What I did for/with Mead today

[Dan O]

Some Perfect BOMM, (orange blossom & Tupelo blossom) born on 5/5/21. Absolutely scrumptious

 

[Dan O]

Strawberry/Raspberry/Rose Hip/ Vanilla. Started 6/28/23. OG of 1.100...Already fermented dry @ 1.000 in 5 days! 4 or 5 more days on the berries then to be stabilized & a second round of fruit, along with the dried rose hips & Ecuadorian tahitientis vanilla beans. This batch is gonna be stellar!

 

[Todd Peterson]

Mixed up 5.5 gallons of black currant blueberry melomel. It’s the same recipe that I have made for 3 of the last 4 batches.

I would like to branch out and try a different recipe eventually. I like trying the same recipe repeatedly to refine my process.

Happy 4th of July!

Todd Peterson

 

[Ren06]

Racked my traditional bochet and stabilized, I’ll backsweeten in about 2 days. Im also sampling some that I added honey and it has flavors where I want them. Subtle marshmallow and toffee

 

[MightyMosin]

48 hours in, it went from 1.100- 1.016
Totally missed the opportunity for second feeding. Good thing is, I tasted it & absolutely no hot alcohol flavor

My Marshmallow root was an extremely fast fermenting 12%... on both variations that I have made; I did try to manage the temperature some on the 2nd batch.

 

[MightyMosin]

Racked ~3.5 gallons of Pinot Noir pyment out of the oak barrel through 10micron filter onto some K-Meta in a stainless steel keg. Will bottle soon-ish from the keg. It was supposed to be today but I have lost my will to do it. This pyment is one of the ones entered into the County Fair home wine contest.

Filled oak barrel with ~ 7gallons of the next batch of Pinot Noir pyment.

Drank a carbonated 12% Blueberry Cyser while cleaning the equipment.

 

[SteveH aka shetc]

My first official taste of my first semi-sweet standard mead (made with tupelo honey). It does not taste like ass.

 

[MightyMosin]

It does not taste like ass.

My first mead certainly did!

 

[SteveH aka shetc]

My first mead certainly did!

I wrote "official" because I spent a fair amount of time actually studying the mead making process before making it. The first one I did was literally honey plus yeast, and it really tasted like ass.

 

[Ren06]

Backsweetened my Traditional Bochet today with summer wildflower honey to ~1.027 sweetness, and it's delicious. Can't wait till it mellows out.

 

[Todd Peterson]

Bottled a 6 month old melomel tonight. Netted 4.5 gallons from the original 5.5 gallons of must. I see this level of loss as acceptable to avoid bottles with sediment.

Takeaways from this batch:

1) Quality oak works wonders on mead. I can’t recommend Stavin oak cubes sold by morewine highly enough.
2) Very impressed with dualfine clarifier. I’d rather it happen naturally with time. That said, in 48 hours this mead went from hazy to very clear.


Checking on my beehives tomorrow. Fingers crossed for heavy honey supers.

Todd Peterson

 

[Dan O]

Pulled the fruit from the Strawberry/ Raspberry/ Rose Hip/ Vanilla last night. Going to give the sediment a few days to settle down then I'll rack, stabilize, wait 24 hrs, then add round 2 of the fruit, the Rose hips and the tahitientis vanilla beans. I can't wait!

 

[MightyMosin]

After 4 months of barrel aging and many tastings along the way, I have finally bottled my Pinot Noir pyment. I ended up with (12) 750ml bottles and another (11) 375ml bottles. Bottled a little more than a year after starting it.

Now for the ever fun cleaning...

 

[Todd Peterson]

2 weeks ago I oaked a traditional orange blossom mead that has been sitting in secondary. I use Stavin oak cubes.

Checked the carboy today. 1/2 of the cubes have sunk to the bottom of the carboy.

What dark magic is going on with this brew. The oak I have used in other batches has remained floating for 2+ months.

Todd Peterson

 

[DBhomebrew]

I use cubes. Roughly 1/4 sink. I don't question it.

 

[SteveH aka shetc]

Pétillant wild flower hydromel. Kinda like drinking a dry honey seltzer.

 

[MrClint]

Poured up a cold glass of Sparkling Green Jasmine Tea Mead:

 

[MightyMosin]

Today I drank mead!!!

rewards for the work done

 

[Ren06]

Removed fruit and rum soaked oak chips from my Blackberry melomel. I wont use oak chips again just staves. I will say the taste is good but it’s definitely something that can overpower if not careful. My experience with staves are more subtle but blends perfectly.

 

[Dan O]

Removed fruit and rum soaked oak chips from my Blackberry melomel. I wont use oak chips again just staves. I will say the taste is good but it’s definitely something that can overpower if not careful. My experience with staves are more subtle but blends perfectly.

I have found chips release their goods rather quickly, but for my own personal tastes, they can be a little one dimensional. Staves, cubes or spheres I find give a rounder profile.

 

[Ren06]

I have found chips release their goods rather quickly, but for my own personal tastes, they can be a little one dimensional. Staves, cubes or spheres I find give a rounder profile.

I agree and that’s why I won’t use chips anymore, only staves.

 

[MightyMosin]

Chateu de Plywood if chips are left too long

 

[Todd Peterson]

Would be interesting to do a bench trial with a neutral mead adding different oaks with the various toast levels to see the difference/flavor impact firsthand.

Maybe split a 5 gallon batch into 1 gallon carrots for stabilization and oaking.

Todd Peterson

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

I’ve only made a few wine kits, but they often come with the tiniest bit of powdered oak. I would presume the smaller the particle the more “surface area” and smaller amounts are needed, or for less time. That said, do what you find works best for you and provides the flavor you’re looking to achieve.

 

[MightyMosin]

I blanched, peeled, cut, bagged, and froze about 6.5 Lb of peaches.

 

[Dan O]

I blanched, peeled, cut, bagged, and froze about 6.5 Lb of peaches.

Is it going to be a straight peach or peach with something else?

 

[Todd Peterson]

I blanched, peeled, cut, bagged, and froze about 6.5 Lb of peaches.

I really want to try a peach mead. If you have used peaches in mead before, does the flavor of the fruit carry through fermentation? What is the ratio in pounds per gallon needed to have the peach flavor present post primary?

I heard an interview with Ken Schramm where he said peaches could be tough to get the flavor right on the back end of fermentation.

Would love to hear more about this.

Todd Peterson

 

[MightyMosin]

I may try a straight peach mead, though I really don't have all that many peaches. Some of these peaches will get added to this, slowly in progress, mead.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/superstition-peacher-creature-clone-attempt.725217/
It is currently dry with a light peach flavor that I want to bump up some more. I only have ~1.25 gallon and have been waiting for my 3 gallon stainless keg to get free so that I have a vessel to transfer to, and add more peaches. Once in the keg, I'll purge the O2 with CO2 and let it extract the peach flavor and sugars. I'm guessing I will add about 2 Lb of the frozen peach to it.

 

[CKuhns]

Poured up a cold glass of Sparkling Green Jasmine Tea Mead:
View attachment 824578

Would you be willing to share the recipe?

 

[MrClint]

Would you be willing to share the recipe?

I shared the recipe here previously:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/best-mead-youve-made.727467/post-10267382

 

[CKuhns]

I shared the recipe here previously:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/best-mead-youve-made.727467/post-10267382

Thanks for the inspiration @MrClint

I will add the thought to my session recipe "mix" it runs about 8.5 ABV and a recipe that is lot more of a complex process than what you had here. I love the simplicity of your recipe.

Have not tried teas in my session meads. Think i will try a 5 gallon batch. ( I do like green tea). Will have to think about how best to add the tea as it has a pretty light flavor profile. Probably steeped in the primary water and then a mesh bag dropped in secondary until it hits the flavor i like. I also keg and would think i could add to the keg if needed.

Did enjoy a few meads with hibiscus. Great color and decent flavor. Might have to do a session mead of that as well... So many options.

 

[MrClint]

Thanks for the inspiration @MrClint

You are welcome. Sparkling tea meads are well received by my non-beer drinking friends and family. Truth be told this is not my recipe, but an awesome recipe from Emma Christensen's book, "Brew Better Beer." The thing about using tea is that you get some tannins for mouth feel that are generally lacking (in my opinion) in most meads. Have at it and let us know how it works for you.

 

[Phish_on2k]

I've had very good results with peach herbal teas(no actual tea in it) in secondary to boost peach flavor and aroma without so many peaches(gotta play with ratios)...also use Apricot juice along peach...it seems to help boost flavor as well...

few years back was at brew competition...there was 2 professional Mead makers judging BOS...and had one of them asking me how I got so much peach flavor in my entry...was buzzed and jabbered on about my process...should have invoiced him for consulting fee...his peach mead offering got much better...lol

 

[DBhomebrew]

I've had success using Bray Denard's (BOMM fame) process in his Fidnemed recipe. He makes a double strength tea and uses it as part of his primary water.

[Edit: Now that I look at it, pretty much @MrClint's process. I like 16oz/gal. Also, I make a 250ml DME SNS starter and pitch the whole thing on top of the gallon must. It leaves just a slight touch of residual sweetness and gives me a full gallon to bottle.]

For green tea, be sure to use water at the appropriate temp. >~175° can get too tannin-y.

 

[Dan O]

I may try a straight peach mead, though I really don't have all that many peaches. Some of these peaches will get added to this, slowly in progress, mead.
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/threads/superstition-peacher-creature-clone-attempt.725217/
It is currently dry with a light peach flavor that I want to bump up some more. I only have ~1.25 gallon and have been waiting for my 3 gallon stainless keg to get free so that I have a vessel to transfer to, and add more peaches. Once in the keg, I'll purge the O2 with CO2 and let it extract the peach flavor and sugars. I'm guessing I will add about 2 Lb of the frozen peach to it.

I don't know how much peach flavor you're looking for, but from my own personal experience, whatever you think is enough, double it.
Peach is such a delicate flavor that it takes a lot for that flavor to be up front when tasting.
Skins add vital tannins to balance the sugars.

 

[Dan O]

@MightyMosin , I'm getting ready to empty out my freezer & will be doing a big batch of peach as well.
Mine will be mostly made up of white flesh peaches (32 lbs), but it will also be getting 12 lbs each of organic yellow peaches & organic nectarines.
1/3 of the total fruit will go into primary & the rest in secondary.
For the final touches to lend to the peachy notes I'll be adding dried unsulfured apricots & a blend of honeys, some of which will be bocheted.
Ceylon cinnamon, Ecuadorian tahitientis vanilla & amburana wood cubes will finish it out.
Kveik Voss will be the yeast of choice for this one.
I can't wait!

 

[MightyMosin]

Damn that sounds good

 

[Dan O]

Damn that sounds good

Thank you. I'll be posting when I make it, hopefully I remember to take more pictures....somehow I always get to the end before I realize I forgot to take any

 

[Ren06]

Bottled up 1.6 gallons of Sweet potato pie mead.

 

[Ren06]

Brewed 2 gallons of bourbon blueberry Acerglyn