[duncan]

Hey AHA forum folk,

I am super excited to announce HomebrewersAssociation.org now has a section dedicated to making mead at home! It is laid out the same was as our Let's Brew beer sections, with a step-by-step tutorial, list of necessary equipment, a discussion about ingredients, and a selection of recipes. There is also some suggested tips for improving your mead making process, which includes things like staggered nutrient additions.

We launched this to coincide with Mead Day 2014 (August 2), which hopefully some of you plan to celebrate!

Cheers,
Duncan

[theDarkSide]

Very nice...now to make some mead!!

[dkfick]

Very nice...now to make some mead!!

Depending on the yeast I wouldn't ferment it at the temp range they are suggesting of 65-75.  Cold and slow is the way to go.  I usually ferment between 55-58F with a white wine yeast.  I have used red wine yeasts where that was just too cold for them and I have gone up to 62-65 for those.  Otherwise I would recommend cold.  You'll be much more happy with the flavors in general (exceptions to every rule etc...)

[udubdawg]

Very nice...now to make some mead!!

Depending on the yeast I wouldn't ferment it at the temp range they are suggesting of 65-75.  Cold and slow is the way to go.  I usually ferment between 55-58F with a white wine yeast.  I have used red wine yeasts where that was just too cold for them and I have gone up to 62-65 for those.  Otherwise I would recommend cold.  You'll be much more happy with the flavors in general (exceptions to every rule etc...)

I agree with cold and slow, but to be fair they do make clear they are using 71B.

(although, if I've got 71B and a must in the 1.108 range, it aint finishing medium sweet...YMMV!)

[dkfick]

Very nice...now to make some mead!!

Depending on the yeast I wouldn't ferment it at the temp range they are suggesting of 65-75.  Cold and slow is the way to go.  I usually ferment between 55-58F with a white wine yeast.  I have used red wine yeasts where that was just too cold for them and I have gone up to 62-65 for those.  Otherwise I would recommend cold.  You'll be much more happy with the flavors in general (exceptions to every rule etc...)

I agree with cold and slow, but to be fair they do make clear they are using 71B.

(although, if I've got 71B and a must in the 1.108 range, it aint finishing medium sweet...YMMV!)

I use 71B for most of my meads... 57F is what I like to ferment it at.  I find if I go anywhere above 62 I need to have a considerable increase in aging time before I find it acceptable.  I agree with an OG of 1.108 I'm having a bone dry mead if I don't back-sweeten it with 71B.

[theDarkSide]

71B, the 001 and 830 of mead yeast 

[dkfick]

I recently did a tasting for a mead experiment (presented at the NHC) where a bunch of different yeasts were used.  I was pretty impressed with ICV D254.  It had nice honey highlights and presented with a much fuller body than the mead should have had being quite dry.  Just bought a 80g package of it to give it a whirl with this bucket of orange blossom honey I ordered a couple months ago... Now if only I can clear some space in my fermentation chamber...

[erockrph]

(although, if I've got 71B and a must in the 1.108 range, it aint finishing medium sweet...YMMV!)

If I have 71B and a must in the 1.128 range it's not finishing medium sweet. I get about .120 points of attenuation with proper SNA using 71B. That yeast is a beast.

[duncan]

Hey Everyone,

First, a big thanks for everyone's notes on the section so far. This recipe was taken from the mead making tutorial in a book, except I advocated for the no-heat method isntead of the boiling method used to santize the must in the book.

In regard to the fermentation temperatures, that was one I struggled with, and perhaps it could be worded better. I know lower ferm temperatures will keep the "jet fuel" aspects to a minimum so you don't need as extensive aging, but on the flipside this tutorial is meant for the newbie who might not have the ability to hold fermentation temperatures below 60*F. I think I will go back in and recommend people stick to the lower end of the suggested range, and then on the Mead Making Tips page, have cool fermentation be a tip.

And you guys are totally right that it would be dry. That's interesting seeing as the recipe is listed as medium sweet in the book. I will update that accordingly.

Thanks again for everyone's feedback, and I am all ears if you have other suggestions for improvements. You guys are awesome!

Cheers,
Duncan

edit: Tutorial and recipe is updated. Will add on to the mead tips about the benefits of lower fermentation temperatures.

[Erin]

Ahoy, this is probably a dumb question (THEY DO EXIST) but after I rack my mead from the primary fermenter to the carboy, will it keep fermenting? I see that I have to put another airlock on it, but I can't find any literature anywhere saying if the ABV will continue to go up, or if it will stay the same as the last reading I took before moving. 

Thank you!

[udubdawg]

Ahoy, this is probably a dumb question (THEY DO EXIST) but after I rack my mead from the primary fermenter to the carboy, will it keep fermenting? I see that I have to put another airlock on it, but I can't find any literature anywhere saying if the ABV will continue to go up, or if it will stay the same as the last reading I took before moving. 

Thank you!

do not focus on the 2-3 week time they mention, but rather that they are talking about your mead being nearly done.  (caveat:  I am one who believes mead should not stay on a 71B cake for very long.) 

Yes, suspended yeast in your mead can and will still ferment if they have not reached their limits and their activity is not actively stopped on your part.  It is assumed in the article that your fermentation is nearly done.

[pete b]

Ahoy, this is probably a dumb question (THEY DO EXIST) but after I rack my mead from the primary fermenter to the carboy, will it keep fermenting? I see that I have to put another airlock on it, but I can't find any literature anywhere saying if the ABV will continue to go up, or if it will stay the same as the last reading I took before moving. 

Thank you!

Not a dumb question at all. I always allow for the possibility of the mead to continue or restart fermenting after the first racking. Some yeast will get roused and carried into secondary. This is a good thing, as the yeast may still have some work to do either fermenting or cleaning up fermentation by products. I keep me secondary carboys at room temp for a couple to a few months then transfer to tertiary and cellar for a year or more.

[iqraaziz]

Flavors for seasoning. Spices Shop in Karachi

[brwrsboo]

Mead question.  I currently have a chokecherry mead in secondary. It's ABV was 14% at racking. It's potential was 18%, based on the WLP099 Super High Gravity ale yeast I used.  I did do SNA, but I did not use Potassium Hydroxide the keep my pH up, because I had no way to check. But I do now, and the pH is in the low 3 range.  If I bring my pH back up to the high 4 range, will the yeast become active again? Or will I need to repitch with something like Lalvin EC-1118 to get it to re-start?  Any thoughts on this would be appreciated.