first time and started with jaom (modified)

[rookie2531]

i started with 3 gallon must in walmart plastic icing bucket, rectangle shape.

14 lbs honey
4 pounds sugar
100 raisins
1 orange , (zested) then sliced
2 cinnamon sticks
pinch allspice
3 packets of fleishman yeast, (2 packets started with warm sugar water and one tossed in must right before putting lid on)

no, i didnt have a hydrometer at start, but got one now.

after 24 hours, it started to Bubble, only because i shook bucket, but it did start and kept a pretty constant fast pace for 24 hours. i went to shake up again to degass and it stopped. never did bubble again.

signed up here and posted question, but site was having trouble and question got lost. I ordered a hydrometer and it came.

took reading and SP 1.151
took a drink and noticed it had alcohol in it. that one drink went to my head quick, so im thinking was pretty strong, but was very sweet at same time. the orange flavor was still very strong. i think the zest made it that way. but i zested it, because it was the only orange i had left and didnt have 3. so i figured the zest would help make up for it. i think it did.

anyway, i wanted to make the sp down to 1.1, so i added about 1.75 gallons distilled water and got it down to 1.1.

stirred vigorously to add more oxygen. and added about 25 more raisins.

i warmed some more sugar water and added 3 more teaspoons of yeast. waited till yeast water was 80° and must was 70° . pitched the yeast and back in the closet.

I am still waiting on yeast nutrient and plan to add 1/4 teaspoon when it comes.

I was very suprised that i had an alcoholic drink after only a few days and seemed like only 24 hours fermenting, but was probably lid leaking and fermed longer than i saw.

but, now im up to almost 5 gallons of must. with sp of 1.1. but definitely has alcohol in it.

will it ferment again and do you think i still have a chance at some decent mead here? that one orange flavor seems a little overpowering. I am thinking of racking in week or two into some one gallon jugs and adding different stuff into each, like peaches and raspberries and maybe starrberries. is this possible on 2nd rack?

 

[caduseus]

If you read the JAOM recipe closely it says to follow the recipe exactly.
If you are not able to follow directions then I don't see a good future in mead making.

 

[dingurth]

Oh boy, where to start.

As caduseus said, please please follow the instructions, especially when its your first mead. Why did you make these adjustments? Did you see it somewhere else or did someone tell you??

1) Never add sugar to mead. You're fermenting honey, not sugar.
2) Even without the added sugar, you basically had 5lbs of honey per gallon. I'm surprised you got any fermentation to start as that's ridiculously high.
3) It does not take long for yeast to create alcohol, but as you experienced, even at low abvs, it is quite raw. The time it takes to make mead is in letting the flavors age out and get absorbed. Fermentation itself usually takes 1-4 weeks, and then aging from 1 month to years depending on the recipe and process.

Maybe you thought more sugar = more alcohol. This is not true. Each type of yeast has a different abv tolerance and they will stop making alcohol when they reach it. For bread yeast its anywhere between 10-14%. Honestly, there may not be a lot you can do to save this batch. Even with diluting and getting a super strong yeast, this seems troublesome... This being your first mead, I would say save yourself a gigantic headache and restart a new batch following the instructions.

The mead calculator puts your OG at an unbelievable ~1.22. If that's accurate and you went down to 1.151, you're looking at 9%+ abv. If you want to try saving this, I would try getting the yeast EC-1118, rehydrating that, and making an acclimated starter. Search the forums for how to do that if you want to try it. That's going to be your best bet with the abv you have and high sugar even with a diluted must.

Please read the newbee guides and follow the instructions though. We are certainly here to help, but if you make outrageous changes like this where you clearly either weren't paying attention or didn't care, you'll find few people with the patience to help you.

 

[philodice]

Just trying to help your terminology. JAOM is a set recipe. If you modify the recipe it isn't JAOM. In my opinion, there is no modified jaom. Only JAOM. To help us out in the future, please call a duck a duck.

 

[rookie2531]

A moderator must have been able to find this post and get it on site. ,but it wouldnt load and I posted it again.
I was able to save the must and have it still fermenting in a 5 gallon carboy. On last rack, i tested the gravity and it is still going down. It seems to have a high abv as i drank the must out of the test tube and got a good buzz.

I deviated from the recipe, because i made the must on a whim and didnt have all the ingredients, and yes, i did think that more sugar meant higher alcohol, but since researching and reading more, i understand now about yeast.

I will not be responding to this post anymore as it isnt even showing in my activity.

 

[Dadux]

A moderator must have been able to find this post and get it on site. ,but it wouldnt load and I posted it again.
I was able to save the must and have it still fermenting in a 5 gallon carboy. On last rack, i tested the gravity and it is still going down. It seems to have a high abv as i drank the must out of the test tube and got a good buzz.

I deviated from the recipe, because i made the must on a whim and didnt have all the ingredients, and yes, i did think that more sugar meant higher alcohol, but since researching and reading more, i understand now about yeast.

I will not be responding to this post anymore as it isnt even showing in my activity.

What you are tasting is probably ethanol plus fusels. Those are other alcohols, and some (most) of them are considered a flaw in alcoholic beverages. They will dissapear and fade with age with time, and its normal to find them in mead early on. Most likely you dont have a "high abv". I used "" because it depends on what you consider high of course. I tend to consider high 16%+ ABV. Dont let your senses get tricked by the taste and use the hydrometer. Comparing the first reading you took and the one you take now, you can find the actual ABV.

Your post above actually is in you activity

 

[bernardsmith]

Hi rookie2531 - Not sure why but I sometimes post a response or even begin a thread and I do not see the thread until or unless I search for my name ... and then there the thread is.. I suspect that there is a glitch in the software ... either that or I should perhaps be more paranoid...