weltercat
Junior
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- Apr 30, 2007
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I have been bee keeping for many years but this is my first batch of mead and I have a few questions for anyone who is willing to give some advice. When I started my batch I didn't give it much thought or research but the more reading I do the more complicated mead brewing seems to be.
The first recipe I came across recommended apple juice, hops and blueberries with the honey, water and yeast. The only thing I had handy was frozen wild huckleberries which I substituted for the blueberries because it sounded good. I did not include the apple juice or hops. I used 24 lb's of honey and about a 1 1/2 lb bag of frozen huckleberries. I heated the water added the honey and poured it into the carboy. I then added the mashed up berries, topped off the five gallon carboy and added 3 packs of yeast recommended by the lady at the brew store. I did this on Memorial Day so it's been going for a couple of months.
The must brewed vigorously for about six weeks and has slowed down considerably in the last month. I have re-racked it twice and it doesn't seem to be fermenting much anymore. Also, there doesn't seem to be much sediment collecting. I checked the SG and it was 1.05 but I do not know what it started at, I think it was high though (24lbs honey 5 gal batch). I suspect that I am at the alcohol limit of the yeast and it still tastes kind of sweet.
The lady at the brew store recommended adding a pack of Red Star Premiere Curvee yeast and some nutrient. Since I originally used Red Star Cote Des Blances the idea was to finish it with yeast that could withstand higher alcohol content. I did just that as well as adding the yeast nutrient and a bit of pectic enzyme to the mix, since I suspect I heated the huckleberries too much to start and hope to clear up the pectin haze. I also added about a half gallon of water to the batch to make up for the lees racking loss and to give the yeast a little breathing room. It seems to be working and I can see an occasional bubble. I plan to let it sit another couple months before bottling.
Is this recipe way out of line?
Does anyone think this stuff will be drinkable by this Christmas?
The first recipe I came across recommended apple juice, hops and blueberries with the honey, water and yeast. The only thing I had handy was frozen wild huckleberries which I substituted for the blueberries because it sounded good. I did not include the apple juice or hops. I used 24 lb's of honey and about a 1 1/2 lb bag of frozen huckleberries. I heated the water added the honey and poured it into the carboy. I then added the mashed up berries, topped off the five gallon carboy and added 3 packs of yeast recommended by the lady at the brew store. I did this on Memorial Day so it's been going for a couple of months.
The must brewed vigorously for about six weeks and has slowed down considerably in the last month. I have re-racked it twice and it doesn't seem to be fermenting much anymore. Also, there doesn't seem to be much sediment collecting. I checked the SG and it was 1.05 but I do not know what it started at, I think it was high though (24lbs honey 5 gal batch). I suspect that I am at the alcohol limit of the yeast and it still tastes kind of sweet.
The lady at the brew store recommended adding a pack of Red Star Premiere Curvee yeast and some nutrient. Since I originally used Red Star Cote Des Blances the idea was to finish it with yeast that could withstand higher alcohol content. I did just that as well as adding the yeast nutrient and a bit of pectic enzyme to the mix, since I suspect I heated the huckleberries too much to start and hope to clear up the pectin haze. I also added about a half gallon of water to the batch to make up for the lees racking loss and to give the yeast a little breathing room. It seems to be working and I can see an occasional bubble. I plan to let it sit another couple months before bottling.
Is this recipe way out of line?
Does anyone think this stuff will be drinkable by this Christmas?