Hi guys, so the other day a friend read a comment about me having made some mead before, and asked me if I'll do a batch for him. He'll supply honey, so I said "sure". I asked all the questions and he responded in kind. What I know he wants is:
1. About 20l of mead.
2. Around 10% ABV.
3. Drier finish, nothing sweet.
4. Uncarbonated.
5. The honey he will supply is natural, wildflower honey from his own hives.
6. He will supply bottles with screw-caps, reusable, so I'm good with that.
Now I know how a dry mead tastes, specially at the lower end of the ABV range (less honey means less flavour) and I think he might be in for a bit of a shock. I know some people like it, but to me it's just a tad harsh, so I'm going to play with the yeast to give him some flavour in the mead. I warned him 4 times and asked him if he's sure about the "dry", and he said "yes". I explained that it tastes a lot like a brut champagne, and he agreed that's what he wants. So here we go...
My recipe is as follows:
5.5kg wildflower honey
Fermaid-O according to TOSNA 2.0
Lalvin 71B as yeast, reasoning below
RO Water to 22l (for a 1.075 starting gravity)
My reason to use 71B is because it apparently imparts a fruity flavour, has low H2S and SO2 production and produces a bit more glycerol for increased mouthfeel. To boot, it's currently winter in South Africa and I discovered the other day that there's a specific room in my house that sits at a perfect 16°C if I keep the door closed. It's the absolute perfect fermentation chamber, and I actually have a lager in there right now. That temperature is perfectly in the 71B range, so I'm happy with that. 71B is also recommended for neutral white wines and early release wines, so it kinda ticks all my boxes.
I plan on rehydrating the 71B according to all specifications and all that. I haven't made mead in a long time, but I've done a few batches of great beer since last posting here (honey is damn expensive here), so I'm confident in my skills at this stage. It's just my recipe I'm in two minds about, hence my questioning here.
1. About 20l of mead.
2. Around 10% ABV.
3. Drier finish, nothing sweet.
4. Uncarbonated.
5. The honey he will supply is natural, wildflower honey from his own hives.
6. He will supply bottles with screw-caps, reusable, so I'm good with that.
Now I know how a dry mead tastes, specially at the lower end of the ABV range (less honey means less flavour) and I think he might be in for a bit of a shock. I know some people like it, but to me it's just a tad harsh, so I'm going to play with the yeast to give him some flavour in the mead. I warned him 4 times and asked him if he's sure about the "dry", and he said "yes". I explained that it tastes a lot like a brut champagne, and he agreed that's what he wants. So here we go...
My recipe is as follows:
5.5kg wildflower honey
Fermaid-O according to TOSNA 2.0
Lalvin 71B as yeast, reasoning below
RO Water to 22l (for a 1.075 starting gravity)
My reason to use 71B is because it apparently imparts a fruity flavour, has low H2S and SO2 production and produces a bit more glycerol for increased mouthfeel. To boot, it's currently winter in South Africa and I discovered the other day that there's a specific room in my house that sits at a perfect 16°C if I keep the door closed. It's the absolute perfect fermentation chamber, and I actually have a lager in there right now. That temperature is perfectly in the 71B range, so I'm happy with that. 71B is also recommended for neutral white wines and early release wines, so it kinda ticks all my boxes.
I plan on rehydrating the 71B according to all specifications and all that. I haven't made mead in a long time, but I've done a few batches of great beer since last posting here (honey is damn expensive here), so I'm confident in my skills at this stage. It's just my recipe I'm in two minds about, hence my questioning here.