Hello all,
I started making my first mead on 12/16/14 and I think I made a rookie mistake (at least one I know of) right off the bat because I didn't use my hydrometer to get a starting SG. I brought 2 gallons of water and 12.5 pounds of honey to 160 degrees for 20 mins, then put it in a glass carboy, topped up with cold distilled water, stirred the heck out of it, and used an ice bath to bring down to about 74 degrees. I rehydrated my yeast according to the package for 15 mins starting with 100 degree water. Then I added it to the honey & water and then stirred again. I installed a rubber bung with an air lock and placed in a dark room that was between 68-70 degrees constantly. After a day I could see little bubbles going up the side of the carboy and they haven't stopped. Today (12/30/14) I pulled a sample, it smelled good, and it looked like champagne with a SG of 1.058.
Receipe was simple:
12.5lbs - Clover Honey
1 Packet - EC-1118 Lavin Yeast
5 Gallons - Distilled Water
Am I on track or should i be farther along two weeks in? I bought yeast nutrient but I never used it, should I have put 6 teaspoons (bottle says one tsp per gallon) of that in at the beginning?
Thanks in advance for any help.
I started making my first mead on 12/16/14 and I think I made a rookie mistake (at least one I know of) right off the bat because I didn't use my hydrometer to get a starting SG. I brought 2 gallons of water and 12.5 pounds of honey to 160 degrees for 20 mins, then put it in a glass carboy, topped up with cold distilled water, stirred the heck out of it, and used an ice bath to bring down to about 74 degrees. I rehydrated my yeast according to the package for 15 mins starting with 100 degree water. Then I added it to the honey & water and then stirred again. I installed a rubber bung with an air lock and placed in a dark room that was between 68-70 degrees constantly. After a day I could see little bubbles going up the side of the carboy and they haven't stopped. Today (12/30/14) I pulled a sample, it smelled good, and it looked like champagne with a SG of 1.058.
Receipe was simple:
12.5lbs - Clover Honey
1 Packet - EC-1118 Lavin Yeast
5 Gallons - Distilled Water
Am I on track or should i be farther along two weeks in? I bought yeast nutrient but I never used it, should I have put 6 teaspoons (bottle says one tsp per gallon) of that in at the beginning?
Thanks in advance for any help.