12 New batches in the Mead Making Laboratory
9 Jul
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I have started 12 new batches of mead. You can see my mead laboratory in this video. The purpose of the experiment is to control all the variales in mead making and limit the change to just yeast. So I have twelve batches that are identical in every way except yeast. I will be able to determine maturities and flavor based solely on type of yeast. More Mead making stuff and more about this experiment on my site at: www.stormthecastle.com
Easy tutorial showing how to rack one gallon of Mead. Some tips on the why and how of racking. More Mead Making stuff on my site at: www.stormthecastle.com/mead/index.htm
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“How To Make Your Own Wine – Learn The Secrets Of EXPERT Home Wine Makers – CLICK HERE to Download The Report Now…”
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Finally got my “quick/easy” on to ferment. Let us see how it goes. As everybody else said, let us know which, if any, yeast works best.
@epicfantasy I would love see the tasting notes you found with each strain. Even if none is better then the other, it would be very useful to know which strains bring out which flavors. Also what type of honey did you use? Many yeasts only highlight flavors already present, therefore if those were not available you wouldn’t notice the difference.
Thank you for all the great mead videos!
al 12 for personal use? o.o
Got my first batch brewing right now, I’m excited, this could be a life long hobby for me.
What were the results of this experiment? Which yeasts performed better?
So after seeing this video I’m now curious, which mead of those batches is your favorite? Also, which yeast produces the best flavor?
So which of your meads did you like the best in this test? What was the best yeast for good flavor?
@romeodelta1178 Congrats on your first batch of mead! glad I could help. Start on your second batch
hey bro, I finally finished my first batch of mead. It came out suprisingly good. Thanks for the advise.
I write a batch number on the strips of tape. This refers me to a sheet of paper where I keep all the information about the batch of mead like yeast, honey, fruits added, date started, racking, all the usual fermenting information. I update that sheet as I work on the mead.
what info is on the strips of tape?
Congratulations on your adventure into mead making. You should use a hydrometer to insure your mead is ready to be bottled. What you can do is just wait it out! Once that airlock has stopped bubbling. You can rack again and wait another month then you should be ok to bottle. Usually 3 months is long enough to bottle. depends on recipe and yeast though and will vary a bit. You are racking this weekend, I say after a month you rack again one more time. Then a month later you could safely bottle.
I have a mead question:
I made a gallon of mead, and its been a month, its bubbling, clarified, and settled. I’m going to rack it this weekend, into another carboy for further fermentation. But I used champagne yeast, and I’m worried about making bottle bombs when I do eventually rack it. how do i determine that the fermentation is finished before bottling the mead to prevent bottle bombs?
Thank you !!! This looks like a lot of fun.
Variations in color, flavor and alcohol content but none of these batches really stands above the rest. Ends up to mostly just be a matter of taste and preference. They are all aging so there may be a significan difference. I will know after the next tasting later this year.
So, what happened? How were they?
This is a viking’s wet dream
How is this coming along? I would love to see the differences you found!
A week seems to be a little fast. Probably ok though. Keep an eye on it, may start bubbling again once it settles in.
it was a week in the bucket. it sped up after a while and then slowed down a little bit. i think its ok tho
It is probably ok. How long was it in the bucket before you transferred it?
i just put mine in the carboy from the bucket today. but its bubbleing really slowly. is there something wrong?
dude i’m jealous. your 12 batches and expert mead lab puts the three first time trials i have in my dorm to shame.
dude you are a genius!!!! i like your style!!
My local store had a good deal on mead recently, three 70cl bottles for £10 so i’ve stocked up. I like its nice.
VERY well done!!! I’ve been making Meade for almost 30 years now- keeping things CLEAN, and having a “lab-sterile” workplace, is KEY to good meade- that, and TIME! You cannot make GOOD meade in six months, I don’t care WHO says you can! It takes FIVE YEARS, to make a TRULY FINE MEADE! This, is why NONE are currently commercially available! I highly reccomend making your own- it is the only way, to get the best!
Yes, if it is still fermenting, the gases are still building up so you can’t cork it. Or it might explode.
I have always used corks. I tend not to trust the screw on tops for long periods of time. You will be aging yuor mead for quite a while. I would err on the side of caution.
A lot of people say bentoninte is the same no matter the packaging. I wouldn’t risk it. I would buy bentonite specifically for wine makers. You have some fun meads going
It’s an interesting, nearly addictive process, isn’t it? I’m experimenting w/out having gone through the whole thing yet. Have seven gallons with different honeys; first three were basic then sid one with lemons, one with blueberries and lemons, one with cherries and one set aside as champaigne.
Went to my local whole foods store and found Bentonite, but it’s in liquid form, the dirrections are only for human consumption. Think I need advice from a mead-savy guru.
@kareninthesun pretty well for my first time i think. i racked the mead twice before i bottled it. ive already started a second batch of four gallons and hope they will come out better now that i have some experience.
When I’m ready to bottle the mead, is there any difference in what type of bottles to use or capping intructions compairing corks, types of corks, or even screw tops instead of corks? In researching, wines in general are actually preferred to be in bottles with screw topped lids, but the general public feels like part of the process of opening wine needs corks. Since I work with stained glass projects, I always have pretty bottles people donate to recycle. I’d rather save and reuse some for mead
@epicfantasy
If you are continuing to let it ferment, do you hold back on the corking yet until it gets bottled the final time?
@21lax How’d it go?
@Billpete002
you don’t need a carboy, thank goodness! I started making mead because a friend of mine who runs a Renaissance Faire was sharing how easy it was to make. I figured that if she could make it with the very limited time she had, well, I was encouraged to try. Will, at stormthecastle’s site was a huge, huge help!
@basilhays
I wondered the same thing, but to play it safe, bought a new ear cleaner, the kind that looks like a bulb to clean ears out. Bought the kind that comes apart, just to add another layer of confidence in cleaning this particular unit out after using it. I don’t think it will be problematic since I’m using it to blow air out, and won’t find out for at least another two weeks when my first batch of mead is ready to rack.
@leeroinkard
Hi! If you’re referring to the tubing, I got mine at Home Depot. Under 3 dollars, it was a bargain!
what is the siphon you are using called and where did you get it? it looks pretty awesome.
here’s a suggestion, especially because you’re finnish. Check out better bottle plastic carboys, which are lightweight and plastic and they’re made for making wine, so no plastic taste gets in the alcohol. They work wonders for me. Should help with the shipping costs
On the subject of sanitization, do you use a filter when you are blowing into the jug to begin the siphon?
Right now I have 24 L fermenting and it’s the third day and I’m getting 18 bubbles per minute – so I suppose it’s working well.
I still haven’t found a carboy here in Finland – (doesn’t want to pay shipping on glass) – but the it smells good and your steps were a huge help!
HI, Generally you want to keep the air space as small as possible. i have had great success witthout paying much attention to air space. But you might have an awful lot of it there. I would go with smaller tubs just be sure, especially if you are a new mead maker.
Hey epicfantasy – great website and information. I have two 30 liter buckets for making mead (with airlocks etc.) I am wondering about racking the mead into the other container – how much air in the tub is too much? Should I just get smaller tubs?
I would say it would be a good rule of thumb to leave it in the new jug for another month or two then you can bottle it, or rack it again to get it even cleaner and crisper.
OK, I am very new to mead making. So new in fact, that I am making my first batch in an Arrowhead one gallon bottle.
I was wondering what the general timeline for mead was. My batch has fermented for about 4 weeks now, and I am planning to rack it tommorow.
However, I dont know what to do after that. If you have any tips, they would be much appreciated.
Excellent question. Lot of people ask this question. After you rack it you should let it continue to ferment. But at this point it is going through the aging process. Generally, depending on the recipe, you should let it age for a couple of months before bottling then let it age a few months more before drinking. Different recipes will be different but that generally what I do.
This might be a stupid question, but I’m new to the racking process and I’m not sure what to do after this.
Is the alcohol now ready to drink right away? Or is it now aged without another racking? Or should I continue the brewing process and then rack again later?
I never top off. Doesn’t seem to be an issue.
Hi, I put the airlock back on. And because of the long period of time I frequently check the airlock to make sure it stays full of water.
You also stated this is now ready for bulk aging – are you putting a holeless bung on this during the aging process or are you putitng the airlock back on after you racked this? Thanks.