A couple of days ago I started my first two gallons of mead based on Joe's recipe in the newbie guide. It's off to a rocky start.
A mead maker gave me a packet of Lalvin D-47 a few months ago, and since then I've acquired a second packet. Based on the idea that one packet makes five gallons, for each gallon I dissolved 1/4 of the packet in warm/hot water, let it sit for 15 minutes and poured it into the jug. After two days, absolutely nothing is happening except for a little mold growing on the top of both, which is the third question, below.
So first question is how much Lalvin D-47 does a gallon of mead need? How much more yeast should be added to what I have started? Is the right procedure to warm a small amount of the (must? honey+water), add the yeast and let it bubble for 15 minutes, pour enough out of the jugs to make room and dump the yeast mixture in?
Re fruit instead of yeast nutrient. I don't have yeast nutrient. The forums indicate that orange fruit+peel and/or raisins serve a similar purpose. Is that accurate? Then does it make sense to add 1/2 orange fruit+peel and say 10 raisins cut in half to each jug?
About the mold, no I didn't sterilze things as much as I should have although I cleaned everything well. Campden tablets or whatever will have to wait for the next batch because of time and location, so what to do for the two jugs I have going? Will it work sufficiently to sterilize a spoon and scoop out as much as I can and swab inside the neck with Everclear? Or, since the neck of the jugs are narrow, would I do better to siphon everything out into newly cleaned jugs? (Scooping will take out the herbs and spices, so do I re-add those?)
I'm in a somewhat remote location and don't exactly have all of the right pieces yet, but wanted to get started. This batch is being done with two one gallon jugs, each with an airlock. I can probably borrow a hydrometer.
Nothing like doing everything wrong on the first batch!
Recipe-both:
1 gallon of filtered water, less to make room for the honey
2.5 lbs of honey, approximately
1/4 tsp Lalvin D-47 yeast
Gallon A - 3 allspice berries, couple chunks of ginger, black pepper, pinch of nutmeg, a few drops of natural peppermint oil (probably a bad idea, but there it is)
Gallon B - hyssop, chunks of ginger.
I think that's all that I put in. I'll check my notebook later.
A mead maker gave me a packet of Lalvin D-47 a few months ago, and since then I've acquired a second packet. Based on the idea that one packet makes five gallons, for each gallon I dissolved 1/4 of the packet in warm/hot water, let it sit for 15 minutes and poured it into the jug. After two days, absolutely nothing is happening except for a little mold growing on the top of both, which is the third question, below.
So first question is how much Lalvin D-47 does a gallon of mead need? How much more yeast should be added to what I have started? Is the right procedure to warm a small amount of the (must? honey+water), add the yeast and let it bubble for 15 minutes, pour enough out of the jugs to make room and dump the yeast mixture in?
Re fruit instead of yeast nutrient. I don't have yeast nutrient. The forums indicate that orange fruit+peel and/or raisins serve a similar purpose. Is that accurate? Then does it make sense to add 1/2 orange fruit+peel and say 10 raisins cut in half to each jug?
About the mold, no I didn't sterilze things as much as I should have although I cleaned everything well. Campden tablets or whatever will have to wait for the next batch because of time and location, so what to do for the two jugs I have going? Will it work sufficiently to sterilize a spoon and scoop out as much as I can and swab inside the neck with Everclear? Or, since the neck of the jugs are narrow, would I do better to siphon everything out into newly cleaned jugs? (Scooping will take out the herbs and spices, so do I re-add those?)
I'm in a somewhat remote location and don't exactly have all of the right pieces yet, but wanted to get started. This batch is being done with two one gallon jugs, each with an airlock. I can probably borrow a hydrometer.
Nothing like doing everything wrong on the first batch!
Recipe-both:
1 gallon of filtered water, less to make room for the honey
2.5 lbs of honey, approximately
1/4 tsp Lalvin D-47 yeast
Gallon A - 3 allspice berries, couple chunks of ginger, black pepper, pinch of nutmeg, a few drops of natural peppermint oil (probably a bad idea, but there it is)
Gallon B - hyssop, chunks of ginger.
I think that's all that I put in. I'll check my notebook later.
