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When it comes to cider, fermenting completely dry to me means it is finishing around .996-.998. If you are retaining a good amount of apple flavor and aroma at that finishing gravity, i would be interested in knowing what you are doing differently than me. Your signature would suggest that we...

May just be my personal preference. I've never had a dry cider that I enjoyed. They all taste like gas station white wine. What kind of cider are you starting with?

This topic has been debated endlessly. As far as I can tell it's been settled, and from personal experience, I can tell you that this is a fact. I've never used a champagne yeast to make anything. But I have made ciders with slow moving, certainly not aggressive, US05/04 (fermenting at 65-68)...

There is plenty of reading to be done on the subject, if you have an interest. Here and elsewhere. My evidence comes from years of bottling beer as well as cellaring some beers on my own. If you are familiar with the flavors that oxidation produces over time, it isn't hard to notice. Most...

True. To the OP......IMO the main reason not to let a mead ferment to dry is that you will blow off a lot of the flavor compounds of the honey, fruit, spice, etc. Not to say that you can't make a good mead that has gone dry and then backsweeten it. You certainly can. But if you want to...

A crown cap will most certainly allow oxygen to get into the bottle. Otherwise, you could store beer indefinitely. Some people age crown capped beers or "cellar" them in this fashion. While oxidation typically is not ideal, it is going to happen in any container. Whether it be a can, a...

I couldn't say one way or the other, beyond this year's Mazer Cup. I've never entered any other mead comp. I do know there was a 2020 Mazer Cup?

Yeah, I wish they would anonymously show the scores per category. That way everyone would know just where they fell in the rankings. Was that 20th or 11th? Or where was my unimpressive 26/40? Wish I knew just how bad they thought that was. I was trying to be contrarian on that one. Mixed...

I can only speak for what I've made myself. I am confident that the fermentation was clean, strong, healthy, etc. I have not really used different honeys though (wildflower only). Or more than 2 types of coffee. I'm sure certain coffees would work better than others but I suspect that the...

Anybody have any Mazer Cup results/feedback they want to share? Lessons learned and such? This was my first year entering any thing. I did not medal (as expected) but definitely appreciate the feedback and scoresheets I received. I think it is invaluable. I entered 4 different meads in 4...

Agreed that the final product almost certainly will need to be fairly sweet. However, I suppose I disagree that the reason will be to balance the bitterness level. IF you are using cold brewed coffee, it won't be bitter. At least not compared to traditional/hot brewed coffee. It will still...

I'd be interested to hear that comparison. I ordered a 6 pack a few days ago. Should be here by Friday. Been a long tims since I've had a Bigfoot but I'm looking to brew a barleywine soon and figured it a good place to start. Looks like Sierra Nevada only releases Bigfoot from Jan-April...

Anybody brewed this up recently? Or another Bigfoot clone recipe? Looking to get some into some bottles soon to start sampling this winter. Drink a few, cellar the rest for a year or more.

I think 1.010-1.015 would be about right for this. My problem was using US04 with too high of a starting gravity. I mistakenly thought it's tolerance was 14%.

The 71b never took off. Took it down a few points and then crapped out. It's is WAY too sweet. In an attempt to salvage this, I brewed up more cold brew, removed 2 cups of the finished mead, replaced it with 2 cups of cold brew, and gave it a taste. Still over the top sweet. If I had a...

US04 took it down to 1.038 (12% ABV). Tasted it and it definitely still has what I described as an "off" flavor though not quite the same as attempt 1. Doesn't seem that 71b was the culprit but rather fermentation alone. That said, at 1.038 it tastes quite sweet for me (maybe some bitterness...

I think he was going for variety though. If you put the flavoring in the keg, you have 5 gallons of 1 flavor. If you just force carb the water/vodka mixture, you can then buy a bunch of different flavors of water "enhancers" and just put a few drops in your glass before you hit the tap. That...

As long as your using a 0 calorie flavor addition, you are looking at 116 calories per 12 oz. I was considering doing this with one of my kegs as well. Figure I'll just have to buy a bunch of the Mio/Crystal Light flavoring drops to see which is best. Let us know if you find a winner.

That is interesting. I am surprised that using dark roast coffee beans did not produce the familiar overbearing bitterness that has been frequently produced. Did you happen to taste your cold brew coffee prior to fermentation? I have been using light roast coffee in an effort to avoid the...

You. Interested in why you are choosing those particular strains; what characteristics you are hoping to create/maintain with them. That same sort of fruity "tang" has developed in my current batch. My gameplan is to use coarse ground beans in secondary to try and round out the flavor. Will...