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good morning from Italy

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Dannyrocket

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 5, 2019
7
0
0
Goodmorning everyone. I am Daniele and I write from Florence (Italy).
I'm not very good with English so I have to get help from google traslator for some translation. I would like to start with the fermentation of mead, I never tasted one, but the whole process of work attracts me a lot.
I set myself a goal, I would like to make a mead with a gradation of 15/16 ° that barks like the sweet wine, zibibbo or muscat, I hope some of you know this type of Sicilian wines.
I have never had a beer or wine fermentation.
I have available: 1 glass bowl of 5 liters, bubbler, mineral water 14 fixed residue, yeast Mangrove jack's M05, densimeter for beer, metabisulfite, and various transfer and mixing instruments.
Do you recommend using an alcoholic but slightly sweet wine like honey?
Do I have to use nutrients for my yeast?
What PH should I maintain during the first fermentation?
What OG do I have to get?
That's all for now, I'll continue with the questions later. Meanwhile I'm studying the guide for newbee. Thanks, hello everyone.
 

Dannyrocket

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 5, 2019
7
0
0
Another small question ...... for 5 liters I have to use the whole bag of 10 grams of yeast, or evo do the proportion? The sachet says 10gr / 25lt
 

bernardsmith

Got Mead? Patron
GotMead Patron
Sep 1, 2013
1,611
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48
Saratoga Springs , NY
Hi Daniele - and welcome. In my opinion always best to use the entire package of yeast. You really cannot add too much yeast but a) you can add to little... and adding too little yeast can create stress for the yeast; and b) you then need to store the leftover yeast so that bacteria and microbes do not attack the yeast or find a home with the yeast so that when you use the remaining yeast you also add those microbes to your next batch of mead or wine. In my opinion with those two possible events and with the fact that adding the whole pack is not a bad thing, I would always say, pitch (add) the whole pack.
 

Dannyrocket

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 5, 2019
7
0
0
Hi Daniele - and welcome. In my opinion always best to use the entire package of yeast. You really cannot add too much yeast but a) you can add to little... and adding too little yeast can create stress for the yeast; and b) you then need to store the leftover yeast so that bacteria and microbes do not attack the yeast or find a home with the yeast so that when you use the remaining yeast you also add those microbes to your next batch of mead or wine. In my opinion with those two possible events and with the fact that adding the whole pack is not a bad thing, I would always say, pitch (add) the whole pack.

Ok thank you very much. What kind of honey you advise me for my mead project?
 

EricHartman

Lifetime GotMead Patron
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Mar 4, 2019
498
162
43
Indiana
Hi Daniele, welcome to gotmead!

I have never had a beer or wine fermentation.
It is a very exciting time!​

Do you recommend using an alcoholic but slightly sweet wine like honey?
We all tend to rush and stumble, in excitement, on the first mead or two... I tend to recommend a cheaper honey so that the lessons are not too expensive! Don't worry it will still taste good and the lessons you learn can be applied to your next mead!​

Do I have to use nutrients for my yeast?
YES! Honey is very low in nitrogen so the yeast will be stressed if you do not have a good nutrient. A lot of people tend to use GoFerm for the rehydrating phase and Fermaid-O for yeast nutrient; at least on our side of the pond anyway!​

What PH should I maintain during the first fermentation?
Let the yeast worry about the pH... they do a good job controlling their environment so long as they are well supported with nutrients.​

What OG do I have to get?
Aim for an OG that will give you 10-12% alcohol once the honey has been fully fermented to an FG around 1.000. You will then stabilize with sorbate and the sulfite. Then you add honey, which has been dissolved into an equal amount of water, to get the mead to the sweetness you desire.​
 

Dannyrocket

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 5, 2019
7
0
0
Thank you EricHartman, when i find the fermaid-0 , start my fermentation. I don't want to use the sorbate or sulfite because i have many allergy and i don't want to risk. i try with what i have at home.
Another question..... i have a densimeter with 1100 og maximun scale , how can i read a 11200 0r 1130 og?
 

EricHartman

Lifetime GotMead Patron
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Mar 4, 2019
498
162
43
Indiana
Thank you EricHartman, when i find the fermaid-0 , start my fermentation. I don't want to use the sorbate or sulfite because i have many allergy and i don't want to risk. i try with what i have at home.
Another question..... i have a densimeter with 1100 og maximun scale , how can i read a 11200 0r 1130 og?

For your knowledge the metabisulfite - is the sulfite we use to stabilize and protect mead/wine. Most folks do not have allergies to this but instead are sensitive to other ingredients in the food/drink in question. If you can tolerate most dried fruits then you are probably good on tolerating sulfite. Dried fruit, generally, has significant quantities of sulfites... This is something worth thinking about as protecting & stabilizing your mead becomes considerably more difficult without sulfites.

Here are the two options, skipping pretty much all the heavy details:

With sulfites: add honey to water to obtain the OG you want, thus setting the alcohol content you want. Ferment to completion (FG 1.000). Add sulfites & sorbate to suppress future fermentation. Add honey back to obtain the sweetness you want from the mead. Manage sulfite content over time. bottle and enjoy​

Without sulfites: find the yeast that will tolerate the alcohol % you are hoping to achieve. Add honey & water to achieve this OG. Ferment to dry (SG around 1.000). Add more honey. Ferment to dry. Add more honey. Ferment to dry. Repeat until the yeast refuse to make more alcohol for you (FG above 1.000 and holding). This can be upwards of 2-3% ABV above listed alcohol tolerance value for the yeast. Add honey to achieve the sweetness you want from the mead. Monitor the SG, over time, and prey the yeast do not decide to start fermenting again... test bottled product for pressure routinely - you'll want ensure that fermentation has not restarted and your bottles aren't turning into pressurized glass bombs. It can be done, but make sure you are truly sensitive to sulfites. Be prepared for when a bottle(s) erupts in your storage room. Plan how you will capture/clean spilled liquids when your product erupts... because eventually you will have some yeast decide to restart fermentation, produce carbon dioxide, build up pressure, and blow a lid(s) off in a most spectacular fashion! Hopefully it is just the lid, and hopefully no one is holding it at the time! The folks from further back can give more advice on "bottle bomb" management & avoidance.​

As for the hydrometer/densimeter - is yours primarily for beer brewing? My hydrometer has a range from a little below 1.000 to 1.160 where it labels the range as "dessert wine". Maybe searching for a hydrometer/densimeter for dessert wines will help get you a hydrometer with a wider range.

I hope this translates well and is informative! Keep exploring my friend!
 
Last edited:

Dannyrocket

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 5, 2019
7
0
0
All is clear as 1000 OG water ;-), there was no need even for google translator ;-)
I will put your teachings into practice.
Thanks again
 

bernardsmith

Got Mead? Patron
GotMead Patron
Sep 1, 2013
1,611
32
48
Saratoga Springs , NY
Sometimes wines contain fusel oils (these are forms of alcohol other than ethanol) and they can result in headaches. But it is true, people can be sensitive to sulfites even if they are not truly "allergic" to them. Allergies would most likely result in far more worrying symptoms than a headache (hives and breathing problems for example), and while I am not a doctor it IS possible that given how the sulfites in alcohol are carried into the blood stream, one may be more sensitive to those sulfites in wine than in dried fruit.
 
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