A Traditional Hydromel

I'm trying my hand at making a lower ABV mead, so I used 2 lbs of honey and will go for a traditional mead with no other flavors.

As per my usual routine, I heated up water in the pot to liquefy the honey and heated up 4 cups of spring water in the kettle. It came out at around 114F,  so pour a small amount into a glass bowl I added spring water to it, reducing it to a temp of 104.5F, which is in the range of 104F-109F for the D47 yeast for rehydrating. However, the kettle water temp had dropped, so I heated it again.

Setting the yeast aside, I took a cup of hot water, added it to the fermenter, and added 1/2 tsp of Bentonite and shook thoroughly. I then added the 2 lbs of honey to the fermenter, the rest of the hot water and shook thoroughly. Because I had reheated the water, it seems the must temp was very hot because after adding the 1/2 tsp. of energizer, the 1 tsp of nutrient, and enough reserved water to fill the fermenter, the must temp was still in the high 80s, too hot to pitch the yeast.

It actually took about 2 hours to lower the must temp enough and I was worried the yeast may have been damaged or killed by rehydrating so long without nutrient.

I took a hydrometer reading and it was 1.094, higher than I anticipated because it suggests an ABV of 12.5%, higher than what I really wanted. I'm also guessing the D47 will ferment it dry, so it will need back sweetening. May need to go to 1-1/2 lbs. of honey next time.

The pH reading, though, seemed exceptionally high at around 5.60. I initially added a 1/2 tsp of calcium bicarbonate thinking that would lower the pH, but it actually raised it to about 6.50. Of course, I needed to add acid blend to increase the acidity and lower the pH. It required adding 1-1/2 tsp of acid blend to get it down to around 4.38.

UPDATE 9/24/2017: I had an MEA during the night because I had filled the fermenter too high, and knew it was too high, but hoped against hope it would not do so. Wrong! Also degassed the mead and took readings of temperature, pH, and gravity. Temperature of the mead was around 73F, the pH was 4.11, and the gravity was down to 1.074.

Making the Orange Creamsicle Melomel

I began making the orange creamsicle mead and videotaped the process though it makes the whole thing more complex and confusing.

As usual, I heated up 4 cups of water in the electric kettle for 1 minute and raised the temperature to 113F. Next using some of the hot kettle water and some of the reserved spring water, I poured it into a bowl to begin rehydrating the yeast. The temp was 103F, which was right in the middle of the recommended 100F-105F for the Cote des Blancs yeast.

Next I poured about 1 cup of the hot water into the spring water bottle and added a 1/2 tsp of bentonite which I vigorously shook to mix together. Once that was done, I took the 3 lbs of honey (exactly 4 cups) that I had heated up in building water and poured it into the fermenter,, again shaking vigorously to blend the two together. I then added a 1/2 tsp. of yeast nutrient, 1 tsp. of yeast energizer, and a 1/2 tsp. of pectic enzyme, again mixing thoroughly.

Having opened and poured off the contents of two 12 oz. frozen orange juice concentrate cans into a pitcher, I poured the melted contents into the fermenter and added the rest of the hot water to the fermenter, which altogether gave me approximately 3/4 of a gallon of must at a temperature of 75.4F.

I took a hydrometer reading and was shocked to see the gravity reading was so high: 1.170, or so I guessed because it was literally off the scale of the hydrometer. I've read that a gravity reading that high can cause problems getting the yeast to ferment, and though the must temperature was a little high for where I wanted to pitch my yeast, I did so anyway.

I'll see if there's a ferment going tomorrow. If not, I'll repitch more yeast, some EC-1117, which has higher tolerance for high gravity meads. I may also split the mead in two and make 2 one gallon batches, presumably it ought to cut the gravity in half.

I did check the mead about 8 hrs later and it seemed some fermentation was occurring. There was foam on the surface if the mead and some weak bubbles in the airlock.

UPDATE: 9/23/2017: Fermentation is going fine, and I began degassing the mead twice daily and had two foam overs on day one. I decided (temporarily at least) against dividing the mead, but that is subject to change.
UPDATE: 9/24/2017: Sheesh! Another foam over when degassing. And I barely did it for a few seconds, so I'm going to have to be super careful going forward because a lot of mead has been lost in the process. Gravity reading is starting to drop, down to what I think is 1.164, but it's still off the scale. pH is also at 4.07.

Making Fermenter Gaskets

Wal-Mart carries a terrific 2-1/2 gallon clear glass jar that has a barrel look to it. It makes for a terrific secondary fermenter when adding fruit to a one gallon carboy would increase the volume too much to fit. I used it for my blueberry mead and it worked out great.

The one problem is the lid that comes with it is a thin metal type with no gasket. Air can easily enter and escape. I saw on a Jack Spirko video where he talked about making your gasket using one of several methods.

The first one he mentioned he picked up from the Underground Meadery page on Facebook where it was recommended cutting out a disk from a plastic coffee can lid. I tried that and it seemed to stiff to me, and since my cut wasn't perfect it didn't solve the problem.

The second method he suggested was using a rubber can opening gripper. It's a floppy disk that you would use to open lids on stuck jars. Jack said he got one at his local dollar store, but I checked out quite a few such stores and couldn't find anything.

Today while at Wal-Mart I happened to see some Contact brand shelf liner. It seemed to be a plastic-y type material (the packaging didn't say), but was very flexible. It was also thin too so it didn't seem like it would get in the way of closing the lid. For $6 for a roll, I figured I'd give it a try.

I traced the top of the lid onto the shelf liner and using an X-acto knife I cut out the shape. Slipping it into the lid, it seemed just slightly oversized, which I thought was good because it would allow the gasket to fully contact the rim of the jar.

With the shape cut out, I slipped it into place and poured about a half gallon of water in and turned the bottle upside down to check for leaks. There were none. That convinces me it will be able to prevent air from leaking or allowing it to enter, and because it is plastic, it is washable so I can clean it after each use.

I then drilled a 1/2" diameter hole in the center of the lid to fit a bung and airlock. I think tomorrow I will use it to continue the aging process with the pineapple pepper hydromel (Mead No. 2017-6).

Pitched the Metheglin Yeast

I created a starter for the Montrachet yeast by heating 50 ml of water to about 107F (maybe hotter) then added in 1-1/4 tsp Fermax nutrient. I waited until the water temp fell to between 100-104F and added 1 tsp. of yeast and let stand for 20 minutes.

I'm following the protocol that says to add GoFerm nutrient to the water, but since I didn't have that I went with the Fermax. But followed all the other directions as indicated.

I did initially forget to add the DAP and energizer to the must after pitching the yeast, but added it a few hours later. Since it had nutrient from the starter I'm not too worried it will be a problem.

I also bottled my Raspberry Pomegranate mead (No. 6). Got 4-1/2 375 ml bottles out of it. The first 4 were very clear while the last picked up some sludge. I put that one in the refrigerator for current consumption and the other 4 were corked and will be stored.

I also tasted my sack mead (No. 7) and it was very sweet with a slight caramel flavor to it. I'm considering carbonating this one at bottling, but need more information about the process before proceeding.

My First Metheglin

It's a year of firsts...my first hard cider, my first hydromel, and now my first metheglin.

I got the recipe off of the American Homebrew Association (I think) and it was called Fall Spice Metheglin. For some reason, although I've been wanting to make a metheglin for awhile, this recipe struck a chord with me. Maybe it was the unofficial end of summer with the Labor Day weekend, but it seemed like the right recipe to make now.

Although there were a few minor changes, I basically stuck to the recipe:

• 2 lbs honey (I used Great Value clover honey)
• 3/4 tsp Bentonite (recipe did not call for it)
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 tsp ginger (recipe called for ground ginger, but I used fresh)
• 1/2 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 2/3 c fresh squeezed orange juice (recipe said juice from 1 large orange, but also 1-1/2 c of juice. My large orange gave me only 1/2 c of juice, so I squeezed 2 small tangerines and it gave me about 2/3 c altogether)
• 1 tsp pectic enzyme
• 1 tsp acid blend
• 1 tsp Montrachet yeast (recipe called for the whole packet, but I add only 2g or 1 tsp per gallon)
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• 1/2 tsp yeast energizer (recipe doesn't call for this, perhaps because of the other additions, but I'm adding some anyway)
• 1/4 tsp wine tannin (recipe called for grape tannin, not sure if that's the same thing)
• 1 campden tablet

As I noted, I made a couple of changes, and though I've started not adding acid blend at the outset based upon what I've read from Ken Schramm and Denard Brewing, as the recipe called for it I figured I'd follow the instructions. Also, since my juice addition was somewhat less than what was called for, I thought it might help.

But also as I've begun doing with all my recipes, I'm following my step-by-step checklist and it helps me to standardize the process. 

I warmed up my honey to thin it out, and then added 1 c spring water to the fermenter and 3/4 tsp Bentonite which I shook vigorously to incorporate. With the honey liquified, I added it to the fermenter and then added 4 c of spring water that I heated up for 45 seconds in my electric kettle. The temp of the water only got to 95F though, so 1 minute will be my standard in the future.

I again shook the fermenter vigorously to mix the honey and water together and then began adding the spices. I followed that with my orange juice and then topped it up with the rest of the spring water, leaving enough room for the yeast that will be pitched tomorrow. 

That's another first for me, not pitching yeast the same day, but since we also added 1 crushed campden tablet, it's necessary. I took a hydrometer reading and got 1.090. The temperature of the must was 81.7F, so adjusting for the temperature I'd have an SG of 1.091. Of course, I'll take the temp again before pitching the yeast to get the correct SG, but I wanted to get an idea of the potential ABV, which will be right around 12%.

I also took a pH reading just to see what it was. I just bought a digital pH meter so I first took one using a strip and estimated it came in between 3.2 to 3.6, and figured it would be close to 3.5. After calibrating the pH meter, I took another reading and it came out at 3.34, within the range, but a little lower than I thought. Still it's all good and the must ought to provide a healthy environment for the yeast.

UPDATE (9/4/17): I made a yeast starter by heating 1 cup of water to about 107F (maybe hotter) in my electric kettle then poured off 50 ml of it into a mixing bowl and added 1-1/4 tsp of Fermax yeast nutrient. I let the temperature come down to between 100F - 104F (it was 103F) and I added 1 tsp of yeast and let stand for 20 minutes before pitching.

I'm following the yeast starter protocol that says to use GoFerm nutrient to the starter then add the yeast, but since I don't have GoFerm I used Fermax.

The formula for determining how much nutrient and water to use is nutrient in the amount of 1.25x  the amount of yeast and then 20x the weight with water. So for 2g of yeast, I used 2.5g of Fermax (2 x 1.25 = 2.5) in 50 ml of water as 1ml = 1g (2.5 x 20 = 50). That translated into 1 tsp of yeast, 1-1/4 tsp Fermax, and 50ml water.

I took the must temperature and it was 70.4F and so tempered the starter with the must until it was within 10F of the must (it got to 77.8F) at which time I pitched the yeast into the must.

I forgot to add yeast nutrient and energizer at pitching, but added 1/2 tsp energizer and 1 tsp nutrient several hours later. Since the yeast was pitched with Fermax, I'm not too concerned it will be a problem.

UPDATE (9/5/17): I began degassing the mead, and it was already enjoying a rigorous ferment. While in the morning I did a basic shake of the one gallon fermenter, which seemed to work, in the afternoon I used a whip I made.

The whip was actually the handle of a large flat stirrer. While one end was large and wide, like a spatula, the other end had a small flat square that could be used to hang the utensil up. First I tried using that flat end as a stirrer, and though it worked, was not really efficient. So what I did was drilled 2 small holes on either side of the small flat end and tied two short pieces of thick fishing line to each hole (weed wacker line would be better, but fishing line is what I had on hand).

With that in place, I proceeded to cut of the big spatula end and while I originally intended to use a ceiling hangar bolt as the rod to insert into my drill, that surprisingly bent. So instead I drilled out a hole with a 3/8" drill bit and left the drill bit in place and used that as the road. I was then able to insert it into the container and get much better degassing action than if I had just used the paddle. I degassed for approximately 5 minutes.

UPDATE (9/6/2017): The ferment is going full boil and the spices are actually swirling around in the fermenter. The color of the must is a cream-like color.

Backsweetening the Raspberry Pomegranate Melomel

I backsweetened the raspberry pomegranate melomel (Mead No. 6) with1 cup of honey. The taste is perfect and the gravity was raised from 1.000 to 1.024, just above my target of 1.020. The reason for the overshot is the back sweetening calculator determining how much honey to add to raise the gravity.

According to the calculator, with the mead at 1.000 and my target at 1.020, I needed 0.59 lbs of honey, which equates to 0.74 c, just shy of 3/4 c. Since I have my digital scale, I figured I'd weigh the honey out to make it precise.

Turning to the internet, I calculated 0.59 lbs as the equivalent of 9.44 oz. So I tared out my 1-cup measuring cup and began filling it with honey. I got to 9.4 oz and that was almost a full cup. So when I added it all in, it raised it slightly above my target gravity. So the measurement portion of my calculator seems correct; the weight appears off.

Using generally accepted weight for honey off the internet shows 1 cup of honey weighs 0.80 lbs, which my real-world example suggests is slightly too high. Obviously there are many factors that go into that, but I may adjust my calculator since the honey I'm using seems to be "lighter."

Regardless, this mead tastes awesome! I'm going to let it sit for a week and then bottle.