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Just Introducing Me-self

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Honey

NewBee
Registered Member
Mar 31, 2012
53
0
0
Hello Everyone -

I am new here - and I wish I'd joined this morning; I'd still have a batch of mead in the making. Instead it is watering my garden, lol. (Hopefully the garden is enjoying it.)

I do have a batch of "Joe's" mead going, although I sorely lack in proper equipment (yes, I actually have a balloon on top of a gallon jug). But I have bit the old bullet and ordered a starter kit and probably a few chemicals I won't need but I am excited to give it another try (and still hopeful for Joe's Batch).

I read the NewBee Guide - answered soooo many of my questions. My biggest challenge will be heat. I live near the equator and the temperature inside the house when I am at work is often in the high eighties, and in winter the inside temperature can be in the 40s and 50s (I don't have a heater). I saw some yeasts that will tolerate the high temp, although bottled storage may be challenging (I suppose I'll just have to drink it all!!).

Honey
 
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Legitapotimous

NewBee
Registered Member
Mar 6, 2012
87
1
0
Welcome!! I am pretty new my self and I am still using balloons! Ha, id say if your going to reuse containers the external sticky thermometers for fish tanks are a really easy way to keep an eye on ur must. I have a few plastic bucket fermenters and use air locks now but every time I have a milk jug or spring water jug and a balloon I smile! haha

Anyway, the calculator can be fun to play around with, go tthe target volume route, since you want to use high temp yeast you can go for high ABV so u will want lots of sugar ;)

Hope to see some creative first recipes soon
 
Demolitron

Demolitron

NewBee
Registered Member
Oct 30, 2010
42
1
0
Reno, NV
electromeadsmith.blogspot.com
Welcome!

When the mead bug bites it bites HARD! I started out small too, but now I've got... stuff. A small mountain of it. All over the house. ;)

Anyways, I started brewing while I live in Las Vegas. I will say this about fermentation temperatures: At high temperatures yeast stop making mead and start making aircraft paint stripper. I'm exaggerating a bit but my first batches were fermented at ~80-85F and taste horrible still. The fermentation temperate range listed for yeast corresponds to the temperatures they are able to live at but usually make nasty flavors at the upper end.

Spend some time reading here. Look up fermentation temperature and be prepared to read for days... I've read that MedsenFey lives in a hot climate as well and he seems to make good stuff. You might try looking at his threads.

Again, welcome.

-Demolitron
 
fatbloke

fatbloke

good egg/snappy dresser.....
GotMead Patron
Feb 3, 2008
3,632
14
0
UK - South Coast.
fatblokeshomebrew.blogspot.com
Medsen Fey is in Florida, I understand, so his guidance is likely to be helpful, both on temperature management, and yeast choice - the Lallemand yeast chart will give you the data on temperature tolerance for their yeasts (K1V-1116 has a wide temp range, and is good for traditionals, though how high it can be and still produce good meads, I don't know).

Perhaps, given you location, maybe worth working out some sort of temperature management might be a good idea.....
 
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Honey

NewBee
Registered Member
Mar 31, 2012
53
0
0
Ahhh - thank you all. The best form of temperature control I have right now is popping everything over to mum's house which has central AC. But that would be a major bummer as (selfish me!) I want to watch everything bubble, bubble toil & trouble its way into the mead! Lol, it seems like that's a big part of the fun! But yes, I will look up MedsenFey's threads and see what I can pick up from him. In the interim I have a lovely gallon of Joe's stuff which is smelling wonderful :)
 
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Legitapotimous

NewBee
Registered Member
Mar 6, 2012
87
1
0
yes the most important job of making mead is watching bubbles dont deprave your self of this !!!!!!!!

hahaha
:)
 
TAKeyser

TAKeyser

NewBee
Registered Member
Mar 4, 2012
1,228
3
0
50
Detroit, MI
Sounds like you're doing small batches so an easy way to lower temperature is to place the carboys in a large picnic cooler filled with some cool/cold water than you put a t-shirt over the carboy with the end of it in the water. This will wick up the water to the top of the carboy cooling the whole thing as the water evaporates, I know people who do this with large carboys in their bathtub. If you can picture what I'm talking about :)
 
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Honey

NewBee
Registered Member
Mar 31, 2012
53
0
0
TAKeyser said:
Sounds like you're doing small batches so an easy way to lower temperature is to place the carboys in a large picnic cooler filled with some cool/cold water than you put a t-shirt over the carboy with the end of it in the water. This will wick up the water to the top of the carboy cooling the whole thing as the water evaporates, I know people who do this with large carboys in their bathtub. If you can picture what I'm talking about :)
Click to expand...

That may be what I do - I've ordered some Montrachet yeast which goes up to 86 degrees. I also chucked out my oven several years ago, and the gaping hole between the two counters (I have wood over the top which is my work space) would be perfect to store the coolers and put a curtain over the front to keep out the sunlight (my house is damn-near all windows, lol, but I love sunlight).

Honey
 
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HunnyBunz

NewBee
Registered Member
Dec 29, 2011
178
2
0
Salem, OR
Welcome Honey.

I'm also concerned about bottle and bulk storage. Heat is generally not a problem in my area, but during the summer months we usually have 1 or 2 or more weeks with temps in the 90s or 100s and I don't have AC.

I'm looking into getting a used spare refrigerator but I don't know where I would put it.
 
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greenbucks

NewBee
Registered Member
Oct 24, 2011
17
0
0
Hi Honey!

Welcome to the forum. You'll learn a lot as I did when I started late last year. I started with several batches using the balloon only to bitten by the bug when a friend gifted me with a starter kit.

If only I had enough buckets and space to store stuff. ha ha ha. Keeping the temperature would be a lot easier if your office or place of work would permit it. I got one going under my desk with my staff entering my room with their noses tingling and wondering what and where the smell came from. I slowly showed them one by one the batches and shared a few bottles after several months to win their approval.

Having it in the office also allows you to be excited to go to work. I check it as soon as I enter, mid day, then just before I leave. Just take precautions that it doesn't erupt on you. ;D
 
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