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Mead Lovers Digest #0101
Mead Lover's Digest #101 Sat 20 March 1993
Forum for Discussion of Mead Brewing and Consuming
John Dilley, Digest Coordinator
Contents:
None ("Daniel F McConnell")
Slow yeast in very high gravity mead (Jay Hersh)
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Date: 19 Mar 1993 09:01:26 -0500
From: "Daniel F McConnell" <Daniel.F.McConnell@med.umich.edu>
Subject: None
Subject: Time:8:51 AM
OFFICE MEMO None Date:3/19/93
Julie writes:
>I took a sip and
> 'yuhh! <pucker>LEMONCITRUSACID<pucker>!'
>Yep, I think I must have added too much acid blend. I followed
>the instructions on the kit I got at the homebrew shop and took the
>acidity level up to .8. ...........
>Any comments on the above would be greatly appreciated.
All is not lost, at least you have a good acidic mead that can be used to
blend. Or you could bring the sugar up to a level at which the sugar/acid
comes back into balance...say about 5% residual sugar. Anyway I think you have
the right attitude-make another batch until you get what you want.
Brew on
DanMcC
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Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1993 15:34:41 EST
From: Jay Hersh <hersh@expo.lcs.mit.edu>
Subject: Slow yeast in very high gravity mead
Howdy folks.
Well I finally got off my a** and made a regular mead with
Apple Blossom Honey I got in 1992 from Paul Correnty of Cider
fame. Being an advocate of pasteurization (not boiling) as
is Dan Fink I steeped the 12 lbs (1 gallon jug) of honey in
1 gallon of water at 190F for 40 minutes. To this I added
1 gallon of 40 degree bottled water.
Oh yes, to the original preboiled gallon of water I added
yeast nutrient, 1.5 oz of acid blend, and Gypsum.
However the mixture was not at the 95 pitching temp, so I took
advantage of yon blizzard and set the carbouy out on the covered
porch until it got cool enough to pitch.
The original gravity topped 1.120!!
I followed past appraoches which had been successful and
add Red Star Pasteur Champagne Yeast directly from the packet.
24 hours later, very little activity, so I did the same with
a packet of Epernay 2. Still present but not vigorous fermentation.
So then on Tuesday I rehydrated some Pasteur CHampagne in water that
I first boled, then cooled to 95F as per packet instructions. I
then added this to the must. There is definite fermentation going on
but all my past meads have been pretty vigorous.
The one major difference is that my house averages 63 degrees
about now, and past meads have mostly been made in late spring
to early autumn, when house temps were 70-85F. Of course I ain't
heating my house to that temp now!!
I also wonder if so high an original gravity could have an effect
on the yeast. Simply dumping from a packet, or even rehydrating in
water then adding to a 1.120 must probably shocked most of them
to death.
Perhaps I should make up a high gravity starter and try starting
them in something at say 1.050 to 1.060 to ease them into the
1.120 must??
Anyone else have experience with very high gravity musts??
All my other meads started at 1.080 or thereabouts, so this
is new territory for me.
Thanks,
JaH
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End of Mead Lover's Digest
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