D47 Yeast and Inside House Fermentation

[jollybobster]

Hi All,

I am back into homebrewing again and decided to try to make 10 gallons of honey mead since my neighbor (a bee keeper) gave me 5 gals of raw honey. My big question is, my inside house temperature here in Florida is usually around 78 degrees, and I am using a D47 yeast (and I added 5 tsp nutrient to each 5 gal). Does anyone have any experience with these higher temperatures causing a problem? I think I will be at the top of the temperature range and am worried about off flavours. Thanks.

 

[fatbloke]

Hi All,

I am back into homebrewing again and decided to try to make 10 gallons of honey mead since my neighbor (a bee keeper) gave me 5 gals of raw honey. My big question is, my inside house temperature here in Florida is usually around 78 degrees, and I am using a D47 yeast (and I added 5 tsp nutrient to each 5 gal). Does anyone have any experience with these higher temperatures causing a problem? I think I will be at the top of the temperature range and am worried about off flavours. Thanks.

Well if your internal home temps are about the 78F mark then D47 isn't going to be the best performer.

The Lallemand yeast chart, tells you that their published range is 15-28C a.k.a. 59-82.4F.

That is likely to have been worked out using grape musts, which are likely to have been correctly nourished.

A quick search hereabouts, would show you that other Florida mead makers have found that if it's fermented above 70F/21C, D47 can produce high levels of fusels, that can take a long time (if ever) to mellow out (posts by our esteemed Medsen Fey will give you more of an idea).

I'd suggest that you chose a different yeast and it's K1-V1116 that comes to mind. It has many similar attributes, but it also has a much wider temperature tolerance and is known to be better at warmer temps (some of the Aussies use it and it can get as hot or hotter their). It has a better reputation at the sort of temps you allude to (with meads, that is).

Yes, it is an 18% ABV yeast, but if you just work the numbers to produce a 14% or so batch, then you can just ferment dry, stabilise and then back sweeten to taste.

You'd need about the 3lb in the gallon of must. Or presuming "finished" at 1.000 (it could go a bit lower), then a start gravity of the 1.103/1.104 sort of area......

Oh, and of course, welcome to the forums.......

 

[Medsen Fey]

Using D47 at room temp in FL for a traditional mead is a recipe for paint thinner. That's the way I made my very first mead. I waited for about 7 years hoping the "rocket fuel," burning, fusel-alcohol character would fade. It never did.

Either get the temp down with a swamp cooler, or use other yeast (K1V, D21, or maybe Wyeast 1388 ).