Hi all. My first post here. I would like to introduce myself. I've been brewing good beer for a little over 10 years, have a great 500 sq. ft. brewery in the back of the garage, (an old garage apt I used to rent out) I have an all electric HERMS system and lots of equipment. I have made 2 or 3 meads in the beginning of my brewing years, and they turned out very nice. One of our club monthly brews is going to be mead for the end of next year, so I'm making a mead for the first time in quite a while. Here is what I did:
13.5 lbs of honey
One 48 ounce can of Alexander’s concentrate grape juice.
5 gallons of RO water, boiled and cooled.
5 teaspoons yeast nutrient. (fermaid? maybe)
Two packs Lalvin 71B-1122, rehydrated.
Fermented in a temp controlled fridge at 68 deg. F.
This is a no boil, no chemical batch so far. I mixed everything cold (except for the yeast) I was hoping for an OG of around 1.150, but ended up with an OG of 1.240. I did a double take, because I couldn't believe it. I had no idea that one can of concentrate could add so much sugar.
I think that my mistake started here. I should have made this about an 8 gallon batch instead of 5 to lower that OG a little, but I didn't. I aerated with 02 for about 10 minutes, rehydrated the 2 packs of yeast and pitched. The next day it was going like gangbusters. It fermented great for 10 days with no help from me. Then it seemed to stop cold. I checked the gravity, and it was 1.060, a very decent drop for just 10 days. But that also makes the Alc percent almost 25%!! I'm pretty sure I'm not going to get any yeast to knock this mead down some more. The taste is very alcoholic, but with a balanced sweetness that isn't too bad. It is very cloudy, not clear at all, but that will come with time and lagering.
I'm looking for some ideas on what to do next. I'm thinking of just letting it sit for another 2 or 3 weeks at 70 degrees F, then rack into a carboy and put it in my lagering tank at 30 degrees for 6 months or so. I'm guessing it should be racked 2 or 3 more times while resting? I'm thinking of making half of it still and force carbonate the other half and counter pressure fill it in bottles.
Would it be worth it to make a small dry mead and blend it out some?
All comments and ideas will be welcome. I'm at work tonight, but will be off the weekend and will check back. Thanks in advance!
Bill Tobler
Brewing great beer (and mead) in South Texas
13.5 lbs of honey
One 48 ounce can of Alexander’s concentrate grape juice.
5 gallons of RO water, boiled and cooled.
5 teaspoons yeast nutrient. (fermaid? maybe)
Two packs Lalvin 71B-1122, rehydrated.
Fermented in a temp controlled fridge at 68 deg. F.
This is a no boil, no chemical batch so far. I mixed everything cold (except for the yeast) I was hoping for an OG of around 1.150, but ended up with an OG of 1.240. I did a double take, because I couldn't believe it. I had no idea that one can of concentrate could add so much sugar.
I think that my mistake started here. I should have made this about an 8 gallon batch instead of 5 to lower that OG a little, but I didn't. I aerated with 02 for about 10 minutes, rehydrated the 2 packs of yeast and pitched. The next day it was going like gangbusters. It fermented great for 10 days with no help from me. Then it seemed to stop cold. I checked the gravity, and it was 1.060, a very decent drop for just 10 days. But that also makes the Alc percent almost 25%!! I'm pretty sure I'm not going to get any yeast to knock this mead down some more. The taste is very alcoholic, but with a balanced sweetness that isn't too bad. It is very cloudy, not clear at all, but that will come with time and lagering.
I'm looking for some ideas on what to do next. I'm thinking of just letting it sit for another 2 or 3 weeks at 70 degrees F, then rack into a carboy and put it in my lagering tank at 30 degrees for 6 months or so. I'm guessing it should be racked 2 or 3 more times while resting? I'm thinking of making half of it still and force carbonate the other half and counter pressure fill it in bottles.
Would it be worth it to make a small dry mead and blend it out some?
All comments and ideas will be welcome. I'm at work tonight, but will be off the weekend and will check back. Thanks in advance!
Bill Tobler
Brewing great beer (and mead) in South Texas