse

 

[DrWizzard]

The amount of oxigen that can reach it hope it works but well find out in about 2 months

 

[MightyMosin]

I did strawberry and pineapple for my other batch

In my experience, Pineapple is great when newer, but fades quickly after a year or so.

If you plan on aging long, you may want to lean heavier into that flavor.

 

[DrWizzard]

In my experience, Pineapple is great when newer, but fades quickly after a year or so.

If you plan on aging long, you may want to lean heavier into that flavor.

Ya i wonst planning on aging longer then 6th months. Im a lil to inpatient. But i do plan on setting aside 2 16oz bottles aside to age for a year to see how diffrent they tast

 

[DrWizzard]

How long shoould i let my mead age with the fruit. Also sence the pineapple flaver fades after a year could i add more pineapple after i pull out the current fruit?

 

[MightyMosin]

That's hard to answer. The higher ABV, the quicker the flavor extraction. I'd check it after 7-10 days. You could always take a pinapple piece out and chew it to see if all the flavor is extracted.

You can always add more fruit to get a more concentrated flavor... just make sure the mead has been stabilized so fermentation doesn't kick off again. I will add the pineapple flavor holds up well in fermentation and doesn't get blown out.

 

[DrWizzard]

That's hard to answer. The higher ABV, the quicker the flavor extraction. I'd check it after 7-10 days. You could always take a pinapple piece out and chew it to see if all the flavor is extracted.

You can always add more fruit to get a more concentrated flavor... just make sure the mead has been stabilized so fermentation doesn't kick off again. I will add the pineapple flavor holds up well in fermentation and doesn't get blown out.

A week well shoot ive left it in for almost a month now maybe i should pull out the fruit and rerack it to a new clean carbo because theres another layer of yeast hulls but i dont know if thats from new fermenting or from my first time racking because my racking cane slipped and suck up some hulls. But i thin ill try tomarrow see how it tast and go from there. I got the stuff that kills the yeast so i could trow some of that in wait a week and test it as well

 

[IslandLizard]

theres another layer of yeast hulls

FWIW, they're mostly yeast cells, not just hulls.

 

[DrWizzard]

FWIW, they're mostly yeast cells, not just hulls.

Good to know

 

[DrWizzard]

Reracked my straw-pinapple mead and did a bit of tast testing. The strawberry-pinapple tast good might add some honey to back sweeten. The ube one i think im gana add vanilla bean to it and some honey to back sweeten it as well. Its a lil bitter for my taste. But there loades better thrn my first bach so i must be learning something

 

[DrWizzard]

Added vanilla bean to the ube batch. I took kite string and tide up the bag with the bran and a glass blob you see in people's garden. All cleaned and sanitized of course. And i left som string on the outside of the jugo so i can just pull it out in a month

 

[DrWizzard]

Bottling day made about 27 bottles also poured out my last bottle of BlackBerry mead from last year i see why you guys wait now its so much less sour. I put to much malac asid so it was so sharpbut not no more