fatbloke
General Idiot
- Joined
- Apr 21, 2007
- Messages
- 347
- Reaction score
- 19
Just made up 3 x 1 gallon batches (photo attached), using some honeys that I've had for a while and had intended making up.
If I can, I like to use the local honey wholesaler/apiarist supplier. He doesn't carry a huge range of honeys and the ones he keeps are aimed at mainly "eating", as opposed to mead making.
Of the 3 gallon batches in the picture, from left to right, Italian Chestnut honey, then Mexican Clear honey in the centre and on the right is "Marlenes Summer Blossom with Wild Blossom" honey (blended honey that's packed for a local branch of Lidl - a German food discounter).
The Italian and Mexican ones are made up to a ratio of 3lb/1.36kg per gallon, with water, 200mls of strong tea (forgot to go to the HBS for tannin), 1 tsp of "Mead acid" (recommendation from Ashton and Duncans "Making Mead" book - basically 2 parts malic acid to 1 part tartaric acid). The yeast in them is Lalvin D21 that was hydrated with GoFerm and the picture is when I'd just added some FermaidK, after the end of the lag phase.
The Marlene blended honey batch has a ratio of 1.5kg to the gallon as it came in retail packs - despite the slightly higher amount of honey it still measured the same gravity wise (all measured as 1.100) - so I presume that it had a higher water content. It has the same amount of strong tea and the same acid, but for yeast, I've run out of D21 so I've used K1V-1116 instead.
The airspace is deliberate to allow for adding the nutrient so the must doesn't foam all over the place and I'm intending adding a further 1/8th tsp of FermaidK and 1/8th tsp of DAP at the 1/2 sugar break. Then I'll top off with water at 1.020
Or that's the plan anyway......
regards
fatbloke
If I can, I like to use the local honey wholesaler/apiarist supplier. He doesn't carry a huge range of honeys and the ones he keeps are aimed at mainly "eating", as opposed to mead making.
Of the 3 gallon batches in the picture, from left to right, Italian Chestnut honey, then Mexican Clear honey in the centre and on the right is "Marlenes Summer Blossom with Wild Blossom" honey (blended honey that's packed for a local branch of Lidl - a German food discounter).
The Italian and Mexican ones are made up to a ratio of 3lb/1.36kg per gallon, with water, 200mls of strong tea (forgot to go to the HBS for tannin), 1 tsp of "Mead acid" (recommendation from Ashton and Duncans "Making Mead" book - basically 2 parts malic acid to 1 part tartaric acid). The yeast in them is Lalvin D21 that was hydrated with GoFerm and the picture is when I'd just added some FermaidK, after the end of the lag phase.
The Marlene blended honey batch has a ratio of 1.5kg to the gallon as it came in retail packs - despite the slightly higher amount of honey it still measured the same gravity wise (all measured as 1.100) - so I presume that it had a higher water content. It has the same amount of strong tea and the same acid, but for yeast, I've run out of D21 so I've used K1V-1116 instead.
The airspace is deliberate to allow for adding the nutrient so the must doesn't foam all over the place and I'm intending adding a further 1/8th tsp of FermaidK and 1/8th tsp of DAP at the 1/2 sugar break. Then I'll top off with water at 1.020
Or that's the plan anyway......
regards
fatbloke