A few qustions about my "first" mead

[mouko_yamamoto]

Ok, as these questions have a lot to do with my recipe, I'll post it:

10 to 11 packets lipton lemon herbal tea brewed in almost 1 gallon
3 lbs Clover honey
1 lemon peeled and separated
1 lemon sliced
1/2 tsp yeast nutrient
1 packet D47
1 crushed campden tablet

OG: approx 1.105
PA: approx 14%

1. I took the readings for SG and PA at 88 F and got 1.101 and 13.5%. Adjusted SG for heat, got 1.105, not sure about PA. Does this SG sound right given that there are 3 pounds of honey?

2. I am also looking to capture a little black tea taste (the herbal has no black tea), but figure I'd wait to secondary, as I didn't know if the small amount I'd want would make it through fermentation. So, will tea bags in secondary release flavor if I only put a couple in? (Oh, I was thinking along the lines of regular Lipton tea.) Also if the lemon taste disappears noticably during primary, I may throw in another lemon, though I've heard of flavor coming back after a while.


Thanks for bearing with me, this is my first *original* batch, and I just kinda went crazy, hoping to observe the results. If there is any advice on what I can do from here to help out the mead, let me know! Oh, just as an aside, fermentation started nearly 1 1/2 hours later, and this morning I came down to find the air lock blown off, filled with must, so I'm not that worried about a troubled fermentation.

Thanks for any help you are able to give!

 

[Pewter_of_Deodar]

The recipe looks fine to me although I cringed a little bit at the amount of tea. Just seemed like an awful lot but I am not a tea person so I honestly don't know. But otherwise, it looks fine and the SG is right in the proper range for the yeast you have chosen. You should be pleased...

 

[mouko_yamamoto]

Thanks Pewter. I don't think you would cringe, as the color of the must is light, reminding me of peach. I made a cup last night, and it tasted like lemons steeped in hot water (which I curiously enjoy, so long as the lemons are dehydrated).

If you wanna check out the ingredients, click here

 

[mouko_yamamoto]

Hmm, seems I have a bad habit of bringing topics back from the dead. Just a quick question:

OG was 1.105. Original PA was 14%.

SG now is at about 1.004. PA about .5%, though the converter says it is around.36%. (Hard to tell, my hydrometer leans, so I'm probably inaccurate all over my notes.)

So the SG dropped over .100, and as the airlock pressure was nearly equal (before second rack), I figure this mead is about done. However, I fear it may just be stuck, as the primary fermenter was letting out pressure, and after the rack it's pretty much nil.

So, do you think it's possible that this mead is stuck, or might it be near done? (I'd try to figure out my self, but I can't figure out that calculator! Either way, I'll watch the airlock and see what develops.)

 

[SteveT]

Based on your SG numbers, I'd say it's done, rack it and let it rest for a bit before bottling.

Steve

 

[mouko_yamamoto]

Thanks SteveT. After the initial rack, it through down another 1/4 inch of yeast in a matter of hours, which I racked it off of. I used D47, so I'm thinking of just letting it sit for a few months regardless of the amount of flocculation.

Again, thanks Steve!

 

[SteveT]

I glad you mentioned the D47 again, I see no harm in that...

Just FYI -- I tasted a Cider last night that is almost 2 months in the primary (3 gallon batch), made with D47 probably resting on 1" lees. It tastes really good at this point, and has been done fermenting for at least the last 4 weeks. Most of my meads, I would generally rack sooner, but as others (Oskaar in particular -- thanks dude ) have mentioned extended aging on D47 lees seems to really help the overall profile.

Steve