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Author Topic: Frederictonian Sparkling Mead  (Read 16742 times)

Offline Richard

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Re: Frederictonian Sparkling Mead
« Reply #15 on: August 19, 2011, 10:47:14 PM »
Just took a thief of this; SG is currently 1.030 (after some number of weeks), fermentation is still rolling along (albeit slower - I may extend my nutrient schedule for future mega-gravity meads). Tastes $#*@ing fantastic :D

This one (and the strawberry sack) are going to be real killers.
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Offline Kyle

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Re: Frederictonian Sparkling Mead
« Reply #16 on: August 19, 2011, 11:01:20 PM »
yeah, I just left the hyrometer in my mead, its gone from 1121 to about 1020 in 9 days. I have been keeping an eye on the temp, but it has been rather warm. It smells amazing. The fermentation is still going strong.
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Offline Richard

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Re: Frederictonian Sparkling Mead
« Reply #17 on: August 19, 2011, 11:20:49 PM »
Hmmm.... Might sanitise mine and drop it in now. Nice plan.
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Offline Richard

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Re: Frederictonian Sparkling Mead
« Reply #18 on: August 19, 2011, 11:22:37 PM »
That does seem real fast though... I've had mine at a near-constant 18C.

How did you roll with the nutrient schedule?
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Offline Kyle

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Re: Frederictonian Sparkling Mead
« Reply #19 on: August 20, 2011, 11:23:01 AM »
I should mention I made a starter with the lalvin 1118 and I very throroughly aerated the liquid before dumping it into the fermenter.

The nutrient schedule as a function of the amount you gave me was:

1/4 in the brew pot (brought up to 178F)
1/2 on day three
1/4 on day seven

Two cups of blueberry juice was also added on day 6
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Offline Richard

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Re: Frederictonian Sparkling Mead
« Reply #20 on: August 20, 2011, 03:02:36 PM »
I see... yeah that's a much larger nutrient bill than I used. I used about 6-8 teaspoons total... I figure you've used about 2-3x that amount given the golf-ball sized chunk I gave you.
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Offline Brian_S

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Re: Frederictonian Sparkling Mead
« Reply #21 on: August 20, 2011, 08:43:38 PM »
Quote from: "Richard"
Re-spin on the Frederictonian Mead based on last batch.

Ingredients:
  • 20lbs non-pasteurised honey.
  • 1 cup lemon juice - the bottled stuff (ascorbic + citric acid)
  • 3 tsp Yeast Nutrient (blend including yeast hulls).
  • Enough water to make the above fill a 6 gallon carboy with a few inches of headspace.
  • Lalvin 1118.


Method:
  • Sanitise 6 gallon "wine bucket", and large plastic spoon.
  • Pour honey in bucket.
  • Add cold water to make to 6 gallons.
  • Stir like crazy until you somehow manage to make the damn honey dissolve.
  • Add the yeast nutrient.
  • Add the lemon juice.
  • Transfer to carboy.
  • Pitch yeast.
  • Wait until visible fermentation has stopped.
  • Rack to secondary onto toasted oak chips.
  • Wait a month or two (or more as I'm planning)
  • Fine.
  • Sugar prime (150g dextrose/22L) + Bottle.


OG should be about 1.120, fg should be about 0.995. Total ABV 14-15%.



So you go from bucket to carboy on day one and the rack sometime after?   I've not made mead yet but could you not just ferment in the bucket then rack?

B
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Offline Richard

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Re: Frederictonian Sparkling Mead
« Reply #22 on: August 21, 2011, 12:27:53 AM »
I'm not too hot on the bucket fermenting, but I guess that would work too.

I usually rack from primary after about a month. This time has been somewhat different in that I pushed the OG to silly levels. I suspect I'll wait another couple of weeks for things to calm down a little.
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Offline sdixon

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Re: Frederictonian Sparkling Mead
« Reply #23 on: October 09, 2011, 10:12:34 AM »
Brian - I realize this is an old post. I would tend to agree with Richard, that it's better to rack into carboy from beginning, but I have had success with both. As a matter of fact, the sparkling mead I brought to the last meeting, I had forgotten in the primary for ~ 1 year. It had a bit of a musty off-flavor, but I racked into a carboy, mixing with bentonite... let clear, then after a couple of weeks primed (with honey of course) half of the batch and the other half I added chokecherries to (it's still in carboy).
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Offline Dave Savoie

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Re: Frederictonian Sparkling Mead
« Reply #24 on: October 09, 2011, 10:47:22 AM »
the reason for the bucket was to stir it all up one would assume
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Offline Richard

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Re: Frederictonian Sparkling Mead
« Reply #25 on: October 09, 2011, 10:59:35 AM »
Like I think I said - I use the bucket for about 10-20 minutes to stir the hell out of the honey. It's pretty much impossible to get honey in the neck of a carboy pre-dilution.

Anyone who still insists on boiling or heating their honey in any way needs to try my most recent batch of Mead :D
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Offline sdixon

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Re: Frederictonian Sparkling Mead
« Reply #26 on: October 09, 2011, 11:49:18 AM »
I would love to sample your mead  :D
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