Bray's One Month Mead

CornyKegs 728
Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum

Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Hi Bray,

So I wanted to reuse my 1388, so after bottling there was about 3 cups of fluid/lees in the gallon jug. I added everything for the new batch but realized my SuperKleer from the first batch was in there too!

After 5 days, fermentation is done but it smells like plastic. Is it ruined? Will any amount of aging get rid of that? This was a good lesson to rack before clearing so I can save the good lees!

Also for this second batch, I made a low abv bomm SG 1.05 and front loaded all of the nutrients since I would probably miss the sugar breaks. Seemed to work. I'll try it again without the SuperKleer in there and see if this works for hydromel BOMMs.

Have you ever made any hydromels?

Thanks
 
Unanswered question lost on page 62...can pasteurized honey be used, and if so what modifications (if any) are needed for the protocol?

For anyone having trouble measuring the gravity, best advice ever for home brew gear is to buy a refractometer. Seriously the best $20 I've spent! More accurate, easier to use, and wastes less product. Wanna buy a used hydrometer...CHEAP?
 
Edbert said:
Unanswered question lost on page 62...can pasteurized honey be used, and if so what modifications (if any) are needed for the protocol?

For anyone having trouble measuring the gravity, best advice ever for home brew gear is to buy a refractometer. Seriously the best $20 I've spent! More accurate, easier to use, and wastes less product. Wanna buy a used hydrometer...CHEAP?
Click to expand...

Where did you get a refractometer for $20? Can you give me a link? Is it accurate?
 
Edbert said:
Unanswered question lost on page 62...can pasteurized honey be used, and if so what modifications (if any) are needed for the protocol?

For anyone having trouble measuring the gravity, best advice ever for home brew gear is to buy a refractometer. Seriously the best $20 I've spent! More accurate, easier to use, and wastes less product. Wanna buy a used hydrometer...CHEAP?
Click to expand...


Pasteurized honey can be used, but will have inferior aromatics to unpasteurized honey. Raw honey is always better.



Better brewing through science!

See my brewing site at www.denardbrewing.com

See my Current Mead Making Techniques article here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/current-mead-making-techniques.html
 
Aristaios said:
Hi Bray,

So I wanted to reuse my 1388, so after bottling there was about 3 cups of fluid/lees in the gallon jug. I added everything for the new batch but realized my SuperKleer from the first batch was in there too!

After 5 days, fermentation is done but it smells like plastic. Is it ruined? Will any amount of aging get rid of that? This was a good lesson to rack before clearing so I can save the good lees!

Also for this second batch, I made a low abv bomm SG 1.05 and front loaded all of the nutrients since I would probably miss the sugar breaks. Seemed to work. I'll try it again without the SuperKleer in there and see if this works for hydromel BOMMs.

Have you ever made any hydromels?

Thanks
Click to expand...


I NEVER reuse yeast after SuperKleer. The chitosan and ketosal breakdown products in primary fermentation are likely bad for your health. This is one of the rare occasions that I will say to toss the batch. Sorry.

I've made lots of hydromels. I find therm a bit thin on flavor and body, so I steep with specialty grains and hops to make a type of Braggot. YMMV.


Better brewing through science!

See my brewing site at www.denardbrewing.com

See my Current Mead Making Techniques article here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/current-mead-making-techniques.html
 
loveofrose said:
I NEVER reuse yeast after SuperKleer. The chitosan and ketosal breakdown products in primary fermentation are likely bad for your health. This is one of the rare occasions that I will say to toss the batch. Sorry.

I've made lots of hydromels. I find therm a bit thin on flavor and body, so I steep with specialty grains and hops to make a type of Braggot. YMMV.


Better brewing through science!

See my brewing site at www.denardbrewing.com

See my Current Mead Making Techniques article here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/current-mead-making-techniques.html
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up. I'm glad I dumped it. For hydromels, did you ever experiment with lactose or maltodrextin to add body? For your braggot, just steeping grains in the water and then follow BOMM as you mention here: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=476440

"Same BOMM recipe except you start with water steeped in 20 L Crystal Malt for 30 minutes at 160 F. Unlimited variations possible, of course. "

Thanks, you're the man.
 
Okay, so I've been lurking here for awhile. I started my first BOMM on March 25th and everything went perfectly (sugar breaks, racking etc.). It tasted great at racking and is now just waiting the grand unveil in 2 or 3 weeks.

But....I started another one off of the lees in my bucket and everything got kicked off right. The og was a little low @ 1.08 but hey works in progress. My question however is it seems I missed the first sugar break @ 1.056 due to a very quick ferment. When I checked today it was about 1.03. I added the proper nutrient amounts but should I add some more maybe tomorrow or just let it ferment out to 1.00?

Thanks
 
If it got down to 1.030 already and you added nutrients there, you should be fine. It will go dry and you will be ok. I wouldn't add anything further.
 
So my LHBS has DAP and Urea in a yeast nutrient but not just DAP solo. Is this ok or will results vary?

I actually found somewhere with DAP so all set!! Gonna make this up next week I think!!!!

Cant Wait!!!
 
Reused my lees again but as to not make the same mistake again I took a gravity reading 30 hours after starting the ferment. From 1.09 to 1.06 in 30 hours is awful quick, yeah. Is this due to the yeast being more acclimated to the environment?
 
Possibly but more probably it's due to the yeast loving all the nutrients they are living in. The potassium and Fermaid K really get things off to a good start plus when you reused the yeast, the number of active cells was probably more than if you had added yeast from a new packet. The net effect is less lag time and a longer active duration to consume sugars hence the nice drop in S.G. This is not a wimpy, slow fermenting yeast. It knows what it likes and this nutrient addition really sets you up for successful and quick fermentation.
 
My 7th BOMM batch is a Sourwood honey BOMM. Had something happen that has never happened before. Am following the recipe exactly.

Day 0 O.G. was 1.094. 2/3 sugar break of 1.063 was reached on Day 3.

1/3 sugar break of 1.032 was reached on Day 5 (the S.G. was actually 1.038, but I went ahead and fed the nutrients). On Day 6 I didn't measure the S.G., but went ahead and installed the water lock based on the rate of fermentation.

On day 9, I measure the S.G. at 1.034, basically little progress since Day 5. Stalled??? This is unusual for me because usually the S.G. heads straight to 1.000 by day 9 or 10.

So, I removed the water from the bubbler and degassed it very agressively. This released a lot of CO2 and resuspended the yeast. Will measure the S.G. everyday now for a while to see what happens.
 
April 16 - Day 10 - S.G. = 1.032
Something has definitely gone wrong with this BOMM batch.

Any suggestions on restarting this batch @loveofrose??
 
Heres a silly question, can I make up additions of the nutrients in boiled water and save them in mason jars to add at the breaks? Or will this not be so good of an idea? I just pitched my starter last night into my 5 gallons of BOMM!!! Cant wait!
 
kenoglass said:
Heres a silly question, can I make up additions of the nutrients in boiled water and save them in mason jars to add at the breaks? Or will this not be so good of an idea? I just pitched my starter last night into my 5 gallons of BOMM!!! Cant wait!
Click to expand...


I would not suggest this. The boiling will destroy many of the vitamins and cofactors.


Better brewing through science!

See my brewing site at www.denardbrewing.com

See my Current Mead Making Techniques article here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/current-mead-making-techniques.html
 
loveofrose said:
I would not suggest this. The boiling will destroy many of the vitamins and cofactors.


Better brewing through science!

See my brewing site at www.denardbrewing.com

See my Current Mead Making Techniques article here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/current-mead-making-techniques.html
Click to expand...

ok so I didn't add the nutrients to the boil but after I sterlized the mason jars and grabbed a little water to dissolve them, still not a good idea? The water was still hot but not boiling and I capped them right after to seal good. I just saw on the packet of Fermaid K to dissolve in distilled water?
 
So this mead is crazy!!! I checked the gravity on day 2 dropped to 1.072 I figured wait till next day add the nutrients, overnight it dropped to a 1.050. So I added the premixed nutrients I experimented with. That was Sunday, I figured I would wait till today to check for next break, I did and it was down to 1.025 so I added the nutrients and added star san to air lock. I can't believe how fast this yeast eats up!!! Looking forward to bottling on May 17-18th and see how tasty this stuff is!
 
I got another question I tried to search about. So I am leaving my must on the yeast for the entire month. Will I be able to pour that yeast into a mason jar to use a month or so later for another batch or not so much?
 
bmwr75 said:
April 16 - Day 10 - S.G. = 1.032
Something has definitely gone wrong with this BOMM batch.

Any suggestions on restarting this batch @loveofrose??
Click to expand...

bmwr, I don't know what the problem is, but I've had the same thing happen on the two BOMM batches that I've tried. Both stalled at 1.03x. Had to mix both into a D47 batch to finish.
 
LHBS in Michigan. Fairly busy place, and it seems they turn over stock pretty quickly so I don't think age was an issue. My two batches were also 2 months apart.
 
Ah! I just re read your post. It's not the yeast. It's the sourwood honey. I had the same thing happen.

I cold crashed the sourwood mead and it separated into a drier upper phase and a sweet lower phase. I bottled separately. (I mixed the sweet phase with a very dry mead) I don't know why sourwood does this. It's the only honey I've ever had stratify like this. I've heard a few other folks have the same problem with sourwood.

Better brewing through science!

See my brewing site at www.denardbrewing.com

See my Current Mead Making Techniques article here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/current-mead-making-techniques.html
 
Alright.

The bees are busy.

I have some honey in comb from last year, that I need to remove.

Some mead is what I have in mind.

Local (Interior BC, Canada) sources have never heard of Fermaid or DAP. Generic 'Yeast Nutrient' in a baggie, is all that I have found in stock anywhere, presuming its likely DAP or a DAP mixture, but they don't really have any info for me.

One of the early posts says that Northern Brewer has the stuff. Not according to what I was able to find, when I searched for Fermaid K or Potassium anything.

A little help on sources? Potassium Carbonate/bicarbonate? What else is it used for and where would a fella look for it?
I see some on ebay, but shipping white powder by mail from Turkey or Russia...What could go wrong there, eh?

I want to try making the one month mead, but gotta find the required stuff first. Have the yeast in the fridge, have the honey, need the nutrients.
-:edit-Found Potassium Carbonate at OBK, wasn't there when I made my last order. They have the DAP as well, so now I need some Fermaid K... Is that the "Yeast Nutrient" that I already have?

Thanks!

TeeJo
 
I found this on midwestsupplies.com:

FermaidK provides, DAP, free amino acid, yeast hulls, unsaturated fatty acids, and other helpful products. It helps encourage the yeast to maintain a strong cell wall in a high-alcohol environment. They also keep the yeast from providing off flavors due to stress, and help keep the yeast in suspension. This can be used in any fermentation, but it is highly recommended in wine and mead. Recommended dosage is 1 gram per gallon; rehydrate before use.

http://www.midwestsupplies.com/fermaidk.html

I hope that helps.

oh, and I have noticed the search on OBK is not always able to find things, but they are there sometimes, if you know exact names to look for, or if you know which section it is under, and you can go directly there.

good luck in your hunting.
 
It appears to be happening again. My 1388 is stalling out. I am in the process of doing a mead comparison test using 3 different yeasts. 1 gallon each of:

1388
71B
Cote Des Blanc

Starting SG for all three was (1.1000). Each 1 gallon batch is following the BOMM protocal exactly to the letter. Period. Bray recently mentioned it possibly being the honey causing it to stall out, so this time I went with Costco honey for all 3 test batches. The Cote des Blanc and 1388 got off to a strong start, while the 71B lagged a couple days for some unknown reason, however eventually all 3 were off to the races.

Now today:
71B - taking the lead - down to 1.015 and tasting good
Cote Des Blanc - a short second at 1.02, but this might end up being my favorite
1388 - Last night it was around 1.045, now its barely at 1.040. In comparison, the other two were at 1.03 or higher last night. I'm afraid this is stalling out yet again. PH test this morning tagged it at 3.4. I just gave it its third and final dose of DAP and Fermaid K, so hopefully it is able to bust through 1.03 this time.

Will report back.
 
Happy to report it appears to be a false alarm. After another 10 hours, the 1388 batch is now down to 1.030 and appears to still be going strong. I'll be converting each of these 1 gallon batches into 6 gallon batches once they finish up. Planning on putting together new 5 gallon batches and dumping them on top of the 1 gallon batches. Basically just using them as a big starter :)
 
My second BOMM (a 5 gallon batch), fermented down to an SG of 1.003 in 10 days. But after 14 days, it has a very strong beer flavor. My first batch (1 gallon) didn't ever taste like this. My best guess is that I accidentally used the wrong yeast: Wyeast 1338 instead of 1388. Wyeast 1338 is a European Ale yeast.

Given the state of my must, is there anything I can do to bring the final product back to tasting like mead? Or at least attenuate the beer flavor? Oak maybe?
 
Drinking a 2.5-month old BOMM, and marvelling at the difference from the 1-month old I split with a friend from the same initial yeast pack before. My question is, how does reuse of the initial yeast affect aging time? I used one Wyeast pack to make 4 1-gallon batches, back-to-back, 3 orange blossom and 1 orange blossom-buckwheat mix, then, a couple weeks ago, cold-crashed the lot to clear. Should I expect more aging time for the 4th (the mix)? Or, in theory, should they all be ready to drink?

Unrelated question: i have enough honey for a 1 gallon Tulip Poplar BOMM. Can I make that, then use the left-over yeast as a starter for an orange blossom 5 gallon BOMM, or do I need to create a larger starter? Also, what happens if I choose to use the Forbidden Fruit for a sweeter end product?

EDIT: side note, I've only been producing homemade alcohol since about December, and it was cider until January, BOMM since March, and wine since April. Any help is appreciated.
 
Last edited:
loveofrose said:
Ah! I just re read your post. It's not the yeast. It's the sourwood honey. I had the same thing happen.

I cold crashed the sourwood mead and it separated into a drier upper phase and a sweet lower phase. I bottled separately. (I mixed the sweet phase with a very dry mead) I don't know why sourwood does this. It's the only honey I've ever had stratify like this. I've heard a few other folks have the same problem with sourwood.

Better brewing through science!

See my brewing site at www.denardbrewing.com

See my Current Mead Making Techniques article here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/current-mead-making-techniques.html
Click to expand...

So would you recommend against using sourwood? If so that kinda sucks because I just paid $50 for a gallon of sourwood honey with the idea of making mead.

However, If you read this thread https://www.homebrewtalk.com/showthread.php?t=70303 Several people confirm that sourwood makes a great mead but they are all using wine yeasts. It must be something about the combo of the ale yeast and the SWH.

Any thoughts?
 
Let's put it this way. I'm using my gallon of sourwood. Although next time, I will stir the crap out of it everyday to keep it mixed.

If it stratifies again after cold crash, I'll bottle the two layers separate like before. The top drier layer was very tasty while the bottom sweet layer was perfect for blending (with meadjack or dry mead).

If it remains sweet overall, I'll blend it with some bone dry mead I have kicking around. I like the taste of this varietal. It's just a bit of a pain.

My understanding is that not all sourwood does this, just some batches. No one is really sure why.
Doesn't seem to depend on the yeast at all.

Better brewing through science!

See my brewing site at www.denardbrewing.com

See my Current Mead Making Techniques article here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/current-mead-making-techniques.html
 
Racked my batch of Sourwood BOMM today, day 41. It is 1.032 SG just like it was on Day 10. Mead is definitely not sweet like a 1.032 mead should be, tastes pretty dry in fact. Sourwood honey is definitely a strange bird.

Checked hydrometer in plain water, it is reading correctly. Checked pH with some Hydrion paper, it is in the 3.0 range. That is as close as I can read the paper based on color change.

I topped it off with Ozarka spring water and reinstalled the air lock. Will let it sit for a while to clarify.
 
loveofrose said:
Let's put it this way. I'm using my gallon of sourwood. Although next time, I will stir the crap out of it everyday to keep it mixed.

If it stratifies again after cold crash, I'll bottle the two layers separate like before. The top drier layer was very tasty while the bottom sweet layer was perfect for blending (with meadjack or dry mead).

If it remains sweet overall, I'll blend it with some bone dry mead I have kicking around. I like the taste of this varietal. It's just a bit of a pain.

My understanding is that not all sourwood does this, just some batches. No one is really sure why.
Doesn't seem to depend on the yeast at all.

Better brewing through science!

See my brewing site at www.denardbrewing.com

See my Current Mead Making Techniques article here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/current-mead-making-techniques.html
Click to expand...

Interesting. How about this. If it only stratifies after the cold crash why not skip that step and instead use biofine or some other fining agent?
 
I read the entire post and have a few questions if someone wouldn't mind answering them.

I got 12# gallberry honey (a friend wanted to try it) for a 5 gallon batch and just started a 1.8L starter with 1388 using 6 oz of wildflower honey I had sitting around (assumed flavor would be mostly stripped). I added a tiny dash of potassium bicarbonate to the starter and what the LHB shop sells as "super ferment"

"Super Ferment" is supposedly a combination of DAP and Ferment-K (and yeast hulls, etc). My plan is to just add this in the combined volume (1 tsp DAP + 2 tsp Fermaid K = 3 tsp super ferment). I will pick up some Ozarka spring water but normally use a mix of Houston tap/RO water for brewing.

My hope is this ferments all the way down (tried a different recipe before with 3.5ppg honey and it stalled very sweet). Ideally I would like a slightly sweet, bottled, and carbonated mead. The only way to do this is bottle from the keg?


Now onto the questions:
  1. Do you think I will be ok with "Super Ferment"? Any changes suggested?
  2. My understanding is to use 1.5 t potassium bicarbonate; has anyone done this?
  3. Any recommendations on fermentation temp (was going to set at 70-75F and walk up to 80F)
  4. I also have some orange blossom honey on its way (24-25#), wanted to reuse the yeast but it isnt clear about swirrling the lees and just pouring into a new carboy? Since I only plan to primary for 14-30 days, can I just add new must to the old container? If not, can someone give a better description on getting the yeast out (or should I just use the yeast washing procedure)?
  5. Since I am making the second batch on the already large yeast cake, I feel like I should reduce nutrients/oxidation! Can someone provide any guidance on this?

Thanks for all the work on this - I plan to make the first mead to spec, the second possibly split to blueberries(mint?) and rosemary (should I try oak?). Then thinking about making a pear and/or apple cyser (possibly with a lighter beer yeast) and then if I still haven't messed everything up may look into a caramelized local wildflower honey mead
 

Similar threads

T
Mead has been fermenting for almost 2 months and is only at 6% ABV
Replies
8
Views
1K
AirsickErmine
A
superpig0
Mead Recipe Concern
Replies
2
Views
552
Dan O
Dan O
J
Beginner Mead Mistake?
Replies
8
Views
589
JamieDanger
J
MapleGroveAleworks
Newbie to mead - question on yeast nutrients
Replies
3
Views
593
Johnny2
J
J
Cinnamon Metheglin
Replies
19
Views
1K
Stevie G
S
Yakima 300

Latest posts

Back
Top