Below is my meadlog for this recipe started last night. I have this posted in the patrons forum but should probably have it here to put more eyes on what I'm doing. My biggest concern here is, as stated at the bottom, when do I re-pitch yeast into this must or am I worrying too soon because all my lag times have been quite short in the past. Thanks.
Mixed up the drier version (see below post from 2009) of this tonight.
21# OB Honey
H20 to 6 gallons
15g D-47
Mixed up honey and water to OG 1.124. Beat with electric hand mixer to provide O2. 15g D-47 rehydrated in GoFerm per directions. Pitched yeast @1920 into 65.5F must, covered with a sanitized cloth and put the bucket in a water bath to control temps from here forward.
Add 3g Fermaid-k at the end of lag and then daily until 1/3 sugar break. Will aerate twice daily until 1/3 break and airlock at that point. Stir lees daily after that. French or American oak to be determined. Perhaps after some time on the lees this will be split, some on American oak and some on french. I know this... some of this will eventually find some time with leaves of my lemon verbena in it.
8/19/12 2330 Lag not reached. FWIW gravity measures 1.125@63.5F not 1.124 as originally measured. Since lag was not yet reached as I was going to bed I added 3g Fermaid-K dissolved in 50ml warm water.
Note: Not stated in the first post, 2.5g potassium bicarb. was added to the original must.
8/20/12 0700 Hmm...Still no lag. Minimal foam on the surface, no drop in gravity. SG 1.125@64F. Stirred must to rouse any yeast that may have settled to the bottom. No off-gassing produced whatsoever. Waiting...
8/20/12 1210 SG 1.125 Ok so is there a consensus here about when I should freak out and re-pitch? (or maybe just re-pitch) I have 15g more of D-47 available. Im 17 hrs since pitching 15g of properly rehydrated D-47 and I have no signs of foaming/ end of lag and zero drop in gravity. Thanks for any and all advice.
Mixed up the drier version (see below post from 2009) of this tonight.
21# OB Honey
H20 to 6 gallons
15g D-47
Mixed up honey and water to OG 1.124. Beat with electric hand mixer to provide O2. 15g D-47 rehydrated in GoFerm per directions. Pitched yeast @1920 into 65.5F must, covered with a sanitized cloth and put the bucket in a water bath to control temps from here forward.
Add 3g Fermaid-k at the end of lag and then daily until 1/3 sugar break. Will aerate twice daily until 1/3 break and airlock at that point. Stir lees daily after that. French or American oak to be determined. Perhaps after some time on the lees this will be split, some on American oak and some on french. I know this... some of this will eventually find some time with leaves of my lemon verbena in it.
8/19/12 2330 Lag not reached. FWIW gravity measures 1.125@63.5F not 1.124 as originally measured. Since lag was not yet reached as I was going to bed I added 3g Fermaid-K dissolved in 50ml warm water.
Note: Not stated in the first post, 2.5g potassium bicarb. was added to the original must.
8/20/12 0700 Hmm...Still no lag. Minimal foam on the surface, no drop in gravity. SG 1.125@64F. Stirred must to rouse any yeast that may have settled to the bottom. No off-gassing produced whatsoever. Waiting...
8/20/12 1210 SG 1.125 Ok so is there a consensus here about when I should freak out and re-pitch? (or maybe just re-pitch) I have 15g more of D-47 available. Im 17 hrs since pitching 15g of properly rehydrated D-47 and I have no signs of foaming/ end of lag and zero drop in gravity. Thanks for any and all advice.