Comments Please on my 1st attempt

[Strix_Varia]

What next?
Should I have added the cider and honey to sweeten it?
Should I not have sulfited it to stop fermentation?
Was I rushing things too much hitting it with a fining agent so soon?

 

[Strix_Varia]

I forgot to mention I added 1 vanilla bean and 1/4 cup of chyrstalized ginger to the fermenter 0n 09/07

 

[Oskaar]

Overall it looks like a good recipe.

Next time you can try it without the sulfites and pectinase. I've found in cysers especially that the pectinase isn't necessary unless you heat your must. There are some pasteurized apple juices that can take a while longer to clear, but in the overwhelming majority of the cysers I've made it hasn't been an issue.

I'd recommend that next time you try D47 yeast. I think you'll find it better suited to cyser than the Red Star Champagne, but that's more of a personal preference on my part. I do like the fermentation kinetics of the D47 better, and the flocculation as well.

I'd recommend a better source of honey next time and try to get some fresh squeezed juice, the overall product will be very nice!

Cheers,

Oskaar

 

[Strix_Varia]

Thanx for responding. I am a bit ADHD for wine making. So I admit I bought the equipment and ingredients in the same day. I then started the must the same day too. I hit my desired SG pretty fast and thought it best to halt fermentation with sulphites. I rushed it I admit. I'll go slower the next batch.

Next batch is local summer honey and fresh pressed cider.

 

[Strix_Varia]

Another question, I cleansed all my equipment useing metabisulphite rinse. Is this an effective cleansing method? How long should I rinse with metabisulphite?

 

[Pewter_of_Deodar]

Congratulations on your first batch!

Backsweetening and adding flavor/juice after the intial fermentation is fairly common.

Racking twice in the first two weeks after pitching the batch is not. But I do not see anything you've done that would hurt anything badly.

Remember that mead, like fine wines, take time and patience (lots of patience). You seem to be in a hurry (and understandably excited at doing your first batch) and I'd recommend slowing down and taking a few deep breaths...

Mead needs to age, probably 6 to 8 to 10 months or more to really become nice. Be patient and you will be rewarded with stuff that is better than you ever believed you could make yourself.

If you are willing to allow proper aging, then things like the clarifying agent become unneccesary, at least until your batch hasn't cleared after 6 months. Everything you add to your mead has a chance to affect the taste (positively or negatively), so generally, until you learn the use and purpose of everything, keep in mind that "less is better".

Finally, don't expect your mead to taste very good after only a couple of weeks. There are likely a lot of things that need to mellow over time or "age out". This is generally true in every mead, regardless of recipe, they will get better over the first few months time....

Again, congrats!
Pewter

 

[MeadFan]

Welcome to the forums! ;D

Wow, I can almost taste that recipe. Sounds delicious.

 

[Strix_Varia]

I thought that Cyser didn't need the long ageing that mead requres.

I adapted the recipe from several I have seen modifying them toward flavors that appealed to me. I am, however, open to suggestions regarding ingredients.

 

[Oskaar]

Hey Strix,

You're not that far off the mark.

Certain cysers will be ready pretty quickly, others will not. It really depends on the kind of fermentation you have (slow or fast), the kind of yeast you use, and the available nutrient in the apple juice and honey.

I have a couple of cysers that I make that are very nice at 6 months or so. I do others that take a couple of year or so. Using the Champagne yeast will drive you toward a longer mellowing time because of the higher alcohol, the esthers produced during fermentation and other factors that may occur during fermentation with variable conditions (oxygen, nutrient, temperature, etc.)

I'll post some more a bit later on, have to get back to work.

Cheers,

Oskaar

 

[Strix_Varia]

I look forward to hearing more details :cheers:

 

[Oskaar]

Well a little more detail.

Basically I've found that the cysers I make using fresh juice, and dehydrated fruit, combined with D47 or 71B yeast, finishing at about 1.020 to 1.030 are ready to drink in six months or less.

Certain spiced cysers finishing at a similar gravity are about the same when I use lemon, ginger, and a mixture of spices. Again with the D47 or 71B yeast. Try my cherry cyser (New Year Cyser) in the brewlog and you'll see what I mean. You can leave it on the lees the whole time, or you can rack off and bottle once it has finished primary and cleared.

There ya go!

Oskaar

 

[Strix_Varia]

What my 1st batch lacked was the taste of honey and the only apple taste was a bit like rotten apples.:icon_puke_l:

What I am looking for is subtle apple and honey flavors slightly enhanced by ginger and vanilla along with a big kick in the pants ottytrain2: from alch. I don't want sweet but truth is I dont want champagne either. :cheers:

BTW the first batch is right about where I want it now. Going to bottle it.

 

[Oskaar]

Stix,

Be very sure that the fermentation has completed. You'll want to stabilize the mead before you bottle it or you risk bottle bombs from renewed fermentation after bottling.

Cheers,

Oskaar

 

[Strix_Varia]

I sulphited it the day before and I plan to keep it refridgerated 20 about 38deg for a few weeks. I understand refridgeration is an acceptable way to stabilize? Anyway its in bottls now.

 

[Pewter_of_Deodar]

Refrigeration will generally stabilize (stop the fermentation) a batch BUT it will not guarantee the batch will not start fermenting again once it warms back up. Only things like chemicals and sterile filtration can guarantee no more fermenting.

Chilling a batch should cause most of the yeast to drop out after a while and form the lees at the bottom of the container. A careful racking will leave this dormant (not necessarily dead) yeast behind BUT not all of it. But certainly a chilling and racking helps...

Good luck,
Pewter

 

[Strix_Varia]

I went back and uncorked all the bottles put it back in the Car Boy added staybalizer (potassium sorbate I think) and then rebottled it. :icon_cyclops: