strawberry mead

[newbiewinemaker]

Oh no! i miss read the back of the yeast package. It says in 50 ml of water dump in water 104-109 degrees. It has a 00:15 symbol as well on it. I assumed it needed to be microwaved for 15 seconds. I have never rehydrated yeast before. It does seem to be fermenting now tho. There is a slight bit of foam around some of the strawberries and you can here it fermenting. (the bubbling sound) you think I might still be ok???

 

[newbiewinemaker]

I just checked the gravity and it is down from 1.110 to 1.108 and it didnt start foaming until I added the nutrient

 

[newbiewinemaker]

scratch that 1.110 to 1.080

 

[newbiewinemaker]

Would it hurt to add another pack of yeast and just add and stir? Or since it seems to be fermenting just let it go and hope for the best?

Thanks

 

[WVMJ]

Add another pack of yeast just in case your first one is not what is fermenting your wine now, it might be a wild yeast good or bad you wouldnt know until the end. Who knows, you might have just found a better way to make a starter WVMJ

 

[newbiewinemaker]

Ok I just added another pack! Thanks for all your help! I am traveling for the holidays to my folks and this is coming with me so I can stir it every couple of days and keep an eye on it haha The things I do for my homebrew!

Thanks!

 

[WVMJ]

You show great promise newbie! WVMJ

 

[chickabeelane]

I think the 00:15 on your pack of yeast is probably to let it stand for fifteen minutes before you stir into the must to give it a chance to rehydrate.
I am sure everyone does this a little differently, but this is what I do:

Heat up one cup of orange juice in the microwave usually about 30 sec. Check to see if temperature is correct (about 40 C) as per yeast instructions.
I read in a book to use OJ instead of water because it has some good nutrients in it to help the yeast out. It has also worked well for me, so I keep doing it.
Pour the yeast into the heated up OJ and let stand for fifteen minutes. This is an important step that let's the yeast rehydrate.
Stir into the must and viola!

 

[newbiewinemaker]

So this is underway about a week and two days in now. I started with an SG of 1.110 and its down to 1.000 now! And in just over a week! It does have a pretty harsh taste right about now. I am going to add the remaining of the Vinters Harvest Strawberry Concentrate to the secondary when I rack I think. I am gonna give it till Sunday and then rack it if I do not see any more signs of fermentation. I am guessing its about to slow down real quick here. I will be just racking to strawberries this first time. Then after about two-three weeks, I will rack off the strawberries and add my two vanilla beans, lemon zest, and thyme. I will leave that on there for about two - three weeks and then remove. If needed I will rack one more time before clearing. I will add my oak after I rack that last time for 2 weeks. I don't want too much oak flavor.

I have a question tho. When I rack this first time after adding extra strawberries I will have some extra and I plan on saving that in a 3 liter glass jug for topping up. My question is 1) will it stay good in that jug even if its only half full and will I need to use an airlock and 2) what if i run out of that? Can i just top up with water? I am going to be back sweetening with more honey so I think any body lost would be added back in at the end!

Thanks!

 

[Newsman]

Newbie -- it probably won't hurt anything to leave it sitting in there for a week or two more after fermentation has "finished." Sometimes the yeast needs to "clean up after itself" and if you leave your finished product on the yeast it's more likely to be better. Besides, Mead isn't meant to be drinkable immediately after the fermenting is done anyway... it's got to age.

 

[newbiewinemaker]

Newbie -- it probably won't hurt anything to leave it sitting in there for a week or two more after fermentation has "finished." Sometimes the yeast needs to "clean up after itself" and if you leave your finished product on the yeast it's more likely to be better. Besides, Mead isn't meant to be drinkable immediately after the fermenting is done anyway... it's got to age.

Perfect! I will take your advise on this!

 

[Newsman]

Perfect! I will take your advise on this!

Well, just understand I'm going by what others have said on this forum, never having made any mead myself. But my understanding is that this applies to all fermentables. I will gladly sit corrected if another brewer with more experience comes along and tells me differently.

 

[WVMJ]

Your a maniac! Is this in a carboy or bucket? If its at 1.oo its time to rack. Of course you need an airlock on your little bottle, why would it be any different than your big batch? At this stage you could top off with some diluted honey and water so you dont loose to much taste, but be careful when you top off, you could cause a valcano if you do it to fast. Keep up the good work! A nice strawberry mead, when you open the bottle, its like springtime filling up your whole house, everyone should be able to smell it and have so much flavor you can taste it all the way down, thats what you are aiming for. WVMJ

 

[newbiewinemaker]

Your a maniac! Is this in a carboy or bucket?

its in a bucket. I was going to rack when I saw it hit 1.000 because I do not figure it will go much lower than that but I wanted to consult with the "crew" first because everyone on here has been such a big help! I just got off work so I think I will get to racking soon!

Thanks!

 

[newbiewinemaker]

Ok so here it is after I racked onto some strawberries. I had to split it up between three jugs as I was too short for my comfort in my 3 gallon carboy. The green glass jugs are 3 liters so only about .80 of a gallon.

 

[newbiewinemaker]

FYI the picture does it no justice of how bright redish pink this is!

 

[newbiewinemaker]

So I test tasted this today and it kinda taste a little watery. I know its no where near close to being finished and i have not backsweetened yet. I have racked it off the strawberries today. I am going to let it sit for about 1 - 2 weeks before I add my lemon zest and thyme and vanilla bean. After I take it off there I was thinking I will backsweeten. Should I backsweeten now? Also is it normal for it to be a little watery before I backsweeten?


Thanks

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

Backsweeten with just strawberry juice. It's CASH MONEY. So good.

 

[newbiewinemaker]

Will it take the wateryness away? Like I stated before...i am only about a month in and I just was curious if I did something wrong to make it so watery of if it was normal.

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

Backsweetening with anything should help with body, but strawberry juice will give it a real explosive strawberry nose and flavor

 

[newbiewinemaker]

When is the best time to backsweeten then? I just racked them off the strawberries after sitting on them for a week in the secondary.

Thanks

 

[MarshmallowBlue]

I usually do it a week after stabilizing.

 

[newbiewinemaker]

Ok so if I let it sit for another week and then stabilize and add my vanilla beans, lemon zest and thyme i could backsweeten then?

Thanks