Toggle sidebar

How do you pass the time between batches?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Devin Petry-Johnson
  • Start date Start date
  • PATRONS: Did you know we've a chat function for you now? Look to the bottom of the screen, you can chat, set up rooms, talk to each other individually or in groups! Click 'Chat' at the right side of the chat window to open the chat up.
  • Love Gotmead and want to see it grow? Then consider supporting the site and becoming a Patron! If you're logged in, click on your username to the right of the menu to see how as little as $30/year can get you access to the patron areas and the patron Facebook group and to support Gotmead!
  • We now have a Patron-exclusive Facebook group! Patrons my join at The Gotmead Patron Group. You MUST answer the questions, providing your Patron membership, when you request to join so I can verify your Patron membership. If the questions aren't answered, the request will be turned down.
Barrel Char Wood Products
D

Devin Petry-Johnson

Guest
Guest
Hi everyone. I'm a NewBee here and I've been going overboard with mead. I got a kit for Christmas and started with a gallon batch of traditional mead from local honey. Since then, I've gone to the local home brew store twice and bought more 1 gallon carboy jugs (and a lot more stuff). I'm now up to five 1 gallon carboys and one 2 gallon bucket. I have 5 batches going! And I haven't even racked the first one yet! And I'm thinking of getting 2 more carboys to start 2 more batches this weekend! What am I doing?!?!?

Seriously, what do you all do to pass the time? Do you have several batches going in different stages so there is always something to do? Do you just do one at a time? I'm also curious how you all enjoy your mead. There's tons of talk about making it but not about enjoying it. Do you save for special occasions? Do you make enough to drink a bottle every few weeks? I'm hoping I get to a stage where I can have at least a bottle every other week, but it will take time!

Anyway, this site has been a huge help. I've read the NewBee guide, some of the forums and some articles. The mead kit that I got came with some literature, but really it should have just had a link to this site! I've also been watching a bunch of videos online including the Meadology series.

Thanks, and I look forward to reading replies about how I can deal with my new mead-addiction!
 
Make more. I usually have 40-60 gallons going at all times. This will keep you busy. You will also be able to age some this way as well. Right away I realized I didn't want to wait so long to have 1 gallon ready to drink. That would take just a couple days or so. I started making 3 and 5-gallon batches right away. I make 20 -40 gallons at a time now days. Always feeding, racking botteling, bench trials. I never have any time off from doing mead chores. I have a couple hundred cases now and 10 kegs or so filled and 75 gallons in barrels. Just make more!
Go listen to the podcast starting on 9/5/17 if you want the latest scope on making mead with modern practices.
 
If you ever need extra “storage”, I’ll pay for shipping!!!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Squatchy said:
Make more. I usually have 40-60 gallons going at all times. This will keep you busy. You will also be able to age some this way as well. Right away I realized I didn't want to wait so long to have 1 gallon ready to drink. That would take just a couple days or so. I started making 3 and 5-gallon batches right away. I make 20 -40 gallons at a time now days. Always feeding, racking botteling, bench trials. I never have any time off from doing mead chores. I have a couple hundred cases now and 10 kegs or so filled and 75 gallons in barrels. Just make more!
Go listen to the podcast starting on 9/5/17 if you want the latest scope on making mead with modern practices.
Click to expand...

Wowser! That's a bunch!
 
Not in the same league as Squatchy , but I tend to make low ABV meads in gallon batches and I start a new batch every week. This allows me to experiment with ingredients and with processes and it allows me to develop my skills and my understanding of the undergirding science.
 
Make more, eh? I think I will!

Squatchy said:
Go listen to the podcast starting on 9/5/17 if you want the latest scope on making mead with modern practices.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the recommendation. I just listened to 9/5/17 about yeast and it was a big help. Last weekend, I was mixing two 1 gallon batches and considered splitting the one yeast packet among both jugs to save money. Now I’m glad that I didn’t, especially because I had a really high specific gravity (1.142 I think).

Thanks again for all the info. I know I’ll have more questions real soon.
 
Ken2029 said:
Soooo... Squatchy. Not married, are ya?
Click to expand...

Correct. My kids have been out of the house for quite a while. I stay out of debt. I was also planning to go pro. So a lot of what I was doing was getting a product line together for that. I have way more than I can ever drink in my lifetime. But I do like giving it to family and friends.
 
doing the math
Holy shit Squatchy, I'm in awe! :D

EDIT: To OP, I brew beer as well. It's a lot quicker - you can technically drink in 2 weeks time, but, like with mead, more time is good. General rule of thumb is a month from starting, your beer will be good to go (ales, now, lagers take longer).
 
Toxxyc said:
doing the math
Holy shit Squatchy, I'm in awe! :D

EDIT: To OP, I brew beer as well. It's a lot quicker - you can technically drink in 2 weeks time, but, like with mead, more time is good. General rule of thumb is a month from starting, your beer will be good to go (ales, now, lagers take longer).
Click to expand...

Mead can be ready just as soon. I can happily drink right out of my carboys.
 
Toxxyc, It shouldn't be "terribly yeasty". Groennfell Meadery in Vermont makes it a marketing point to say that they sell their meads five weeks after pouring the honey into the fermenter. And LoveofRose on this forum devised a protocol he calls BOMM that by all accounts is ready for enjoying 4-8 weeks after pitching the yeast. My understanding is that "yeastiness" is a result of under-pitching.
 
bernardsmith said:
Toxxyc, It shouldn't be "terribly yeasty". Groennfell Meadery in Vermont makes it a marketing point to say that they sell their meads five weeks after pouring the honey into the fermenter. And LoveofRose on this forum devised a protocol he calls BOMM that by all accounts is ready for enjoying 4-8 weeks after pitching the yeast. My understanding is that "yeastiness" is a result of under-pitching.
Click to expand...

Interesting. Yeah I've seen the BOMM (Bray's One Month Mead) and even the JOAM that's apparently ready sooner, but from all accounts I've heard your traditional meads all will take longer to peak. Beer, in general, is quick to ferment. You can have a drinkable beer (even though it won't be excellent) in as little as 7 days. It's better to let it wait until around 2 weeks (one week fermenting, one week carbonating), but 4 weeks is the go-to average. I was under the impression that mead is, by design, like wines and whiskies, something that needs an aging period to "shine", which is why beer is a quick, easy and surprisingly cheap alternative to do in your spare time.
 
bernardsmith said:
Toxxyc, It shouldn't be "terribly yeasty". Groennfell Meadery in Vermont makes it a marketing point to say that they sell their meads five weeks after pouring the honey into the fermenter. And LoveofRose on this forum devised a protocol he calls BOMM that by all accounts is ready for enjoying 4-8 weeks after pitching the yeast. My understanding is that "yeastiness" is a result of under-pitching.
Click to expand...

Groenfell would ferment using D47 at 82F and their product will be ready in 5 weeks? And they just sprinkle D47 on top of the must which already has dap in it? Is everything ready in a month now? This just begs for a side by side with TOSNA
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Barrel Char Wood Products

Viking Brew Vessels - Authentic Drinking Horns

Top Bottom