My second batch of mead, an Apple Pie Mead, I need suggestions

[WayneG]

I am still waiting to do a final racking on my Traditional batch before I start the Apple Pie Mead, I have had a lot of suggestions and now I need to sort through them to see what fits my capabilities.

As for my first batch, I think it is ready to rack to the final glass carboy. The SG is still going down slowly from 1.008 last weekend to 1.006 today. The ABV is at 13.6% It tastes great, but it still has a little bit of dissolved CO2 and it is in need of clearing time.

I think it is time to rack it to the final glass carboy. Here is a chart of the SG vs ABV trends, what do you think?
Also I did my first PH test and it is 4.

 

[pwizard]

Why are you in such a hurry to rack? I'd let it sit on the lees for a week or two to give it some clean-up time. Give it a good stir every couple of days to keep the yeast suspended. After that, cold-crash if you can to facilitate clearing.

 

[WayneG]

It will be 50 days this week and the SG change is negligible over the last week. I am happy with the alcohol content and sweetness.

I have heard (in other places) that it is best to get it off the lees as soon as you can to avoid off flavors developing?
I figure it can mellow in the new glass jug until it is ready to bottle.

My last excuse (for lack of patients) is that I need the wide mouth carboy for inserting the spice bag in next batch after its first racking. I found out those things cost over $350 each from Corning!

For Cold Crashing, I dont have anything other than the weather outside otherwise I would have to steal space in our chest freezer. Our fridge is too narrow.

 

[pwizard]

Yeast takes months to break down. Another week or two isn't going to make much of a difference as far as off-flavors are concerned, even with 71B. Have you been stirring the lees all this time or have they settled on the bottom undisturbed for a while? If everything has settled, try stirring it every day for 3-4 days and see if that drops you all the way to 1.000. If not, go ahead and rack.

 

[WayneG]

Pardon my impatience, the cool time in my basement is short lived so I need to get batch two started soon.
Yesterday I did the second rack on batch one and all went well.

When I racked, I also filled two 450 ml Grolsch bottles to the shoulder, for some experimentation.

I plan to make a proportional cinnamon, vanilla spicing by warming two small pans with the spices in apple juice, with one I will also add cloves.

After the spices are infused enough, I will top off the grolsch bottles, one with cloves and one without, to see the results.

MY questions for the experts:
Adding the apple juice with spices will add a very small amount of sugar and I am wondering if I should use bubblers in the bottles or just cap them and stand back?

Also, taking almost a liter from the main batch leaves more head space and I wonder if I should do anything about that?
Thanks
Wayne

 

[caduseus]

Pardon my impatience, the cool time in my basement is short lived so I need to get batch two started soon.
Yesterday I did the second rack on batch one and all went well.

When I racked, I also filled two 450 ml Grolsch bottles to the shoulder, for some experimentation.

I plan to make a proportional cinnamon, vanilla spicing by warming two small pans with the spices in apple juice, with one I will also add cloves.

After the spices are infused enough, I will top off the grolsch bottles, one with cloves and one without, to see the results.

MY questions for the experts:
Adding the apple juice with spices will add a very small amount of sugar and I am wondering if I should use bubblers in the bottles or just cap them and stand back?

Also, taking almost a liter from the main batch leaves more head space and I wonder if I should do anything about that?
Thanks
Wayne

Flip top bottles?

 

[WayneG]

Flip top bottles?

So far 450 ml Grolsch bottles is all I use.
I use to get them for 10 cents each at the beverage store but now there is too much brewing competition in this area.
Today Grolsch costs a bit over $2 each (full) at the beverage store. New flip top bottles with shipping cost more than that. Nothing like free beer with the bottles!
I hear that Grolsch bottles can handle pressure better than wine or beer bottles. I would also assume that the gasket will vent before the bottle explodes.
I just clean them good and buy new gaskets.
I dont plan on having a huge inventory of Mead so 40 bottles per 5 gallon batch, I have almost 80 now.

My first batch ferment is almost 100% done, and for this test I am wondering if the sugar of the apple juice (with spices to top the bottles) will cause a pressure problem with renewed fermentation? A Grolsch bottle holds 465 ml to the top of the neck (bottom of the Finish). There is 420 ml of mead in the bottle and I will add 45 ml of juice to top it off. (A little less than 10%)

The finished test bottles will not be the same as my next batch because this test is a traditional mead with only 10% spiced apple juice not 100%.
I will make two differently spiced one gallon batches of apple juice.
I will heat them for several hours, (below boiling temps), cooling and adding 45 ml to the two test bottles.
Reserving the leftover spiced juice in their original bottles.
Whichever test batch flavor is best, I will use it to spice the upcoming apple pie batch after it is done fermenting.
If they both suck, Apple juice and spices are cheap so I will try again.

 

[caduseus]

So far 450 ml Grolsch bottles is all I use.
I use to get them for 10 cents each at the beverage store but now there is too much brewing competition in this area.
Today Grolsch costs a bit over $2 each (full) at the beverage store. New flip top bottles with shipping cost more than that. Nothing like free beer with the bottles!
I hear that Grolsch bottles can handle pressure better than wine or beer bottles. I would also assume that the gasket will vent before the bottle explodes.
I just clean them good and buy new gaskets.
I dont plan on having a huge inventory of Mead so 40 bottles per 5 gallon batch, I have almost 80 now.

My first batch ferment is almost 100% done, and for this test I am wondering if the sugar of the apple juice (with spices to top the bottles) will cause a pressure problem with renewed fermentation? A Grolsch bottle holds 465 ml to the top of the neck (bottom of the Finish). There is 420 ml of mead in the bottle and I will add 45 ml of juice to top it off. (A little less than 10%)

The finished test bottles will not be the same as my next batch because this test is a traditional mead with only 10% spiced apple juice not 100%.
I will make two differently spiced one gallon batches of apple juice.
I will heat them for several hours, (below boiling temps), cooling and adding 45 ml to the two test bottles.
Reserving the leftover spiced juice in their original bottles.
Whichever test batch flavor is best, I will use it to spice the upcoming apple pie batch after it is done fermenting.
If they both suck, Apple juice and spices are cheap so I will try again.

Grolsch bottles have flip tops so should work fine. However I read on here that SG above 1.003 could potentially be too strong because of cont fermentation. Of course non-fermentables (lactose and sugar substitutes) would not affect this.

 

[Farmboyc]

Grolsch bottles will not vent through the gasket but they will hold fair bit or pressure.

 

[Squatchy]

I would just close the top but not crank down the flip top part. You may start back up and might have problems. Also if you are adding "cloves" in plural you will be adding way to much for most people. 1 clove a gallon has always been a good ratio for me at least.

 

[Squatchy]

So far 450 ml Grolsch bottles is all I use.
I use to get them for 10 cents each at the beverage store but now there is too much brewing competition in this area.
Today Grolsch costs a bit over $2 each (full) at the beverage store. New flip top bottles with shipping cost more than that. Nothing like free beer with the bottles!
I hear that Grolsch bottles can handle pressure better than wine or beer bottles. I would also assume that the gasket will vent before the bottle explodes.
I just clean them good and buy new gaskets.
I dont plan on having a huge inventory of Mead so 40 bottles per 5 gallon batch, I have almost 80 now.

My first batch ferment is almost 100% done, and for this test I am wondering if the sugar of the apple juice (with spices to top the bottles) will cause a pressure problem with renewed fermentation? A Grolsch bottle holds 465 ml to the top of the neck (bottom of the Finish). There is 420 ml of mead in the bottle and I will add 45 ml of juice to top it off. (A little less than 10%)

The finished test bottles will not be the same as my next batch because this test is a traditional mead with only 10% spiced apple juice not 100%.
I will make two differently spiced one gallon batches of apple juice.
I will heat them for several hours, (below boiling temps), cooling and adding 45 ml to the two test bottles.
Reserving the leftover spiced juice in their original bottles.
Whichever test batch flavor is best, I will use it to spice the upcoming apple pie batch after it is done fermenting.
If they both suck, Apple juice and spices are cheap so I will try again.

WHy the heat for hours? Just a few minutes will pasturize everything