mead when you screw up

[UDV]

During the primary ferment, until I reach the 1/3 sugar break, I try to drop in my drill-mounted stirrer and mix up the must at least once (and sometimes twice) a day. I did this for my last two batches, an orange blossom traditional (semi-sweet) and a meadowfoam traditional (also semi-sweet), and they zoomed through the primary ferment in less than a month, clean and with no off flavors.

So yeah, I'd say that stirring during the active fermentation can be *very* beneficial.....

I went ahead and ordered a stirrer, but it looks like my wine store doesn't have them in stock so it's going to be mail order! I also ordered Fermaid K, and gotferm. Sadly it won't help this batch much. So now back to the old fashioned stirring.

 

[pain]

In lieu of a nifty drill stirrer, just shake the crap out of it. I did that for more than 10 years, and didn't have a problem. Just stop up the hole for the airlock with something (I always covered it with a wad of paper towel or plastic wrap).

You'll love the stirrer, though!!!! I can't live without mine now...

 

[Earendil]

Great thread; I'm so glad I found this site!

I have a question related to Vicky's remark about stirring. I've seen a several postings that indicate that, especially when fermenting on the lees (using D47, for example), the fermentation will benefit from occasional agitation after the 1/3 sugar break has been reached. The agitation is done without unduly disturbing the must by using a long-handled spatula or other long-handled tool to disturb the lees without risking oxygenation of the must.

Is this beneficial in a must that is not intended for long-term fermentation on the lees and, if so, how much? What regime would you recommend?

Thanks and May the Stars Shine Upon You!


Eärendil

 

[Oskaar]

You're talking two different things.

Stirring during fermentation is to keep the yeast suspended. During the primary stirring is beneficial and helpful not only to the ferment but for clearing as well. Do a forum search for particulars. Use my name as the author. In the primary fermenter you are working with "gross-lees" and for the most part they are not beneficial except in certain very specific recipes that I make and have discussed at length in these forums.

Traditional sur-lie (lees exposure) is done after the mead is racked and usually in a barrel. Since most homebrewers don't have barrels we use oak cubes (not chips, again use the forum search tool as this has been discussed at length) to approximate the barrel, and some regular "batonage" (stirring gently so as not to oxidize the must).

There have been a lot of people talking about sur lie in primary lately, and folks need to understand the difference between the two. Gross lees are in the primary and we agitate daily in order to get the live yeast up into the must so it has better access to the sugar remaining to be fermented, to provide rudimentary fining, and most importantly to regulate the pH and expose any colonies of spoilage flora and fauna that may have taken root as the yeast is flocculating toward the end of the ferment. Also, certain yeasts (D47, D254 and others) release a compound that adds some very nice "carbohydrate-like" characters into your mead and delivers a very full mouth feel to your mead.

Take a look at my Southwest Cherry Cyser, and my Bleu Berriez Cyser. I have a pretty full explaination of the processand why things are done the way they are in my recipe.

Hope that helps,

Oskaar

 

[Earendil]

Thanks, Oskaar! I did look at 20 or 30 search results before I posted. I had seen mention of stirring the lees in various posts and that suggested, of course, that this might be a beneficial technique. Often such mention is tangential, of course, and though suggestive, does not give you the basic principles.

I have a rhodomel that I'm about to rack, but I thought that I might be doing it prematurely, if I could make things still better by agitating the lees. I searched for 'stir lees' and found bits and pieces but not the underlying principles you described. I'll check these recipes.

Thanks Again,


Eärendil