So this is my first mead im making. Its a gallon with 7 pounds of honey one whole orange, four fresh cinnimon sticks and two tablespoons of cloves. OG was 1.094 after one week it was at 1.036 when i first racked it and at 1.006 this week (week two) lots of stuff on the bottom so i racked again to clarify. its tastes very tangy and yeasty. its not bubbling at all anymore. did i oxidyze it? is there anything i can improve on? should it already be done firmenting?
Am i messing this up
- Thread starter AverageDad
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So, your first message on Gotmead, is "Am I messing this up", after you’ve made mistakes?
Yes, you are definitely "messing this up".
1. I doubt you have oxidized it, as mead is more forgiving than wine and your batch is SUPPOSED to still be fermenting!
2. 7 pounds of honey, in a one gallon batch should have given you a starting gravity of 1.251 A one gallon batch, with an SG = 1.094, should have had approx 2.6 pounds of honey in it. You either didn't measure your honey accurately or are still figuring out how to use a hydrometer.
3. Why (WHY!) would you rack after one week? I know you're excited to do all of the steps and get to the finished product, but even a fast mead (look up Bray's one month mead) takes about a minimum of a month to finish up. You don't "rack to clarify", you rack when the mead has cleared.
3. Just walk away and let your yeast finish. Come back in a month, when it should be clear, and then rack. It will (hopefully) be dry (not sweet), so unless you like dry mead, it will not taste great. You'll need to stabilize and then add some honey (back sweeten) to a sweetness that you like.
4. In the mean time, do some more reading and watch some more videos, on how to make mead.
5. Oh, and 2 tablespoons of cloves are WAY too much. 1 to 3 cloves per gallon would have been more than enough.
Yes, you are definitely "messing this up".
1. I doubt you have oxidized it, as mead is more forgiving than wine and your batch is SUPPOSED to still be fermenting!
2. 7 pounds of honey, in a one gallon batch should have given you a starting gravity of 1.251 A one gallon batch, with an SG = 1.094, should have had approx 2.6 pounds of honey in it. You either didn't measure your honey accurately or are still figuring out how to use a hydrometer.
3. Why (WHY!) would you rack after one week? I know you're excited to do all of the steps and get to the finished product, but even a fast mead (look up Bray's one month mead) takes about a minimum of a month to finish up. You don't "rack to clarify", you rack when the mead has cleared.
3. Just walk away and let your yeast finish. Come back in a month, when it should be clear, and then rack. It will (hopefully) be dry (not sweet), so unless you like dry mead, it will not taste great. You'll need to stabilize and then add some honey (back sweeten) to a sweetness that you like.
4. In the mean time, do some more reading and watch some more videos, on how to make mead.
5. Oh, and 2 tablespoons of cloves are WAY too much. 1 to 3 cloves per gallon would have been more than enough.
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I'm surprised you didn't mention your mouth turned numb in a few minutes. A single clove would have overpowered a gallon batch as far as anyone would ever want that much expression. I don't know how anyone could drink that, ever.
Listen to this before you do any more batches. https://gotmead.com/blog/gotmead-live/9-5-17-ryan-carlson-modern-mead-making-yeast/
Listen to this before you do any more batches. https://gotmead.com/blog/gotmead-live/9-5-17-ryan-carlson-modern-mead-making-yeast/
