Hello everyone,
I have just started brewing mead for the very first time so I am entirely a newbie but have read several forums and books and watched videos. I started my first batch in December using a general recipe for a medium dry mead found online for a 1 gallon batch. Now, 2 and a half months in, my mead tastes quite yeasty and acidic, is not really sweet, and fermentation has been a bit limited as ABV is only at 8.14%. Are there any ways of improving the flavour and ensuring the fermentation is completed or is it still a matter of waiting? Although it is currently still bubbling, I am a bit worried that I have killed most of the yeast as no lees is forming at the bottom. The recipe and steps that I followed are this:
- 1.3 kg of Egyptian clover raw honey
- 4 L of still bottled water plus extra boiled water used for top ups
- 1 sachet of Lalvin D47
- 4.6 gr of yeast nutrient
- 9 gr of yeast energiser
I followed advise online and did not boil the must. After sanitising all equipment, I heated the water to 60 degrees C and added the honey. I waited until the must reached 24 degrees and pitched the rehydrated yeast. I did staggered nutrient addition and put equal quantities of the total nutrient and energiser on day 0, 2, 4 and 6. Initial gravity reading was 1.072. I put the must into a 1 gallon glass demijon fitted with an airlock and left it in a cupboard, aerating the must when doing the next nutrient addition by shacking the demijon. Activity during the first few days was quite active with a lot of bubbling and lees forming at the bottom.
After 2 weeks, I racked the must into another 1 gallon demijon to remove the lees and move into secondary fermentation. As the racking removed a high volume, I topped up the must with boiled water that had cooled to ensure the mixture came up to the neck of the demijon. I left the batch in the cupboard undisturbed for its secondary fermentation- it continued bubbling slowly but steadily.
After 2 months, I decided to rack again as there was a lot of lees at the bottom, it had clarified significantly, and I thought fermentation had mostly finished by now.
I tried the batch and it tastes fairly yeasty, it tastes more like a dry cider than a mead, and is a bit acidic. I took a gravity reading and it was 1.010 so ABV is only at 8.14% even though Lalvin 47D should reach about 15%. I topped up the mixture with water again to bring it up to the neck of the demijon and put it back in the cupboard.
I am not sure where I went wrong. Is there a way to get the yeasty flavour toned down a little? should I attempt to re-start the fermentation? I am not sure how this would be done but it still seems quite far from being finished. Or is it just a case of ageing it now and accepting it wont be very alcoholic?
Any advice would be appreciated!
Thanks very much.
I have just started brewing mead for the very first time so I am entirely a newbie but have read several forums and books and watched videos. I started my first batch in December using a general recipe for a medium dry mead found online for a 1 gallon batch. Now, 2 and a half months in, my mead tastes quite yeasty and acidic, is not really sweet, and fermentation has been a bit limited as ABV is only at 8.14%. Are there any ways of improving the flavour and ensuring the fermentation is completed or is it still a matter of waiting? Although it is currently still bubbling, I am a bit worried that I have killed most of the yeast as no lees is forming at the bottom. The recipe and steps that I followed are this:
- 1.3 kg of Egyptian clover raw honey
- 4 L of still bottled water plus extra boiled water used for top ups
- 1 sachet of Lalvin D47
- 4.6 gr of yeast nutrient
- 9 gr of yeast energiser
I followed advise online and did not boil the must. After sanitising all equipment, I heated the water to 60 degrees C and added the honey. I waited until the must reached 24 degrees and pitched the rehydrated yeast. I did staggered nutrient addition and put equal quantities of the total nutrient and energiser on day 0, 2, 4 and 6. Initial gravity reading was 1.072. I put the must into a 1 gallon glass demijon fitted with an airlock and left it in a cupboard, aerating the must when doing the next nutrient addition by shacking the demijon. Activity during the first few days was quite active with a lot of bubbling and lees forming at the bottom.
After 2 weeks, I racked the must into another 1 gallon demijon to remove the lees and move into secondary fermentation. As the racking removed a high volume, I topped up the must with boiled water that had cooled to ensure the mixture came up to the neck of the demijon. I left the batch in the cupboard undisturbed for its secondary fermentation- it continued bubbling slowly but steadily.
After 2 months, I decided to rack again as there was a lot of lees at the bottom, it had clarified significantly, and I thought fermentation had mostly finished by now.
I tried the batch and it tastes fairly yeasty, it tastes more like a dry cider than a mead, and is a bit acidic. I took a gravity reading and it was 1.010 so ABV is only at 8.14% even though Lalvin 47D should reach about 15%. I topped up the mixture with water again to bring it up to the neck of the demijon and put it back in the cupboard.
I am not sure where I went wrong. Is there a way to get the yeasty flavour toned down a little? should I attempt to re-start the fermentation? I am not sure how this would be done but it still seems quite far from being finished. Or is it just a case of ageing it now and accepting it wont be very alcoholic?
Any advice would be appreciated!
Thanks very much.
