Hi people,
Just a good tip for a mead aeration & fermentation. I got €2.5 air pump at Dealz:
http://s7.postimg.org/k5wopostn/image.jpg
http://s7.postimg.org/4543cpuy3/image.jpg
Mead aerating:
https://youtu.be/b7jLx3ZYOic
yeast type: JOHANNISBERG M/35
Fermentation started after 12 hours:
http://s13.postimg.org/axd0r4q2f/image.jpg
starting gravity: 1.1150 (~27brix)
Some details:
Mead type: hopped 'CZWORNIAK' (quadruple mead - matures for 8-12 months).
[ 4:1 (3 parts (3L) of water to 1 part (1L ~1.4kg) of honey) ]
(http://s23.postimg.org/cye9ie5cr/mead.jpg)
Is aeration of mead necessary? I have made a couple of batches in the past but don't recall aerating either of them.
Oh yes, it is very important for a sweet mead that fermentation starting gravity is ~1.130 (30brix) or more. For dry/semi-dry mead (gravity 1.105 or less) more important is to check pH and add a good nutrient rich in Diammonium Phosphate (DAP). DAP works great for increasing the available nitrogen but it should be not more than 3-4g/10L of that "fertilizer" ;-)
http://homedistiller.org/wash/ferment
http://homedistiller.org/wash/ferment/oxygen
Cheers for the information bachus. When I made the 1st batch a few years ago I used some youngs yeast nutrient tablets and a champagne yeast and it started off very vigorously! Didn't have the means to check pH level either. I racked it about 3 times before bottling topping up with water in demijohn each time. It was then left in a cold storage place for over a year and it has turned out rather mild in taste but dry.
The second batch I had no hand in making it - my mum & dad had a go at it. It appears that the fermentation has got stuck or stopped and its is still rather murky looking. I think some ordinary youngs beer and wine yeast was used but not sure. I'm thinking of racking the 3 demijohns into an fv bucket adding some nutrient and champagne yeast to kickstart it again. Would it be good to aerate this batch? I have no idea what the og was, I suspect no og was taken at the time it was made
Bzfeale80,
I've done about 12 batches. In my opinion good aeration is most important thing in a high-sugar fermentation. Example:
- very sweet must (~1.1635), aerating (no, it is not my clogged toilet...):
https://youtu.be/Jkol5KEk8s8
- 12h after aerating:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-cLBy_vXMk
Cocoa mead?????????????? ??? >:D
Yeah, cocoa mead experiment ;-) I am expecting a lot of fun related to oils in cocoa....
- 10.5L batch
- 1.2L of forest fruit juice,
- 250g of 100% Cadbury Bournville Cocoa powder,
- 4.2kg of honey, ~5.3L of water (~1.1635 gravity),
- vanilla pod,
- - jalapeño >:D
We will see... Crap mead or liquid panty remover :P Next feedback 08/2016
Quote from: bachus on August 11, 2015, 09:49:33 AM
liquid panty remover
I was about to say.. that's one way of attracting more women to the hobby - chocolate mead.. :D
That ingredient list is MAD! :o
Oh yes, smell of cocoa must fermentation is lovely...
(http://whataboutwilma.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/axe-effect.jpg)
:D
Looking forward to tasting that next year so!
I wish I seen this a couple weeks ago, made up a 5l batch of some stuff Garry entered into the comp, 1.150 og, 1 satchet of d47 , yeast nutrients and it's only starting to kick off proper now.
Cocoa mead!!! What a time to be alive
Cocoa Mead 9th day: ~1.040
(http://s13.postimg.org/6ae519113/Cocoa1.png)
That sample never went back to the fermenting bucket - unnecessary infection risk ;)
And it's a shame to waste it...?! 8)
Just a quick update about the cocoa mead... Fermentation is over. Great colour; taste not bad, but low in tannins. I just expected more "power" from cocoa. Very strange smell. Next update in April or May.
(http://s18.postimg.org/41qyemybt/20160102.jpg)
Looks the business! I'd have thought you'd get a bit of tannin from all that cocoa powder, or a similar effect at least.
Very interested to see how this develops. That stout/vanilla mead you did a few months back was incredible.
I'm doing a spiced mead at the weekend, cant wait.
Cool! What exactly spices are you going to add? I am experimenting now with heavy toast oak chips addition to 10-months old batch:
(http://s24.postimg.org/5f8r6pool/obozowyref.jpg)
Just want to add some colour, tannins and toasted oak flavour to my traditional "Debniak" ("Oak mead"). Aging mead in oak barrels is not possible for my small apt, so only one way is a oak chips hack ;-)