Strawberry Mead With Possibly Too Little Honey?

[cxCiel_Phantomhivecx]

Hello all, I am new to this forum and fairly new to making mead. I've done a lot of research and have tried some different things, but just realized I may not have put enough honey and/or sugar into this new strawberry mead I started. Here is my recipe for a 1 gallon carboy:

1 box strawberries (I believe this is 8 oz.)
1 lb. honey
1 packet D47 wine yeast
1 tsp yeast nutrient
3 cloves
Pinch of basil
Pinch of lavender

First of all, I know the adding of those herbs may seem odd, I just wanted to see how it would affect the mead and if I could get some interesting hints of flavour in there. Second of all, the last batch of mead I made exploded and didn't have much flavour as an end result. I assumed this was because it exploded; however, after doing more research, I noticed more people were using 3 lbs. of honey rather than just one. Not sure where I initially was told to use just one pound, but now I'm starting to think that may be why I don't have a lot of flavour. I started this mead only yesterday so I'm assuming I should be able to fix it up before it gets too far in the process. Here are the main questions I'm looking for some advice/feedback on:

1. Since I am on the second day in, can I add 2 more lbs. of honey without messing something up?
2. I saw someone else mention that for their strawberry mead, they cooked down the strawberries in some sugar first. I did not do this; I only cut off the stems and tossed them into the carboy. Does this mean that the strawberry flavour won't be very noticeable?
3. The liquid and strawberries inside the carboy are bubbling away nicely and seem to be fermenting, but I'm not getting the bubbles in the airlock like I've seen before. Does this matter? Does it mean it isn't fermenting? Is it too early to tell?

I'm currently thinking about adding more honey, seeing if it helps with the fermentation, and adding more strawberries in the secondary phase. Based on what I've seen this should be fine for now but I was curious what you guys think about this. I've also seen other recipes that have mentioned adding other things to aid with the strawberries and clearing the mead, but I wanted to keep the process as rustic as possible.

Any feedback is much appreciated!

 

[darigoni]

Check off the boxes for Additional Sugars #1, Additional Sugars #2 and Target Volume

Additional Sugars #1 = Pick honey and make it 1 pound
Additional Sugars #2 = Pick strawberry and make it 8 oz
Target Volume = 1 gallon

Click on "Calculate" which is right above the Green Box labeled Potential Alcohol Conversion. The Target Gravity Box should equal 1.036

Now change Additional Sugars #1 from 1 pound to 3 pounds. Target Gravity changes to 1.109.

FYI. Also, try changing the qty of strawberries to 0 (zero). You'll se that your quantity of strawberries makes very little difference in the Target Gravity.

The Mead Calculator – Got Mead? The Largest Mead Resource on the Web

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gotmead.com

 

[rb2112br]

I've never worked with basil or lavender in mead before, but 3 cloves for a 1 gallon batch is A LOT.

No bubbling in the airlock doesn't always mean fermentation has stopped. If the carboy and airlock aren't sealed completely, co2 can escape through the seal. If the airlock is bubbling at a steady rate, even if the rate is slow, it's a good sign that it's probably still fermenting, but the only way to be 100% sure is to take gravity readings every couple days to see if there is any change.

 

[Chevette Girl]

Funny enough, the very first strawberry wine I ever made, I miscalculated and made some bad assumptions (like that the fruit would contribute to the specific gravity) and didn't realize it till a week later and then added more sugar too late and it fermented slowly for a ridiculously long time.. Tasted good at the end though.

Short answer, if it's still actively fermenting, you can go ahead and add more honey, shouldn't hurt anything and the yeast should just chow down on it.

And adding more strawberries once it's done fermentation will add more strawberry flavour. Mashing the strawberries might help things go faster, it takes the yeast a while to get all the way through whole fruit.

You might want to taste it, and if it's already pretty clovey, fish the cloves out before they get overpowering. I hear people say 3 cloves is a lot in a gallon but it depends on how strong your cloves are, mine really aren't so I end up using more than called for if I actually want to taste it. Allspice is a nice spice to add for future reference, and I find it hard to overdo.

I never particularly had trouble clearing strawberry batches but I also usually bag my fruit so I can just haul it up and let the mead drain out of the fruit bag so I don't lose too much volume when removing the fruit. A new cotton pillowcase washed in the laundry then boiled to remove any detergent residue and tied up with some boiled (sanitized) butcher's twine or cotton yarn is my usual go-to in the absence of an actual fruit bag, stick with natural fibres whenever possible, and always wash and sanitize before use and also always rinse, wash and immediately dry them as soon as you get the fruit out of them.

I'm curious about how your last mead exploded, did fruit get in and clog your airlock or was it in a closed container?

Good luck!

 

[cxCiel_Phantomhivecx]

Funny enough, the very first strawberry wine I ever made, I miscalculated and made some bad assumptions (like that the fruit would contribute to the specific gravity) and didn't realize it till a week later and then added more sugar too late and it fermented slowly for a ridiculously long time.. Tasted good at the end though.

Short answer, if it's still actively fermenting, you can go ahead and add more honey, shouldn't hurt anything and the yeast should just chow down on it.

And adding more strawberries once it's done fermentation will add more strawberry flavour. Mashing the strawberries might help things go faster, it takes the yeast a while to get all the way through whole fruit.

You might want to taste it, and if it's already pretty clovey, fish the cloves out before they get overpowering. I hear people say 3 cloves is a lot in a gallon but it depends on how strong your cloves are, mine really aren't so I end up using more than called for if I actually want to taste it. Allspice is a nice spice to add for future reference, and I find it hard to overdo.

I never particularly had trouble clearing strawberry batches but I also usually bag my fruit so I can just haul it up and let the mead drain out of the fruit bag so I don't lose too much volume when removing the fruit. A new cotton pillowcase washed in the laundry then boiled to remove any detergent residue and tied up with some boiled (sanitized) butcher's twine or cotton yarn is my usual go-to in the absence of an actual fruit bag, stick with natural fibres whenever possible, and always wash and sanitize before use and also always rinse, wash and immediately dry them as soon as you get the fruit out of them.

I'm curious about how your last mead exploded, did fruit get in and clog your airlock or was it in a closed container?

Good luck!

Thank you so much for your reply! Very helpful and making me feel more confident in this batch.

As far as the last batch exploding, I filled the carboy up too much, it was fermenting like crazy, and as you said, fruit clogged the airlock and it blew off. I still have blueberry residue on my ceiling!