This is my first post here but I've been lurking for a while.
I've been brewing beer for a couple years now. I brewed a hefeweisen on Saturday and while motivated to brew decided to branch out.
I just started my first mead yesterday. She's bubbling away nicely so all seems well. I just thought I'd run down what I've done to this point and see if I got it right. In researching, I found lots of conflicting advice so I just tired to sort the BS from the sound info and gave it a go.
Here it is, a simple cyser:
1 gallon plus 1 qt. Raw desert wildflower honey. (15 pounds or so)
4 Gallons Ziegler’s apple cider (100% juice, No preservatives, ingredients: Apples, pasteurized for safety)
Stirred well and pulled 500 ml must for a starter.
18:00 hrs on Sunday: Crushed 5 Camden tablets and stirred it in to the remaining must. At this time it's in a clean sanitized 5-gallon bucket covered with plastic wrap and a rubber band holding it in place.
(Seems really strange to me not boiling)
I hydrated my yeast by dissolving 4 teaspoons of "GoFerm" into 4 oz of 110-degree spring water. Stirred with the thermometer until the temp was 104 degrees. Sprinkled 2 packs of K1-V1116 on top and let it sit for 15 minutes. Then I stirred the yeast in and gave it another 10 minutes. When the temp of the yeast reached 85 degrees. I added about 2 oz of the must I'd set aside and stirred for 5 minutes then added some more to bring the temp to 73 degrees. I poured the lot into my flask of reserved must that was 70 degrees.
I put an airlock on this and it was bubbling away instantly. Awesome!
Monday Morning 06:00 hrs, I stirred the must in the 5 gallon bucket and added pectic enzyme.
18:30 hrs on Monday evening, I racked the must from the bucket to a 6.5-gallon carboy. Pitched the yeast and oxygenated it with O2 and a ss diffusing stone. Also added 4.5g Fermaid-k and 4.5g DAP
Starting gravity is 1.145 (adjusted for temp)
After 2 hours I was a bit concerned about the lack of activity. Concerns were relieved this morning as a layer of krausen had formed and the airlock was bubbling though slower than a beer would have been.
I degassed by stirring and added more O2. 6:00 this morning.
This evening at 18:00 hrs, I've got good activity, 3" of krausen on top. I degassed by stirring, added more O2 and added 2.8g Fermaid K and 2.8g DAP.
Oh and gravity has dropped to 1.138
Right now 1.5 hours later, I've got 1" of bubbles on top and she's burping away at about 4 times per minute.
Now for the questions:
Can the Aeration be over done this early in the primary? Should I continue the twice a day degassing and aeration until 1/3 attenuation?
Also, the yeast nutrients, do I need more or less and if more, Do I add it at 1/3 attenuation or before? (lots of conflicting info out there)
I've ordered some Fermaid 2133 to add when it gets to 2/3 attenuation but how much of it do I add then?
I've been brewing beer for a couple years now. I brewed a hefeweisen on Saturday and while motivated to brew decided to branch out.
I just started my first mead yesterday. She's bubbling away nicely so all seems well. I just thought I'd run down what I've done to this point and see if I got it right. In researching, I found lots of conflicting advice so I just tired to sort the BS from the sound info and gave it a go.
Here it is, a simple cyser:
1 gallon plus 1 qt. Raw desert wildflower honey. (15 pounds or so)
4 Gallons Ziegler’s apple cider (100% juice, No preservatives, ingredients: Apples, pasteurized for safety)
Stirred well and pulled 500 ml must for a starter.
18:00 hrs on Sunday: Crushed 5 Camden tablets and stirred it in to the remaining must. At this time it's in a clean sanitized 5-gallon bucket covered with plastic wrap and a rubber band holding it in place.
(Seems really strange to me not boiling)
I hydrated my yeast by dissolving 4 teaspoons of "GoFerm" into 4 oz of 110-degree spring water. Stirred with the thermometer until the temp was 104 degrees. Sprinkled 2 packs of K1-V1116 on top and let it sit for 15 minutes. Then I stirred the yeast in and gave it another 10 minutes. When the temp of the yeast reached 85 degrees. I added about 2 oz of the must I'd set aside and stirred for 5 minutes then added some more to bring the temp to 73 degrees. I poured the lot into my flask of reserved must that was 70 degrees.
I put an airlock on this and it was bubbling away instantly. Awesome!
Monday Morning 06:00 hrs, I stirred the must in the 5 gallon bucket and added pectic enzyme.
18:30 hrs on Monday evening, I racked the must from the bucket to a 6.5-gallon carboy. Pitched the yeast and oxygenated it with O2 and a ss diffusing stone. Also added 4.5g Fermaid-k and 4.5g DAP
Starting gravity is 1.145 (adjusted for temp)
After 2 hours I was a bit concerned about the lack of activity. Concerns were relieved this morning as a layer of krausen had formed and the airlock was bubbling though slower than a beer would have been.
I degassed by stirring and added more O2. 6:00 this morning.
This evening at 18:00 hrs, I've got good activity, 3" of krausen on top. I degassed by stirring, added more O2 and added 2.8g Fermaid K and 2.8g DAP.
Oh and gravity has dropped to 1.138
Right now 1.5 hours later, I've got 1" of bubbles on top and she's burping away at about 4 times per minute.
Now for the questions:
Can the Aeration be over done this early in the primary? Should I continue the twice a day degassing and aeration until 1/3 attenuation?
Also, the yeast nutrients, do I need more or less and if more, Do I add it at 1/3 attenuation or before? (lots of conflicting info out there)
I've ordered some Fermaid 2133 to add when it gets to 2/3 attenuation but how much of it do I add then?