Mead Lover's Digest #1125 30 August 2004
Forum for Discussion of Mead Making and Consuming
Dick Dunn, Digest Janitor
Contents:
Yeast nutrient -- off flavor (Steve Thompson)
Re: Sodium Bicarbonate! My story. ("J Russ")
Re: First Melomel (Randy Goldberg MD)
Re: Is my cyser ruined? (Dave Polaschek)
Sodium Bicarbonate! My story. (Mark Ottenberg)
Re: Sodium Bicarbonate! My story. ("Ken Taborek")
Re: First Melomel ("Ken Taborek")
No Subject ("Kevin Morgan")
Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1124, 27 August 2004 ("Dennis Key")
Did I screw up? (Agatha)
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Subject: Yeast nutrient -- off flavor
From: Steve Thompson <srthompson@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 10:19:29 -0400
Making a "show mead", fairly basic recipe.
2.5# sourwood honey
4oz Buckwheat honey
1/8 tsp. yeast nutrient
1/8 tsp. yeast energizer
H20 to 1 gallon
Lalvin D47
OG ~1.110, racked from primary to secondary SG 1.000 (~30 days),
tried a little taste. Fermintation temp was between 65-75F. The mead
had a slight metallic taste, I'm thinking this must have been the
nutrient.
Will this metallic taste fade with aging, or is this something to be
concerned about? Are there any tricks to make this off flavor
disappear?
Thanks,
Steve
Subject: Re: Sodium Bicarbonate! My story.
From: "J Russ" <jruss@jaysbrewing.com>
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 11:24:49 -0400
>From Talon McCormick:
"Now, since I figured it wasn't a violent reaction with the "oops" meth,
and since it was a 5 gallon batch, one teaspoon would work in raising the
PH a bit before I measure again without too much reaction... Leaving it
on the carpet where it had been for the last 3 months, I pull off the
airlock and dump a teaspoon of baking soda in... Pop the airlock back on
and sit back. Before the baking soda had fallen half way to the bottom,
a sudden fizz starts to form... It fizzes and bubbles soo well that it
bubbles through the airlock and sprays alcohol through the holes until
the pressure is soo great that the airlock and stopper go flying!"
I don't know if baking soda is worse than other powders, but if you put ANY
powder in a carbonated liquid (your fermenting/fermented mead is carbonated
somewhat even if it tastes flat) you will get amazing foaming. The powder
hits the little bubbles and causes them to pop. I leave it up to the reader
to discover the exact physics behind this. It's actually kinda fascinating.
I've had this happen with polyclar, lactose, and other powders when adding
to cider, beer, mead, and wine. Any powder and any liquid will cause this.
For the intrepid reader who looks up the physics at work here, you may want
to look at a related phenomenon. Powders will also ignite in air no matter
what they are made of. Things work strangely at little bitty levels!
Cheers,
Jay
703-298-4705
www.jaysbrewing.com
Subject: Re: First Melomel
From: Randy Goldberg MD <randy@randygoldberg.net>
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 12:01:36 -0400
> If I want to add my crushed fruit after the first fermentation has died
> down, how do I go about it? I assume this means that after the must has
> fermented for a week or so, I should strain it into a second sanitized
> bucket containing the fruit. But from here, I am ignorant. The second
> bucket should be airlocked, I assume? How long should the wine stay on
> the fruit before racking into a glass carboy?
>
> Or is there another method? Like pureeing the fruit, filling a nylon bag
> with it and lowering it into the carboy? It would be the devil to extract
> afterwards, I think.
Either method will work, though I'd recommend not using the nylon bag with a=
carboy, but with a bucket. As to "how long" - well, as long as necessary. I=
taste every week or so until it has enough flavor/color to suit me. And the=
bucket should absolutely be airlocked!
****************
Randy Goldberg MD
Random Tag: "It was the year of fire. The year of destruction. The year we
took back what was ours. It was the year of rebirth. The year of great
sadness. The year of
pain. And the year of joy. It was a new age. It was the end of history. It
was the year everything changed. The year is 2001. The place is the United
States of America."
Subject: Re: Is my cyser ruined?
From: Dave Polaschek <davep@davespicks.com>
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 12:04:00 -0500
Kristinn Eysteinsson wrote:
> I'm making my first batch of cyser. It started with a SG of 1.089. The
> fermentation started out slowly but got going pretty well in a couple of
> days. Now it's slowing down again and is almost finished. I noticed
> this morning that there is mold growing on top of it. Does that mean I
> have to throw it away or can something be done?
As is usual in making mead/cyser, the answer is "that depends."
What I would do is skim the mold (or possibly bacterial growth) off the
top of it, and siphon out a small amount of the cyser to test (siphon from
the middle of the fermenter if possible).
The first test I would run would be to measure the specific gravity to
see how far along the cyser is. If it's still sugary, that's part of your
problem, and you may want to re-pitch with a vigorous starter and see if
you can finish the fermentation without further problems. I would use one
of the cleaner-fermenting ale yeasts that I've had good luck with in the
past (Edme Ale Yeast was a long-time standby for me).
The second test would be to smell and taste a small bit of the cyser. If
it tastes okay, it probably is. See if skimming off the growth stops the
problem, and if it does, bottle and consume as soon as is practical. This
is not a good candidate for long aging. It may be a good candidate for an
impromptu party: "Everyone over to my house. I've got a drinking emergency
and need help!" At least once I've done this and simply opened up the
primary and let people serve themselves with a ladle.
If the taste is off, and you are ready to start another batch soon, cut
your losses by dumping it. Then thoroughly clean your fermenter. I would
use chlorine bleach at a concentration of at least 1 part per thousand
(roughly 1 tbsp/5 gallon in US units) in water as a sanitizing solution,
and would let it soak for at least 1/2 hour before starting to rinse
thoroughly. Make sure to fill the fermenter all the way to the top and
sanitize the airlock and stopper as well.
If the taste is only a little bit off, or you're not in a hurry,
I might try adding a bit more honey and a vigorous starter to try
and push the alcohol level up to a concentration that is not friendly
for bacteria or mold. You should have gotten to such a concentration,
since your 1.089 S.G. translates to over 10% potential alcohol (using
<http://home.sunlitsurf.com/~mshapiro/convert.html>). That's why the first
test I would do would be to test the specific gravity now and see what's up.
There's a good quick troubleshooting guide for beer at
<http://www.skotrat.com/skotrat/Howtobrew.html>. Search for "Some Things
to Watch out for" and read the list after that. In general, beer/mead/cyser
that has something BAD growing in it will either smell or taste bad enough
that you won't want to try and drink it anyhow. If it smells and tastes
okay, it's probably safe to drink (but may not remain that way for long).
- -DaveP -- Dave Polaschek - http://betternerds.com/ http://davespicks.com/
All good work is done in defiance of management. - Bob Woodward
Subject: Sodium Bicarbonate! My story.
From: Mark Ottenberg <mark@riverrock.org>
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 12:25:32 -0600
At 08:46 AM 8/27/2004 -0600, you wrote:
>Subject: Sodium Bicarbonate! My story.
>From: Talon McCormick <nmccormick@earthlink.net>
>Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2004 10:42:57 -0400 (GMT-04:00)
>
>Okay, I added some baking soda to my lemon mel and my "oops" meth.
>...snip...
>... I pull off the
>airlock and dump a teaspoon of baking soda in... Pop the airlock back on
>and sit back. Before the baking soda had fallen half way to the bottom,
>a sudden fizz starts to form... It fizzes and bubbles soo well that it
>bubbles through the airlock and sprays alcohol through the holes until
>the pressure is soo great that the airlock and stopper go flying!
He, he!! I am not alone! ;-)
Never forget that we are creating a gas under liquid conditions! All that
particulate with nice sharp corners and edges gave wonderful opportunity
for lots of the dissolved CO2 to come out of solution. You and I
personally know the results! ;-)
As with all things mead, SLOW is the best way to go. If you think 1 tsp
will do it, start with a MUCH smaller amount and then check what
happens. And, removing some must to mix stuff up in first often helps too!!
Always learning ... the hard way! ('Adventures in Brewing', an apt motto!)
Peace,
-- Mark (Ft Collins, CO)
Subject: Re: Sodium Bicarbonate! My story.
From: "Ken Taborek" <Ken.Taborek@verizon.net>
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 15:18:01 -0400
> Subject: Sodium Bicarbonate! My story.
> From: Talon McCormick <nmccormick@earthlink.net>
> Date: Mon, 23 Aug 2004 10:42:57 -0400 (GMT-04:00)
[snipped]
> Recently, I've had some difficulties with my meads where I'd gone on my
> own and experimented. Well, I asked for some advice and found that my PH
> was way off! They were below 2.8 and should have been over 4.0... Well,
> I'd heard some stuff about how you use sodium bicarbonate (baking soda)
> to correct the PH... Well, this is the story of all about how I became
> the prince of a town called Bubble Air!
> I pull off the
> airlock and dump a teaspoon of baking soda in... Pop the airlock back on
> and sit back. Before the baking soda had fallen half way to the bottom,
> a sudden fizz starts to form... It fizzes and bubbles soo well that it
> bubbles through the airlock and sprays alcohol through the holes until
> the pressure is soo great that the airlock and stopper go flying!
> So, in conclusion, if you get the bright idea, even though you've tried
> an experiment to see how it would react, when trying to ballance out the
> PH of a batch, put it in your sink!
My sympathies for your lost mead, and for incurring the displeasure of
SWMBO...
My suggestion for the future: Before adding any powders to your aging (and
likely to be CO2 saturated) meads, dissolve them in a small amount of water
to prevent the eruption.
Cheers,
Ken
Subject: Re: First Melomel
From: "Ken Taborek" <Ken.Taborek@verizon.net>
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 2004 17:47:39 -0400
> Subject: First Melomel
> From: hillsofg <hillsofg@netvision.net.il>
> Date: Tue, 24 Aug 2004 18:46:04 +0300
>
> I haven't had problems making metheglins, but pondering my first
> melomel, I came up with this question:
>
> If I want to add my crushed fruit after the first fermentation has died
> down, how do I go about it? I assume this means that after the must has
> fermented for a week or so, I should strain it into a second sanitized
> bucket containing the fruit. But from here, I am ignorant. The second
> bucket should be airlocked, I assume? How long should the wine stay on
> the fruit before racking into a glass carboy?
>
> Or is there another method? Like pureeing the fruit, filling a nylon bag
> with it and lowering it into the carboy? It would be the devil to
> extract afterwards, I think.
>
> Miriam Kresh
> www.hillsofgalilee.com
Miriam,
Pureeing the fruit will lose you a lot of volume on racking, I'd suggest
freezing and mashing or otherwise crushing the fruit. Use a nylon bag and
you can lift it right out when it's time to remove it. Just lift it out,
and let it drip for a few minutes before discarding it or using it for
compost. For the most part I make mead like wine, with the fruit as a part
of the recipe from the start of fermentation. But if adding the fruit after
primary fermentation of the honey has slowed down, I will leave the fruit in
for a week or three, basically the same amount of time it would have been in
the must if I had added it at the start. You do need to keep it under
airlock.
Good luck to you!
Cheers,
Ken
Subject:
From: "Kevin Morgan" <kevin.morgan2@verizon.net>
Date: Sun, 29 Aug 2004 23:30:41 -0400
Miriam Kresh said:
>If I want to add my crushed fruit after the first fermentation has died
>down, how do I go about it? I assume this means that after the must has
>fermented for a week or so, I should strain it into a second sanitized
>bucket containing the fruit. But from here, I am ignorant. The second
>bucket should be air locked, I assume? How long should the wine stay on
>the fruit before racking into a glass carboy?
>Or is there another method? Like pureeing the fruit, filling a nylon bag
>with it and lowering it into the carboy? It would be the devil to
>extract afterwards, I think.
This is what I do:
Depending on the fruit, I pit/slice/crush it then freeze it until I'm ready
to use it. Then, when the primary ferment slows down (say a bubble every
minute or slower) I add the fruit (usually about 1 to 2 pounds/Gal) to
a second fermentor, rack the mead onto the fruit and seal the fermentor
with an airlock.
I usually leave the fruit in until the fermentation slows again,
then taste the mead and decide whether to add more fruit.
To separate the fruit from the mead I place a strainer on the bottom
of the racking tube. The strainer I use was purchased at a grocery store,
sold as a lint filter for a washing machine. Others use a stainless or
copper 'chore boy' as their strainer.
Kevin Morgan, Brewing and Mazing in South Jersey USA
Subject: Re: Mead Lover's Digest #1124, 27 August 2004
From: "Dennis Key" <dione13@msn.com>
Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2004 07:41:55 -0600
Concerning Talon McCormick's sodium bicarb volcano: Use calcium
carbonate which is readily available at your fermenting supply store or
on line if necessary. It is powered chalk, raises the pH nicely,
settles out well and has rarely caused my musts to boil over. One
caveat, for whatever reason, some musts will boil over no matter what
you add. I suspect there is a lot of CO2 lurking in the lees which is
released when disturbed--even by stirring. That's only an opinion, and
we know how that goes!
Merry Mead,
Dione Greywolfe (AKA Dennis Key)
Subject: Did I screw up?
From: Agatha <kalliope10@swbell.net>
Date: Mon, 30 Aug 2004 17:31:18 -0500
I am wondering if I screwed up my Cherry Almond Melomel.
After reading the digests for awhile, I decided to start my
batch before adding the fruit in the secondary. I is a 3 gallon
batch, and the recipe said 6 lbs of honey. When I made my batch,
it wasn't quite 6 lbs, so, I racked into secondary, added about
1/2 lb of more honey, added a 1.3 lb can of cherry puree from
the homebrew store, and a 4 oz. bottle of organic almond extract.
Here's the question - I forgot to add pectic enzyme and tannin.
I racked and added the ingredients on Tuesday of last week, 8/24/04.
Do I need to add these ingredients, should I add these ingredients?
Have I screwed up royally or just a little bit or at all?
End of Mead Lover's Digest #1125
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