Hello folks,
After a few months of procrastination I've finally got round to putting on my first batch of mead. So far I think it's going ok, but not having done it before it would be good to get an expert eye cast over it. This is more of a test batch, to see how things work, after which I'll be more confident in making adjustments and experimenting with flavours.
Firstly, in this part of the world most additives are unavailable without having them mailed in (not really worth it unless buying in bulk due to tax/packaging costs). I can get a few things locally (or smuggled in by people coming from the UK) but for the most part I'm quite limited in what I can and can't use. Fortunately, raw honey is plentiful and cheap here with many people owning small-scale apiaries and selling on their produce. Nobody seems to make mead though.
So, my recipe was put together as follows (everything sanitized, naturally):
1. Warmed 4 litres of bottled water and added 3.5kg of honey (warmed in a sinkful of hot water to make it pour more easily). Stirred to dissolve. Kept it at about 70C for 10 minutes.
2. Poured 6 litres of chilled bottled water into FV (standard brewing bucket) and added the must and mixed well.
3. Added 2tsp of DAP (instructions on bottle said 1tsp per UKGal) and mixed in.
4. Left it for about 20 minutes, covered, to cool to 27C and then pitched the yeast (Richies W0814 - white wine yeast) which I had mixed with a little warm water and a drop of honey about 30 minutes before to start it off. Mixed well.
5. Aerated the must for about 15 minutes with paddle.
6. Lid on, airlock on, put away into the cupboard - ambient temp about 20C.
After about 5 hours the airlock showed signs of action. Gave it another 5 minutes of aeration. By the following morning (after cc. 20 hours) it was bubbling regularly. Aerated it again twice throughout the day. This morning I aerated it once more. Still very active. No krausen was visible on the must.
I intend to aerate it once more tonight, and then pretty much leave it be for a couple of weeks, or until the bubbling in the airlock slow noticeably. Once bubbling has reached about a bubble every 30 seconds, I plan to rack it into a 10 litre carboy and possibly add some flavouring: Schramm suggests for fruits it's not a bad idea to add them at this point as the alcoholic content is up and this'll kill off any nasties in/on the fruit.
I'm also aware that it would be a good idea to add some yeast hulls at some point during the fermentation. I can make this by boiling up some baker's yeast. From reading around posts here and elsewhere I think about a teaspoon per gallon seems to be the right amount. Is that about right? How long should I boil them for and when is the best time to add them?
Thank you!
After a few months of procrastination I've finally got round to putting on my first batch of mead. So far I think it's going ok, but not having done it before it would be good to get an expert eye cast over it. This is more of a test batch, to see how things work, after which I'll be more confident in making adjustments and experimenting with flavours.
Firstly, in this part of the world most additives are unavailable without having them mailed in (not really worth it unless buying in bulk due to tax/packaging costs). I can get a few things locally (or smuggled in by people coming from the UK) but for the most part I'm quite limited in what I can and can't use. Fortunately, raw honey is plentiful and cheap here with many people owning small-scale apiaries and selling on their produce. Nobody seems to make mead though.
So, my recipe was put together as follows (everything sanitized, naturally):
1. Warmed 4 litres of bottled water and added 3.5kg of honey (warmed in a sinkful of hot water to make it pour more easily). Stirred to dissolve. Kept it at about 70C for 10 minutes.
2. Poured 6 litres of chilled bottled water into FV (standard brewing bucket) and added the must and mixed well.
3. Added 2tsp of DAP (instructions on bottle said 1tsp per UKGal) and mixed in.
4. Left it for about 20 minutes, covered, to cool to 27C and then pitched the yeast (Richies W0814 - white wine yeast) which I had mixed with a little warm water and a drop of honey about 30 minutes before to start it off. Mixed well.
5. Aerated the must for about 15 minutes with paddle.
6. Lid on, airlock on, put away into the cupboard - ambient temp about 20C.
After about 5 hours the airlock showed signs of action. Gave it another 5 minutes of aeration. By the following morning (after cc. 20 hours) it was bubbling regularly. Aerated it again twice throughout the day. This morning I aerated it once more. Still very active. No krausen was visible on the must.
I intend to aerate it once more tonight, and then pretty much leave it be for a couple of weeks, or until the bubbling in the airlock slow noticeably. Once bubbling has reached about a bubble every 30 seconds, I plan to rack it into a 10 litre carboy and possibly add some flavouring: Schramm suggests for fruits it's not a bad idea to add them at this point as the alcoholic content is up and this'll kill off any nasties in/on the fruit.
I'm also aware that it would be a good idea to add some yeast hulls at some point during the fermentation. I can make this by boiling up some baker's yeast. From reading around posts here and elsewhere I think about a teaspoon per gallon seems to be the right amount. Is that about right? How long should I boil them for and when is the best time to add them?
Thank you!