Brewing, Mead-Making, Cordial Chat

[Merry]

oh man, this is going to hurt some of you...apologies... Incomming idiot questions!

I wasn't aware that I could taste my mead until well after the racking, but I've seen posts that seem to have done just that.  So now that I've stowed away that little gem of info, here is my question.  When is the best time to taste your mead to get a good idea of what the end result will taste like?  During full bubble action, or after it's calmed down a bit... (btw, I've NEVER gotten alot of bubble action in my mead (only 2 batches so far), never under 13 seconds a bubble.  Is that normal?)  And if I do decide to sweeten it, are there any do's and definately don'ts I should know so I don't sabotage it?

[Hoowil]

My cider I was tasting daily. The meads I tasted every couple days. If you get the fermentation to stop, the sweetness level shouldn't change, so it'll give you idea of what the finished flavor will be. Also, tasting if you do spice or vanilla soaks will let you know when to pull the packet out so it doesn't get too strong.
My big brewing buckets have spigots, so pouring a little to taste was easy. The gallon jugs put my liquid level within reach of a straw thru the airlock bung (probably not the cleanest way, but super easy). I'd say don't pour what you don't drink back in, cause it might be contaminated.
As for sweetening, go slow. You can always sweeten more, but if you go too far, thats that. Also, use something like the pot sorbate first, so it doesn't start fermenting again.
I haven't had it come up, but I would think sweetening after clearing and racking might be a good idea, so that stirring doesn't mix it all back up.
Two batches of mead, and they bubbled slow, probably every 10-15 seconds, the cider went absolutelt crazy, but that may be because the limited air space, or warmer brewing conditions, not entirely sure. I might be wrong, but I figure if it bubbling, it working, so who cares how fast? Slow or fast can be caused by ph levels, and other factors, some of which can be altered, but if its working, just let nature take its course.

[Magister]

Merry:

  Let me see if I can try to answer some of your questions:

1. When is the best time to taste your mead to get a good idea of what the end result will taste like?

  Best time?  I don't know if there is a 'best time'.  However, there are a few things you can look for when trying to determine how 'sweet' or 'dry' your end product will be.  First is it's specific gravity.  If you don't have a hydrometer, I'd suggest getting one.  They are around 16 bucks (usually less) at most brewing stores.  They measure the amount of dissolved sugars in your wash (meade).  There are accepted ranges for sweetness based on the reading.  For example, if you start your meade at 1.1 you could expect to want to stop it around 1.06 - 1.04 - It counts down as water is 1.0.  People who like really dry meade can let it go even below 1.0 (the alcohol allows for readings below 1.0).

  As for just tasting... When you rack it (or thinking of racking it) to your carboy from the fermentation bucket you can always swish some around in your mouth (Best not to swallow as it will still contain things you want to clear out).  This would give you an idea of where the batch is.  Remember it will be rough.  The product hasn't had time to age or settle.  It won't be a true representation of the final flavor... but should help give you an idea of the "sweetness" though.

2. I've NEVER gotten alot of bubble action in my mead (only 2 batches so far), never under 13 seconds a bubble.  Is that normal?

   Yes.. and No.  The speed at which the yeast works in your wash is determined by several factors.  The amount of yeast added to the mixture, the "freshness" of the yeast, type of yeast (turbo, cuvee, bread, etc.), pH of mixture, and the temperature of the room the bucket is in.

   In general making several assumptions, if you are using quality wine yeast - say Red Star Premier Cuvee, and it's a fresh packet, you have enough sugar and nutrients for the yeast, and the pH is acceptable.  The variable you can easily control is the room temperature.  The difference in fermentation time from a room kept at 72 degrees F to one at 80 degrees F could be as much as two weeks!  Remember if the bucket is left in direct sunlight that will also kill of yeast cells (from the heat) and slow down fermentation. 

   Research the type of yeast you plan to use, and understand it's optimal conditions.  Then try to provide that as best as possible in your situation.  You should get bubbles at least every 2 - 3 seconds at the peak of fermentation. 

3. I do decide to sweeten it, are there any do's and definately don'ts I should know?

   Read the previous posts about making sure the yeast is not reproducing.  This can be accomplished by either killing the yeast, or the addition of a chemical such as Potassium Sorbate.  Otherwise, you will have the possibility of turning your meade in to sparkling meade... not to mention blowing all the corks out of your bottles.  Adding sugar to the finished product with active yeast prior to bottling is called priming... it is part of what causes beer, and champagne to "bubble".

    Otherwise... it's a matter of taste.  Just be careful not to add too much sugar.. otherwise you might have some that can not be dissolved in the liquid and will form a layer on the bottle of the bottles.  As they say in basic chemistry... a solvent can only "hold" so much based on it's molecules.

Hope all that helps a little.... don't hesitate to post if you have any other questions.

[anne of oaktower]

Does anyone have access to EverClear?  I went looking for some today only to find out that it has been banned in PA and OH.

[Magister]

Anne:

  Most states still allow the sale of it.  However, some states (10 and counting) such as Florida, where I am, only allow the sale of a "reduced" alcohol version.

  I did some checking, and it looks like the reduced alcohol version is legal in Pennsylvania, while the 191 proof is not.  Normally Everclear is a 191 proof.. or 95% alcohol - the greatest amount you can get from a distilled liquor.  However, there is the 151 proof version that is obviously less (75.5%) that was created to skirt the laws against the higher alcohol version.  This version should be available in both PA and OH if you can find it.  If you can find a knowledgeable person at your liquor store you may be able to get them to order it from their distributor for you.

Also depending on your states import laws you may be able to purchase it online and have it shipped to you.  However, from what I can tell PA has very restrictive import laws... so I doubt in all reality this would be an option.

Here are some links for additional information:

http://hubpages.com/hub/Everclear_alternatives_and_highly_distilled_grain_alcohol

http://www.bevmo.com/productinfo.asp?area=home&seref=froogle&pf_id=00000012007

http://www.drinksite.com/product.php?prod_id=1569

http://www.badgerwest.com/everclear.shtml

http://www.internetwines.com/pa25994.html

[Captain Kilian]

Ok, turns out I straight up screwed the pouch when it came to hydrometer readings (But hey, I'm new!). So, having all my reading be worthless, is there another way to determine the alcohol content of beer and mead, once the product is done?

[Magister]

Kilian:

   The answer is a yes.. but I don't think you want to.

   There are specialized pieces of equipment you can purchase that would do this for you.  One example is this one:

http://www.misco.com/products/PA203-128-129-194-195-196.html

   The accuracy and usefulness of these devices is debated.

   In commercial senses, a portion of the final product is distilled, and the resulting volume of alcohol measured.  This would give a more accurate measure of the percent alcohol by volume.  This is used for import and licensing concerns. 

   The easiest way obviously is to measure it before it ferments, and again afterwards.  However, since this is not a real option then I'd suggest you just taste it, and hope you like it.

      Good Luck!

[Hoowil]

If you know the alcohol tollerance of the yeast used, and let it brew itself out, you can get a close guess. But I agree, if you like it, who cares?

[Hoowil]

Okay, the cider has been bottled for a couple weeks, hopefully it'll be okay. After the two day chilling, and Pot Sorbate dosage, the blasted thing started bubbling as soon as it returned to room temperature, so I bottled it, figuring it'll just be bubbly. I'm planning on openning the first bottle this week to see if its worth keeping, worth drinking, or drain-fodder.

Now, I've been thinking about doind a blackberry mead. I've got fresh berries from the yard, so timing isn't too much an issue with the fruit. Does anyone have a preference between fruiting during primary fermentation, or secondary? I want a good clear flavor, so I'm thinking added the fruit later, but they are so sweet, it might be nice to brew out some of the sugar. If I add later, any ideas on where to set my initial specific gravity? I'll probably do a gallon batch, with 5 lbs honey, plus whatever sugar it needs.

[Hoowil]

Tried my cider today. Very bubbly. Also, tastes like crap. The initial flavor is good, but is soon followed by an overwhelming aftertaste of yeast. It like liking old, crusty bread, or sticking your tongue in a yeast packet. Its BAD. Anything I can do to save it? I've got a pretrty heavy sediment layer on the bottom of the bottle. Do I try to rack it back into a different container, and try to clear? Is it worth the hassle? Any help or thoughts would be most appriciated.

[dogglebe]

For a good source of honey, visit http://www.honeylocater.com.  You can find specific types of honey and places that sell it.

I prefer using orange blossom honey for most of my meads (I've been making it for seven or eight years).  It has a faint citrussy bite to it and a better flavor than wildflower, clover and alfafa honey.


Phil

[Captain Kilian]

So the mead has been in the fermenter for over 70 days, but it seems either the fermentation is REALLY slow now, or stopped all together. This seems rather fast for what I have heard about mead, even though I used the yeast nutrient packet - should still be at 4+ months, right?

Is there anything I should check or do at this point?

[Magister]

Captian:

  Ummmm.. 4 month fermentation with commercial meade?

  I've never had meade take longer than a month in the fermenter using commercial grade yeasts... especially not with the addition of a nutrient packet.   Do you know what your specific gravity to start was, and what it is now using a hydrometer?

  - Mag

[Captain Kilian]

He He...um, yeah the mead was the first batch of anything I brewed, and I messed up on when to take the measurement for the initial hydrometer reading....and didn't realize this for a couple weeks.

I used redstar champagne yeast, I believe. the books I read, and a friends experience, said that I could be waiting 4-6 months, or even a year! (Hense my worry). But if you say it doesn't take that long, well maybe I'll feel better (and have mead in time for TRF!)

[Magister]

CK:

  If you have a hydrometer... so ahead and check it now.  If the reading is anywhere below 1.2 you can stop the batch now and be sure you have some alcohol in there.  Remember the lower the number the "drier" the meade, and typically the higher the alcohol content.  Without knowing where you started, it's impossible to determine how much alcohol without expensive equipment, but either way.

  I may be a little off, but if you dissolved 2.5 pounds of honey per 1 gallon of water, without adding any additional sugar, you should have been somewhere around 1.6 - 1.7 when you started.  The more cane sugar you add, the higher it would have gone.  I normally start my meades around 1.9.

  It can take two months or so to make a meade including clearing.  Sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less.  It's the aging process (leaving the meade in the corked bottle) that can take up to and well over a year depending on who you ask.  The general idea is the longer the meade ages (up to a point where it can start going bad) the "smoother" the meade will be.  I'm a three month guy myself.  I usually can't wait any longer to try it out and see how it's doing by then.

  - Mag