I have been reading as much as I can about mead making, but still have some specific questions on my first batch of mead:
On Sunday 7/29/12 my wife and I started a 5 gallon kit of Curt & Kathy's orange blossom honey sweet mead from NB. Here are the kit ingredients:
- 15 lbs Varietal Honey (orange blossom)
- 4 packets Curt & Kathy’s yeast nutrient blend
- 12 grams Nutriferm Energy in a 30 ml vial
- 2 PACKETS OF LALVIN 71B-1122 “NARBONNE”
- spring water to bring total volume to 5 gallons
We started the primary fermentation per the instructions here: http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/meadkits/CKSweetVarietal.pdf
Unfortunately, my hydrometer arrived broken and we did not want to wait to start, so we did not get a OG reading. The instructions indicate we should transfer to a carboy after approximately two weeks. I now have a hydrometer and am working up the nerve to use it for the for the first time. Here are my questions:
1. Without knowing the OG is there any way to gauge what the FG should be before I transfer?
2. I am still confused about the term Secondary Fermentation. Is fermentation complete after the first two weeks and the "Secondary Fermentation" really just conditioning, or does fermentation continue in the carboy.
3. If we were to add potassium sorbate to stop fermentation, would this be done at the time of transfer to the carboy, or just 4 months from now before we bottle.
The bubbling from the airlock has slowed dramatically. If it matters, please note that it has been very hot here in San Diego the past week. I have tried to keep the fermenter bucket cool with a wet towel and fan.
Thank you in advance for any advice you can provide. I am primarily wanting to make sure that we don't hurt the mead by transferring it from bucket to carboy too soon and I want to better understand the secondary fermentation process and the FG range for a sweet mead.
Dan
On Sunday 7/29/12 my wife and I started a 5 gallon kit of Curt & Kathy's orange blossom honey sweet mead from NB. Here are the kit ingredients:
- 15 lbs Varietal Honey (orange blossom)
- 4 packets Curt & Kathy’s yeast nutrient blend
- 12 grams Nutriferm Energy in a 30 ml vial
- 2 PACKETS OF LALVIN 71B-1122 “NARBONNE”
- spring water to bring total volume to 5 gallons
We started the primary fermentation per the instructions here: http://www.northernbrewer.com/documentation/meadkits/CKSweetVarietal.pdf
Unfortunately, my hydrometer arrived broken and we did not want to wait to start, so we did not get a OG reading. The instructions indicate we should transfer to a carboy after approximately two weeks. I now have a hydrometer and am working up the nerve to use it for the for the first time. Here are my questions:
1. Without knowing the OG is there any way to gauge what the FG should be before I transfer?
2. I am still confused about the term Secondary Fermentation. Is fermentation complete after the first two weeks and the "Secondary Fermentation" really just conditioning, or does fermentation continue in the carboy.
3. If we were to add potassium sorbate to stop fermentation, would this be done at the time of transfer to the carboy, or just 4 months from now before we bottle.
The bubbling from the airlock has slowed dramatically. If it matters, please note that it has been very hot here in San Diego the past week. I have tried to keep the fermenter bucket cool with a wet towel and fan.
Thank you in advance for any advice you can provide. I am primarily wanting to make sure that we don't hurt the mead by transferring it from bucket to carboy too soon and I want to better understand the secondary fermentation process and the FG range for a sweet mead.
Dan