Which yeast is your favorite dry yeast for making mead?

[Blacksmith1]

Nope, grass.

Yer no fun

 

[Maylar]

A bigger bucket to set the carboy/bucket into.

Pump the chilled water into the water bucket, have a hole drilled into it at the drain height with a hose attached to return the water to the chiller reservoir.

Hydroponic shops have all kinds of gear to do this kind of thing.

Check this one out. Dunno how "scaleable" it is for smaller batches though.

http://www.gotta-brew.com/products/cool-zone-cooling-jacket.html

 

[Boden]

Check this one out. Dunno how "scaleable" it is for smaller batches though.

http://www.gotta-brew.com/products/cool-zone-cooling-jacket.html

70$ to accomplish what a 10$ keg bucket and 5$ in fittings will do?

For wrapping around a conical, sure. But if I wanted to cool buckets or a carboy I’d go simple.

 

[Maylar]

70$ to accomplish what a 10$ keg bucket and 5$ in fittings will do?

For wrapping around a conical, sure. But if I wanted to cool buckets or a carboy I’d go simple.

Yeah, but what I like about it is that nothing has to get wet, and it's closed loop so there's no chance of an overflow.

 

[Lefou]

Yes, just smear it thinly on the paper and let it air dry. No dehydrator necessary, raised temperature might even damage the yeast.
But I guess that horni is a bit of a not so good mead yeast, given its extensive hunger for nutes. Voss seems to be much easier to handle.

Now if you REALLY want to do it there are wooden Nord yeast rings you can buy and put together. Simply sanitize, dry, and slop your leftover yeast lees on it and hang it in a dry, safe place.
...or make your own.
http://poppylandbrewer.blogspot.com/2016/01/making-yeast-ring.html

 

[growlrr]

or worse, a man bun and carrying a murse....

 

[RedHeadMead]

For me it would be S-04. I like both the taste and how it flocculates. About the only thig I don't like about it is that it prefers cooler than room temperature, which limits me to the winter or using a chiller of some kind. I'm trying to figure out whether I absolutely need a chiller, or whether some other dry yeast will suffice.

I'm finding that liquid yeasts are rather time intensive to use, so I'd like to take a break from that and use dry yeast for a while. Liquid yeasts are also more expensive, unless I preserve cultures and make stepped-starters, all of which also takes a fair amount of time that dry yeasts don't require.

What's your favorite dry yeast for making mead, and why? What I'd like to find is one that ferments well at room temperature without generating off flavors and/or losing the honey flavors/aromas.

I have been using both lalvin BM 4X4 and Premier blanc. They each have different flavors and the premier dries thing's out much more.

 

[tsholl]

D47 worked well for me. Got up to 12.6%.

 

[NeverDie]

It turns out that Hornindal Kveik yeast cake dries out wonderfully well on parchment paper. I did a test, and found that it shrinks as it dries, automatically releasing itself from the paper. I'm presently drying out an entire Hornindal Kveik yeast cake, after which I'll try to see whether or not I can re-animate it with a Go-Ferm rehydration.

I wonder whether the same 20 billion viable yeast cells per dry gram assumption that some yeast calculators make for regular dry yeast will apply to it as well?

 

[bmd2k1]

Maybe some of these ancient yeasts would rock modern meads! [emoji111]

Israeli scientists brew groundbreaking ‘ancient beer’ from 5,000-year-old yeast. https://tiny.iavian.net/t12o

 

[Blacksmith1]

That's so cool.

 

[NeverDie]

Maybe some of these ancient yeasts would rock modern meads! [emoji111]

Israeli scientists brew groundbreaking ‘ancient beer’ from 5,000-year-old yeast. https://tiny.iavian.net/t12o

Well, how about reviving 45 million year old yeast? https://www.sanluisobispo.com/news/local/article39142146.html
He did it the Jurassic park way by extracting the ancient yeast from amber.

 

[RPh_Guy]

The yeast I use is made from atoms that were formed by nuclear fusion in the middle of a star billions of years ago.

How cool is that?

 

[NeverDie]

White Labs is now shipping some Kveik's, and among them is WLP4045, which is Voss.

 

[Maylar]

I don't see that you tested Omega Hothead. By the specs, it looks to be an ideal candidate for your trials. Highly flocculent, wide temp range, no fusels. Dr. Denard did a test of it against his favorite 1388 and says it quit at 12.8% and left strong honey notes. If I wanted to make mead at 72° that's what I'd pick.

https://omegayeast.com/yeast/norwegian-ales/hothead-ale

 

[NeverDie]

I don't see that you tested Omega Hothead. By the specs, it looks to be an ideal candidate for your trials. Highly flocculent, wide temp range, no fusels. Dr. Denard did a test of it against his favorite 1388 and says it quit at 12.8% and left strong honey notes. If I wanted to make mead at 72° that's what I'd pick.

https://omegayeast.com/yeast/norwegian-ales/hothead-ale

Where did Dr. Denard post his results regarding Hothead?

My second attempt at Hornindal dry yeast didn't work any better than the first. I'm ready to punt on it.

 

[Maylar]

Where did Dr. Denard post his results regarding Hothead?

http://www.gotmead.com/forum/showthread.php/28021-Yet-Another-Ale-Yeast-Experiment

My second attempt at Hornindal dry yeast didn't work any better than the first. I'm ready to punt on it.

Hothead is just an ale yeast, not a kveik. But I think it's liquid. Need to order them with ice packs.

 

[andrewmaixner]

Hothead is just an ale yeast, not a kveik. But I think it's liquid. Need to order them with ice packs.

It was obtained and isolated from a dried yeast culture from Stranda, Norway. That's pretty much the very definition of a 'kveik'

https://scottjanish.com/omega-hothead-ale-oyl-057-yeast/ --> http://www.garshol.priv.no/blog/296.html

 

[Maylar]

It was obtained and isolated from a dried yeast culture from Stranda, Norway. That's pretty much the very definition of a 'kveik'

https://scottjanish.com/omega-hothead-ale-oyl-057-yeast/ --> http://www.garshol.priv.no/blog/296.html

Interesting. I wonder why Omega doesn't call it one?

 

[NeverDie]

http://www.gotmead.com/forum/showthread.php/28021-Yet-Another-Ale-Yeast-Experiment

Thanks! I wasn't aware Bray had posted his Hothead results. It seems I've come full circle now: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/forum/threads/brays-one-month-mead.429241/page-37#post-8516556

 

[RPh_Guy]

My second attempt at Hornindal dry yeast didn't work any better than the first. I'm ready to punt on it.

Too much hydrogen sulfide?

 

[NeverDie]

Too much hydrogen sulfide?

No, some other strange smell that I can't really describe. A bit like vomit perhaps? I dumped both of them.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Bummer. Sounds possibly contaminated...

 

[Northern_Brewer]

Interesting. I wonder why Omega doesn't call it one?

Hothead was the first kveik to become widely available commercially, so kveik hadn't become the "brand" it is now. Hence they tried to hide the Norwegianness of it and rebrand Stranda kveik as "Hothead", they were pushing the clean at high temperatures thing rather than its Norwegian farmhouse credentials.

 

[andrewmaixner]

Hothead was the first kveik to become widely available commercially, so kveik hadn't become the "brand" it is now. Hence they tried to hide the Norwegianness of it and rebrand Stranda kveik as "Hothead", they were pushing the clean at high temperatures thing rather than its Norwegian farmhouse credentials.

Sounds about right. Effective marketing!

 

[RPh_Guy]

Any update on your favorites since April?

I'd like to have a reliable strain to make 1 gal batches in my basement ambient (65-70°F) with or without a water bath..

I'm fine using liquid yeast too.


I have a bunch of honey and 1 gal carboys just itching to be filled.

 

[NeverDie]

Any update on your favorites since April?

I'd like to have a reliable strain to make 1 gal batches in my basement ambient (65-70°F) with or without a water bath..

I'm fine using liquid yeast too.


I have a bunch of honey and 1 gal carboys just itching to be filled.

Nope. At the moment I'm primarily focused on M5.

 

[Redeemer]

I recently did a batch with Mangrove Jack Mead yeast (M-05). I can't use D47 because I have no temperature control and temps in my office yange from 75-83 degrees on a daily basis 10 months out of the year. I have had great luck with EC-1118, recently done some experiments with K1-V1116 and CBC-1 but must say the M-05 is looking promising. I did a 3 gallon batch of mesquite honey, and it went dry in about 2 weeks. Then poured it onto 20 pounds of strawberries, giving me a 5 gallon batch. Yeasties woke right up and are happily doing their business. Smells nice, looks nice. I'm optomistic. Going to try this with a peach melomel in a few days, except the fruit will be in the primary.

@NeverDie I believe this is the yeast you are referring to when you say M5? If so I would love to compare notes. This stuff looks highly tolerant of heat and ABV, and with enough nutrients doesn't seem to produce and foul aromas.

 

[Blacksmith1]

71-B is also in your temp range

 

[RPh_Guy]

My list to try:
BA11
RHST
71B
EC1118
K1-V1116

 

[Blacksmith1]

The RHST is right in his range, the other maxs out under his high point.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Well, I was talking about what I'm going to try
BA11 sounds awesome.

@Redeemer I suggest a swamp cooler.

 

[Blacksmith1]

D'oh!

 

[NeverDie]

@NeverDie[/USER] I believe this is the yeast you are referring to when you say M5?

Yup. I presently have experiments running regarding the nitrogen requirements. Out of all the yeasts I've tried at room temperature, I like its taste the best. In the end, that's what matters most.

Hothead is also a good choice I think. I was running an experiment with it, but I accidentally oxidized it because of some carelessness. Well, from that experience I learned yet another thing not to do, and now I also know what oxidized mead looks like.

I did have an experimental success in completely drying out the Hothead yeast and then later re-animating it, even though probably 80-90% of it died in the process. Fortunately, it seems to tolerate being underpitched. I used fresh yeast, which avoided contamination. If I were to take it further, I'd try harvesting it by top cropping.

 

[Redeemer]

You are correct sir; I plan on trying the 71B at some point in the near future. I have heard great things about it. Meanwhile, I'm really impressed with the M05, and the CBC-1.

A swamp cooler is in my long term plans, along with moving my refrigerator to the garage when I get a replacement for the kitchen. I've definitely got some ideas, but in the short term, I need to work with the temps I have.

 

[RPh_Guy]

A swamp cooler is in my long term plans,

Long term plans? You just need some kind of tray or tub to hold water at the bottom and a t-shirt or light towel to wick the water.

The water evaporates from the shirt/towel, which cools the carboy.

P.S. I don't know why there's foam in the water in this photo. That's weird. Maybe they used Star San.

 

[Redeemer]

Long term plans? You just need some kind of tray or tub to hold water at the bottom and a t-shirt or light towel to wick the water.

View attachment 633816

The water evaporates from the shirt/towel, which cools the carboy.

P.S. I don't know why there's foam in the water in this photo. That's weird. Maybe they used Star San.

Well I'll be gosh darned! I did a little research on "swamp coolers" and most of the returned results were expensive stand alone AC systems. When you say swamp cooler, you are talking, simple evaporative cooling eh? This concept just moved to my short term plans list and I say thankee. Sadly it means admitting a shortage of conventional wisdom on my part.

 

[RPh_Guy]

Well I'll be gosh darned! I did a little research on "swamp coolers" and most of the returned results were expensive stand alone AC systems. When you say swamp cooler, you are talking, simple evaporative cooling eh? This concept just moved to my short term plans list and I say thankee. Sadly it means admitting a shortage of conventional wisdom on my part.

No worries, Google isn't always helpful unfortunately.
It should drop temp maybe 5-10 degrees or so, and it cools better during the daytime when the relative humidity is lower, which helps maintain it a little more steady.

Cheers


Edit: there are also more sophisticated systems without spending a bundle or tying up space with a fridge/freezer :

A thermostat measuring the beer temperature controls a fan.

 

[Redeemer]

No worries, Google isn't always helpful unfortunately.
It should drop temp maybe 5-10 degrees or so, and it cools better during the daytime when the relative humidity is lower, which helps maintain it a little more steady.

Cheers


Edit: there are also more sophisticated systems without spending a bundle or tying up space with a fridge/freezer :
View attachment 633919
A thermostat measuring the beer temperature controls a fan.

I have a large industrial fan and a kiddie pool. What are your thoughts on that filled with water and some bleach (to keep the funk down) and a wer towel wrapped around the carboy with bungee cords?

 

[RPh_Guy]

Sounds ok, and hopefully it reduces off flavors or opens up your yeast options a little.