would i need a starter?

[peavis]

hi im new here and to making mead. i was going to make a 3 gallon batch of sweet mead and im not sure if i need to bother with a starter? im using the white labs sweet mead yeast and i figure that since its only 3 gallons if i dump the whole vile of yeast i would'nt need a starter. would that be alright or should i go ahead and make a starter? im using 12lbs. of honey if that makes a difference. thnx for any replies.

 

[Oskaar]

Would you post your exact recipe please, it helps us help you.

Cheers,

Oskaar

 

[briankettering]

I experience very long delays (24-36 hours) before active fermentation is evident when I pitch a vial of White Labs yeast directly into a high-gravity wort or must.

I would suggest making a small starter for this batch. I typically mix together 1 1/2 cups of warm (not hot) water, 1 tablespoon of honey, 1 teaspoon of yeast nutrient and 1 vial of yeast in a sanitized pint glass. Stir well for a couple of minutes to mix and aerate. Set aside in a warm location for at least a couple of hours.

Brian K

 

[peavis]

12.bs. honey
4 1/4 gal. water
1-1 1/2 tsp.grape tannin
4 campden tablets
2 tsp. yeast energizer
white labs sweet mead yeast

does this recipe look right for a 3 gallon batch? i dont know how much is lost during fermentation so im not sure if 4 1/2 gallons of water is too much or not. i got the recipe at a homebrew shop and im actually not sure if its a 3 or 4 gallon recipe. also if i should make a starter how much water and honey should i use? thnx

 

[Ibiduin]

looks more like a 5G recipe to me...
the fact that you have 4.25G of water is a dead giveaway, there's nowhere near that much loss in any batch I've seen made.

 

[peavis]

12.bs. honey
4 1/4 gal. water
1-1 1/2 tsp.grape tannin
4 campden tablets
2 tsp. yeast energizer
white labs sweet mead yeast

so if i wanted to make the above recipe into a 3 gallon recipe how much of the grape tannin,campden tablets,yeast energizer should i use? and how much water and honey would i need to make a starter??

 

[Glacierwulf]

(hope this isnt a dubble post)
/geek mode on
if you want to reduce the recpie from 5 to 3 gallons multiply all values by 0.6 (60%)
/geek mode off

the only problem with this is the wierd fractions you will get

7.2 lbs honey (7 1/5)
2.55 gallons of water (2 11/20)
.6 - .9 tsp grape tannin (3/5 - 9/10)
2.4 campden tablets (2 2/5)
1.2 tsp yeast energizer (1 1/5)
white labs sweet meat yeast


7lbs 3.2 oz of honey
2 gallons, 8 cups, 12 Tbls, 2 3/8 tsp of water (short by 1/40tsp)
1/4 tsp + 1/3 tps = aprox 3/5 (short by 1/60) grape tannin
2 1/2 campden tablets (over by 1/10th)
1 1/4 tsp yeast energizer (over by 1/20th)
White labs sweet mead yeast

....wow seems i got carried away

hope this helps
Glacierwulf
("spillage" & homebrewed beer night)

 

[byathread]

12.bs. honey
4 1/4 gal. water
1-1 1/2 tsp.grape tannin
4 campden tablets
2 tsp. yeast energizer
white labs sweet mead yeast

so if i wanted to make the above recipe into a 3 gallon recipe how much of the grape tannin,campden tablets,yeast energizer should i use? and how much water and honey would i need to make a starter??

I think for 3 gal of a sweet mead you would want to use something like:

9 lbs honey (maybe 10)
2+ gallons of water
1-1.5 t tannin should be fine for 3 gal
follow the instructions on the packet for the energizer and campden

Also, though I've not used the WL Sweet Mead yeast, my friends have reported it to be pretty sluggish and always make starters before using it. Also, if you're using a 3 gallon carboy, leave some headspace (or reserve a quart of the must) and top up once fermentation begins to slow.

As for a starter, I usually just use a 1-2 quart mason jar, fill it 3/4 of the way with 50-60% must, cap it, shake it, loosen the lid so CO2 can escape and let it go. I'll tighten cap, shake it, loosen it as often as I pass by or think about it. Pitch after 24-36 hours.

 

[peavis]

cool, thnx for the input. i planned on using a starter i just did'nt know how much honey and water i should use in the starter.

 

[Dan McFeeley]

Here's some more info on yeast starters and rehydration:

http://winemaking.jackkeller.net/feeding.asp

http://consumer.lallemand.com/danstar-lalvin/lalvinrehyd.html