Is there such a thing as too much degassing?

mannye · Sep 9, 2013

I am making a batch that's just going gangbusters and noticed that I was able to get a huge head of foam only three hours or so after the morning's agitation.

That made me want to shake it around as often as possible throughout the day.

Is there any advice against this? I remember reading a post about someone putting a 5 gal carboy on a stirplate. Wouldn't this kind of be like that?

Chevette Girl · Sep 9, 2013

Since a few experiments have shown that fermentations really benefit from being on a stir plate for the first week or so, I'd say no, there really isn't such thing as too much degassing. At the beginning, you want to get oxygen in there too so being very vigorous will be a good thing, the only thing you have to watch is that you don't incorporate oxygen when you're degassing later on in the fermentation. But as long as it's making fizz, go ahead and degas it as much as you want, just avoid splashing it around once the fermentation hits about the halfway point.

mannye · Sep 9, 2013

I love mead. it's so much less fiddly than beer... notice I didn't say easier...

Jim H · Sep 9, 2013

mannye said:
I love mead. it's so much less fiddly than beer... notice I didn't say easier...

Actually, it's just the opposite. You don't want to fiddle with your beer, but go right ahead and shake the bejeezus out of your mead. Mead is plenty fiddly.

But, yeah, I know what you meant.

mannye · Sep 10, 2013

Just the no boiling part is so awesome!

Jim H · Sep 10, 2013

mannye said:
Just the no boiling part is so awesome!

Damn strait! I absolutely agree. Boiling the mash, and keeping a sterile field around the wort during and after chilling is a huge pain in my small kitchen. The only reason I do it is that I like the taste of my beer.

But, if I can't find the right recipe for the beer for a future braggot soon, I might just switch to short meads/metheglins instead.

Chevette Girl · Sep 11, 2013

Try a hopped hydromel, I was surprised how nice mine turned out.

fatbloke · Sep 11, 2013

Jim H said:
Damn strait! I absolutely agree. Boiling the mash, and keeping a sterile field around the wort during and after chilling is a huge pain in my small kitchen. The only reason I do it is that I like the taste of my beer.

But, if I can't find the right recipe for the beer for a future braggot soon, I might just switch to short meads/metheglins instead.

Surely that the biggest reasson for making something yourself ?

Making mediocre meads is very easy, making good meads less so.....

If making excellent meads was easy, all the "big boys" would be at it...

Whereas they tend to stick to making stuff thats easy enough to lend itself to industrial scaling......

God forbid, they had to make stuff where they had to wait longer than 6 months for their return on investments. ...

mannye · Sep 11, 2013

There's a small but growing demand for "slow" products beginning to take hold. I think it's an elitist (using that word in the best possible light) backlash against the flood of cheap quick anything.

You can see it in music reproduction where vinyl is actually growing again, straight razors, local produce using restaurants and many more examples.

I am sure that once most beginners making mead get a handle on JAOM and these quick 30 day BOMM styles they will start making show meads and tuck away something that will require years of aging.

I know that's my long term plan!

joemirando · Sep 11, 2013

mannye said:
...I am sure that once most beginners making mead get a handle on JAOM and these quick 30 day BOMM styles they will start making show meads and tuck away something that will require years of aging...

2x on that. That is one of the most frustrating facets of mead making for me. I AM gaining knowledge and experience, but the time delay between even bottling and 'completion' is so long that the learning curve somewhat resembles Mount Everest.

Most of my batches in the past year (the sum total of time I've been trying to make mead) have come out okay, but that last little bit... that final ingredient known as aging... is years away in some cases.

Time for my favorite picket line chant:

What do we want? Patience!
When do we want it? NOW!

Joe

Jim H · Sep 11, 2013

Patience? I've got no space in my apartment for patience. I am obliged to drink them young and hand them out as gifts.

joemirando · Sep 11, 2013

Jim H said:
Patience? I've got no space in my apartment for patience. I am obliged to drink them young and hand them out as gifts.

Heh heh, I hear THAT.

Jim H · Sep 11, 2013

There's worse things that could happen in life.

But, it instills in me a desire to do it right the first time, and not be left with something that cannot be enjoyed soon after bottling. I truly can't do anything with a brew that has funny tastes or smells - there's no cellar to age it in.

mannye · Sep 13, 2013

Jim H said:
There's worse things that could happen in life.

But, it instills in me a desire to do it right the first time, and not be left with something that cannot be enjoyed soon after bottling. I truly can't do anything with a brew that has funny tastes or smells - there's no cellar to age it in.

Right there with you! But you could talk to the super and see if he can't get you a corner in the basement somewhere to hide a gallon for bulk aging. Some of those NYC basements are nice and stable temp wise. Especially in the older buildings. Throw him a bottle of vodka for his trouble.

I was born and raised there and I remember playing in the basement in winter and summer (we were 10 year old urban archeologists lol) and it was warm in winter and cool in the summer.

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Is there such a thing as too much degassing?

mannye

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Chevette Girl

All around BAD EXAMPLE

mannye

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Jim H

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mannye

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Jim H

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Chevette Girl

All around BAD EXAMPLE

fatbloke

good egg/snappy dresser.....

mannye

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joemirando

Got Mead? Patron

Jim H

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joemirando

Got Mead? Patron

Jim H

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mannye

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