OK, so here we go. This is my third attempt at making mead or any other alcoholic beverage for that matter. I am kind of a naturalist so the recipe I made was just a tea i enjoy incorporated into a mead. I made a Rose hip, Juniper Berry, and Hibiscus Mead. It is a one gallon batch and I used Safbrew T-58 Yeast. So in me being a naturalist I did not boil the honey so to protect the enzymes in the raw honey and I try not to use anything I absolutely don't have to. My original gravity reading was 1.130 and that was on 2/27/13. Today 3/20/13 I measured the gravity and it read 1.050. I would say that I have around an inch to an inch and a half of sediment at the bottom. Would you say that it is ready to be racked?
Racking question
- Thread starter Godislove1822
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Im a newbee myself but I think you should wait probably another week- week and a half. From what I read most people wait until their reading hits 1.000.
Im sure people with more XP will chime in . Hell Im such a newbee I dont even have a hydrometer haha. Well I do but its one I used when I was setting up and maintaining SW aquariums. I want to get one for brewing but money is so damn tight....
Anyway but from what I read(and I do a lot) most people rack either once a month or when their reading hits about 1.00.
Im sure people with more XP will chime in . Hell Im such a newbee I dont even have a hydrometer haha. Well I do but its one I used when I was setting up and maintaining SW aquariums. I want to get one for brewing but money is so damn tight....
Anyway but from what I read(and I do a lot) most people rack either once a month or when their reading hits about 1.00.
In general, you should avoid racking mead/wine until the fermentation is complete. If you get the same reading over a few days, then fermentation has basically ended or stalled. That's not to say your mead won't drop a few more points, though. Also not to say it would be ready for bottling, that's a whole other topic.
You mentioned using Safbrew T-58. That is a beer yeast and has a tolerance of 11.5%. See here. Plugging your numbers into the calculator, you should be around 10.75% which is near the upper range of your yeast. Your gravity is probably not going to drop much more.
1.050 is very sweet. You pretty much have 3 choices:
1. Rack and drink it. If you like it, go for it!
2. Ferment another batch dry, then blend the two. If the second batch is around 1.000 and is also 1 gallon, then you'll be at 1.025. That's still desert mead sweet, but much better than 1.05.
3. Rack and pitch a higher tolerance yeast. My recommendation would be KV-1116.
If you decide you want to pitch a higher tolerance yeast, do a forum search on "stuck fermentation". Lots of good threads on that topic.
Oh, and welcome to Got Mead!
You mentioned using Safbrew T-58. That is a beer yeast and has a tolerance of 11.5%. See here. Plugging your numbers into the calculator, you should be around 10.75% which is near the upper range of your yeast. Your gravity is probably not going to drop much more.
1.050 is very sweet. You pretty much have 3 choices:
1. Rack and drink it. If you like it, go for it!
2. Ferment another batch dry, then blend the two. If the second batch is around 1.000 and is also 1 gallon, then you'll be at 1.025. That's still desert mead sweet, but much better than 1.05.
3. Rack and pitch a higher tolerance yeast. My recommendation would be KV-1116.
If you decide you want to pitch a higher tolerance yeast, do a forum search on "stuck fermentation". Lots of good threads on that topic.
Oh, and welcome to Got Mead!
+1 on midnights suggestion as I have come to the same conclusion. You might get a few more points drop but that's probably about all she wrote without blending or pitching a stronger strain. I think if it tastes good, them you should keep it how it is.
How does it taste?
How does it taste?
