Pitching Dry Ale Yeast

  • PATRONS: Did you know we've a chat function for you now? Look to the bottom of the screen, you can chat, set up rooms, talk to each other individually or in groups! Click 'Chat' at the right side of the chat window to open the chat up.
  • Love Gotmead and want to see it grow? Then consider supporting the site and becoming a Patron! If you're logged in, click on your username to the right of the menu to see how as little as $30/year can get you access to the patron areas and the patron Facebook group and to support Gotmead!
  • We now have a Patron-exclusive Facebook group! Patrons my join at The Gotmead Patron Group. You MUST answer the questions, providing your Patron membership, when you request to join so I can verify your Patron membership. If the questions aren't answered, the request will be turned down.
Since you specifically mention ale yeast, you might want to check out ‘Brays One Month Mead’ (BOMM), I think you can find it here but he also has his own website Denard Brewing. The method uses Wyeast smack pack 1388 Belgian Strong Ale strain.
I think Bray is @loveofrose here, not sure how active he is.
Wyeast notes that this strain may stall around SG 1.030, and I have experienced that (with heat pad controlled temp 68 F). Wyeast suggest racking or stirring to get them going again but YMMV. Maybe Bray has some suggestions?
And @Squatchy I just found your bomm comment on this thread
https://gotmead.com/community/threads/mead-recipe.35057/post-290901
and wish I had seen it earlier!
 
Last edited:
Since you specifically mention ale yeast, you might want to check out ‘Brays One Month Mead’ (BOMM), I think you can find it here but he also has his own website Denard Brewing. The method uses Wyeast smack pack 1388 Belgian Strong Ale strain.
I think Bray is @loveofrose here, not sure how active he is.
Wyeast notes that this strain may stall around SG 1.030, and I have experienced that (with heat pad controlled temp 68 F). Wyeast suggest racking or stirring to get them going again but YMMV. Maybe Bray has some suggestions?
And @Squatchy I just found your bomm comment on this thread
https://gotmead.com/community/threads/mead-recipe.35057/post-290901
and wish I had seen it earlier!
Funny you should mention it - the BOMM is what got me started using ale yeast! I was hoping to hear from Bray but haven't had any luck so far.

I was able to get the ale yeast I had been having trouble with working, but in the past month after some experimentation I think my ale yeast short meads will be made exclusively with Kveik. For me, it's the only ale yeast that performs as well (faster, with temperature control) as the wine yeasts I've used.
 
Funny you should mention it - the BOMM is what got me started using ale yeast! I was hoping to hear from Bray but haven't had any luck so far.

I was able to get the ale yeast I had been having trouble with working, but in the past month after some experimentation I think my ale yeast short meads will be made exclusively with Kveik. For me, it's the only ale yeast that performs as well (faster, with temperature control) as the wine yeasts I've used.

I’m still active, but focus on my own resources now. I have. Mead Batch Builder over at https://www.omnimead.com that works on dry and liquid yeast. The protocol is complete and works for any yeast.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I’m still active, but focus on my own resources now. I have. Mead Batch Builder over at https://www.omnimead.com that works on dry and liquid yeast. The protocol is complete and works for any yeast.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Thanks for the info! For some reason I cannot get Chico to kick off properly with a 100F+ starter. I have absolutely no idea why. The only time I've had success is when I let the go-ferm drop to 85F. I had a similar issue with Lalbrew Abbaye, albeit not as dramatic.

Kveik is so far the only dry ale yeast that hasn't given me a hard time (and I love finishing fermentation and bentonite-level clearing in less than a week). I haven't tried smack packs due to unreliable shipping in our area.
 
Since you specifically mention ale yeast, you might want to check out ‘Brays One Month Mead’ (BOMM), I think you can find it here but he also has his own website Denard Brewing. The method uses Wyeast smack pack 1388 Belgian Strong Ale strain.
I think Bray is @loveofrose here, not sure how active he is.
Wyeast notes that this strain may stall around SG 1.030, and I have experienced that (with heat pad controlled temp 68 F). Wyeast suggest racking or stirring to get them going again but YMMV. Maybe Bray has some suggestions?
And @Squatchy I just found your bomm comment on this thread
https://gotmead.com/community/threads/mead-recipe.35057/post-290901
and wish I had seen it earlier!
I have been doing a lot of experiments recently with various strains. Since it is readily available, it's mostly been with Whitelab yeasts. I'm actually about to start about 5 one-gallon tests.
Recently (long story about why I did this) I did a 5 gallon acerglyn and a 7 gallon cyser, and also did a gallon test batch of simple BOMM style to be able to evaluate the flavor profile from one vial of WLP545 Belgian Strong Ale. I built four starters from the vial. The fourth was used by my son-in-law who said he wanted to play and I adapted a recipe he wanted to try for a sort of gin-flavored mead.
That yeast is a beast. It fermented fast thoroughly and surprisingly clean. The test batch, which was pitched last, is still working but the other three are being racked to secondary today.
I have another test going from WLP099 as sort of an accident. I was visiting my son and he had a batch going from it and I took a sample of the must home.
If anyone's interested I could post the results. I'm realistic on that not every yeast will work with mead, but I'm finding that more of them so than I would have thought.
 
  • Like
Reactions: MikeWNC
I have been doing a lot of experiments recently with various strains. Since it is readily available, it's mostly been with Whitelab yeasts. I'm actually about to start about 5 one-gallon tests.
Recently (long story about why I did this) I did a 5 gallon acerglyn and a 7 gallon cyser, and also did a gallon test batch of simple BOMM style to be able to evaluate the flavor profile from one vial of WLP545 Belgian Strong Ale. I built four starters from the vial. The fourth was used by my son-in-law who said he wanted to play and I adapted a recipe he wanted to try for a sort of gin-flavored mead.
That yeast is a beast. It fermented fast thoroughly and surprisingly clean. The test batch, which was pitched last, is still working but the other three are being racked to secondary today.
I have another test going from WLP099 as sort of an accident. I was visiting my son and he had a batch going from it and I took a sample of the must home.
If anyone's interested I could post the results. I'm realistic on that not every yeast will work with mead, but I'm finding that more of them so than I would have thought.
I've only used dry yeasts, but I'm very interested. I prefer ale yeast flavor with short meads (which usually go into a keg and disappear in a couple of weeks).