My Second Batch

[koruptah]

Here's the recipes from my second batch. I have no idea what I'm doing yet, so I'd appreciate any input.
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1 Gallon based on JOA.

3.25 lbs Wildflower Honey
1 Blood Orange
3.5 oz Rosehips
2 handfuls of Raisins
1 stick of Cinnamon
1 Clove
A dash each of Allspice, Nutmeg, and Ginger
1 pack of Red Star Pasteur Champagne yeast
Water to 1 gallons

SG: 1140
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5 gallons based on the Dry Show Mead in Ken Schramms book.

10 lbs Wildflower Honey
4 tsp Fermaid
1 pack Red Star Premier Cuvée yeast
Water to 5 gallons

SG: 1075

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[Oskaar]

Here's the recipes from my second batch. I have no idea what I'm doing yet, so I'd appreciate any input.
----

1 Gallon based on JOA.

3.25 lbs Wildflower Honey
1 Blood Orange
3.5 oz Rosehips
2 handfuls of Raisins
1 stick of Cinnamon
1 Clove
A dash each of Allspice, Nutmeg, and Ginger
1 pack of Red Star Pasteur Champagne yeast
Water to 1 gallons

SG: 1140
----

Well, this one will probably end up very sweet 1.04+ or higher, if that's what you're looking for you're right on the mark. RS Pasteur Champ will go to 15% but your current PABV is 19+%. If you haven't made the batches already it may be a good idea to back off your honey and bring your starting gravity down to about 1.13+ or lower.

5 gallons based on the Dry Show Mead in Ken Schramms book.

10 lbs Wildflower Honey
4 tsp Fermaid
1 pack Red Star Premier Cuvée yeast
Water to 5 gallons

SG: 1075

--

With this mixture you're going to end up with a thin, watery, low alcohol (9%) session mead in my opinion. I would add honey to a starting gravity of about 1.100 which will give you fuller flavor, better aroma, better mouthfeel and higher alcohol that will help with aging and longevity. You're potential alcohol should be right around 1.10+ which will put you in the 13+% ABV range. I think you'll like the character and body a bit better at that level, unless you like it light and thin, which is perfectly valid for a session style mead. I use session here in place of hydromel because hydromel is a misnomer that is used to describe "watered down" or "mead-lite" as we described it around the judging table at the mead festival. Hydromel is a term that means MEAD in French, Spanish, etc. etc. etc.

Hope that helps,

Oskaar

 

[koruptah]

Ok so how does this sound? Adding 1 cup of water to the first batch, and 1 lb of honey to the second batch (I wanna keep this one dry)....

 

[Oskaar]

You need to use a hydrometer to measure your starting gravity accurately in order to get to the finishing gravity that you want. Using water and honey measurements are only approximations and are not nearly as reliable as using the proper tools to measure the starting gravity of your must.

You may get lucky a couple of times, but then again you may not. Best bet is to kick for the $5 it'll cost you to buy the hydrometer and use it to get your must where it should be gravity-wise. The mead calculator is not intended to be an exact tool and couldn't be even if it was due to the variance in moisture and sugar content in honey. So you use it to approximate where you need to be in order to have an appropriate amount of honey on hand to make your must to the level that you want.

Then you need to check your yeast and make sure that the starting gravity is condusive to the outcome you desire. Use the MAKING MEAD menu selection in the MEAD MENU section of the menu on the left hand side and scroll down to the YEAST TABLE. At the yeast table scroll down to the Pasteur Champagne line and read about your yeast and the level of alchol it is capable of producing. Then check the mead calculator again to see where your recipe is relative to that alcohol level. If the must you are making has a potential alcohol level greater than the percentage of alcohol the yeast is capable of producing, the mead will end up sweet. If the level of the must is lower than the ABV potential of the yeast then your mead will end up dry.

Most importantly get that hydrometer and learn how to use it if you don't already have one.

Hope that helps,

Oskaar

 

[koruptah]

OK so it's a day later, and my JAO derived recipe hasn't started bubbling at all yet, I think that I may have pitch the yeast when the must was too hot, not sure. I think I'll got pick up so more yeast tomorrow and see if i can get it going.

I also started another recipe:

2.5 lbs honey
1/4 cup lemon juice for the citric acid
water to 1 gallon
1 heaping tbs of StillSpirits Classic Turbo Yeast

SG: 1090

 

[koruptah]

Ok its 3 months later, the turbo yeast experement failed... It tastes absolutly horrable, just like some of you said it would, like some really bad Mad Dog.. It's FG is at 1030, so approx 15% ABV. (right?) So like i said, it tastes awful.. I could call it Mead Dog 0/20, but I'm thinking I'll dump it... I'll prolly bottle the other two batches tomorrow or later this week, so I'll update when thats done

 

[akueck]

OG 1.09, FG 1.03 is something like 8.5% ABV by my count.

If you have the bottle and storage space, it might be neat to see what it tastes like in a year or two or twenty. Or you could pawn it off on the local frat boys, they might like it.