First mead ever and (probably) too many quesitons

[enigma_0z]

Started my first mead ever (actually my first homebrew of any kind ever) last Saturday, and a billion and one questions

Recipe:
* (nearly) 2gal water
* (nearly) 6lbs star thistle honey
* D47 yeast

Method:
* No boil, no heat (bottled distilled water used)
* 1.100 (ish) SG

Based on my hydrometer's scale, I've got about 14% potential alcohol, and D47 finishes at 14% (ish?) so it should finish sweet-ish (certainly not too sweet) around 1.005 final gravity

The questions...

1) Are my assumptions about SG / ABV correct? Presumably it'll end at 1.005 SG and 14% ABV so I'd guess that won't be overly sweet (based on the SG-to-sweetness scales that I've heard not to trust)
2) When should I consider racking into secondary fermentation?
- I have two gallons going, but two 1gal carboys. I'd like to save off a (16oz) bottle that's just straight honey brew and do two fancier things with the other carboys like fruit (cherry) / spices (mulling spices) in the secondary ferments before stabilizing
3) Speaking of stabilization, I bought yeast stabilizers so I wouldn't have to worry about creating bottle bombs ... I don't want to do sparkling on my first attempt anyway ... was that smart?
4) Some guides mention getting a SG reading mid-ferment... presumably I'd have to (a) sanitize my hygrometer or siphoning equipment beforehand, and (b) not fuss around with the active must too much?
5) How (and how long) to age? I planned on doing this...
a) Stop fermentation for sure by stabilizing (potassium sulfite and sorbate)
b) Transfer to grolsch style flip top bottles to age https://www.amazon.com/Swing-Top-Ko...4021081&sr=8-4&keywords=flip+top+glass+bottle ...
-- in theory that'll work well? How long to sit in these bottles to age, just let it go and check on it sometimes? Do I need to worry about refrigeration etc if it's 14% and I'm opening periodically to check on aging?

[EDIT]
6) Ostensably my plan was to rack into secondary about a month from when it started, or when bubbling starts to settle down (right now it's about one every 4 seconds)... thoughts?

 

[darigoni]

It always amazes me how new mead makers will submit there question AFTER they make their first batch

How did you hydrate your yeast?

Did you use any nutrients? What kind and when will you add them?

Are you doing any kind of temperature control? D47 is kind of temperature sensitive.

Are you going to be doing daily degassing/aeration?

The questions...

1) Are my assumptions about SG / ABV correct? Presumably it'll end at 1.005 SG and 14% ABV so I'd guess that won't be overly sweet (based on the SG-to-sweetness scales that I've heard not to trust) It's actually kind of hard to determine if your assumptions are correct, when you say "nearly 2 gallons of water and nearly 6 lbs of honey". If you assume 6 lbs of honey is 1/2 gallon then you ended up with 2.5 gallons of must. This works out to a starting gravity of 1.086, with potential ABV of 11.48%. If you started with 6 lbs of honey and then added water to get a total volume of 2 gallons, then you would have an SG=1.108, with a potential ABV = 14.13%. Yeast are a living thing, so they won't necessarily follow your plan. They may crap out earlier or they may eat all of the sugar in the honey, but to think your fermentation will stop exactly at 1.005 is not very realistic.

2) When should I consider racking into secondary fermentation? Your best bet is to wait until the fermentation is done, after which keep the yeast in suspension (stir) for another 2 to 4 weeks, then let it settle/clear and then rack.

3) Speaking of stabilization, I bought yeast stabilizers so I wouldn't have to worry about creating bottle bombs ... I don't want to do sparkling on my first attempt anyway ... was that smart? Yes, when you rack, do it onto the stabilizers (p-sorbate and p-metabisulfite), then you can add more honey to get your desired sweetness.

4) Some guides mention getting a SG reading mid-ferment... presumably I'd have to (a) sanitize my hygrometer or siphoning equipment beforehand, and (b) not fuss around with the active must too much? Correct. If you use clean/sanitized equipment, you should be able to our the sample back, cutting down on losses. But mead is not like beer brewing and is more forgiving when it comes to bacteria sneaking into your fermentation.

5) How (and how long) to age? I planned on doing this... It kind of depends on you and what it tastes like initially. If the ferment didn't go properly you may want it to age many months to smooth out some of the flaws. But I would wait a minimum of a month.
a) Stop fermentation for sure by stabilizing (potassium sulfite and sorbate) Gee, you answered question 3 here.
b) Transfer to grolsch style flip top bottles to age https://www.amazon.com/Swing-Top-Ko...4021081&sr=8-4&keywords=flip+top+glass+bottle ...
-- in theory that'll work well? Yes. How long to sit in these bottles to age, just let it go and check on it sometimes? Yes. Do I need to worry about refrigeration etc if it's 14% and I'm opening periodically to check on aging? No, but that's not to say you should store it in a 90F degree room. A cool basement would be preferable.

6) Ostensably my plan was to rack into secondary about a month from when it started, or when bubbling starts to settle down (right now it's about one every 4 seconds)... thoughts? Answered in question #2

 

[Devin Petry-Johnson]

Welcome, enigma. I will second everything said by darigoni. And to clarify (just in case it wasn't clear) when he said to wait until the fermentation is done, you will know based on the gravity, not based on bubbling in the airlock. If the gravity reaches 1.000 or below, it is probably done. If the gravity gets to a number and stays there after several days, then it has probably reached the alcohol tolerance and is done. But this is just in general; it's always better to be safe and stabilize, because if the conditions change then the yeast might start up again and keep eating sugar and making CO2.

In the meantime, there is a ton of info on the site here and on the podcasts that will help out. Good luck and cheers!

 

[bernardsmith]

Hi enigma_0z - and welcome.

The two most critical issues I can see are your use of distilled water. Distilled water is perfect for using water as a solvent where you are mixing chemicals and the acidity and the mineral content must be absolutely controlled so that it has no impact on what you are dissolving. But in mead making you want the minerals in the water, you want the microscopic amounts of metals in the water. Just like you yeast is a living organism and like you, distilled water is not what they want or need. Use spring water, use tap water if the quality is good and the chlorine and fluoride levels are not a problem. Distilled water can be a problem for the yeast in the context of mead making (unless you are adding minerals etc in a controlled manner)

The second critical issue is that your post suggests that you did not provide the yeast with any nutrients. Now some fruits in and of themselves contain nitrogen and all kinds of compounds and minerals that the yeast can absorb and use to build their cells. Some fruits contain less of these materials but honey appears to contain none of them. A lack of these really essential elements can lead to the yeast being stressed and stressed yeast can easily communicate their unhappiness with the production of hydrogen sulfide (smells like sewer gas or rotten eggs), by producing other compounds that make a mead taste unpleasant and can also simply result in a stalled fermentation. Adding nutrients is essential, unless of course, you really know why you have chosen not to and you absolutely know what you are doing (English and French cider makers sometimes restrict the amount of nitrogen to deliberately create a very , very slow fermentation that stalls before all the sugar is fermented.

Can you add nutrients now? Not sure. Important to add any nutrients before the amount of alcohol exceeds about 9% ABV in the solution. That's because at that point the yeast will have difficulty in absorbing the nutrients. But if they have managed to ferment enough sugars to produce 9% alcohol by volume then any problems are likely to be relatively speaking, quite minor.

When to rack into a second (secondary) fermenter? Nothing very much to do with calendar or clock time and everything to do with the change in density (gravity) of your mead. When the gravity drops to about 1.005 there is very little left for the yeast to ferment and that means that they will soon stop pumping out carbon dioxide (CO2). When they stop producing this gas then you want to be sure that there is no space (headroom) between the top of the mead and the bottom of the bung. Any space will at that time be filled with air and at that time air (oxygen) is not your mead's best friend.
Good luck!

 

[enigma_0z]

It always amazes me how new mead makers will submit there question AFTER they make their first batch

Yeahhhh well I got it going and said "well that was easy ... oh crap what do I do next?"

How did you hydrate your yeast?

I pitched the yeast directly into the must and mixed. I didn't hydrate it beforehand.
* The activation instructions were pretty comlicated "heat water to X degress, add yeast and stir, mix with must but don't cold shock the yeast... etc etc" ... and I had read that as long as it doesn't require specific activation (e.g. bread yeast) it should be fine to just toss it in...?

Did you use any nutrients? What kind and when will you add them?

Yes, DAP. Added to the must prior to pitching (missed that in the recipe)... This was for a few reasons

Are you doing any kind of temperature control? D47 is kind of temperature sensitive.

Yes/no... my house is pretty stable at 68-70 degrees F, but obviously this isn't a temperature control system. Neither is it sitting outside where it would be absurdly cold right now (think 35 F or so)

Are you going to be doing daily degassing/aeration?

I had no plan to do this, assuming it was smarter to mess less with the must (fearing contamination mostly)

Hi enigma_0z - and welcome.

The two most critical issues I can see are your use of distilled water. Distilled water is perfect for using water as a solvent where you are mixing chemicals and the acidity and the mineral content must be absolutely controlled so that it has no impact on what you are dissolving. But in mead making you want the minerals in the water, you want the microscopic amounts of metals in the water. Just like you yeast is a living organism and like you, distilled water is not what they want or need. Use spring water, use tap water if the quality is good and the chlorine and fluoride levels are not a problem. Distilled water can be a problem for the yeast in the context of mead making (unless you are adding minerals etc in a controlled manner)

I bought distilled water thinking in the direction of a no-boil method no-heat method and figured it'd be more sterile than spring water, but also not sure whether the minerals would be a good or bad thing. I read conflicting opinions on this whether spring water (vs distilled) is (a) useful to the yeast (b) necessary at all and (c) important for the final finish taste (via minerals)

The second critical issue is that your post suggests that you did not provide the yeast with any nutrients. Now some fruits in and of themselves contain nitrogen and all kinds of compounds and minerals that the yeast can absorb and use to build their cells. Some fruits contain less of these materials but honey appears to contain none of them. A lack of these really essential elements can lead to the yeast being stressed and stressed yeast can easily communicate their unhappiness with the production of hydrogen sulfide (smells like sewer gas or rotten eggs), by producing other compounds that make a mead taste unpleasant and can also simply result in a stalled fermentation. Adding nutrients is essential, unless of course, you really know why you have chosen not to and you absolutely know what you are doing (English and French cider makers sometimes restrict the amount of nitrogen to deliberately create a very , very slow fermentation that stalls before all the sugar is fermented.

See above, I added DAP for the yeast before aerating/mixing to the directions on the pouch (which was 1tsp/gal). I didn't add any other nutrients... I understand the nitrogen is important but didn't (until now) understand what the potential results were in a nitrogen shortage.

When to rack into a second (secondary) fermenter? Nothing very much to do with calendar or clock time and everything to do with the change in density (gravity) of your mead. When the gravity drops to about 1.005 there is very little left for the yeast to ferment and that means that they will soon stop pumping out carbon dioxide (CO2). When they stop producing this gas then you want to be sure that there is no space (headroom) between the top of the mead and the bottom of the bung. Any space will at that time be filled with air and at that time air (oxygen) is not your mead's best friend.

So in theory (extrapolating) I want to measure my SG periodically (nondeterminate period) to determine the state of fermentation, and once the yeast has burned off any oxygen from the initial primary, so when racking, try to fill up your carboy as much as possible (also explains why you'd rack into a carboy not another bucket presumably?)

Based on my batch and the average ABV of my yeast, it should stop around 1.005 (that'd be more if I had more initial sugars) so if I wanna transfer, I should do it before that state (say, 1.010) so that some fermentation will continue and protect the brew with a nice layer of CO2 on top?

Good luck!

Thanks!!

Question: To measure my SG mid-brew, do I just sanitize my hydrometer and drop it into the fermenting must?

 

[darigoni]

The activation instructions were pretty complicated "heat water to X degrees, add yeast and stir, mix with must but don't cold shock the yeast... etc etc" ... and I had read that as long as it doesn't require specific activation (e.g. bread yeast) it should be fine to just toss it in...? You should be alright, but you should learn the proper way to rehydrate yeast. How much yeast did you use? A minimum of 2 grams per gallon is recommended.


Yes, DAP. Added to the must prior to pitching (missed that in the recipe)... This was for a few reasons While it is done, DAP is not recommended during the initial stages for yeast. It's actually kind of bad for them. Also, straight DAP is going the way of the dodo. There are a lot of better nutrients to use: Fermaid O (which has some DAP in it) and Fermaid O (organic) are highly recommended.

http://www.meadmaderight.com/yeast-rehydration.html

Yes/no... my house is pretty stable at 68-70 degrees F, but obviously this isn't a temperature control system. Neither is it sitting outside where it would be absurdly cold right now (think 35 F or so) The temperature range of D47 is 59F to 68F, so you are on the outer limit of that. It would be better if you could get it into the low 60's. Next time pick a more temperature forgiving yeast. There are plenty of them out there.


I had no plan to do this, assuming it was smarter to mess less with the must (fearing contamination mostly) Contamination is over rated. Stirring/degassing/aeration is HIGHLY encouraged




I bought distilled water thinking in the direction of a no-boil method no-heat method and figured it'd be more sterile than spring water, but also not sure whether the minerals would be a good or bad thing. I read conflicting opinions on this whether spring water (vs distilled) is (a) useful to the yeast (b) necessary at all and (c) important for the final finish taste (via minerals) There are conflicting thoughts on this, but distilled water is not recommended, especially if you are not adding some good nutrients/vitamins at yeast pitch. Unless you have really crappy water, tap water is fine, I personally use bottled spring water as it's relatively cheap compared to the rest of the ingredients. Most people don't boil there water/honey, as it can blow of the aroma and flavors of the honey.


So in theory (extrapolating) I want to measure my SG periodically (nondeterminate period) to determine the state of fermentation, and once the yeast has burned off any oxygen from the initial primary, so when racking, try to fill up your carboy as much as possible (also explains why you'd rack into a carboy not another bucket presumably?) Keeping head space to a minimum, once fermentation is over, is recommended, but you could rack into another bucket (it youre going to be adding fruit), you just probably want to keep the time under a few weeks. Oxidation is also over rated

Based on my batch and the average ABV of my yeast, it should stop around 1.005 (that'd be more if I had more initial sugars) so if I wanna transfer, I should do it before that state (say, 1.010) so that some fermentation will continue and protect the brew with a nice layer of CO2 on top? That sounds like a plan, just know that when you do so, you may stop the fermentation completely or just prolong it even more. The more controlled method is to let the fermentation complete, rack, stabilize and then add more honey to your desired level of sweetness.


Question: To measure my SG mid-brew, do I just sanitize my hydrometer and drop it into the fermenting must? You can definitely do this or you can remove some must, put it into a clean and sterilized container, make your measurement and when done pour it back into the main batch. If you have 2 gallons in a bucket, just be aware that the hydrometer may bottom out at some point.

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[enigma_0z]

As far as the yeast goes, I think I found another common variety (a champagne yeast) that’ll hit higher percentages and also be more temperature forgiving... they had D47 at the store and for my first batch I was (on purpose) not picky.

I used about half to three quarters the packet which I understood (the whole packet) to be good enough for 5gal total.

That makes sense. How should I go about sterilizing equipment to stir / test SG? I have star san, in theory I could make a very small batch and give my tools a rinse before peoceeding?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Toxxyc]

How should I go about sterilizing equipment to stir / test SG? I have star san, in theory I could make a very small batch and give my tools a rinse before peoceeding?

Spot on. Take note that you can dilute Star San with distilled water and it'll last for a LONG time in it's diluted form. You then don't have to toss batches each time, meaning you can make ~1 gallon of sanitizer and only use little bits of it in spray bottles as you need it. Most home brewers take YEARS to go through a single bottle of Star San by following this method.

 

[darigoni]

And, if you haven;t already done so, you should:

1. Read the Gotmead NewBee Guide (link at top of page).

2. Watch the 9 episode series, on YouTube, called Meadology, by the Canadian Sasquatch. Particularly episodes 6 and 7.

3. Listen to the Gotmead podcasts, about Modern Mead Making, starting on September 5th, 2017
http://gotmead.com/blog/gotmead-live-radio-show/page/3/

 

[Devin Petry-Johnson]

One thing that I'm learning is that even if room temp is within the yeast range, the yeast generates heat in the must during fermentation and it raises the temp a few degrees. With my mead kit, I got a temperature strip to stick on the outside of my bucket and I never really paid much attention to it until recently. I had the mead fermenting in a utility closet that was 66 degrees and the temp strip was reading about 69-70. This can get worse with larger batches or with fruit floating on the top holding in the heat. And I've read that when you add DAP it can cause a temp spike. Just something to be aware of.

Some people stress out about the mead after reading responses on here and learning what they could have done differently. It sounds like your mead will be fine when it's all said and done, just give it time. We just try to give you the info that we think will produce the best results. Keep the questions coming.

 

[enigma_0z]

Spot on. Take note that you can dilute Star San with distilled water and it'll last for a LONG time in it's diluted form. You then don't have to toss batches each time, meaning you can make ~1 gallon of sanitizer and only use little bits of it in spray bottles as you need it. Most home brewers take YEARS to go through a single bottle of Star San by following this method.

Well then that's perfect for the half a gallon of distilled water that I have left actually, unless being open for a few days now it shouldn't be trusted for use as sanitizer? It sat on my counter for a couple of days half full before I came to my senses and put it in the fridge.

 

[bernardsmith]

So two quick thoughts. Sanitizers kill bacteria and other organisms (like indigenous yeast) Water is a solvent. It does not eliminate anything. You can use Star San. That's a favorite of brewers (by brewer I mean makers of beer). Wine makers TEND to prefer K-meta (Potassium Meta-Bi-Sulfite). This, because at higher concentrations this is a great sanitizer. It produces Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) and that is a bactericide) at lower concentrations it is used to eliminate indigenous yeasts in fruit so that when you pitch your chosen yeast those cells have no competitors and at that same concentration it is used to add a very little SO2 into a wine which will then inhibit oxidation so it acts a little like a preservative. Star San simply cleans.

The other thing is that your focus on looking for a yeast with the greatest tolerance for alcohol may be a little misdirected. In any wine (and mead is a wine) balance is a key element. By balance I mean that as a mead maker the one thing you OUGHT to be striving for is to make sure that flavor, aroma, sweetness (or dryness), acidity, tannin levels, and alcohol are all working together. Trying to make a mead where the alcohol level hides the flavors and aromas does not make good sense: buy some scotch or vodka and add some honey. Wine makers tend to aim for about 12% ABV. At that level you can manipulate those key elements and keep them in balance. Mead makers sometimes aim for a higher ABV because IF they are making a mead using ONLY honey then all the flavor comes from the same source as all the sugar - so the more honey in each gallon, the more flavor but that is true up to a point because the noise of the alcohol can drown out the whisper of the flavor. My own preference is to try to make flavor-rich meads that compete with beers (about 5 or 6% ABV). I like the flavor and the alcohol to be in conversation with each other. But that is me. Just because a yeast CAN tolerate 16 or 17% alcohol does not mean that you need to aim for that. Your car might be able to travel at 120 MPH but that is not an instruction for you to drive at that speed in Manhattan or London.

 

[enigma_0z]

So two quick thoughts. Sanitizers kill bacteria and other organisms (like indigenous yeast) Water is a solvent. It does not eliminate anything. You can use Star San. That's a favorite of brewers (by brewer I mean makers of beer). Wine makers TEND to prefer K-meta (Potassium Meta-Bi-Sulfite). This, because at higher concentrations this is a great sanitizer. It produces Sulfur Dioxide (SO2) and that is a bactericide) at lower concentrations it is used to eliminate indigenous yeasts in fruit so that when you pitch your chosen yeast those cells have no competitors and at that same concentration it is used to add a very little SO2 into a wine which will then inhibit oxidation so it acts a little like a preservative. Star San simply cleans.

That's fair. Would it be safe to use the rest of the distilled water I purchased and left out to make some starsan solution to save and use later? For now I have the starsan and will continue to use it, but I'll look at K-meta too.

The other thing is that your focus on looking for a yeast with the greatest tolerance for alcohol may be a little misdirected. In any wine (and mead is a wine) balance is a key element. By balance I mean that as a mead maker the one thing you OUGHT to be striving for is to make sure that flavor, aroma, sweetness (or dryness), acidity, tannin levels, and alcohol are all working together. Trying to make a mead where the alcohol level hides the flavors and aromas does not make good sense: buy some scotch or vodka and add some honey. Wine makers tend to aim for about 12% ABV. At that level you can manipulate those key elements and keep them in balance. Mead makers sometimes aim for a higher ABV because IF they are making a mead using ONLY honey then all the flavor comes from the same source as all the sugar - so the more honey in each gallon, the more flavor but that is true up to a point because the noise of the alcohol can drown out the whisper of the flavor. My own preference is to try to make flavor-rich meads that compete with beers (about 5 or 6% ABV). I like the flavor and the alcohol to be in conversation with each other. But that is me. Just because a yeast CAN tolerate 16 or 17% alcohol does not mean that you need to aim for that. Your car might be able to travel at 120 MPH but that is not an instruction for you to drive at that speed in Manhattan or London.

Well ... honestly (I know) I'm new to all of this, so I can't speak from a posture of great knowledge... My thinking is along these lines: I tend to like dryer drinks in general, and it also seems that more of the more alcohol tolerating yeasts are also more temperature tolerating. Regardless, I just wanted to aim for something that lands in the demi-sec range rather than being overly sweet.

With regard to balance, the same concept (though different method) applies when cooking as well, and definitely I want something balanced. I'm certainly not shooting for brewing jet fuel quality mead I'll poke the batch at the 1wk mark with the specific gravity meter to see how it's progressing. With this batch I wanted to try at least three different things, one of straight honey, one with cherries, and one with .. something undecided... so I can gain more knowledge (and have more variety to drink!)

 

[enigma_0z]

OK smaller update.

Got some star san mixed up in a gallon batch and in a spray bottle (thanks for the recommendation/idea) so it's easier to work with... in light of that i thought I'd be adventurous and pop open the bucket to see how it's going.

No distinguishable smell. I'd guess/assume that if it were going off it'd take on an unpleasant smell?
Nothing floating on it except for what looked like maybe a couple of yeast cultures? Certainly no mold or mildew
On the lid it looked like there were a couple of yeast cultures that maybe stuck onto it from the initial pitch and grew into little bread colored snot blobs. I washed them off (and then re-sanitized the inside of the lid) assuming that at this point the must was fully inoculated anyway and they weren't doing anything.

Gave it a stir and it generated some bubbles... my hydrometer reading is different than when I first started but I didn't siphon the must into a tube for a good reading, so I don't trust my initial numbers due to foaming. It's coming out at 14% potential with 1.110 SG... Safe to assume that in five days, not a whole lot of fermentation would have happened with D47 and (not bad but) sub-optimal temperature? Seems based on my initial numbers (which I don't fully trust) not much has happened, but I do know that when I set it aside, there were some bits of honey in the bottom that were not fully mixed in-- not any more from what i can tell, I can't dig up any more blobs, so it's possible that as the solution has dissolved the last of the honey it's balanced the drop in SG from fermentation with additional (previously) undissolved sugars?

(as to why those were not mixed in, basically, when I did it, I did nearly 2 gallons in a 2 gallon bucket (yes I know, no head room, bad idea, need room to stir etc)... but by the time I got it mostly mixed up, I didn't have the patience to go back and break up the last few blobs of undissolved honey)

The airlock is still happily bubbling away, so I think at this point I'll leave it for a full week+ and check on it a week from Saturday. That sound like a good idea? What should I watch for, for instance, if the fermentation stops (or stalls?)

 

[bernardsmith]

Yeast can fully ferment an appropriate mix of honey and water (<3.5 lbs of honey: 1 gallon volume honey AND water) in a week - ten days. It can take far longer (I have a batch that is still fermenting after 6 weeks) and it can take less time. Fermentation is a living process , not an engineering procedure. It takes however long it takes because the variables are many and complex and are organic, and not simply chemical .

Others may well disagree with me on this point but making a good cherry mead is as difficult as making a Mozzarella cheese. Sure, there are recipes for making this cheese in 30 minutes but in fact the process involves very critical factors mainly associated with pH and it turns out the tolerance is very small.Too low a pH and the cheese is grainy, too high a pH and the cheese does not stretch.

Cherry wines have a similar need for the right pH. When made with sweet not sour cherries, made with insufficient acidity (too high a pH) and too high alcohol content they tend to taste like cough medicine. Not entirely sure why but I suppose it has something to do with the production of phenols and our association of certain phenols with cherry flavored cough syrups.

 

[enigma_0z]

Yeast can fully ferment an appropriate mix of honey and water (<3.5 lbs of honey: 1 gallon volume honey AND water) in a week - ten days. It can take far longer (I have a batch that is still fermenting after 6 weeks) and it can take less time. Fermentation is a living process , not an engineering procedure. It takes however long it takes because the variables are many and complex and are organic, and not simply chemical .

Sooooo basically just wait it out and check on it occasionally?

Others may well disagree with me on this point but making a good cherry mead is as difficult as making a Mozzarella cheese. Sure, there are recipes for making this cheese in 30 minutes but in fact the process involves very critical factors mainly associated with pH and it turns out the tolerance is very small.Too low a pH and the cheese is grainy, too high a pH and the cheese does not stretch.

Cherry wines have a similar need for the right pH. When made with sweet not sour cherries, made with insufficient acidity (too high a pH) and too high alcohol content they tend to taste like cough medicine. Not entirely sure why but I suppose it has something to do with the production of phenols and our association of certain phenols with cherry flavored cough syrups.

Good to know. I just checked my jugs and they're actually half gallon so I need two more ... perhaps I'll do one of these with cherries so that in case it just doesn't develop right, it's not a lot wasted. ... oooorrrr... what are your thoughts on straberries for my recipe (Star thistle honey, D47 yeast, other things)?

 

[darigoni]

You can stir/degass your mead daily (or leave it alone).

It can take a lot of strawberries to add a good amount of flavor to a mead. 4 to 5 lbs per gallon?

 

[enigma_0z]

You can stir/degass your mead daily (or leave it alone).

It can take a lot of strawberries to add a good amount of flavor to a mead. 4 to 5 lbs per gallon?

Hmmmmm ... well then I’ll save that decision for later lol

For now, how concerned should I be if the airlock stops bubbling?

 

[bernardsmith]

check the gravity. Lack of bubbles can be caused by poor seals so they don't tell you very much. Indeed, bubbles can be caused by the mead out-gassing because of changes in ambient temperature or air-pressure so bubbles tell you very little. Your hydrometer is your guide. Tells you where the mead was and where it is now.

 

[darigoni]

check the gravity. Lack of bubbles can be caused by poor seals so they don't tell you very much. Indeed, bubbles can be caused by the mead out-gassing because of changes in ambient temperature or air-pressure so bubbles tell you very little. Your hydrometer is your guide. Tells you where the mead was and where it is now.

Well, if I've read his posts correctly, he didn't mix his honey in very well, so his OG reading may be suspect......