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First Cyser Underway

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winecarver

NewBee
Registered Member
Oct 3, 2015
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My first gallon of mead is in secondary and I decided to make a cyser. I put 6lbs of honey in with 3 gallons of apple juice. Sg was 1.095. A little acid blend and added nutrients at 2:1 FermaidK:DAP (also added a little energizer). I gave it a vigorous stir to get the oxygen going. It's almost 4 gallons. I hope to get 3 clean gallons out. I'll syphon off the rest and just try it now.

Thanks for all the help with my first mead that got stuck. I like wine OK, but I really enjoy doing different things than the norm. Finding out about mead has been a lot of fun.
 
winecarver said:
My first gallon of mead is in secondary and I decided to make a cyser. I put 6lbs of honey in with 3 gallons of apple juice. Sg was 1.095. A little acid blend and added nutrients at 2:1 FermaidK:DAP (also added a little energizer). I gave it a vigorous stir to get the oxygen going. It's almost 4 gallons. I hope to get 3 clean gallons out. I'll syphon off the rest and just try it now.

Thanks for all the help with my first mead that got stuck. I like wine OK, but I really enjoy doing different things than the norm. Finding out about mead has been a lot of fun.
Click to expand...
Next time add the acid after the primary fermentation is complete. Honey already is acidic to begin with. As fermentation takes hold the pH will drop. As the pH gets closer to 3.2, the yeasties will get stressed and then start producing fusels. You may have to add some potassium bicarbonate to counteract and raise the pH.

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Thank you for the acid advice. I did a ph reading before I added and didn't add as much as recommended. Next time I'll add it after primary. I wasn't sure if that was an option.

I started Saturday around 10am. This evening sg was 1.06. I degassed and added some FerK. It's looking, smelling, and tasting good.

The D47 seems 'milder', if that's the right word.
 
I'm not nit picky, I promise. I just want you to have a successful first time. I love using D47. It's a fantastic yeast but it's fickle. You want to keep the temp in low 60's if possible. Put it in a cool, dark basement or closet. If it's above 70 degrees, it will start producing fusels. You might not taste them at first because the excess sugar will mask the flavors. But as the fermentation progesses, all the flaws come out.

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I appreciate all the help I can get.

The temp should be around 65 in the basement all the time. Today the sg is 1.02. Degassed and all looks ok. However, there is a little bit of a sour smell. Was worried it was sulfur smelling, but I couldn't be sure. Hoping it's not, but it was too faint to be sure.
 
Racked the cyser this morning. I could smell sulphur but my wife couldn't. When I started splash racking it she could smell it. It must not be too bad, but I could really notice it. Guess I'm sensitive to it. How long do I let it sit before I check it again?
 
You can let it sit until it clears if you want. D47 is great because it improves with sitting on the lees. I let sit on it a few months and then rack/bottle because it's clear by then.

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You could also buy a short piece of copper pipe. Clean it good with TSP, rinse till it is well rinsed good. Now dangle it in you mead over night. Wala! no more sulpher smell
 
It really depends on the type of sulphur. Can you describe the smell?
If it's the 'right kind' then you can just let it sit, it will dissipate in time and protect the mead until then.
If it's dirty socks, cabbages, or fart smell, you're in trouble. I'm told there's little you can do if it's cabbage, but the others will respond well to a copper cleansing as suggested by Squatchy. Most LHBS sell fine copper mesh too, because although distilling is illegal, people still do it, and copper mesh is used in that process for the same purpose.
Be aware though, copper will hurt your mead, it may strip the sulphur, but it will strip a great many compounds also, so use a light hand, if at all.
Another thing which works well to strip such flavours is CO2 or carbon dioxide, so degass it thoroughly, and you may find it dissipates.

Also, try using acidic apples rather than adjusting the acid, as the natural acid complements the flavour much better.
 
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