question about first batch

[koniowsky717]

So, im following the first recipe in the Ken Schramm book. I have red different things about boiling water. His recipe says to boil a gallon of water with the yeast nutrient and energizer for 10 minutes, take water away from heat then add the honey. after it cools down, pour into primary fermented and add 3 gallons of refrigerated distilled water.
- my questions are - should i boil the water with yeast nutrient and energizer and immediately add honey after taking off heat, and then should i use distilled water or sprint water bought from store?

 

[Squatchy]

So, im following the first recipe in the Ken Schramm book. I have red different things about boiling water. His recipe says to boil a gallon of water with the yeast nutrient and energizer for 10 minutes, take water away from heat then add the honey. after it cools down, pour into primary fermented and add 3 gallons of refrigerated distilled water.
- my questions are - should i boil the water with yeast nutrient and energizer and immediately add honey after taking off heat, and then should i use distilled water or sprint water bought from store?

That info is outdated. Don't boil anything, ever. And don't use distilled water as there are no minerals and such in it. It's a desert. Use spring water. Fill your sink with warm water and add you honey in it. Let the warm batch loosen up your honey. Might need to do this a few times.

 

[koniowsky717]

That info is outdated. Don't boil anything, ever. And don't use distilled water as there are no minerals and such in it. It's a desert. Use spring water. Fill your sink with warm water and add you honey in it. Let the warm batch loosen up your honey. Might need to do this a few times.

thanks for the reply.. so when when you say fill your sink, would you say add 15lbs to gallon of warm water with nutrient and energizer, mix - pour into fermenter and then add 3 gallons of water?

 

[bernardsmith]

Can't speak for Squatchy, koniowski717 (and by the way, welcome) but you may find that dissolving a gallon and quarter of honey in a gallon of water is not an easy task. If this were me, I might pour in some water, add some honey, mix, and repeat until all the honey and the water was really well mixed. That said, in the past people used to heat their water either to kill bacteria or to help mix the honey but we know that heat destroys much of the flavor of the honey and much if not all of the healthful qualities associated with honey. If you simply warm the jar of honey in a bath of water as hot as it comes from your faucet (about 90F) that will be warm enough to help make the honey flow more easily. The water you use to mix with the honey can be at room temperature.

 

[spectre_ol]

Agreed.. boiling would be bad.. it would caramelize the honey and would probably spoil the yeast..

I'm no expert, just a beginner myself. I would not use tap water unless it was filtered and would prefer spring water over that. The yeast, I activate in lukewarm water and I warm the water in the pan a little further to rinse the last of the honey from the container(s). Besides that, all is done at room temperature..

 

[koniowsky717]

Agreed.. boiling would be bad.. it would caramelize the honey and would probably spoil the yeast..

I'm no expert, just a beginner myself. I would not use tap water unless it was filtered and would prefer spring water over that. The yeast, I activate in lukewarm water and I warm the water in the pan a little further to rinse the last of the honey from the container(s). Besides that, all is done at room temperature..

yea, so from my understanding, you re hydrate the yeast and let it sit for 15 minutes before dumping it in.. But with this Ken book being old school... When is the proper time to add the nutrient/energizer? or there a sub for that now

 

[spectre_ol]

Basically, I add the honey, fruit, then water. Give it a darn good shake (almost to the point my arms go dead. Lol. - this oxygenates the mix). All the while, the yeast and nutrient (I use youngs yeast/nutrient) has been becoming active. I pour this into the mix and pop in the bung and airlock. Put in a warm place, before long the bubbles start and fermentation has begun.

Others like to add fruits/favouring at the secondary fermentation, after racking (I probably would do if adding something I think might go rotten). I don't think there's a set rule, just preference.. and if you and your friends enjoy it afterwards, that's the whole point.

 

[Squatchy]

So what I meant was you fill the sink with hot water and place your bottle/jug/pail of honey in the sink. So the warm bath over time will warm the honey enough that it will flow. You can pour it out then into your vessel. Then add some boiling water (if you want to) inside the container to loosen up the remaining little bit in the pail and pour it into your vessel.

You should listen to this before you start. Rehydrating is usually the first [place people mess up and it messes everything else up from then on out. You feed your yeast over a period of time and you start that once the yeast has moved past the lag phase.

This podcast will lead you through the entire process. http://gotmead.com/blog/gotmead-live/9-5-17-ryan-carlson-modern-mead-making-yeast/

There is much more than adding yeast to lukewarm water and then pitching 15 minutes later. The podcast will teach you all you need to know