Well, typically I can't make a batch of beer or mead without screwing up at least one step in the process, but luckily I tend to get a tasty finished product!
Yesterday I started am Oskaar's Blueberry Mel (well, I only used 16 lbs of blueberries, the TJ guy thought I was nuts!) and a semi-sweet (12 lbs honey in 6 gallons water) base mead which I will probably make into a nice vanilla-cinnamon meth (one of my favorites!).
I have decided to try and do things the "proper" way with a lees stirrer daily aeration and adding nutrient at the 1/3 sugar break....
SO, this morning before work I was in the basement sticking my less stirrer in the base mead (luckily not the blueberry!) and I start stirring and a great geyser erupts all over the basement!
I quickly start cleaning up, my wife rolls her eyes and helps get my kid ready for daycare, and I go off to work smelling like an alcoholic!!!
The best thing was that very little must was lost, and the carpet was junky anyway..but I had to clean, clean...
I'll soon have some drunk, happy ants!!!
So, the morals of the story (for those that haven't guessed it) are 1) Don't play with must/mead before your morning coffee 2) Start slowly to release the Co2 that I guess had built up in the must!
I decided that I would not do open fermentation for fear of bugs joining it, so I airlocked the meads!
cheers,
vahan
Yesterday I started am Oskaar's Blueberry Mel (well, I only used 16 lbs of blueberries, the TJ guy thought I was nuts!) and a semi-sweet (12 lbs honey in 6 gallons water) base mead which I will probably make into a nice vanilla-cinnamon meth (one of my favorites!).
I have decided to try and do things the "proper" way with a lees stirrer daily aeration and adding nutrient at the 1/3 sugar break....
SO, this morning before work I was in the basement sticking my less stirrer in the base mead (luckily not the blueberry!) and I start stirring and a great geyser erupts all over the basement!
I quickly start cleaning up, my wife rolls her eyes and helps get my kid ready for daycare, and I go off to work smelling like an alcoholic!!!
The best thing was that very little must was lost, and the carpet was junky anyway..but I had to clean, clean...
I'll soon have some drunk, happy ants!!!
So, the morals of the story (for those that haven't guessed it) are 1) Don't play with must/mead before your morning coffee 2) Start slowly to release the Co2 that I guess had built up in the must!
I decided that I would not do open fermentation for fear of bugs joining it, so I airlocked the meads!
cheers,
vahan