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Complete Cold Start Method

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mead4Speed
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Mead4Speed

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I tried searching for Cold Start Method and I'm not seeing anything complete.

Can someone post the steps in a cold start method or is it just putting honey in room temp water and stirring like hell?
 
That's basically it. :cheers:

Don't forget to slowly bring your yeast down to the temperature of the must. This is easily accomplished by rehydrating per directions (wait the 15 mins), then adding an equal volume of must to the yeast (100 ml of must into 100 ml of rehydrated yeasties, etc.). Wait 10-15 minutes, then add more must if the temperature is more than 10 degrees off. Keep adding must slowly like this until the temperatures are equal, and this will prevent cold-shocking your yeast.
 
well that wasn't difficult at all. I set the water temp to 90 and stirred in 15 lbs of honey in 6 gallons. Got about 1.085 SG and poured it into the big bucket. There was nothing left on the bottom so I must have got it all stirred up.

Go-fermed the yeast for 30 mins while adding abit of must now and again. No visible activity at the moment.

This is supposed to leave more honey in the nose at completion?
 
I ended up using Cotes de Blanc. The LBS guy said he used it for his cran nectar stuff.

Go ferms for rehydration correct? I used 2 packs an 12.5 gms GoFerm
 
Sounds good so far :). I used Cotes de Blanc for my first batch of mead. There was very little in the way of obvious fermentation, but it did eventually go absolutely dry. Keep an eye on it and check the SG whenever you aerate. Starting at 1.085 and expecting it to go dry, your 1/3 sugar break should be at 1.057ish. You may want to add some nutrients then (DAP and Fermaid-K).
 
Thanks AsharaLyn! I'll check day after tomorrow then. So your experience with CDB was little visual activity but it did go dry? Was there much CO2 or airlock activity? I figured with 2 packets I should be getting something, but after 4 hours no airlock activity. I assume then that it's more in the growth stage at this point and I should see some activity in a day or two. It is well aerated to start, I mixed in a 8 gallon bucket the sloshed into a 15 gallon drum, and then heavy stirred in the yeast.

I have it in a blue 16 gallon drum with a rubber seal/ring lock so I think I've got a good seal and should see airlock motion by the end of tomorrow or the day after at the latest. I'm keeping it wrapped in sleeping bag to keep it warm and I have a thermo on it so I can monitor it's temp.

I've heard varying reports on length of fermentation with CDB, but I would hope I get it done in 2 weeks or so. I'll feel better when I see some activity so I know I have a blanket on the top.

I'm ready with the yeast energizer and fermaidK when I can.
 
When I used the CdB, I honestly thought nothing was happening, there was that little visual/audible/airlock activity. I actually pitched a second yeast slurry because I thought there was nada. Eventually there was a little fizzing, but I don't think we ever got any real airlock activity. There's a brewlog for it here.
 
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