Starches

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DrWizzard

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So i was running through my head different flavors that i could try with mead. I was thinking ube could be a cool flavor to work with but then i started wondering if the starch in it could restart the fermentation process. Dose anyone know of have experience with starches being added to mead?
 
So i was running through my head different flavors that i could try with mead. I was thinking ube could be a cool flavor to work with but then i started wondering if the starch in it could restart the fermentation process. Dose anyone know of have experience with starches being added to mead?
Starches cannot be fermented by yeast. They have to be hydrolyzed to simple sugars before the yeast can metabolize them.

Brew on :mug:
 
Starches cannot be fermented by yeast. They have to be hydrolyzed to simple sugars before the yeast can metabolize them.

Brew on :mug:
So dose that mean if i cook it and it breaks down the starch into sugers it would ferment. Because raw ube is gross
 
So dose that mean if i cook it and it breaks down the starch into sugers it would ferment. Because raw ube is gross
Cooking starchy foods does NOT break their starches into sugars*. So if you just "cook" your ube to whatever "done-ness" you prefer, a decent portion of that flavor should transfer over to your mead, but it would add no exta fermentable sugars.

*but if you were to "cook" your ube with some (ground) malted barley and enough water at roughly 150F for at least 30 minutes, then your ube would be "broken down into fermentable sugars".
 
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Cooking starchy foods does NOT break their starches into sugars*. So if you just "cook" your ube to whatever "done-ness" you prefer, a decent portion of that flavor should transfer over to your mead, but it would add no exta fermentable sugars.

*but if you were to "cook" your ube with some (ground) malted barley and enough water at roughly 150F for at least 30 minutes, then your ube would be "broken down into fermentable sugars".
Ok cool good to know. This is gana be fun purple mead here we come in about 3 months.
 
No idea what Ube is, and I'm not sure that adding starch to mead us a good idea.
BUT two things.
Starch will make your mead cloudy, expecially when chilled.
While it is true that yeast don't ferment starch directly, there are some yeast that produce the enzymes necessary to break the starches down to fermentables sugars. These yeasts carry the STA1 gene and are known as diastaticus varient. They are not at all uncommon so you need to check your yeast.
 
Real close to 3787. I use The Yeast Bay's Belgian Dry liquid yeast. The flavors for both can be manipulated by temperature control. Another important attribute is the STA-1, If I keep the ABV at 13% or less it will finish at or below 1.000
 
No idea what Ube is, and I'm not sure that adding starch to mead us a good idea.
BUT two things.
Starch will make your mead cloudy, expecially when chilled.
While it is true that yeast don't ferment starch directly, there are some yeast that produce the enzymes necessary to break the starches down to fermentables sugars. These yeasts carry the STA1 gene and are known as diastaticus varient. They are not at all uncommon so you need to check your yeast.
So if im reading tis right a whine starch that has sta1 will break down the starch making leas cloudy and givin me a higher abv. Ube is like purple sweet potato thats tangy
 
If you're looking to convert starch to fermentable sugars to boost abv, why not just add...sugar? Eliminate the extra step. There are many to choose from, some will add dimension to your mead. Brown sugars, invert sugar, turbinado, jaggery, etc.
 
So if im reading tis right a whine starch that has sta1 will break down the starch making leas cloudy and givin me a higher abv. Ube is like purple sweet potato thats tangy
STA1 is a gene present in some yeasts that is an indicator that it may belong to the group of yeasts which that will break down starches and ferment them. This can be particularly dangerous with bottled beers as it can cause them to explode. It's not usually an issue with wine as starch is not usually welcome in wines since it causes clearing issues and haziness.
 
If you're looking to convert starch to fermentable sugars to boost abv, why not just add...sugar? Eliminate the extra step. There are many to choose from, some will add dimension to your mead. Brown sugars, invert sugar, turbinado, jaggery, etc.
Im not trying to ferment the starches but understand what might happen with what yeast i do so i can be better prepared to ether prevent or work with. Im wana make the mead with ube a semi sweet so im making sure i dont use a yeast that will over ferment. Would like it to be less cloudy as well. But i would be ok prefer it cloudy to overly strong. I got some yeast that specificaly for mead making so i think ill use it for this batch
 
STA1 is a gene present in some yeasts that is an indicator that it may belong to the group of yeasts which that will break down starches and ferment them. This can be particularly dangerous with bottled beers as it can cause them to explode. It's not usually an issue with wine as starch is not usually welcome in wines since it causes clearing issues and haziness.
Well then i will avoid using a yeast with that gene dont want that.
 
Good luck and let us know how it turns out. It's a direction I'd never thought of, to be honest, even though I make quite a bit of mead and metheglin of one sort or another, and even melomel.
 
Good luck and let us know how it turns out. It's a direction I'd never thought of, to be honest, even though I make quite a bit of mead and metheglin of one sort or another, and even melomel.
Ya i will definitely make a update post everyone here has been so quick to answer qwestions. That i don't wana leave you guys hanging on the results
 
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