He is right though, not an argument so much as it is a fact. I can finish and have ready to bottle in two weeks a traditional Mead that has an ABV of around 10-12%. Lower sugar content takes less time to ferment out and is much easier to manage and is more predictable. Take gravity readings...
You can use honey, but it definitely is best done during fermentation if your gravity is too low. If you don't let the yeast get at the honey it leaves a Wierd filmy taste in your mouth when drinking.
It depends on the gravity of shoot for a reading of 1.01-1.02 (1-2%sugar) add small amounts like maybe a table spoon at a time and mix gently to ensure absorption and take a reading. Once you hit desired sweetness (taste as you go as well) then stop adding.
1. Because you're a home brewer 2. Because you are a home brewer you have a more refined taste and know exactly how you want your Mead 3. Just because they're a commercial Meadery doesn't mean they make good Mead. 4. Try these guys https://grimfrost.com/collections/mead
Crazy, never had that issue, I used EC-1118 yeast and made a tea prior to add-in to primary. Eventually the yeast ate some of the red color out and it finished a dull orange but not black. It maintained the red color much better when I added the tea to the secondary once the yeast was about 3/4...
I have the big brother to this one, it is awesome. It handles bigger batches and can take a bit more abuse because it uses bigger filter pads and has 3 filter slots. It saves a ton of my mead from being lost I can get away with racking 2 times and begin with the first stage filter, the second...
What about oak spiral? Or is that similar enough to cubes that it doesn't matter?
A friend of mine added a portion of an oak spiral to an orange blossom traditional a few weeks ago... It made it taste like whiskey almost. Great if you want your Mead to taste like whiskey but I was not impressed.
I keep mine stored in a wine fridge at about 55 degrees F. But when I know I'm going to break a bottle out I'll bring it out of the fridge and let it warm up a bit so it's just slightly cool to the touch, a bit below room temp. I have noticed with some of my melomels however, that drinking it...
Well... I'm not sure about using balloons brother, you can get a simple airlock and rubber stopper for like $3 and you won't have to worry about your jug exploding all over the place. Processed honey is honey that has been filtered and heated (pasteurized) above 115 degrees F. This removes...
Not entirely sure, obviously over time the taste will be more mild the more I use them, so far I have put about 3 batches in each barrel and still have good results from aging.
Yes, their oak infusion sticks look to go through the same process as their barrels. I'm extremely happy with the taste of my mead when I pull them from the barrels. The sticks I think are about $7 but I have never tried them.
If you're looking for good barrels and solid products go to this website. I have 3 barrels from them (2 five gallon barrels and 1 one gallon) I have three Mead flavors I love that I brew often and I age them in my barrels, it makes all the difference. Prices are very reasonable and they will...
If you get the temperature of your Mead under 40 degrees, fermentation will halt and well without the need for adding chemicals. Cold temps make yeast hibernate and helps drop out larger particles. But as soon as it warms up again fermentation will resume. This is good technique for racking, you...