Mead Log

ABV = OG - FG * 131.25 

October 1, 2018

Mead No. 2018-5

Pumpkin Spice Mead

Ingredients:

1 lb 3.7 oz honey

1/2 tsp Bentonite

1-1/4 gal water

1 tsp liquid tannins

1/2 tsp energizer

1 tsp nutrient

1 c white sugar
71B yeast

OG: 1.060 7.9 ABV
SG (10/7/18) 0.996
ABV: 8.4%
SG (11/17/18): 0.994
ABV: 8.7%

Notes: 

October 3, 2018: There didn't seem to be any fermentation happening, so I added a half packet of Safale US-05 into bucket dry. Fermentation may have been occurring though because bucket had a hole drilled in side for maple sap collection which was plugged with a bit of paper towel and gas may have escaped through it. Airlock never bubbled.
October 7, 2018: Took a gravity reading and it had fallen to 0.996, so fermentation did occur.
January 22, 2019: Did I previously sulfite the mead? I can't remember. I think I did, but I don't have any notes on it. I racked it to a 1 gal. carboy, and there was much more than 1 gallon (almost a full 375 ml bottle, which I put into refrigerator to drink). I'll let it set for a couple of days to see if anything more settles out, then I'll backsweeten. EDIT: I added 1/2 tsp k-sorbate and 1/8 tsp k-meta. I recall I had planned last time (1/6) to sulfite it, bathed accidentally stirred up the bucket so I was letting it settle before coming back to it. I'll wait till the weekend to backsweeten.
January 29, 2019: Backsweetened with 12.1 oz of honey. Gravity reading of 1.026

Tasting Notes: 

October 7, 2018: Rather bland. Though it supposedly has a 8.4% ABV, there wasn't any real alcohol taste. No pumpkin spice flavor. Looked, rather than tasted, slightly carbonated.
November 17, 2018: Definitely more of a alcohol taste than before. Still no real spice flavor to it, though not a terrible taste. Needs time.
January 6, 2019: Alcohol taste has dissipated, and there's a slight spice taste to it, but not much. Still not so bad on taste.
January 22, 2019: Tasted like...nothing. No pumpkin spice, no alcohol, no honey. It definitely needs to be backsweetened.
January 29, 2019: Backsweetening helped some, but it still tasted thin.

September 22, 2018

Mead No. 2018-4

Hard Apple Cider

Ingredients: 

1 pkg (5g) Lalvin K1-V1116
1/4 tsp yeast nutrient
1/4 tsp yeast energizer
50 ml  water 106F

Must prep:

1/2 gal. Stop & Shop 100% Apple Cider (no sugar added)
1 c light brown sugar (packed)
3 tsp McCormick Pumpkin Pie spice

Add adjuncts:

1/4 tsp yeast energizer
3/4 tsp yeast nutrient
1/2 tsp pectic enzyme
Added 1/2 gal. apple juice
Aerated 1 hr.

Measurements:

SG Juice only: 1.048
Must temp 92.0F
OG: 1.068
Temp. Adjusted OG: 1.071
Potential ABV: 9.3%
SG (09/24/18): 1.003 - ABV 8.9%


Notes:
September 22, 2018: Fermentation began with 2 hrs. of pitching. Looks like a good, strong one. From adding full packet and maybe addition of energizer and nutrient during rehydration?
September 24, 2018: Fermentation seemed to stop after a day. Took a hydrometer reading and saw it had nearly completely finished, falling to 1.003. However, I saw a video that recommended adding pectic enzyme when pitching yeast to clear up cloudiness. I had noticed after fermentation began the mead had completely clouded over even though the juice was clear. I added a 1/2 tsp of pectic enzyme and stirred vigorously to degas. Probably shouldn't have since mead was long past the 1/3 sugar break. We'll see if fermentation restarts to get rid of last bit of apparent sugar now that pectic enzyme has been added, which can wake up yeast again.
November 17, 2018: Mead cleared. Racked to carboy. Added 1/8 tsp K-meta and 1/2 tsp K-sorbate. Will let sit for 48 hrs. before backsweetening.
January 6, 2019: Racked to four 375 ml bottles.

Tasting Notes:
September 24, 2018: Not an unpleasant taste, but obviously not sweet since cider had gone dry. Definite hints of apple, but no real pumpkin pie spice flavor, maybe a whiff of it.
January 6, 2019: Not the greatest taste, but not horrible. Smell is probably worse than taste. Mild alcohol flavor, not burning or overbearing at all.

September 9, 2018

Mead No. 2018-3

Coffee Hydromel

Ingredients:

1/2 pkg (2.5 g) Montrachet yeast
1/4 tsp yeast energizer
1/4 c water 103F

Must prep:

2 c hot water
1/2 tsp Bentonite
1.25 lbs honey (22.1 oz) almost 2 c

Add adjuncts:

1 tsp liquid tannins
1/4 tsp yeast energizer
1 tsp yeast nutrient
Added 3 c cold brew coffee concentrate
Added 13 c water

Measurements:

Yeast temp 79.1F
Must temp 80.6F
OG: 1.054
Temp adjusted OG: 1.055
Potential ABV: 7.2%
pH: 6.44, corrected to 4.25 with 3 tsp acid blend
pH (9/22/18): 3.921.
SG (9/16/18): 1.008
SG (9/22/18): 1.006 - ABV 6.4%
SG (11/17/18): 1.006 - ABV 6.4%

Aerated must for 40 minutes

Notes:

September 22, 2018: Racked to secondary. Added 1/8 tsp K-meta and 1/2 tsp K-sorbate. Will let sit for 48 hrs. then add vanilla bean for about 2 weeks. With ABV at 6.4%, next time add 1-1/3 lbs. of honey.
September 24, 2018: Added vanilla bean. Split open to expose seeds and interior of pod. Will let sit for 2 weeks.
November 17, 2018: So I let vanilla bean sit for almost 2 months. Racked to carboy, placed in long-term storage.

Tasting Notes:

September 16, 2018: Mild on the alcohol side, but slightly bitter on the coffee side. Will need some vanilla perhaps to round out the flavor.
September 22, 2018: No alcohol bite at all, coffee flavor has mellowed a bit but still a little bitter. Basically like drinking a cold cup of coffee.
October 7, 2018: Tastes rather bitter. Still no alcohol bite. Vanilla bean hasn't softened the bitter coffee notes.
November 17, 2018: Much more smooth than it had been. Coffee flavor definitely not as bitter as before. Almost like a cold brew coffee without the harshness. No alcohol notes, though maybe covered by the coffee flavor.

September 6, 2018

Mead No. 2018-2

Black Cherry Plum Hydromel

Ingredients:

• 1/2 gal. black cherry plum juice
• 2.7 oz honey
• 2.5 g EC-1118 yeast
• 1/4 tsp yeast energizer
• 1/4 tsp Bentonite
• 1/4 tsp liquid tannins
• 1/8 tsp potassium metabisulfite
• 1/4 tsp potassium sorbate

OG: 1.060

Must temp: 95F

Temp adjusted OG: 1.064

Potential ABV: 8.4%

pH: 3.76

SG: 0.998

ABV: 8.7%

Notes:

September 12, 2018: Racked over to a 1 gal. container and added K-meta and K-sorbate.
September 16, 2018: Backsweetened with 1 c of black cherry plum juice, which raised the gravity to 1.010. Perhaps use half-and-half of juice and honey next time two sweeten it ever so slightly. Currently has a somewhat tart taste.
October 7, 2018: Bottled into 2 375 ml flip top bottles (plus a half glass).

Tasting Notes:

September 12, 2018: A dry version of the juice, with a little alcohol flavor to it.
September 16, 2018: After backsweetening with more juice, it has a sweeter, though more tart taste. No alcohol bite can really be discerned.
October 7, 2018: Tart, dry flavor. Maybe backsweeten with honey next time. No alcohol bite.

October 15, 2017

Mead No. 2017-12

Traditional Hydromel

Ingredients:

• 1 gal. spring water
• 1-1/2 lbs honey (actually, 25 oz)
• 5 g Fermax yeast nutrient
• 4 g Safale US-05 yeast
• 1/2 tsp Bentonite
• 1 tsp wine tannins
• 1 tsp acid blend

OG: 1.074

Must temp: 77F

Temp adjusted OG: 1.075

Potential ABV: 10%

pH: 3.50 (corrected from 5.22)

SG (10/16/17): 1.066

Must temp:18.3C/64.9F

pH: 3.95

SG (10/17/17): 1.060

Must temp: 19.2C/66.6F

SG (10/17/17 - PM): 1.050

Must temp: 19.4C/66.9F

SG (10/18/17): 1.034

Must temp: 16.3C/61.3F

pH: 3.39

SG(10/19/17 - AM): 1.025

Must temp: 18.4C/65.1F

SG (10/20/2017): 1.016

Must temp: 18.5C/65.3F

SG (10/21/2017): 1.003

Must temp: 18.9C/66.0F

SG (10/24/2017): 1.000

Must temp: 18.9C/66.0F

ABV = 1.075 - 1.000 = 0.075 x 131.25 = 9.8%

Notes:

October 16, 2017: Began aerating, twice daily for the first three days. Will degas thereafter till the 1/3 sugar break, or 1.025. Also made the first nutrient addition. Really just a pinch of the nutrients since 1.6g is really a whole heckuva lot to divide into 4 feedings.

October 17, 2017: Continued aerating twice daily. Tomorrow will be last day of aeration, before degassing begins. Added second nutrient addition.

October 18, 2017: Continued aeration, but for last time. Added third nutrient addition.

October 19, 2017: Began degassing. Added final nutrient addition as must reached last 1/3 sugar break of 1.025.

October 20, 2017: Also realized that I was going to sop degassing at the 1/3 sugar break so I haven't degassed again. 

October 24, 2017: Looks like the mead has finished at 1.000.

October 29, 2017: Racked to a 1-gal carboy.

November 12, 2017: Reracked to a 1-gal wide-mouth container. I had noticed there was the very beginnings of a film that seemed to be developing on the surface of the mead prior to racking. Left a small amount of mead behind, hopefully with most of whatever that was. Added 1 very ripe banana that i secured in a do-rag. Unfortunately, I forgot to sanitize the rag so I'm hoping now I didn't ruin the mead and infect it. I'll leave it in for 7-10 days as recommended.

Tasting Notes:

October 16, 2017: Tastes sweet.

October 17, 2017: Continues to taste sweet.

October 18, 2017: Lightly carbonated, still sweet.

October 20, 2017: Taste turning to alcohol.

October 24, 2017: Whatever alcohol taste might have been starting it seems to have completely dissipated. The taste is slightly sweet, and while a little on the thin side, it tastes excellent. This may be my best mead yet in the sense I don't want an overly alcoholic, overly sweet mead.

November 12, 2017: There is a slightly more pronounced alcohol flavor than there was, but still eminently drinkable. 

October 8, 2017

Mead No. 2017-11

Mango Habanero 

Ingredients:

• 67.6 oz Jumex Mango Nectar (from concentrate)
• 4 c spring water
• 2 c Honey (1-1/2 lbs)
• 1-1/4 tsp Fermax yeast nutrient
• 1 tsp Lalvin D47 yeast
• 1/2 tsp Bentonite
• 1 tsp wine tannin
• 1/2 tsp yeast energizer
• SNA (1 tsp DAP, 2 tsp Fermax) added at rate of 3/4 tsp per day
• Habanero pepper (to be added in secondary)
• 1 campden tablet
• 1/2 tsp potassium sorbate

OG: 1.080

Must Temp: 89F

Temp adjusted OG: 1.082

Potential ABV: 11% 

pH: 3.82

SG (10/10/17): 1.080

Must temp: 12.5C/54.5F

pH: 5.00, corrected to 4.00

SG (10/11/17): 1.080

Must temp: 18.0C/64.4F

SG (10/11/17 - PM): 1.062

Must temp: 18.4C/65.1F

pH: 4.27

SG (10/12/17): 1.036

Must temp: 18.2C/64.8F

pH: 3.89

SG (10/13/17): 1.020

Must temp: 18.1C/64.6F

SG (10/14/17):  1.007

Must temp: 17.3C/63.1F

SG (10/15/17): 1.004

Must temp: 16.8C/62.2F

pH: 4.04

SG (10/16/17): 1.004

Must temp: 17.8C/64.0F

SG (10/17/2017): 1.003

Must temp: 18.3C/64.9F

SG (10/18/17): 1.003

Must temp: 16.7C/62.1F

SG (10/20/2017): 1.003

Must temp: 18.5C/65.3F

SG (10/21/17): 1.003

ABV: 10.1%

Notes:

October 8, 2017: I used my DIY Thermowell with this mead so I'm not sure it is having an impact, but the temperatures I get subsequent to pitching are much colder that I was getting with the ambient air temp, 15-17C vs 17-18C or more.

October 9, 2017: There was no airlock activity to speak of. When I went to aerate the must in the morning, it looked completely still and even beating it produced no foam. At 2 p.m. I went to add the first nutrient additions and there was still no activity. I pitch the ingredients at a rate of 3/4 tsp and stirred it a little but no activity present, so I decided to pitch another 1 tsp of D47 yeast. I rehydrated it in 105F water, let it sit for 20 minutes, then acclimated it to the must with numerous additions of turkey baster filled must. When it was within about 5F of the must I pitched the yeast into the must. My concern is that the ingredients in the mango juice are prohibiting fermentation, but I'm also watching to see if the cool temps are slowing it down too. UPDATE: Second yeast pitch got things  going, so much so I had to put a blowoff tube on it to keep it in check.

October 10, 2017: Did the second nutrient addition, but once again airlock activity had turned basically to nothing. It does seem to be the temperature, which had plunged to the mid-50s. Not sure why that is occurring, but since it only happened as a result of using the Thermowell, I will stop using it until I can hook up a heating element in the freezer.  I kept it out of the freezer and after several hours fermentation had reactivated, but now the must temp jumped up to +70F so I put it back into the freezer. By the evening, though, with the thermostat removed from the Thermowell, fermentation was still going at a good pace. I tested the pH of the must and it was at 5.00 so I began adding acid blend to it and after 1-1/2 tsp it was below 4.00 so I added one more 1/2 tsp and it was now 4.00 so I left it at that. Also, the gravity hasn't changed yet, remaining at 1.080.

October 11, 2017: Continued degassing and added the third nutrient addition. Gravity reading remains unchanged at 1.080, but ferment seems to be going just fine. With the evening degassing, the gravity reading finally fell, dropping to 1.062. Temperature seems to be staying fairly constant in the 65F area. pH, however, had risen to 4.27.

October 13, 2017: Seems yesterday's update might be missing, along with the update from today. Made the final nutrient addition as the gravity reading had fallen below the 2/3 sugar break, or 1.028, to 1.020 IIRC. Will also be the last degassing I do. There seems to be some disagreement on when to stop degassing, with some sources saying through primary fermentation and others saying to the 2/3 sugar break. I'm going to try the last one with this batch and see how it goes.

October 21, 2017: Racked to the secondary. Added one campden tablet, crushed and diluted with must before adding. Will wait 36 hrs. and then backsweeten with more mango juice to bring out the mango flavor, which has subsided. Then I'll add a habanero pepper and let stand for 1 week then sample.

October 22, 2017: Added 1/2 tsp. potassium sorbate. Now it should be ready to backsweeten.

October 29, 2017: Racked to a 1-gal. carboy and backsweetened with nearly entire 33.8 oz container of mango nectar. Gravity rose to 1.016. Taste is more mango like now, and then cut up 3 habanero peppers and added to must in a filter bag. Will leave for several days to add some heat.

November 12, 2017: Removed the habaneros.

September 14, 2018: Racked to a new container. Very carbonated and gravity fell to 1.000 despite having added K-meta/K-sorbate. Will backsweeten with honey as sweet flavor has dissipated. 

Tasting Notes:

October 11, 2017: Very carbonated at the moment and the taste is nice and sweet. Not cloying, but a good flavor, which I know won't last as it ferments through.

October 12, 2017: Sweet mango flavor.

October 17, 2017: Has a much more alcohol flavor, somewhat harsh. Mango flavor seems to have left it somewhat.

October 18, 2017: Taste turning harsh, alcoholic.

October 20, 2017: Harsh, alcoholic taste muted. Not sure it's a mango flavor. Needs back sweetening, maybe with more mango juice.

October 29, 2017: After back sweetening with mango nectar, has a more mango-like taste now.

November 5, 2017: Even after a week in the secondary, there's only a hint of the heat from the habanero peppers. I'll leave them in longer to infuse more heat.

November 12, 2017: There seems to be the appropriate amount of bite to the mead.

September 14, 2018: Has a carbonated taste and is somewhat fizzy. No real heat anymore, nor any real mango taste. Not a great taste, but not alcoholic either. Tastes better each time I sample it though, but it's nothing exceptional.

October 1, 2017

Mead No. 2017-10

Apple Cyzer

Ingredients:

• 1 gal. apple juice
• 1 lb. honey
• 1/2 tsp yeast nutrient
• 1/2 tsp acid blend
• 1/4 tsp pectic enzyme
• 1/2 tsp. Bentonite
• 1 tsp. Lalvin EC-1118 yeast
• 1/8 tsp potassium metabisulfite
• 1/2 tsp potassium sorbate

OG: 1.072

Must temperature: 87.4F

Temp adjusted OG: 1.074

Potential ABV: 9.5%

pH 4.00

SG (10/2/17): 1.066

Must temp: 67.5F

pH: 4.07

SG (10/4/17): 1.030

pH: 3.80

SG (10/5/17): 1.009

Must temp: 17.7C/63.9F

SG (10/5/17 - PM): 1.005

Must temp: 17.2C/63.0F

SG (10/6/17): 1.002

Must temp: 18.1C/64.6F

SG (10/7/17): 1.002

Must temp: 17.0C/62.6F

SG (10/9/17): 1.002

FG (8/30/18): 1.000

ABV = 1.072 - 1.000 = .072 * 131.25 = 9.45%

Notes:

October 1, 2017: Started with 1/4 tsp of acid blend per the recipe, but the pH was around 4.50 so I added another 1/4 tsp and that dropped it down to around 3.89 but it finally settled at 4.0.

October 2, 2017: Began degassing. Fermentation chamber seems to be doing its job of keeping the must in the mid-60F range, which is where I want to ferment. Morning degassing didn't have much gas to speak of, and though fermentation had started as indicated by airlock activity, it wasn't much. Similarly, airlock activity was going, but not a raging boil. More gas though tonight, though thankfully no foam overs. Maybe the cooler temps help.

October 5, 2017: Had a foam over during degassing. Must temp was 17.7C  (63.9F) and airlock activity seemed minimal, so I thoughtlessly put the whip in and began degassing at high speed. It immediately foamed up and while minimal still reminds me to take care.

October 6, 2017: Stopped degassing after the morning session as mead has almost finished fermenting.

October 9, 2017: Racked to a secondary, a 1-gal carboy. It was short by about 4 cups so I heated up 2 c of apple juice to boiling and after a a few minutes I added 2 c of room temp spring water to cool it down some. I then pitched it into the carboy (3-1/2 c total), put an airlock on it, and placed it on the shelf for long-term storage. In 2-4 months I'll rack it again.

August 30, 2018: It doesn't look as if it was stabilized at any time so I added 1/8 tsp potassium metabisulfite and 1/2 tsp potassium sorbate. I'll let it sit for 48 hrs. then backsweeten with more 100% apple juice.

September 3, 2018: Backsweetened with 3 cups 100% apple juice. Gravity rose to 1.008.

September 6, 2018: Bottled into 5 750ml swing-top bottles.

September 24, 2018: Added a piece of cinnamon stick to one of the bottles to see if it will add some "spice" flavor.

Tasting Notes:

October 2, 2017: Carbonated apple flavor. 

October 4, 2017: Unchanged.

October 5, 2017: Apple flavor has been pushed to the back and there is much more of an alcohol flavor to the carbonation.

October 7, 2017: Apple flavor was more pronounced tonight.

October 9, 2017: Not much of an alcohol flavor, but an apple juice like flavor. Not very notable as an alcoholic beverage.

August 30, 2018: The apple flavor has dissipated, though there is a hint, and there was more of an alcohol note presence.

September 6, 2018: Apple flavor is not overpowering and the alcohol notes have diminished. Not especially sweet, nor too dry. Would have liked a slightly more apple or sweet taste, but it is perfectly drinkable.

September 24, 2018: Forgot I had backsweetened it and was pleasantly surprised by the taste. It tastes good, but no fall spice flavors. I added a piece of cinnamon stick to one bottle to see if that imparts the "spice."

October 7, 2018: Cinnamon stick definitely added more roundness to the flavor.

September 23, 2017

Mead No. 2017-9

Traditional Hydromel

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs honey
• 1 gal spring water
• 1/2 tsp. yeast nutrient
• 1 tsp yeast energizer
• 1 tsp (2.5 g) Lalvin D47 yeast
• 1/2 tsp calcium bicarbonate
• 1-1/2 tsp acid blend

OG: 1.094
Must temperature: 61.0F
Temp adjusted OG: 1.094
Potential ABV: 12.5%
pH: 4.38

SG Reading (9/24/17): 1.074

Must temp: 73.1F
pH: 4.11
SG (9/27/17): 1.010
Must temp: 75.3F
pH: 3.89
FG (10/2/17): 0.998
pH: 3.83
ABV: 1.094 - 0.998 x 131.25 = 12.60%

Notes:

September 23, 2017: Temperature of the must was too hot to pitch yeast right away, even after several hours. I put fermenter in the freezer and it finally dropped to 61F. Yeast was pitched and then I remembered to take a pH reading. When I did, the pH was very high, or 6.40. I added calcium bicarbonate to the must thinking that would lower it, but it raised it up instead to 6.50. That's when I realized I needed to add acid blend. I added it 1/2 tsp at a time until I got it down near 4 (4.38).

September 24, 2017: Degassed the mead. Temperature of mead had risen to room temp off around 73F. A gravity reading showed it dropped to 1.074 and the pH had come down to 4.11.
October 2, 2017: Unfortunately, Blogger ate all my updates so I'm going to try and recreate them after the fact. I'm pretty certain the gravity reading was 0.998 and pH 3.83 (according to notes I think belong to this mead), and I added 2-2/3 c spring water to fill. Racked to a secondary and put into storage for 3-4 months. Even so, alcohol is higher than I wanted so next time I'll cut it back to 1-1/2 lbs of honey.
January 29, 2019: Backsweetened with 10 oz of honey. Gravity reading of 1.020.

Tasting Notes:

September 27, 2017: Taste is light, sweet, and carbonated. I'm liking the flavor of this plain hydromel even if the carbonation ultimately dissipates.
January 29, 2019: Taste was ok after backsweetening, not great. No carbonation, no sweetness.

September 22, 2017

Mead No. 2017-8

Orange Creamsicle

Ingredients

• 3 lbs Honey 
• 1/4 cup Sugar
• 2 cans (12 oz) frozen 100% Orange Juice Concentrate 
• 2 Large fresh ripe Oranges - cut into 8 slices each - in secondary
• 2 tbsp 100% Pure Vanilla Extract (1 in primary, 1 in secondary)
• 1 gal Spring water
• 1/4 tsp Pectic Enzyme
• 1/2 tsp Yeast Nutrient
• 1 tsp. yeast energizer
• 1 tsp. (2.5 g) Cote des Blancs yeast
• 1 campden tablet
• 1/2 tsp potassium sorbate

OG: 1.170

Must temperature: 75F

Temp adjusted OG: 1.171

Potential ABV: +20%

pH: 4.14
SG Reading (9/24/17): 1.164
Must temp. 71.3F
pH: 4.06
SG: (9/27/17): 1.116
pH: 4.21
SG (10/2/2017): 1.092
pH: 4.00, after correction
SG (10/5/17): 1.058
Must temp: 17.0C/62.6F
Must temp (10/6/17): 18.3C/64.9F
SG (10/13/17): 1.035
Must temp. 17.1C/62.8F
SG (10/16/17): 1.030
Must temp: 17.7C/63.9F
SG (10/17/17): 1.026
SG (10/18/17): 1.025
Must temp: 17.0C/62.6F
SG (10/20/17): 1.023
Must temp: 18.6C/65.5F
SG (10/21/17): 1.020

Notes:

September 23, 2017: Began degassing twice daily. Had foam overs each time.
September 24, 2017: Degassed again in the morning and had yet another foam over. Gravity is dropping but still off the charts.
September 27, 2017: Degassed for the last time. Airlock action has slowed considerably though the top of the must still has a lot of bubbles. Will let it sit for a few more days, taking a new gravity reading, then probably move onto the next phase of the fermentation which is adding the fruit and vanilla extract.
October 2, 2017: Gravity reading had fallen to 1.092, but pH had risen to 4.41. I tried to correct with two 1/2 tsp additions of calcium bicarbonate when I once again remembered to lower the pH reading I need to add acid blend. So I then added it, and it dropped down to around 4.00. I racked it to a secondary carboy, added the two oranges that were washed and sanitized, and added 1 tbs of pure vanilla extract. I put into the fermentation chamber for another 2-3 weeks until primary fermentation is complete.
October 3, 2017: Fermentation seems to have reactivated strongly in fermentation chamber with very active airlock activity.
October 4, 2017: Punched down the oranges. Must temp was 18.1C/64.6F
October 5, 2017: Airlock activity is still going strong.
October 7, 2017: Continued to punch down cap. Airlock activity remains strong.
October 13, 2017: Still managing the cap, punching it daily. Will be looking for primary fermentation to end somewhere between 10/16 and 10/23, at which time it will be racked off the fruit.
October 21, 2017: Racked to a secondary, a 3L carboy. Lost about a third of the mead to sediment and fruit. NEVER add orange rinds again, juice and zest only. Although I didn't want to, I accidentally added a crushed campden table to the must. As that will/ought to kill the yeast I'll now let it age. I also added 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract.
October 22, 2017: Less than 12 hrs. later a lot of sediment has fallen out again, easily a 1/2" or so, meaning I'll need to rack it again. I'll probably go to a plastic container, maybe add some Bentonite again (maybe that will strip out some of the bitterness too), and then rack once more. Also added 1/2 tsp. potassium sorbet.
October 29, 2017: Racked to a 1-gal. carboy and added 1 tbsp. of vanilla extract.
November 5, 2017: Placed carboy into freezer to cold crash for a week or so.
November 19, 2017: Racked to a 1-gal plastic container in anticipation of bottling, but I ended up stirring up some sediment, so I put it back into the freezer and I'll wait till the sediment settles before bottling.

Tasting Notes:

September 27, 2017: This has a nice orange flavor, not bitter or acidic. Just a full orange taste, which was quite pleasing. Also a little carbonation to it too. However, I can easily imagine that once the vanilla extract is added it will give that orange creamsicle taste.
October 3, 2017: Very orangey taste, naturally, and even more so after the addition of the 2 oranges. Also very carbonated. After adding the vanilla, it's of course the orange taste that hits first, but the vanilla comes on the back end, so once the orange taste mellows this should very much have an orange creamsicle taste.
October 5, 2017: Didn't taste the mead, but the orange aroma fills the fermentation chamber.
October 12, 2017: Getting a harsh, bitter flavor, possibly from the orange rinds that I hope will mellow with time.
October 13, 2017: Taste was surprisingly not nearly as harsh as it was yesterday, still very orangey but the barest hint of the vanilla in the background. Maybe instead of the vanilla bean I was going to add in secondary, I'll add another tbsp of vanilla extract. Another recipe I saw says it should've been added in secondary anyway.
October 17, 2017: This taste keeps changing. Still very orangey with only the barest hint of vanilla at the end, but different still than the last time I tasted it.
October 18,2017: Taste is becoming harsh and nasty like alcohol.
October 21, 2017: Can taste the bitterness of the orange pith, though the harsh, nasty alcohol flavor has muted. Once the vanilla was added, it definitely smoothed it out, but the flavor was to "present," so it needs time to age and mellow. NEVER use orange rinds again; juice and zest only.
October 22, 2017: Taste wasn't especially bitter this morning, so maybe time will mellow it further, but it also didn't taste like an orange creamsicle. There was the vanilla notes to it, bit maybe adding some orange juice concentrate would help bring out the orange flavor.
November 19, 2017: Has a pleasant orange taste, but there's no vanilla cream taste. Also still a little hot, but not bad at all. May add a little vanilla extract to boost the creamiscle aspect of it.

September 3, 2017

Mead No. 2017-7

Fall Spiced Metheglin

• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 tsp fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1 large orange, juiced
• 2 small mandarin oranges, juiced
• 2 lbs Great Value clover honey
• 1 tsp pectic enzyme
• 1 tsp acid blend
• 1 tsp Montrachet yeast 
• 1 tsp yeast nutrient
• 1 tsp yeast energizer
• 3/4 tsp Bentonite
• 1/4 tsp grape tannin
• 1 campden tablet, crushed

OG: 1.090

Must Temperature: 70.4F

Temp. Adjusted OG: 1.090

Expected ABV: 12%

pH: 3.34
SG (9/13/2017):  1.002
SG (9/16/2017): 1.002
SG (9/27/17): 1.002
FG (9/9/18): 0.998
ABV: 1.090 - 0.998 = .092 * 131.25 = 12.08%

Notes:

September 3, 2017: I made the must by adding all the ingredients. Because a campden tablet was added, the yeast will be pitched tomorrow. The taste of this must is very good; how much it will hold onto through fermentation remains to be seen.
September 4, 2017: Pitched the yeast, added a balloon airlock, and set in the storage room for daily degassing.
September 5, 2017: Began degassing daily.
September 6, 2017: Ferment is going full tilt, and the color of the must is cream-like.
September 13, 2017: Took hydrometer reading and it was 1.002. Will take it again in several days.
September 16, 2017: Took hydrometer reading again and as it had stayed at 1.002 for several days I determined fermentation was finished. Racked to a secondary carboy and topped off with spring water. Smell seemed a little funky though. Can't tell if it was the spices or something gone awry with the ferment. I'm wondering if using fresh ground ginger is the cause as floating in water for 2 weeks would make it go off.
September 27, 2017: Since I was taking a sample to taste to see if it had changed, I figured I'd take another gravity reading to make sure it was done. With a 1.002 reading, I'm saying it is.
October 2, 2017: Racked to a secondary for storage for 3-4 months.
October 22, 2017: Racked into a 1-gal. water jug as a thin layer of sediment had built up on the bottle. The metheglin was super clear. When a glass carboy is available, it will be racked back into it for storage for another few months.
September 8, 2018: Bottled into 3 750ml bottles.

Tasting notes:

September 3, 2017: The taste is very good and if it can maintain this flavor throughout the ferment and thereafter it will be perfect.
September 9, 2017: The flavor has changed markedly as fermentation has progressed. A lot of heat from the alcohol that initially masks the spices, though they start to come at the back end.
September 13, 2017: Not tasting the heat so much as it's not as pleasant as it was when it was first pitched.
September 16, 2017: Taste isn't horrible, but not particularly good either. Definitely not like it was at the start.
September 27, 2017: There seems to be a slight sulfurous smell to it, but I'm not certain if it's the mead or the spices.  The taste seems slightly off too, without any spice flavor. The mead is carbonated though as bubbles race to the top.
October 2, 2017: Somewhat carbonated, but taste wasn't great. No spice flavor came through. I'm hoping aging brings them out again.
October 22, 2017: The spices are starting to show through. The taste wasn't terrible. Not great, but not like it had been. Definite vanilla and cinnamon notes, and maybe a little ginger, but nothing else.
September 8, 2018: No overt alcohol taste either.

August 28, 2017

Mead No. 2017-6

Hawaiian Lava Flow(?) - think on the name

Pineapple Pepper Hydromel (formerly Traditional Hydromel)

• 1 gal. Crystal Gyser Spring Water, minus ~1cup
• 1 lb.  2oz. Great Value clover honey
• 1/2 tsp. bentonite
• 1 tsp. liquid wine tannin
• 1/2 tsp. yeast energizer
• 1 tsp. yeast nutrient 
• 2.5 g (1 tsp) Red Star Premier Blanc yeast

OG: 1.049

Temp. of Must: 80.3F

Temp-adjusted SG: 1.050

Expected ABV: 6.5% 

pH: Well above 4.0

FG: 0.998

ABV: 1.050 - 0.998 = 0.052 * 135 = 7.02%

Notes:

August 29, 2017: Began daily de-gassing; will continue for one week. Mead had a highly carbonated sound while degassing, though a lot of foam did not form on surface. Took another pH reading and it seemed to be somewhere between 3.6 and 4.0, which seems like it's in the right area now.

September 1, 2017: Mead had completely cleared out and there was little to no airlock activity. I did mix things up again to degas, but probably shouldn't have. There was no gas activity from the stirring and I clouded up the must again. I took a gravity reading and got 1.002. I'll take another one tomorrow to see if there is any further fermentation, but it seems to be done. I tasted the mead and it seemed light, thin even, with little sweetness so it will need to be backsweetened.

September 6, 2017: Took hydrometer reading and obtained a 0.998 gravity, so the ferment is done. Racked to a 4-gal. secondary container and added one campden tablet.

September 7, 2017: Added 28 oz can of pineapple (juice included) in a sack.

September 8, 2017: Added second 28 oz can of cubed pineapple and juice. Also added 1 tsp. crushed red pepper. Will monitor after a week to see what the flavor is like.

September 9, 2017: Racked into the 2-1/2 gal. carboy. Found a small leak in the bucket from a burr where the hole was drilled. After shaving it down it fixed the leak.

September 10, 2017: I punched down the cap and squeezed/crushed some of the fruit. It's recommended to actually squeeze the bag of fruit to extract the juices and flavors. Perhaps next time. Also next time, I'd add the pepper in a separate tea bag as the heat produced by the flakes is good right now but I can't really remove them because they're mixed with the pineapple which I still want to steep longer.

September 11, 2017: Is there a pellicle growing on top? Not sure but there was some white stuff floating on the surface. I may sulfate it since I'm going to removed the pineapple and pepper from the mead tomorrow. The pineapple taste had thinned a lot and the pepper taste had grown, so I don't want it to become too imbalanced even though it's only been less than a week.

September 12, 2017: No pellicle, but I squeezed out the last bit of lemon juice from the bag and racked the mead back into a 1 gal. carboy and then topped off with more spring water.

Tasting Notes:

September 1, 2017: Very flat, thin tasting. Will definitely need back sweetening or fruit addition.

September 7, 2017: Tasted the mead after adding the pineapple and it didn't really impress with either a pineapple flavor or honey. I may add a second can and perhaps a hot pepper or two to increase the flavor.

September 8, 2017: Had a more pineapple taste, but not particularly sweet or pronounced. 

September 9, 2017: This is tasting much better following the addition of the crushed red pepper. The pineapple taste is much more pronounced, but there's a hint right now of an undefined heat coming through. It's not that of alcohol, but of the pepper, which seems to be developing nicely. It's a surprisingly good mix of sweet and heat.

September 10, 2017: This is coming along nicely. Sweet pineapple flavor is pronounced, and then all of a sudden you get this heat from the pepper that lingers on the tongue.

September 11, 2017: A slight turn here in that the pineapple flavor seems to have thinned while the pepper flavor is now coming on strong. I'll hoping aging strengthens the one and mellows the other.

September 12, 2017: More pineapple flavor this time, probably from squeeze the juice out of the chunks, but the pepper flavor is still strong.

September 24, 2017: Heat is mellowing but there's still a nice bite.

August 14, 2017

Mead No. 2017-5

Tart Cherry Melomel (Viking's Blood)

• 2 32 oz Nature's Promise (Stop & Shop brand) 100% Tart Cherry juice (from concentrate)
• 2 12 oz Guaranteed Value (Stop & Shop brand) honey (no specification on kind)
• 5 c Great Value Spring Water
• 1/2 tsp. bentonite
• 1/2 tsp. acid blend
• 1/2 tsp. yeast energizer
• 1 tsp. yeast nutrient
• 1 tsp. liquid wine tannin
• 2.5 g (1/2 tsp.) Lalvin 71B-1122 yeast

OG: 1.092

Temp. of Must: 90.0F

Temp-adjusted SG: 1.095

Expected ABV: 12.5%

FG: 1.006

Temp adj. FG: 1.007

ABV: 1.095-1.007 = 0.088 * 135 = 11.88%

FG after adding cherries: 1.020

Notes:

Yeast did not seem to rehydrate at all. It was started in 99F water (pkg says 104-109F) and it did not foam, nothing. However, 4 hrs. later it was working, though not a particularly rigorous ferment. Also forgot to add wine tannins at the start, but added them 4 hrs after. Also forgot to check pH level at start.

August 15, 2017: Had the beginnings of an MEA at 5:00 am as the airlock had become filled with foam, but no spillage. Cleaned same and began degassing.

August 15-22, 2017: Degassing daily.

August 19, 2017: The airlock appear completely still with no sign of fermentation. A hydrometer reading showed gravity at 1.007. According to those on Got Mead?, I've likely reached the end of fermentation, but to keep an eye on it for the next few days. It may be ready for racking and sulfiting. I also checked the pH level of the must it came in at around a 3.

August 20, 2017: Another gravity reading showed the gravity to be unchanged at 1.007, so I will now rack it to a secondary and add about 3 lbs. of cherries to the secondary for a further fruit taste, but also add potassium metabisulfite and potassium sorbet.

August 24, 2017: Took another hydrometer reading and it was still at 1.006/7 so I added 1/8 tsp. potassium metabisulfite and 1/2 tsp potassium sorbate. I'll wait a day or two before racking to a secondary and adding the cherries, which have been pitted and frozen. There will be 1 lb. 13 oz. added. There's only a hint of alcohol with this one, so I'm hopeful that letting cherries sit in must for 2-3 weeks will impart even more sweetness.

August 27, 2017: Racked the mead to the secondary, a 2-gal. bucket, and added the near-2 lbs of cherries using a mesh nut milk bag. Also added 1/2 tsp of pectic enzyme. Will let age for 2-3 weeks before bottling and/or back sweetening.

August 28, 2017: Punched down the cherry cap, but the bag was already sitting well below the top so there was no real need to do so anyway. Also attempted to degas in the event degassing was necessary, but no foam formed on top so I won't bother with that in the future. The smell of the mead was fantastic though.

September 16, 2017: Racked the mead off the cherries into a 1 gal carboy. Will let it sit for awhile before bottling.

October 22, 2017. Added 1/2 tsp. each of potassium metabisulfite and potassium sorbate. Bottled some into 4 750 ml bottles of chocolate mead at a rate of about 2:1 chocolate to cherry. The rest was bottled into 3-1/2 750 ml bottles.

Tasting notes:

August 24, 2017: There's only a hint of alcohol. 

September 7, 2017: The taste of the black cherries is really starting to come through and it is definitely tart. You can also taste the presence of the alcohol. The fruity smell has toned down surprisingly considering how much the taste has increased.

September 8, 2017: The black cherries are really coming through, imparting an almost chocolate note to the taste.

September 16, 2017: This is full-on cherry taste. There is no hint of alcohol in this. Sweet and tart at the same time.

October 22, 2017: Still has that tart cherry taste without a hint of alcohol. When blended with the chocolate mead it gave a pleasant taste to both.

August 7, 2017

Mead No. 2017-4 (No. 17)

Peach Mead (formerly Base Mead)

• 1 gal. Crystal Gyser Spring Water, minus  4-1/2 cups (from Family Dollar)
• 3 lb. Great Value clover honey
• 1 tsp. bentonite
• 1 tsp. liquid wine tannin
• 1 tsp. acid blend
• 1/2 tsp. yeast energizer
• 1 tsp. yeast nutrient 
• 2.5 g (1/2 tsp) Red Star Pasteur Red yeast

OG: 1.080

Temp. of Must: 86.5 F

Temp-adjusted SG: 1.082

Expected ABV: 11%

FG: 1.000

Temp-adjusted FG: 1.001

ABV: 1.080 - 1.001 = 0.079 * 135 = 10.67%

Notes: 

Yeast took a bit to get started, but after a few hours was bubbling vigorously.

August 8-14, 2017: Degassing daily.

August 13, 2017: Tested for pH audit seemed to be fine, though it may have been a little early. Will retest in a few more days.

August 28, 2017: Mead had completely cleared out so I racked to a secondary.

September 2, 2017: Took FG reading and it had gone down to 1.000. I may have confused myself last time because I marked it as 1.006, and while that's possible, when I checked No. 15, it's FG was 1.006, but last time it was 0.997. Somewhere along the way it's gotten confused. Now when I racked to the secondary on each I did top off with extra water so that could account for the differences, but only if they're flipped. At any rate, I sulfited it and will rerack again as there is a fine bit of sediment on the bottom still. One will get lemons; the other peaches. The taste of this mead was dry, but not especially hot. After having fruit soak for several weeks I'll see if I want to backsweeten them.

September 5, 2017: Racked to a 5-gal. pail as I had no 2 gal. pails available. Added 2 lbs of frozen sliced peaches that were allowed to defrost and 1/2 tsp of pectic enzyme. Will allow to infuse mead for 2-3 weeks.

October 3, 2017: Racked to a 1-gal. carboy and topped with spring water. Moved to long-term storage.

October 29, 2017: Racked to a 1-gal carboy as a layer of sediment had formed in the bottom. It has amazing clarity though. I don't think I've had a more clear mead than this one.

Tasting Notes:

September 2, 2017: The taste of this mead was dry, but not especially hot.

September 5, 2017: Same as above, though after sipping my raspberry pomegranate mead, which is sweet, it seemed a little hot yet.

September 11, 2017: Whatever heat was there previously has pretty much been masked, and though there is a peach flavor growing, it's muted. So I plan on leaving the peaches in for another week or so.

September 12, 2017: Much stronger peach flavor today.

September 24, 2017: Tasted more like peach, but needs more age.

October 3, 2017: Taste had gotten hot and peach taste, despite just coming off the peaches, wasn't so noticeable. 

October 29, 2017: Heat has mellowed a little and the flavor is not so bad, though it's rather bland and not peachy. Needs some back sweetening with peaches (or apricots) to bring out the flavor more.

August 3, 2017

Mead No. 17-3 (No. 16)

Hard Apple Cider

• 1 1.6 qt. bottle Martinelli's Pure Apple juice
• 1/2 pkg Red Star Premiere Blanc yeast
• 1/3 lb. light brown sugar
• 1/3 lb. white granulated sugar

OG: 1.062

Expected ABV: 15% (?) Looks more like 8.5%, but I swear that's what I read that day

Notes:

August 4-10, 2017: De-gassing daily.
August 14, 2017(?): Placed in refrigerator to cold crash.
August 28, 2017: Bottled into 3 12 oz. bottles and refrigerated. A 4th half bottle was consumed. Not bad in taste, though not as cider-y as hoped, but more so than the other cider (No. 17-1). Since I apparently did not sulfite as I thought, I'm concerned about the bottles exploding. I may begin drinking them in 2-3 weeks times just for fun.

Tasting Notes:

September 2, 2017: I finished the last of the 3 bottles and was largely disappointed. While this batch had a slight apple juice/cider flavor to it, it was not pronounced at all as I expected. I'm going to purchase a bottle of Angry Orchard hard cider to compared. The alcohol wasn't particularly noticeable, and I never got a final gravity reading to determine how much, but based on about 8.5% it was milder than my meads, which is good. However, I did get a good buzz on with each bottle. It wasn't a bad drink, and was better than the first batch made with unprocessed apple juice, but it was well below my expectations.

August 2, 2017

Mead No. 2017-2 (No. 15) - FAIL!

Lemon Clove Melomel (formerly a Base Mead)

• 1 gal. Crystal Geyser Spring Water, minus  4-1/2 cups (from Family Dollar)
• 3 lb. Great Value clover honey
• 1 tsp. bentonite
• 1 tsp. liquid wine tannin
• 1 tsp. acid blend
• 1/2 tsp. yeast energizer
• 1 tsp. yeast nutrient (DAP)
• 5 g Lalvin EC-1118 yeast (1 package)
• 2 lbs lemon, quartered
• 1 clove
• 1/2 tsp. pectic enzyme

OG: 1.112

Temp. of Must: 93.3 F

Temp-adjusted SG: 1.115

Expected ABV: 15%

FG: 1.006

Temp-adjusted FG: 1.007

ABV: 1.115 - 1.007 = 0.108 * 135 = 14.58%

pH (9/11/17): 3.92

Notes:

August 4-10, 2017: Degassed daily.

August 13, 2017: Tested for pH and it came up a little low so I added 1/2 tsp. calcium carbonate to the container and it seemed to raise it up enough.

August 28, 2017: Mead had completely cleared out so I racked to a secondary.

September 2, 2017: Took a final gravity reading and it was 1.006, and the taste was definitely sweeter than No. 17. However, when I took the gravity reading previously, it was supposedly 0.997, which suggests I flipped the reading between the two meads. I sulfited the mead and will prepare it to receive either lemons or peaches, but I don't think I'll backsweeten this one. It's only slightly dry, maybe semi-sweet, so I don't think it needs to get any sweeter.

September 4, 2017: Racked to a 2-gal pail and added 2 lbs of lemons quartered and 1 clove. Also added 1/2 tsp. pectic enzyme.

September 12, 2017: Removed the lemons from the pail and racked into a 1 gal. carboy and topped off with spring water. Added 3 more cloves. Will definitely need to be backsweetened before bottling down the road.

January 29, 2019: Airlock had dried up and all kinds of things got into it. Poured it down the drain.

Tasting Notes:

September 2, 2017: Taste was definitely sweeter than No. 17, but only slightly dry, so maybe semi-sweet.

September 4, 2017: Still has the same semi-sweet taste, but with a hint of alcohol hotness. A few hours after adding the lemons I snuck a taste and it tasted more like Pine-Sol than anything. Hopefully that straightens itself out.

September 11, 2017: Well, we don't have a Pine-Sol taste, but it is a super tart lemon one, almost like drinking lemon juice out of the bottle. I don't taste the clove at all and despite it supposedly having a 14%-15% ABV, the heat is very muted.

September 12, 2017: Still tastes like drinking a bottle of lemon juice. Will definitely need to be backsweetened.

September 24, 2017: Taste is mellowing. Still very lemony and will need to be sweetened to give it more of a lemonade flavor, but it's not like drinking a bottle of Pine-Sol anymore.

July 11, 2017

Mead No. 2017-1 (No. 14)

Hard Apple Cider

• 1 1.6 qt. bottle Martinelli's Unprocessed Apple juice
• 1 pkg Red Star Premiere Blanc yeast
• 1/4 lb. light brown sugar
• 1/2 lb. white granulated sugar

OG: 1.062

Expected ABV: 15% (?)
FG: 0.998
ABV: 8.64%

Adding juice raised gravity to 1.012

Notes:

August 3, 2017: Racked to secondary, added one crushed campden tablet, and added Martinelli's Pure Apple juice to fill space. Stoppered and stored.
August 14, 2017(?): I noticed the stopper had popped off the bottle and the contents had bubbled over. Still haven't found the stopper. Since it had been exposed for approximately 24 hrs., I added potassium metabisulfite and potassium sorbate, but put an airlock on it.
August 27, 2017: Bottled into 2 375 ml bottles and corked.

Tasting Notes:

November 17, 2017: Opened one of the bottles and it tasted like a thin, apple-y flavored drink. A little hot yet, but it wasn't terrible. Just not as cider-like as I would have wanted. Also, a lot of sediment in the bottle.

October 4, 2016

Mead No. 13

Blueberry Melomel

• 10 lbs. Pure & Simple brand honey
• 1.8 gallons spring water
• 10 g Lalvin D47 yeast
• 1/4 tsp. yeast energizer
• 1/2 tsp. DAP

OG: 1.108

Temp. of must: 79.4 F

Temp-adjusted SG: 1.109

Expected ABV: 14%

FG: 0.998

ABV: 1.109-0.998 = 0.111 * 135 = 14.985%

SG 7/23/17: 1.002 after back sweetening

Notes:

October 5, 2016: Began degassing. First staggered nutrient addition of 1/4 tsp energizer and 1/2 tsp DAP.

October 6, 2016: Second nutrient addition of 1/4 tsp energizer and 1/2 tsp DAP.

July 9, 2017: I racked it to a 1-gal. jug and a 2-gal. bucket and also added bentonite and Campden tablets (3) to clarify and prevent any refermentation as I want to sweeten it up a bit.

July 23, 2017: Racked to a 2-1/2 gal. carboy. Backsweetened with 12 oz. Great Value brand honey

2 oz. Brewer's Best natural blueberry flavoring

July 27, 2017: Bottled into 12 oz. brown beer bottles and capped.

Tasting notes:

July 9, 2017: This didn't have a pungent aroma, but it had a very prominent blueberry taste, though it was still a bit more harsh than I would have liked or expected after so many months. 

July 23, 2017: Without sweetening, while the mead was dry, it did have a pleasant berry taste, but muted. So I backsweetened it with 12 oz of honey and 2 oz of natural blueberry flavoring and it tasted great.

August 26, 2017: I've been drinking bottles here and there and though the flavor is okay, it's still somewhat hot despite being almost a year old. Assuming I allow them to last that long I'll keep aging them and see how the taste progresses over 18 months to 2 years or more.

October 13, 2017: Hahahahaha! I have only 2 bottles left. It is improving with age though.

October 31, 2017: Has smoothed a lot, though there's still some alcohol heat to it. Only one bottle left. Sniff.

September 17, 2016

Mead No. 12

Semi-Sweet Mead

• 2.5 lbs. Pure & Simple brand honey
• 1 gal. spring water
• 5 g Lalvin K1V1116
• 1/4 tsp. DAP
• 1/2 tsp. yeast nutrient
• 25 raisins

Temp. of must: 86.4F

OG: 1.094

Expected ABV: 12.5%

SG 9/18/16: 1.094

SG 9/19/16: 1.040

SG 9/21/16: 1.004

SG 9/24/16: 0.994, raised to 1.006 after back sweetening with 1/2 c honey.

SG 9/26/16: 0.995, raised to 1.006 after back sweetening with 1/2 c honey.

SG 9/28/16: 1.000, raised to 1.010 after back sweetening with 1/2 c honey.

Notes: 

September 18, 2016: Began degassing.

September 19, 2016: First staggered nutrient addition of 1/4 tsp DAP, 1/2 tsp energizer. Must had blown through first level, though, which was supposed to be 1.063.

September 21, 2016: Second staggered nutrient addition of 1/4 tsp DAP, 1/2 tsp energizer. Must was also already well below third sugar break of 1.032.

September 24, 2016: Backsweetened with 1/2 c honey.

September 26, 2016: Backsweetened with 1/2 c honey.

September 28, 2016: Backsweetened with 1/2 c honey.

October 15, 2017: Bottled into 4-1/2 375 ml bottles. Still cloudy and I should've used bentonite to clear, but I didn't think of it till I started bottling.

Tasting Notes:

September 21, 2016: The traditional mead had a softness to its flavor profile and neither had any harsh notes to them.

September 26, 2016: I also tasted it before the honey addition and it's starting to develop a nice sweet taste, not overpowering.

September 28, 2016: The taste of the mead is also improving as I backsweeten it each time. 

Mead No. 11

Pumpkin Spice Mead

• 2.5 lbs. Pure & Simple brand honey
• 1 gallon spring water
• 5 g Lalvin D47 yeast
• 1/4 tsp. DAP
• 1/2 tsp. yeast nutrient
• 1 tsp. McCormick brand Pumpkin Pie spice
• 1 oz. raisins

Temp. of must: 89. F

OG: 1.084

Expected ABV: 11.0%

SG 9/18/16: 1.084

SG 9/19/16: 1.056

SG 9/21/16: 1.034

SG: 9/24/16: 0.994

Notes:

September 18, 2016: Began degassing.

September 19, 2016: First staggered nutrient addition of 1/4 tsp DAP, 1/2 tsp energizer.

September 21, 2016: Second staggered nutrient addition of 1/4 tsp DAP, 1/2 tsp energizer.

October 14, 2017: Bottled into 4-1/2 375 ml bottles. 

Tasting Notes:

September 21, 2016: The taste has become more mellow. While the pumpkin spice flavor was still present it was much more subtle.

September 24, 2016: The taste of spices that were added at the start are still present but have mellowed with time. I would imagine by the time a year has passed they might not be discernible at all and I would like there to be a slight kick with the pumpkin pie flavor.

October 14, 2017: You can taste some spices, though I'm not getting a pumpkin spice flavor from it. Also very hot, alcohol taste.

August 13, 2016

Mead No. 10 
Chocolate

• 15 lbs. honey
• 4 gallons spring water
• 5 g Lalvin 71B-1122 yeast
• 1 tsp. DAP
• 1 tsp. yeast nutrient
• 16 oz. unsweetened 100% baking cocoa (Stop & Shop brand)

Temp of must: 89.7F
OG: 1.113
Expected ABV: 13.5%
SG 9/18/16: 0.993

Notes:

September 8, 2017:  Considering adding the bag of cherries that are steeping in the Cherry Melomel once they finish there. I'll taste it first to see how it's progressing, and now that it's been over a year, which is said to be critical, it may taste better than it apparently did last time I tried it.
September 24, 2017: Bottled into 9 1L(?) bottles.
October 5, 2017: While I bottled the mead, I reread the instructions and I was supposed to backsweeten it first. Because they are twist off caps and not corks, I may just reopened them, pour the contents into a bucket and backsweeten. Sigh.
October 22, 2017: Blended 1+ bottles with the Cherry mead into 4 750 ml bottles at a rate of approx. 2:1 chocolate to cherry. The rest of the chocolate I reracked into a 4-gal bucket so that it could be sulfited, sorbated, and then backsweetened. Probably tomorrow.
October 29, 2017: Racked into a 4-gal bucket to backsweeten.
November 5, 2017: Was going to backsweeten with 1.5 lbs. of honey per the calculator, but decided to add Bentonite instead to see if I could strip out some of the cloudiness first. I added 4 tsp to the 4 gal and stirred. Will stir daily for a week or so to see if it clears, then I'll backsweeten.

Tasting Notes:

September 18, 2016: Chocolate-y, but more like powder than syrup, but otherwise dry and light.

October 8, 2016: For some reason I keep expecting a chocolate syrup-like taste, but it's more of a hint of chocolate. It's good, but not great.

September 24, 2017: Has a chocolatey taste, though thin, but still a heavy alcohol flavor. Best to let this one age a lot longer.

October 22, 2017: There is a chocolate taste, and it's no longer so heavily alcohol flavored, but it is dry and needs to be backsweetened.

August 2, 2016

Mead No. 9
Traditional Mead

• 2 gal. Spring water
• 5 lbs. Pure 'n Simple honey
• 1 tsp. Pasteur Blanc yeast
• 1-1/2 tsp. Yeast energizer
• 1-1/2 tsp/ DAP
• 4 gal. Pail

OG 1.073
Expected ABV: 9.5%
SG 9/18/16: 0.992
FG 8/29/18: 0.990
ABV: 1.073 - 0.990 = 0.083 * 131.25 = 10.89%

Notes:

September 16, 2017: Racked over to 2-1/2 gal. carboy. Backsweetened with 21.1 oz (1.3 lbs) of honey mixed with 3 cups of warmed spring water to dilute. Raised gravity to 1.014, which is close to the 1.010 I was targeting. Will leave in carboy for week or two before splitting between 2 1-gal. carboys.
October 29, 2017: Racked to two 1-gal. carboys (and 1 12 oz. beer bottle).
August 30, 2018: Racked to a 5-gal. bucket and added 1.1 lbs. of honey then reracked into the 2 1-gal. carboys again. Gravity was brought up exactly (!) to the target 1.010 level. Honey calculator had recommended 1.2 lbs, but I ran out at 1.1, but it was perfect. I'm not seeing this batch had been previously stabilized, so I'll see if there is any additional fermentation that occurs. If so, I'll stabilize.
September 7, 2018: No fermentation, so it was bottled into 4 750 ml bottles.

Tasting Notes:

September 18, 2016: Dry, but slightly sweet and light.
October 8, 2016: Not very good. Dry tasting, and no sweetness. May need to backsweeten this one to make it palatable.
September 13, 2017: Still not very good. Will need something along with backsweetening. Probably from having too much headroom.
September 16, 2017: Taste was still astringent, however, after backsweetening it tasted really good.
August 30, 2018: Taste was astringent again, and was only mildly better after backsweetening again.

July 27, 2016

Mead No. 8  - FAIL!

Cyser 

• ~1/2 gal. Apple juice
• 40 oz (2-1/2 lbs.) Pure clover honey (Stop & Shop brand)
• Lalvin 71b-1122
• 3 green apples
• 3/4 tsp. DAP
• 3/4 tsp yeast nutrient

OG: 1.530 (20% ABV...yowser!) Wrong! Actual OG is 1.153
SG 9/4/2016: 1.014, but after adding 1/2 gal apple juice, it raised to 1.034.
SG 9/18/16: 0.995

I followed a recipe for a cyser I found in the Kindle e-book "The Basics of Brewing Mead" and found a couple of differences because I pitched the must into a 1 gallon carboy. First, although the recipe called for 1 gallon of apple juice, I was only able to add a half gallon. I wonder if that accounts for the incredibly high gravity reading? When I pitch it into a secondary bucket, I'll add another half gallon of apple juice (or water -- I'm waiting for a response to a question on the GotMead forum to see which I should use). [UPDATE: Answer received, okay to add more liquid at secondary racking.]

From now on, though, I will use buckets to do the primary fermentation because this cyser blew out through the airlock three different times because fermentation was so intense. I had to pour off a bit each time, reducing the total volume by about 18 ounces or so, until it stopped blowing out.

Notes:

September 4, 2016: Racked to a secondary. Added another 1/2 gal apple juice to must.
October 8, 2016: There is a white film with some bubbles on the surface of the mead, which is a cyser. This is the beginning of the formation of a pellicle, as it has begun fermenting with a wild yeast, most likely Brettanomyces.
July 9, 2017: I added 1 tsp. of bentonite and 2 campden tablets.
September 12, 2017: Top of mead had formed a powdery residue that covered the entire top. The taste was horrible. Rather than waste anymore time with it, I threw it away.  Next time make sure you wash your apples!

Tasting Notes:

September 4, 2016: I also took tastings of the cyser at each reading and the first one tasted very sweet, but had a definite alcohol taste as well, though not harsh at all. The second tasting though seemed to have diluted the alcohol taste almost completely and gave it more of an apple juice flavor. I wonder if I diluted it too much. But we'll take tastings in the future to see.
September 18, 2016:  Dry, white wine taste. It lost the sweet apple cider flavor it had before, and looked carbonated.
October 8, 2016: There is a white film with some bubbles on the surface of the mead, which is a cyser. I still tasted it and it didn't taste bad, though it's flavor has weakened considerably over time.
July 9, 2017: It smelled pretty good, however, very apple-y, though its taste wasn't quite what I was hoping for. Very dry, still a bit harsh.

July 17, 2016

Mead No. 7 
Sack Mead

• 1 gal. Spring Water
• 80 oz (6 lbs.) Pure clover honey (Stop & Shop brand)
• 1/2 tsp. (2-1/2 g(?) Red Star Pasteur Blanc yeast
• 1 tsp. DAP
• 1 tsp. energizer

OG: 1.115
Expected ABV: 14%
SG 8/6/16: 1.110
SG 8/14/2016: 1.110
SG 9/11/16: 1.106
SG 9/18/2016: 1.107

I want this to be a traditional sweet mead so I doubled the amount of honey I used in the hopes there will be some residual sweetness after the yeast is done fermenting. I'd also read that you don't need to use a full packet of yeast so long as you're going to use the remainder relatively quickly. Since it will probably be used in the next few weeks, I went with what I thought was half the package. According to various calculators, a 1 tsp. = 5 grams (the size of the yeast package) I went with a 1/2 tsp. to represent half.

I warmed water to between 100-105 degrees F and added the yeast, stirred, then let sit for 15-20 minutes while I went about preparing the must. I had warmed a pot of water to around 150 degrees F, removed from heat, and then let the honey containers sit in the warm water to increase viscosity.

I added about a quart of spring water to a sanitized pail, added the honey, and then used a hand blender to mix the honey water together and aerate the must. As a carboy mixer is about $20 at the local home brew store, I'll hold off on purchasing that for now. The blender, with the stainless steel paddles that had been sanitized, seemed to work well. I also blended in the yeast nutrient and energizer.

I poured the must into a 1 gallon glass carboy, topped it off with more water, and pitched the yeast. A rubber stopper and airlock filled with sanitizer was added and it was placed on the shelf for fermentation.

Notes:

September 11, 2016: Racked over to a secondary. It has indeed a very sweet taste that definitely overpowers any alcohol flavor, but with a gravity reading of 1.106, that's perhaps not very surprising. The "carbonation" that was seemingly present the last time I tested it (Aug. 14) has completely dissipated and it now seems very still.
September 4, 2017: Took a gravity reading an it is still at 1.106. I'm tempted to try carbonating this one with some priming sugar in the bottle, but I'll need more information before I try my hand at that.
September 12, 2017: Opted not to carbonate as I understand it's difficult to do so with a sweet mead, so I bottled it instead into 4 375 ml bottles.

Tasting Notes:

September 18, 2016: Very sweet taste.
October 8, 2016: Very sweet. No alcohol hotness discernible. Tastes pretty good, but in reality is probably too sweet.
September 4, 2017: Very sweet, no real alcohol taste discerned, but there was something of a caramel flavor to it which was appealing. 

July 9, 2016

Mead No. 6 
Raspberry Pomegranate Melomel (formerly raspberry)

Ingredients:

• 1 gal. Spring Water
• 40 oz (2-1/2 lbs.) Pure clover honey (Stop & Shop brand)
• 5 g Lalvin K1-V1116 yeast
• 18 oz. Raspberries (Driscoll's brand)

OG: n/a

SG 8/6/16: 0.992

SG 8/14/2016: 0.995

SG 9/10/16: 0.994

SG 9/18/16: 1.012 after pomegranate juice addition

SG 10/8/16: 1.010

FG 9/2/2017: 1.000

Notes:

August 14, 2016: Racked to a secondary

September 11, 2016: Added nearly a quart of pomegranate juice to the raspberry mead to make up the volume and add some additional sweetness. I had wanted to add raspberry juice, but apparently they don't make that, so I did see a few store brand juices with a pomegranate-raspberry mix and decided to go with that. Placed it in the refrigerator to cold crash it.

October 8, 2016: Removed it from the refrigerator and racked it to a new carboy. 

August 29, 2017: Added ~1/8 tsp. potassium metabisulfite and 1/2 tsp. potassium sorbate. Tasted the mead and it has somewhat of a berry flavor to it, but needs to be backsweetened and aged further as it still had a strong alcohol flavor. Will wait 2 days before back sweetening.

September 2, 2017: Backsweetened the mead. I took a gravity reading before beginning and it was at 1.000, which is interesting since the previous reading I had was 0.994. So I plugged that into my back sweetening calculator and determined I needed 0.59 lbs of honey (approx. 3/4 c) to raise the gravity to my target of 1.020. Since 0.59 lbs is 9.44 oz. I tared out my 1 cup measuring cup and added honey until the scale read 9.4 oz. However, that was almost a full cup of honey. I added it to the mead, mixed it well, and then took another gravity reading and it came out at 1.024. So ultimately it seems I may have needed just 3/4 c after all. The measurement of the calculator seems correct, though the weight aspect may be off. The mead, though, tastes perfect! I'll let it sit for a week, then bottle.

September 4, 2017: So much for letting it sit for a week. I bottled it into 4-1/2 375 ml bottles.

Tasting Notes:

September 18, 2016:  Tart taste; the pomegranate juice has overpowered whatever raspberry flavor was there.
October 8, 2016: Oh. My Goodness! This tastes really good. I see in my notes from last time that it had a tart taste after adding the pomegranate juice which also overpowered the raspberry flavor, but now the pomegranate flavor is much more subtle and there is definitely raspberry flavor throughout. Still a very slight "hotness" to it, no doubt from being young, but as I said it tastes really, really good. I'm quite pleased with it so far.
September 4, 2017: Taste was flavorful, but high alcohol taste still. I'll drink the 1/2 bottle now, but the other 4 will be stored long term to hopefully mellow the heat.
September 5, 2017: Finished off the 1/2 bottle after refrigerating it for a day opened. There was no real heat to speak of. Later this evening, I went to the local home brew club meeting at Brix City Brewing and brought one of the bottles with me to share. This was not refrigerated, so it was served room temperature, and the taste was well received by everyone (some people helped themselves to seconds). I was very pleased with the taste as there was no alcohol and it seemed to hit the right notes of raspberry and pomegranate. I'll keep the remaining 3 bottles for long term storage.

July 6, 2016

Mead No. 5

Joe's Ancient Orange Mead

• 1 gal Spring Water
• 40 oz. (2-1/2 lbs) Pure clover honey (Stop & Shop brand)
• 5 g Lalvin K1-V1116 yeast
• 30 raisins

OG: NA

SG 9/18/16: 0.995

FG: 0.994

Notes:

August 13, 2017: This mead is super, super clear. Crystal clear. It does have a large amount of head space, so that may have thrown off flavor. I added 1/8 tsp. of potassium metabisulfite and 1/4 tsp. potassium sorbate and I'll backsweeten after a few days. Actually, after tasting the mead, I don't think it needs any back sweetening whatsoever; it tastes good just as it is.

August 15, 2017(?): Bottled into four 375 ml bottles.

Tasting Notes:

September 18, 2016: Dry, slightly sweeter than No. 4.
October 8, 2016: It's turning pretty sweet. Still a little hot, but probably ready for some long-term aging now.

June 28, 2016

Mead No. 4 

Candy Cane Mead (formerly Traditional Mead)

Ingredients:

• 1 gal. Spring Water
• 40 oz (2-1/2 lbs.) Pure clover honey (Stop & Shop brand)
• Lalvin D-47 yeast
• 25-30 raisins
• Dehydrated orange slices
• 6 tsp. peppermint extra (added after a year of aging)

OG: n/a
SG 7/17/16: 0.992
SG 8/6/16: 0.992
SG 8/14/2016: 0.992
SG 9/18/16: 0.993

FG: 0.998

Temp: 80(?) - need a different thermometer as the one I have starts at about 100 degrees F.

Notes:

July 17, 2016: Racked to a secondary. The balloon that had been on the one gallon jug of spring water went flaccid earlier in the week and I waited till today to rack it into a one gallon glass carboy. 

It seemed fermentation stopped pretty quick on this one since others that were started in the two weeks prior have yet to stop fermenting, if their balloons still being inflated can be any guide.

The taste wasn't bad, definitely a strong alcohol flavor, but also the orange was very present. Was like a dry wine.

August 6, 2017: Added 1/8 tsp potassium metabisulite and 1/4 tsp potassium sorbate. And degassed. Must had been crystal clear beforehand but got cloudy after. It had cleared again by August 9. There was a small amount of sediment of sediment on the bottom so I will try to backsweeten with honey and raise it to an FG of 1.020.
August 11, 2017: Backsweetened the mead. According to my calculator, I should have needed about 1/2 cup of honey to raise the gravity to 1.020, but that only raised it to 1.010. I added another 1/4c and it rose to 1.015, and then after adding another 1/4c, it finally hit 1.020. I'll need to find out why it took twice the honey my calculator said it would (honey weights and volumes in calculator needed to be adjusted to better reflect their true values; eg. honey weighs closer to 0.80 per cup instead of .75).

In the end it tasted okay. There was still a slight medicinal taste to the mead though the honey did mask most of it. That could be partially those dehydrated orange slices I had used, or sucky technique, which I'll need to improve.
August 28, 2017: The mead, though clearing, was taking it's sweet ass time about it so I put it in the refrigerator to see if that could speed up the process.
August 30, 2017: I'm thinking of using this mead as the base for a candy cane mead. I'll either add some peppermint extract to it, or allow actual candy canes to steep in it.
August 31, 2017: The taste had smoothed out some and it had clarified significantly. I transferred it to a container to get it off the remaining flocculants and to mix in the peppermint extract, of which I added 6 tsp. It didn't have quite the candy cane taste I was looking for, so rather than continue adding more and potentially ruining the batch I stopped and will let it marinade for a month and taste it again. If it's not to my liking, I'll add candy canes to steep.
November 17, 2018: Racked into five 375 ml swing top bottles.

Tasting Notes:

July 17, 2016: The taste wasn't bad, definitely a strong alcohol flavor, but also the orange was very present. Was like a dry wine.
September 18, 2016: Dry, not as harsh tasting as it was.
July 8, 2017: There's still a somewhat hard alcohol taste to it
August 11, 2017: In the end it tasted okay. There was still a slight medicinal taste to the mead though the honey did mask most of it.
August 31, 2017: The taste had smoothed out some and it had clarified significantly. Added 6 tsp of peppermint extract, but it didn't have quite the candy cane taste I was looking for.
October 29, 2017: Peppermint taste has smoothed out a bit, but it still packs an alcohol wallop. Maybe let it age till Christmas, 2018. Tasha thought it needed more of a candy cane taste.
November 17, 2018: The "alcohol wallop" from year ago is gone, and it is much smoother, but there is a slightly odd taste to the peppermint, almost like rubber, like the bung. Not bad and it almost tastes terrific except for that slight off flavor.

June 22, 2016(?)

Mead No. 3
Traditional Mead

• ~1 gal. Spring Water
• 40 oz (2-1/2 lbs.) Pure clover honey (Stop & Shop brand)
• Fleischmann's yeast, then Lalvin D-47 yeast(?)
• 25-30 raisins

OG: n/a

SG 8/6/16: 0.992

SG 8/14/16: 1.000

SG 9/18/16: 0.993

With this batch I attempted to use regular bread yeast because I had read that it was possible to do with just basic ingredients you could find around the house. However, after a few days there was zero fermentation going on so I added a different yeast, which I think was Lalvin D-47. Shortly thereafter, fermentation began in earnest. I found out afterwards that the Fleischmann's yeast I was using was old -- and open -- so the yeast had probably died. I will try another batch in the future using Fleischmann's to see how it turns out.

When I racked it to a secondary (2-1/2 gal. pail) it had a very dry white wine taste to it. I have since read that if you use raisins it can impart that kind of flavor to it. That may explain the difference between this batch and Mead No. 2 above, which was much sweeter, but had no raisins added to it. I'll leave this batch in the bucket for long-term storage as well.

Notes:

July 26, 2016: Racked to secondary.

Tasting Notes:

September 18, 2016: Dry taste, very clear.

June 15, 2016

Mead No. 2 

Traditional Mead

• ~1 gal. Spring Water
• 40 oz (2-1/2 lbs.) Pure clover honey (Stop & Shop brand)
• Lalvin D-47 yeast(?)

OG: n/a
SG: 7/26/16: 1.030
SG 8/6/16: 1.011
SG 8/14/16: 1.006
SG 9/18/16: 1.009
FG: 1.030

I'm pretty sure this was Lalvin D-47 yeast, but I wasn't keeping real good notes when I pitched this, but I know the idea was to make just a basic mead after which I would add fruit to it. 

Notes:

July 26, 2016: Racked to a secondary (2-1/2 gal. pail). Surprisingly, this was already pretty sweet, so I'm just going to leave it for long-term aging in the secondary and not add fruit.
September 18, 2016: Bottled.

Tasting Notes:

September 18, 2016: Sweet taste.

June 14, 2016

Mead No. 1

Midnight Jack Melomel (formerly Traditional Mead)

• ~1 gal. Spring Water
• 40 oz (2-1/2 lbs.) Pure clover honey (Stop & Shop brand)
• Lalvin D-47 yeast(?)

OG: n/a

SG 9/18/16: 0.993

SG 10/8/16: 0.995

Notes:

July 10, 2016: Racked to a secondary. I had fermented it in the one gallon spring water jug and only added honey and yeast (which I believe was 5 g of Lalvin D-47; I wasn't keeping such close notes when I began).

I had seen on epicfantasy's YouTube channel of his new and improved way of making must for a melomel. It was simply water-honey-yeast. Once it has fermented (for about a month), you then rack to a secondary and then add the fruit. So now having racked it to the secondary container, I need to decide what fruit I want to add (should've done that before hand, but I'm going to try blackberries I think on this one).

I also bought a hydrometer yesterday and wanted to test it out. I don't know what its specific gravity was at the start, so I'm not sure what the alcohol content will be, but its finished gravity was just about 0.993 from what I could tell, which, if another channel is to be believed, means it has finished its ferment and is ready for bottling. If I recall correctly, this is the situation you want when you add in your fruit so that you don't accidentally start up a second fermentation.

The hydrometer has also been calibrated for 60 degrees F, but I don't have a thermometer to measure it, so I'll have to pick one up for future use.

July 17, 2016: Racked to a tertiary (2 gal. bucket). This is the one I racked last week to a glass carboy with the idea of putting fruit into it. So I siphoned it into the bucket and I added 6 oz. of blackberries, 8 oz. of black currants, and 16 oz. (1 lb.) of black cherries. All of the fruit was frozen overnight before being added to the must. I'm trying to mimic the Midnight Jack mead that I had at Melovino Meadery, which was a combination of those three fruits (plus black raspberries, which I didn't have).

An airlock was placed on it and it began fermenting again fairly quickly. Within minutes, as a matter of fact. I'll leave the fruit in the bucket for about a month or so, as YouTube's epicfantasy recommends before bottling for long-term storage.
October 8, 2016: Racked it for a fourth time.

Tasting Notes:

October 8, 2016:  Taste is really improving. It's still hot and I don't think it tastes like the Midnight Jack from Melovino -- it's got a chocolatey taste to it -- but it's not bad.
October 8, 2017: Holy cow! Had no idea it was exactly one year ago today I last tasted it. Weird. The taste is good, and as I noted last time, it doesn't taste like Melvino's mead -- not that I remember it now anyway -- but it does taste good. It packs a wallop that's for sure, and though very alcoholic and dry, it's not that hot taste from early one. It's definitely a lot smoother--especially after the first glass, but doesn't have that chocolate taste it apparently did last time. Even Tasha liked it though it was on the dry side for here and not as fruity sweet as she likes. Still, not a bad mead for one of my early tries.