I finally got 4 meads going ....

[Bombo80]

It has been a while since I have been on the forum, let alone make any mead.
So I finally got four of them going.
Following standard SNA protocol with Fermaid-O, Fermaid-K and DAP.
I bought food grade, 3 gallon buckets for primary fermentation.
I am planning of several fruit melomels when these are racked.

#1 - 2 gallon semi-sweet traditional.
7# Basswood honey
71B yeast started with Go-Ferm.
S.G - 1.124 - 29-Brix
Roughly 72 hours later, down to 1.105

#2 - 1 gallon Grape Juice Mead (Pyment ??)
2# clover honey
64oz. Welches Concord grape juice
Water to 1 gallon
EC-1118 yeast started with Go-Ferm.
2.5 tsp, Potassium Bicarbonate - pH to 5.0
S.G. - 1.105 - 24.8 Brix
Roughly 72 hours later, down to 1.090

#3 - 1 gallon Pineapple mead (melomel)
66oz cold pressed pineapple juice
2# Nate's Organic Raw & Unfiltered Honey from Brazil & Uruguay
1 cup Lipton's black tea
water to 1 gallon
1 tap. Potassium Bicarbonate - pH to 5.5
71B yeast started with Go-Ferm.
S.G. - 1.090 - 21.8 Brix
Roughly 72 hours later, down to 1.050

#4 - 1 gallon Meadowfoam BOMM
3# Meadowfoam Honey
water to 1 gallon
3/5 tsp Potassium Bicarbonate for pH adjustment.
BE-256 yeast started with Go-Ferm.
S.G. 1.102 - 24.2 Brix
Roughly 72 hours later, down to 1.080

All batches aerated twice daily.
Nutrient additions each evening.

It seems to me they are moving rather slowly.
The basement is showing a temp about 55*.
This morning (712 hours after start) I moved them into the main part of the basement.
The temps there are about 65*.

Looking forward to racking these in a while.

Any comments or suggestions are welcome.

 

[Bombo80]

Basswood Traditional Mead - down to 1.095 - moving slowly
- almost to 1/3 sugar break
Concord Grape Juice Pyment - down to 1.060
- almost to 1/3 sugar break
Pineapple Melomel - down to 1.020
- just past 2/3 sugar break, no more nutrients, gentile degas from here on.
Meadowfoam BOMM - down to 1.055
- just past 1/3 sugar break

Everything is looking good !!

 

[Bombo80]

Thursday 4/21 Update .....

Basswood Traditional Mead - down to 1.080 - still chugging along
- just past 1/3 sugar break
Concord Grape Juice Pyment - down to 1.030
- just past 2/3 sugar break
Pineapple Melomel - down to 1.000
- WOW ! almost ready to rack, gentile degassinig from here on.
Meadowfoam BOMM - down to 1.030
- almost to 2/3 sugar break

Everything is looking good !!
Planning on racking this weekend.

 

[bushpilot]

I'd leave them another week, to let them settle as much as possible, and to let the yeasts "clean up" before racking.

But, either way is likely fine.

 

[Bombo80]

Friday 4/22 Update .....

Basswood Traditional Mead - down to 1.068 - still chugging along
- almost to the 2/3 sugar break
Concord Grape Juice Pyment - down to 1.010
- gentile degassing only.
Pineapple Melomel - down to 0.998
- gentile degassing only.
Meadowfoam BOMM - down to 1.015
- gentile degassing only.

Probably gonna wait on the Traditional. It looks like it might take a few more days.
Still has about 40 points to drop, according to what I have heard on the Mead Made Right podcast.
Might rack the other three this weekend.
Looking forward to using my new waterless airlocks.

 

[Bombo80]

Saturday 4/23 Update .....

Basswood Traditional Mead - down to 1.056 - still chugging along
- almost to the 2/3 sugar break
Concord Grape Juice Pyment - down to 1.002
- gentile degassing only.
Pineapple Melomel - down to 0.996
- gentile degassing only.
Meadowfoam BOMM - down to 1.002
- gentile degassing only.

Probably gonna wait on the Traditional. It looks like it might take a few more days.
Still has about 30 points to drop, according to what I have heard on the Mead Made Right podcast.

 

[Bombo80]

So I haven't done much with these lately.

I degassed the traditional, and took a reading. It is sitting at 1.036.

Just letting them sit for now. I moved them back into my "cooler" room, in the basement.

It's under 60* in there. I will rack them when I get time.

 

[Dan O]

So I haven't done much with these lately.

I degassed the traditional, and took a reading. It is sitting at 1.036.

Just letting them sit for now. I moved them back into my "cooler" room, in the basement.

It's under 60* in there. I will rack them when I get time.

Cooler temps will slow fermentation, but, in most cases, slower is better. Some yeasts can handle hot temps, but, D47 in particular likes it 65° & below, otherwise it tends to put out some weird flavors. My basement temps hover around the 65° mark so most of my ferments take a little longer than a lot of other people's ferments.

 

[bushpilot]

Cooler temps will slow fermentation, but, in most cases, slower is better. Some yeasts can handle hot temps, but, D47 in particular likes it 65° & below, otherwise it tends to put out some weird flavors. My basement temps hover around the 65° mark so most of my ferments take a little longer than a lot of other people's ferments.

I do most of my brewing in the winter, when the back bathroom stays pretty cool, generally 58-64 range. That works very well with my go-to yeast, K1V-1116.

We have no airconditioning, so when I brew in the summer, I put my carboy/bucket in the bathtub with water in it, to keep the temperature in the same range.

With that temperature and yeast, I generally plan for a 1.075 ish OG to ferment dry in about 2 weeks.

 

[Bombo80]

So my first four batches are just sitting there, relaxing.
I hope to get the racked sometime soon.
They are all at, or below 1.000.

 

[Bombo80]

I finally got all these racked. Just waiting now.