I have just started my mead horn firing in the kiln and hope to do a couple in my glaze firing Saturday. I have my equipment shopping list made out and will probably place orders next week.
My plan is to start with 5 gallon batch. I figure I'd go for Ken Schramm's Medium Sweet Orange Blossom Mead suggested in his book. I want to do the no-heat method. I buy his argument and prefer simple.
I was thinking of getting a (large) fermenter with the spigot and rather than seal it with an airlock once I had everything mixed I'd transfer via the spigot to the 5 gallon carboy and sealing the carboy w/airtrap and just leaving it in the carboy through both fermentation stages and maybe even aging. From what I've read this is OK.
My yeast question then arises from a comment here on the forums about the yeast in the above recipe. It calls for 71b-1122 and I read a comment that it has a problem with taste if the must sits too long on it. I think DV10 was mentioned as a better choice.
I'm hesitant to not stick with the original recipe. Do you think I'd be fine staying with the 71b? The plan I have works well for the amount of space I have and I like the idea of just leaving it til I'm ready to bottle. I probably could rack back into fermenter and use spigot to bottle.
I know this is pretty much try and see. Any things you can think of in this method of attack I should be aware of?
-Maatmes
My plan is to start with 5 gallon batch. I figure I'd go for Ken Schramm's Medium Sweet Orange Blossom Mead suggested in his book. I want to do the no-heat method. I buy his argument and prefer simple.
I was thinking of getting a (large) fermenter with the spigot and rather than seal it with an airlock once I had everything mixed I'd transfer via the spigot to the 5 gallon carboy and sealing the carboy w/airtrap and just leaving it in the carboy through both fermentation stages and maybe even aging. From what I've read this is OK.
My yeast question then arises from a comment here on the forums about the yeast in the above recipe. It calls for 71b-1122 and I read a comment that it has a problem with taste if the must sits too long on it. I think DV10 was mentioned as a better choice.
I'm hesitant to not stick with the original recipe. Do you think I'd be fine staying with the 71b? The plan I have works well for the amount of space I have and I like the idea of just leaving it til I'm ready to bottle. I probably could rack back into fermenter and use spigot to bottle.
I know this is pretty much try and see. Any things you can think of in this method of attack I should be aware of?
-Maatmes