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newbie needs help

  • Thread starter Thread starter jtaylert
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jtaylert

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hello all and thank you for being here. i am a newbie at making mead, but have been brewing beer for many years. i have made only one mead,with champaign yeast,and recieved mixed feedback.it seems not everyone appreciates a dry mead. i am currrently trying my hand ata sweet mead, nothing fancy, just good old fermented honey water, and would like some suggestions on yeast selection. as a beer brewer, i am well equipped, so should have no problem with different packaging of yeast.im not trying to make nectar of the gods,yet, just nectar for the guys.thanks again in advance for your help.
 
Welcome jtaylert,

I found the following link to be the best rundown of yeasts to use.

http://winemakermag.com/referenceguide/yeaststrainschart/

Use this and search the forum to find how different people have used different yeasts to get a specific flavor or sweetness. From what I have read, D47 seems to be a sturdy yeast that can provide a nice sweet mead given sufficient honey. That is the one I am experimenting with now. Good luck.

Angus

P.S. You may want to move this topic to the NewBee section.
 
thanks for the info. also, does the fermentation temp have anything to do with sweetness? i was told the cooler the better.i have cote des blancs and it ws sugguested that i wrap a cool towel around the fermenter. also i had planned to use approx 10-12lbs of honey. does that sound right or should i up it? thanls again.

say what you mead,mead what you say
 
I don't think temperature has anything to do with the sweetness of the mead (I will call on the more experienced to correct me if I am wrong). From my readings, it can affect the type of alcohol produced. The hotter the fermentation temps, the more fusile alcohol is created, which can take longer to age out. Cooler fermentation results in a smoother mead that can be enjoyed earlier.

As for the amount of honey, use the calculator to determine the potential ABV of your batch with 10-12 lbs of honey.

http://www.gotmead.com/making-mead/mead-calculator.shtml

Compare it against the Cote des Blancs tolerance of 12-14%. If the result from the calculator is higher than 14%, then you are having some suger remaining and it will be sweet. If it results in a number equal to or less than the 12-14% tolerance of the yeast, it will ferment dry.

Angus
 
beautiful!Again i "must" thank you for your info.the knowledge on these pages is truly priceless, as is the experiance and willingness to share it of its members! i will mead you on the other side.
 
Welcome to the forums ;D
If you want a semi-sweet mead, I would suggest 16.5 to 17 lb honey in 5 gal (total volume) D-47 yeast, DAP ( 2 teaspoons in the must, 1 teaspoon the next day) 2 teaspoons Fermaid-K on the third day. Mix/aerate at least once daily. After the Fermaid seal and airlock. Since you didn't specify the volume of mead, I took the liberty of assuming a 5 gal. batch. The cote du blank yeast has a tolerance of 13% ABV so 14 lbs of honey (SG 1.103) will give you a nice mead with a small amount of residual sugar. I wold guess a semi-sweet mead. As a brewer, you know the importance of aeration but keep in mind that honey does not contain as many nutrients as wort so you must provide them. Also, a mix of honeys would yield a more complex mead, a darker honey is more nutrient rich than a light honey. Look for *happy birthday to me(ad)* in the forums as an idea for a sweet mead.

Hope that helps,
Ted
 
thenks ted, based on the recommendations on this page i hve decided to add more honey,which should certainly help.i will be brewing today and will keep you all posted on the fiasc....er...progress.good luck and thank you again.
 
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