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you do not need to add extra yeast, I use a single packet of champagne yeast on 6gal and it works just fine, if you take your yeast packet and make a starter with 1/4 cup water @ 105-110 degrees and a bit of honey you will be just fine, yeast multiplies! just as in makin mead you need patience...

this statement makes me chuckle because the guy at my lhbs said don't believe everything you read online when it comes to home brewing...lol luckily I just go there for supplies not advice

recap the bottles and pasteurize immediately, you already have enough carbonation built up the bottles will repressurize on their own

for fermenting I would say anywhere in the 60's. 50's will still ferment but will be slower, 70's and above Ive heard can give off flavors. I have 2 batches of mead going right now and they are going great in 68-69 degree house, for storage, out of direct sunlight just like all other beverages...

Campden is sorbate but at a weaker concentration. Campden will kill bacteria and weaken yeast but not kill it, sorbate will not kill yeast but it will halt its production thus stopping fermentation. Cold crashing will not kill yeast either. The best way to kill yeast is to pasteurize your...

if you put campden tablets(1 crushed tablet per gallon) into your juice 24 hours prior to pitching your yeast, then there is no need to pasteurize your juice prior and you will have no need to worry about the pectin issue

campden tablets will not stop your yeast when you backsweeten with your honey, you need to add a sorbate or you may blow some corks or blow up bottles. campden tablets only slow the yeast down temporarily, they dont kill yeast.

I did this in a one gallon batch recently, I used 3lbs of honey, Blue Machine, and then added strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and sweet black cherries. its been nearly a month and it is looking and tasting great.

carbonation was fine, I'm thinking that my alcohol content was close to 9 percent is the reason why as the boiling point would be lower then and I also could have left about a quarter inch to half inch more of headspace in the bottles

I just did mine last night and I started by using pappers tips but ended up lowering my temps to a max of 150 degrees but making sure it got over 140 as most yeast will die around 138-140 and I let the bottles sit in the hot water bath for about 10min per batch. I only had 3 bottles shatter on...

Hi, I just wanted to give my experiences I had tonight with my first try at pasteurizing. I started by following the guideline of 160-175 degree bath after soaking in 110-120 prior. The bottles weren't in the hot water bath for more than 3 minutes when I lost 2 of them. the second set of bottles...

Keep racking it and letting it settle out until you're happy with it, if it takes a couple months that is fine so long as you keep it sealed well.

that all depends on the type of yeast you plan on using, champagne yeast will take it down to dry and you will end up with 13-15% abv, if you use an ale or cider yeast then not likely as high

Campden tablets wont likely kill your yeast, you will need to pasturize or add a sorbate of some sort, your yeast will continue to to consume the sugars you will be backsweetening with and you will end up with a dry apple wine or one hell of a bomb if that keg gets overpressurized. Cold doesnt...

I think that is overkill and if you have thoroughly cleaned your containers/carboys then there is no need for that, besides campden doesnt kill yeast. The use of the campden allows for your good strong yeast to take over if there had been any naturally occurring yeast in/on your fruit prior to...

If the use of campden was to stop the fermentation then that wont happen, it would only slow it down and temporarily at that. I have been told it is best to rack to the secondary between 1.020-1.030. There is alot of information in many of the other posts also.

sounds like its turning into cider vinegar if its sour, I think your batch is ruined:(

glass is more apt to break when going from hot to sudden cold not cold to hot and 190deg is not hot enough to shatter glass this way

your test vial should be as long or longer than your hydrometer, preferably longer, you should also have a device for pulling samples from your fermentor, the closer to 1.000-.990 you are means you are most likely done with the fermenting process. If you are getting supplies from a local home...

I popped the cover on my cider earlier just to check on it and it is looking great and it smells wonderful, I think sometime tomorrow I may pull a sample to check the SG because it is bubbling like crazy and also to see what it may taste like. :p