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Nottingham

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rj_picou

rj_picou

NewBee
Registered Member
Jun 1, 2013
54
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Avilton Maryland
Ok...had 2 empty 1 gal jugs...6.5# honey...and 3 varieties of yeast
chose the Nottingham!

2.5# clover honey
Nottingham ale yeast 11g

Rehydrated yeast as per instructions(33c/15mins)
1 tsp SNA (1:2 fermaidK/Dap)

Filled to top then poured some into container so as to have room for any over foaming
Will top back off after initial start up

OG 1.094
 
rj_picou

rj_picou

NewBee
Registered Member
Jun 1, 2013
54
0
0
Avilton Maryland
topped off with leftover must

After my foaming incident, i topped it off...
didn't want to stir it up again. so no accurate SG was taken.( got a reading of 1.070 ) will check again tomorrow. but its bubbling away nicely! And tastes great so far!
 
rj_picou

rj_picou

NewBee
Registered Member
Jun 1, 2013
54
0
0
Avilton Maryland
volcano!

SG 1.048

This stuff is volatile!!! Does fine when i stir it...but when i add nutrients it goes off!!! Maybe I'm adding them wrong. I'm just dumping it in. should i mix nutrients w water first ?
 
O

ox45

Worker Bee
Registered Member
Jan 11, 2013
89
2
8
Buffalo, NY
Agreed, always degas before adding nutrients. The nutrients are nucleation points that the CO2 will grab onto and violently release out of solution. I believe the term has been named "Mead Volcano". I'll let you use your imagination as to why! ;)
 
joemirando

joemirando

Got Mead? Patron
GotMead Patron
Sep 19, 2012
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Northeast Southweston, CT, USA
honey2booz.wordpress.com
Is it also acceptable to mix the nutrient/energizer with some of the must? It may not matter much, but I hate the idea of 'watering down' a 1 gallon batch.

I added nutrient/energizer (3/4 tsp each) by first degassing, then measuring the powders out into a sanitized honey bottle, siphoning off some of the active must into it, shaking the bejezus out of it, then slowly pouring it into the gallon carboy. Is there any sort of downside to 'shocking' a small portion of the must with nutrient and energizer for a few minutes before adding to the must?

Thanks,

Joe
 
Chevette Girl

Chevette Girl

All around BAD EXAMPLE
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Apr 27, 2010
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Ottawa, ON
Joe, I don't think that's a bad plan, the few yeast in your must that get shocked shouldn't be enough to make off flavours. Although if you degas well enough, you SHOULD be able to add dry ingredients... do you trust your degassing job? :) This is also why a lot of us do primary in a bucket that can hold significantly more than our batch - makes aeration and degassing and nutrient additions a lot more convenient and a lot less messy.

And RJ, topping it off after your foaming incident might not have been the safest idea, we generally wait until the violent activity has died down a bit before topping off, as long as your mead's still producing carbon dioxide, you're relatively safe from oxidation.
 
T

THawk

Crazy Martian Cat
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Mar 15, 2011
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On one of 7000+ islands in the Pacific
joemirando said:
Is it also acceptable to mix the nutrient/energizer with some of the must? It may not matter much, but I hate the idea of 'watering down' a 1 gallon batch.
Click to expand...

As long as you're not adding dry nutrients to the must directly you should be fine. I do that as well... If you're going to go that route, get yourself a turkey baster... WAY easier than siphoning a small quantity into the vessel you're gonna dissolve the must+nutrient in.

I just use an old honey bottle... shake the heck out of the mixture to combine then dump the lot in...
 
O

ox45

Worker Bee
Registered Member
Jan 11, 2013
89
2
8
Buffalo, NY
I have to concur with CG. I degas the living hell out of mine and drop the dry nutrients right in. Of course, I also use a primary bucket and one of these to degas:
stirrer_zpsb507005b.jpg

so eruptions are less likely to happen and easier to control if they do.
 
joemirando

joemirando

Got Mead? Patron
GotMead Patron
Sep 19, 2012
947
8
18
Northeast Southweston, CT, USA
honey2booz.wordpress.com
Chevette Girl said:
Joe, I don't think that's a bad plan, the few yeast in your must that get shocked shouldn't be enough to make off flavours. Although if you degas well enough, you SHOULD be able to add dry ingredients... do you trust your degassing job? :) This is also why a lot of us do primary in a bucket that can hold significantly more than our batch - makes aeration and degassing and nutrient additions a lot more convenient and a lot less messy.

And RJ, topping it off after your foaming incident might not have been the safest idea, we generally wait until the violent activity has died down a bit before topping off, as long as your mead's still producing carbon dioxide, you're relatively safe from oxidation.
Click to expand...
Hey CG.

No, I am not confident in my degassing job. I WAS, but recent events have shown it to be wholly inadequate.

I was under the assumption that what was called for was gentle movement of the mead to induce the CO2 to come out of solution and dissipate. It was my understanding that too vigorous an action would cause CO2 to be re-assimilated into the mead, and add the possibility of introducing free oxygen into it.

Obviously, by what has been posted in response recently, I was incorrect. So beginning now, I've been swirling the crap out of that badboy, making sure everything is moving as actively as possible.

And I apologize to RJ for hijacking the thread. That was not my intent. Back to our regularly scheduled program. <ggg>


Joe
 
rj_picou

rj_picou

NewBee
Registered Member
Jun 1, 2013
54
0
0
Avilton Maryland
thanks guys!!!

Thanks for all the info guys! I'm learning...i need an aerator! That's what's keeping me in 1 gal jugs...i don't want to jump into something I'm not equipped for

CO2 is bad...mkay
 
rj_picou

rj_picou

NewBee
Registered Member
Jun 1, 2013
54
0
0
Avilton Maryland
All gone...Again!!!!

Did it again...had visitor's...drank it ALL!!!
I'll be doing this one again for sure!!!

And Jim, i'll be ordering that aerator monday morning...thank for the tip
its gonna allow me to start using my 5 gal bucket...oh yeah!!!
just need bigger carboy now...damn...always something
 
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