A Few Melomel Questions

[lodybarger]

Hi all! I'm on my second batch of mead, and my first batch I kind of threw everything in a carboy and hoped for the best. This time around I'm doing my research, using a TOSNA calculator and generally trying to do this right instead of by the seat of my pants. I'm making a blueberry melomel with blueberry blossom honey and I don't want to lose the aromatics of the blueberry honey any more than I have to. I am using raw honey AND canned fruit, so I wanted to sanitize my must with Campden tablets at 2 per gallon, but I'm not sure when to put them in. I will be using my fruit in primary, and my general order of operations is as follows:

1. Mix water and blueberries in fermenter and add pectinase. Wait 24 hours.
2. Add honey and stir, and then top off to five gallons.
3. Rehydrate yeast with Go-Ferm and pitch yeast
4. Add Fermaid O at 24, 48, 72 hour marks as well as the 1/3 sugar break
5. Remove fruit after 7-10 days
6. Continue fermenting until primary is done
7. Rack mead into a 5 gallon carbon
8. Continue into secondary fermentation
9. Bottle after a month or two
10. Age to perfection

So here are my questions:

At what point in this process do I add my Campden tablets?

Also, Am I missing anything really big? I have been reading a lot of stuff, and I feel kind of overwhelmed with everything.

How do I calculate the SG of my blueberries to put in the TOSNA calculator?
I am attempting to use the MMR calculator to determine my nutrients and yeast amounts.

Lastly, How do I calculate my 1/3 sugar break? I know that is relate to the SG, but I'm a little confused as to exactly what SG will be the 1/3 sugar break and I've been having trouble finding resources that really explain it.

Anyway, thanks for any help you can give!

 

[Squatchy]

I never "sanitize my must" unless the things I am putting into it are so bad I would eat it. And then, I wouldn't make mead with it either. You are adding canned "food" It's plenty clean, so you don't need the Campden tabs. Toss that away and but so Potassium Sulfite. The campden isn't pure so the numbers are off unless you tweak it to adjust.

If you plan for your yeast to eat 100 points. Then by the time, it chews down 33 points. Or 33%, same thing. You have reached the 1/3rd to the end = 1/3rd break

Add your Pectinaze just to your fruit.
Don't make your must until you will be pitching in the next hour unless you are going to make a starter.
How will you rehydrate? According to the Manual?
How much food will you feed it/ based on what? Make your first feed once you see the yeast have begun to ferment.
You need to have all your food in and digested BEFORE you get to the 1/3rd break if your ABV is above 9%ABV. Otherwise, the yeast cannot assimilate it
Don't rack it that soon or you are tossing away too much of your army. And it will take forever to finish. Or it may crap out early. Place the berries in a bag if you want to pull them.
How do you know when it's done?
Don't bottle so soon. And definitely don't bottle without stabilizing it. Or you will be making bottle bombs

 

[lodybarger]

I never "sanitize my must" unless the things I am putting into it are so bad I would eat it. And then, I wouldn't make mead with it either. You are adding canned "food" It's plenty clean, so you don't need the Campden tabs. Toss that away and but so Potassium Sulfite. The campden isn't pure so the numbers are off unless you tweak it to adjust.

If you plan for your yeast to eat 100 points. Then by the time, it chews down 33 points. Or 33%, same thing. You have reached the 1/3rd to the end = 1/3rd break

Thank you for the help!

 

[Squatchy]

Thank you for the help!

I added more scoop

 

[lodybarger]

I never "sanitize my must" unless the things I am putting into it are so bad I would eat it. And then, I wouldn't make mead with it either. You are adding canned "food" It's plenty clean, so you don't need the Campden tabs. Toss that away and but so Potassium Sulfite. The campden isn't pure so the numbers are off unless you tweak it to adjust.

If you plan for your yeast to eat 100 points. Then by the time, it chews down 33 points. Or 33%, same thing. You have reached the 1/3rd to the end = 1/3rd break

Add your Pectinaze just to your fruit.
Don't make your must until you will be pitching in the next hour unless you are going to make a starter.
How will you rehydrate? According to the Manual?
How much food will you feed it/ based on what? Make your first feed once you see the yeast have begun to ferment.
You need to have all your food in and digested BEFORE you get to the 1/3rd break if your ABV is above 9%ABV. Otherwise, the yeast cannot assimilate it
Don't rack it that soon or you are tossing away too much of your army. And it will take forever to finish. Or it may crap out early. Place the berries in a bag if you want to pull them.
How do you know when it's done?
Don't bottle so soon. And definitely don't bottle without stabilizing it. Or you will be making bottle bombs

Emergency question: what do I do when my must is too cool to pitch the yeast? The Lalvin 71B says it should be pitched between 59-80 degrees and my must is at 58 at room temperature.

 

[lodybarger]

Emergency question: what do I do when my must is too cool to pitch the yeast? The Lalvin 71B says it should be pitched between 59-80 degrees and my must is at 58 at room temperature.

I ended up heating a little bit of the must in a sanitized pot and then adding it back to the must to warm it up a bit

 

[Squatchy]

I ended up heating a little bit of the must in a sanitized pot and then adding it back to the must to warm it up a bit

That temp range is where you need to keep it at during fermentation. It's best to pitch at the higher end of the range and keep it warm like that until it starts to ferment, and then it can go lower than where you start at. Also, there is a method to use to attemperate your yeast slurry to your must temp in a way that doesn't shock your yeast.

Go here to get educated. https://gotmead.com/blog/gotmead-live/9-5-17-ryan-carlson-modern-mead-making-yeast/