There has been a little discussion about topping up mead in a carboy.
I assume you mean for secondary (and later) fermenters. CO2 is another
option for keeping the air out. If someone has a CO2 system for kegged
homebrew, it is easy to put some CO2 into the carboy. Yes, I know that
is not an option for everyone. I rely on "CO2 is heavier than air",
and assume the air is pushed out of the carboy first.

Another top up idea some use, is to make some more must to top it up.
Yes, that will cause fermention. If you don't know what I mean by
must, it is the unfermented liquid you have when you mix honey and
water.

Leo Vitt
Sidney, NE

John,

Discussing the amount of time that mead can be left

on lees:
>What sort of time periods are we talking here?
>Usually, I decant my mead from one carboy to
>another every eight days, until it looks
>reasonably clear, then bottle it.

Keep in mind that by racking every 8 days, you are

racking out the yeast that are conducting the fermentation
and are aerating the mead.

>Is there a rough guidline for the minimum/maximum time
>the flocculated yeast should be left at the bottom ?

You'll get a lot of answers to this question from

the digest… I would say that you have no reason to worry
about a month of the mead sitting on the lees. My latest
mead has been on lees for 4 months (with stirring).

Also keep in mind that lees can do some good, too:

hydrogen sulfide and off-odors can be reduced by lees; lees
can improve clarification in wines.

Your mileage may vary.

 

• Alson

Joe Miller wrote:
>6. Any suggestion on good varietal honey sources? I have some (mostly)
>cotton honey to trade or barter.

Up here in Maine, we get blueberry blossom honey which makes excellent
still mead. I've used it as a base for many tasty meads.

Also we get raspberry blossom (though I question it's purity in general)
honey which has properties similar to blueberry.

Not sure of the price we'll get this year, it'll depend on the spring
take this year, which is oft weather dependent. I can inform the list if
others are interested, as I have a local supplier who's pretty reliable
for blueberry blossom.

HTH

I have a batch of mead that had been in primary fermentation for about 4
weeks and the co2 had slowed to about 2 bubbles per minute. I racked and
checked the sg ( 1.010). After racking all co2 bubbles stopped. Since I am
new to this, I am not sure if this is normal or not. Do I need to add more
yeast or should I just wait and let it sit.

I would appreciate any help.

Randy

> I have two questions for the experienced meadmakers on
> the list, if they would be so kind:
[snipped]

> 1. What is a good medium for a yeast starter? Ken
> Taborek mentioned using a yeast starter in the last
> issue (#1064), although he didn't go into any detail.
> I tried to look for past discussions on these topics,
> but couldn't get the searchable archive to work
> (sorry). Although I've brewed one batch of mead, I'm
> much more familiar with brewing beer and would like
> some pointers on how to make a yeast starter
> specifically for mead.

Russ,

I use a quart/liter starter made with honey and water to about 1.050 SG.
To this I add a pinch of yeast nutrient, and either pour in a liquid yeast,
or pour in a dry yeast rehydrated according to the vendor's instructions.

Your suggestion of fruit juice isn't a bad one, I've heard many mead makers
say that they use orange, apple, or some other juice for their starter. Most
juices are in the range of 1.040-1.050 SG, so the sugars are sufficient, and
the flavor of the starter probably won't be noticeable in a 5 gallon wine
strength mead.

> 2. What is the preferred fermentation and aging
> temperature range for mead? For brewing ales, 60-68 is
> preferred to avoid unwanted flavors and hang-over
> inducing fusel alcohols that can accompany brewing at
> higher temperatures. Does this hold for mead? How
> about temperatures for bulk aging?

I _try_ to ferment my meads in the temperature range recommended by the
yeast vendor. This isn't always possible for me, as I don't own any
temperature control apparatus, but I try. I prefer to ferment a few degrees
under the recommended temperature range than a few degrees above it. In
these cases I typically will rouse the yeast by rocking the fermentation
vessel every day or so, to keep the yeast in suspension and working.

After fermentation, I let my meads clear in a closet, and then transfer them
to the garage for extended bulk aging. After bottling they are stored in
wine boxes in the garage. The garage is not heated or cooled, but the
insulation keeps the temperature above freezing even in the coldest months.
In the summer it can get into the low 80s. Not an ideal temperature for
wine or mead storage, but it's a limitation I have to live with.

• —

Cheers,

Ken

I always taste the mead to determine what to do.
If it tastes real good, I leave the head space and shoot a little co2 in the
carboy as I put on the fermentation lock.
If you have the same honey, top up with honey and water.
You should get a hundred different opinions on this subject.

Does anyone know of any taste comparisons of kegging versus bottling mead?
I think to be useful, such a test would have to last about 4 or 5 years.
Split a batch between bottles and a keg. Then taste at regular intervals.

Also, for those who keg meads, do you typically store the kegs in a
refrigerator? So far, I've bottled all of mine and stored them at room
temperature (although I sometimes refrigerate before serving). I've never
noticed any oxidation or other off flavors that I attribute to aging in
bottles in my meads (my oldest was 7.5 years).

Stephen Murphrey