Good day. I've been lurking for about half a year, learning, and in November past I decided I was ready to start. :icon_study: I made beer years ago in brew-on locations, but have never done anything at home.
My first problem was finding a LHBS. Even though many places advertise themselves as homebrew shops, most around here are in fact brew-on facilities, with little (or no) selection in the way of equipment, yeasts, nutrients etc. I managed to find one locally who carries some equipment, but minimal yeasts and the only nutrient was straight DAP. I bought some jugs with airlocks, sanitizer, DAP and a packet of EC1118. They had no hydrometers, test jars, thermometer.
My first mead was a buckwheat JAO, but I chose to use Fleischman quickrise bread yeast, since that is what I had in the cupboard. I pitched 6Nov06, racked to another jug 22Dec06 (46days) right when I noticed it had cleared, and then bottled 13Jan07 (22days more). I did not have a hydrometer when I started this batch, so didnt bother with a final measurement either. Temperature was between 18 and 20 Celcius. The taste is too much for most of my friends, but I don't mind it at all, and hope the 3 bottles that I have left get better with a little time. The buckwheat flavour really balances well (I think) with the orange. I can taste almost no cinnamon or clove.
Next, I started another gallon of JAO, this time using EC1118, and mostly clover honey, with about 1/8-1/4 being buckwheat. By this time, I had a copy of the Compleat Meadmaker, and had read in a few places that use of some buckwheat can add extra needed nutrients. I pitched 25Nov06, and racked to a new jug 12Jan07 (48days). I left this one too long, I am sure of that, but, have it in a dark corner bulk aging for a while. It tastes astringent, and is quite dry, but tastes like it has a lot of potential. I suspect I will blend some honey into this to sweeten it up a little. Again, I can taste the orange, but minimal cinnamon and clove.
So, I combined my engineering problem solving skills with all the information I had read, and I felt comfortable deviating from the prescribed JAO method and ingredients, and have been reasonably successful. Even though they may not be ideal products, I have learned from my experiments.
After all this, I did some yet more research, and found another place close to me that is in fact a LHBS. I didn't get a blank stare when I asked about D47 and a balanced nutrient. In fact, the proprietor took me in the back to his fridge, where he keeps the yeast. A bewildering array was there, and he even keeps liquid yeast, should I wish to use that. They had a selection of hydrometers and thermometers, as well as test jars, so I picked up a bunch more stuff. They had no FermaidK, but did have a yeast nutrient with yeast hulls and amino acids, so I picked some of that up too. The owner's son has apparently won an award for a melomel he made, so I am planning on going back to pick his brain when he returns from his vacation time.
Here is what I am thinking of doing for my next batch, a one gallon traditional mead.
1.50kg clover honey (~3.3lbs)
0.33kg buckwheat honey (0.72lbs)
water to 1 gallon
I have 3 yeasts to choose from, K1V1116, EC1118, or D47. I have both straight DAP, and another nutrient with hulls and amino acids. Lalvin suggests using a balanced nutrient during the first 1/3 of fermentation, with staged additions. I understand this to mean adding a little every couple days, instead of one load initially. This time, I have a hydrometer, so will get more quantitative data.
Sorry for the lengthy post, but I had a lot of background. Any comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. :cheers:
My first problem was finding a LHBS. Even though many places advertise themselves as homebrew shops, most around here are in fact brew-on facilities, with little (or no) selection in the way of equipment, yeasts, nutrients etc. I managed to find one locally who carries some equipment, but minimal yeasts and the only nutrient was straight DAP. I bought some jugs with airlocks, sanitizer, DAP and a packet of EC1118. They had no hydrometers, test jars, thermometer.
My first mead was a buckwheat JAO, but I chose to use Fleischman quickrise bread yeast, since that is what I had in the cupboard. I pitched 6Nov06, racked to another jug 22Dec06 (46days) right when I noticed it had cleared, and then bottled 13Jan07 (22days more). I did not have a hydrometer when I started this batch, so didnt bother with a final measurement either. Temperature was between 18 and 20 Celcius. The taste is too much for most of my friends, but I don't mind it at all, and hope the 3 bottles that I have left get better with a little time. The buckwheat flavour really balances well (I think) with the orange. I can taste almost no cinnamon or clove.
Next, I started another gallon of JAO, this time using EC1118, and mostly clover honey, with about 1/8-1/4 being buckwheat. By this time, I had a copy of the Compleat Meadmaker, and had read in a few places that use of some buckwheat can add extra needed nutrients. I pitched 25Nov06, and racked to a new jug 12Jan07 (48days). I left this one too long, I am sure of that, but, have it in a dark corner bulk aging for a while. It tastes astringent, and is quite dry, but tastes like it has a lot of potential. I suspect I will blend some honey into this to sweeten it up a little. Again, I can taste the orange, but minimal cinnamon and clove.
So, I combined my engineering problem solving skills with all the information I had read, and I felt comfortable deviating from the prescribed JAO method and ingredients, and have been reasonably successful. Even though they may not be ideal products, I have learned from my experiments.
After all this, I did some yet more research, and found another place close to me that is in fact a LHBS. I didn't get a blank stare when I asked about D47 and a balanced nutrient. In fact, the proprietor took me in the back to his fridge, where he keeps the yeast. A bewildering array was there, and he even keeps liquid yeast, should I wish to use that. They had a selection of hydrometers and thermometers, as well as test jars, so I picked up a bunch more stuff. They had no FermaidK, but did have a yeast nutrient with yeast hulls and amino acids, so I picked some of that up too. The owner's son has apparently won an award for a melomel he made, so I am planning on going back to pick his brain when he returns from his vacation time.
Here is what I am thinking of doing for my next batch, a one gallon traditional mead.
1.50kg clover honey (~3.3lbs)
0.33kg buckwheat honey (0.72lbs)
water to 1 gallon
I have 3 yeasts to choose from, K1V1116, EC1118, or D47. I have both straight DAP, and another nutrient with hulls and amino acids. Lalvin suggests using a balanced nutrient during the first 1/3 of fermentation, with staged additions. I understand this to mean adding a little every couple days, instead of one load initially. This time, I have a hydrometer, so will get more quantitative data.
Sorry for the lengthy post, but I had a lot of background. Any comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated. :cheers:
