This site here talks about nitrogen needs of yeast strains and the calculations for each
http://www.meadmaderight.com/tosna.html
http://www.meadmaderight.com/tosna.html
Homebrew day
- Thread starter Tinwhistler
- Start date
Day 1: added approx 1.5 tsp Fermaid 0 (and will do so for the next 2 days). Degassed with wine whip.
Since it was only 24 hours since I pitched the yeast, I didn't expect much from the whip, but it made about 1.5 inches foam on top of the mead. I was super surprised. If there was that much co2 in suspension, I'm imagining that the yeast are feeling much more frisky with it gone.
Since it was only 24 hours since I pitched the yeast, I didn't expect much from the whip, but it made about 1.5 inches foam on top of the mead. I was super surprised. If there was that much co2 in suspension, I'm imagining that the yeast are feeling much more frisky with it gone.
I had a choice today: Bottle the SNA mead, or bottle the strawberry wine I started in October.
Wife made the choice for me: Strawberry wine
My high-tech logging system.
I use the filter every time now. But it's still a bit messy. You get a little loss, but it's worth it to me.
A newish bottle filler I've tried out a couple times now. It's like a gas station pump: When the liquid hits the bottom of the filler tube, it shuts off and is ready to put in a new bottle.
The final product. It's pretty dang good.
Wife made the choice for me: Strawberry wine
My high-tech logging system.
I use the filter every time now. But it's still a bit messy. You get a little loss, but it's worth it to me.
A newish bottle filler I've tried out a couple times now. It's like a gas station pump: When the liquid hits the bottom of the filler tube, it shuts off and is ready to put in a new bottle.
The final product. It's pretty dang good.
Back in March, I think it was, I started a new mead - intending to make a s'mores mead, using caramelized mesquite honey and raw meadowfoam honey, I was going to then rack onto toasted cacao nibs and a split and scraped vanilla bean; that plan went out the window when I very quickly needed something to do with about 3 lbs of blueberries left over from our u-pick adventure. So now I guess I'll have a blueberry botchet.
I was inspired yesterday to bring this back upstairs for a taste. It's pretty good. It's a little hot, as a young mead is wont to be, but it's also very strong and sweet. I think it's time to find some clean glass to age this one in and move on to the next brewing project. No idea what that's going to be yet.
For the information of everybody in the Halifax area (@HCGLNS , @Squidleybits , and Nick at the least... I can't remember username to tag) I recommend the Annapolis Cider Company in Wolfville. You can sometimes find some of their stuff at NSLC, but their store is the only "reliable" way to find it. Damned fine cider in many varieties. Gared, you're making me desire some of what we have at home tonight, but I have the whole workday to wait until I get some.
shhhh! I know the place.Mmm.... good cider. We have a couple of local cideries that are pretty good, but a lot of the big names down here are still using shitty applewine and mixing in artificial flavors at bottling time, or adding juice to a dead ferment, so you get a horribly sweet, off-tasting cider that tastes like warm Budweiser and Fruit Loops.For the information of everybody in the Halifax area (@HCGLNS , @Squidleybits , and Nick at the least... I can't remember username to tag) I recommend the Annapolis Cider Company in Wolfville. You can sometimes find some of their stuff at NSLC, but their store is the only "reliable" way to find it. Damned fine cider in many varieties. Gared, you're making me desire some of what we have at home tonight, but I have the whole workday to wait until I get some.
This was supposed to be FASTER, but every weekend, I've had something going on. I am just now getting around to bottling this...8 months later.It's a lot more work, but supposedly, will produce a mead that finishes fermenting in 14 days and is drinkable after 30.
We'll see how it goes
It's so pretty.
I have near 120 bottles of homebrew in the basement of various sorts. I have plenty to keep me occupied while the next batch works.
Any 5 gallon recipe nets me around 22-25 bottles of booze. I drink maybe twice a month.
The real worry is if my *wife* likes it, and I only make a 2 gallon batch (like my first strawberry).
Mead bottling day! Simple mead, nothing special about it. Also the laziest mead I've ever made.
I pitched some old yeast, and it didn't work. So the next day I pitched some new yeast, and saw fermentation.
Then I did absolutely fuck-all. First week, I'd think to myself "I should aerate." or "how bout step feeding." Later, I'd see it and go "I should rack that to a new carboy this weekend." or "hmm. maybe I should bottle that." Nope. Did jack shit of nothing for 154 days, until today.
Bottling day, I guess
The real prize is that while scouring the mead closet for empty bottles, I ran across 4 bottles of strawberry wine that I thought we ran out of in 2018.
I pitched some old yeast, and it didn't work. So the next day I pitched some new yeast, and saw fermentation.
Then I did absolutely fuck-all. First week, I'd think to myself "I should aerate." or "how bout step feeding." Later, I'd see it and go "I should rack that to a new carboy this weekend." or "hmm. maybe I should bottle that." Nope. Did jack shit of nothing for 154 days, until today.
Bottling day, I guess
The real prize is that while scouring the mead closet for empty bottles, I ran across 4 bottles of strawberry wine that I thought we ran out of in 2018.
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New mead in the new house. Texas "raw, organic" honey. I have my doubts about the "raw" part, as I saw no bits of bees or honeycomb in the honey, so I imagine it's been filtered. Which means it's not "raw". Though it says it hasn't been.
That said, it's nice to hear the pitter patter of a couple trillion tiny feet in the new house.
edit: It's alive
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4.5 months later, bottling time! First mead in the new house.
I keep thinking it's D&D related.
Does kombucha belong in here? I used to brew a lot of beer and wine, but I tend to have some crazy allergic reactions to almost all beer and most wine now. Kombucha doesn’t bother me, so figured I’d give it a try.
This is my first try at it. I have one green tea and one black tea. I built up the scoby from some commercial kombucha, and just started the main fermentation. We’ll see how it goes.
This is my first try at it. I have one green tea and one black tea. I built up the scoby from some commercial kombucha, and just started the main fermentation. We’ll see how it goes.
It's brewing...knock yourself out! I'm glad to see others posting!
First taste of the new mead. It tastes aged already...no hot flavors to age out. And no off flavors like I can sometimes get (touch of sulfur, a touch of yeast bite, etc). I think the new conical fermenter is a winner. It tastes so clean when fresh out of the fridge, it's almost got no flavor at all. But once it's warmed up 10 or 15 degrees F, those wonderful honeycomb notes come out. It's pretty dang tasty.
Fermented lemonade, just in time for the hot season
GasBandit
Staff member
It never even occurred to me to ferment lemons... what does it taste like? Is it different than just... vodka and lemonade?
It tastes like lemonade. It's about 18% alcohol, so there's a *very* minor alcohol taste to it, but it's mostly just like homemade lemonade. You can drink a couple 16 ounce glasses of this on a hot day, and not realize you've had the equivalent of 6-7 shots of vodka until you try to stand up
Yes, because it’s less of a mixed drink and more like lemonade wine.
There’s nothing preventing you from fermenting your favorite Ocean Spray other than the time and the pinch of preservative they add.
—Patrick
My kinda drink
So, the lemonade was a failure. Sigh.
I had help at bottling time, and the person helping me couldn't quit futzing with the filter pump. I'd told her it was a bit leaky and that the overflow hole was too narrow, so the drip tray would fill up. I set that expectation. But she kept fiddling with it anyway, and tipped over the pump into the overflow liquid. I figured things were fine because the motor didn't die. But all the skeeter pee ended up tasting like motor oil. So, it went down the drain. And, I had to buy a new filter. But things have come a long way in 20 years, and I got a much better filtration system for my next batch of brew. And since I bought a new filter, I figured I could buy another conical fermenter at the same time.
Speaking of which:
I had help at bottling time, and the person helping me couldn't quit futzing with the filter pump. I'd told her it was a bit leaky and that the overflow hole was too narrow, so the drip tray would fill up. I set that expectation. But she kept fiddling with it anyway, and tipped over the pump into the overflow liquid. I figured things were fine because the motor didn't die. But all the skeeter pee ended up tasting like motor oil. So, it went down the drain. And, I had to buy a new filter. But things have come a long way in 20 years, and I got a much better filtration system for my next batch of brew. And since I bought a new filter, I figured I could buy another conical fermenter at the same time.
Speaking of which:
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Because homebrew is messy
And since I have to wait two whole months for my country wine, I'm making this fast pumpkin wine.
I will *not* be sealing with chewed bubblegum.
I'll report in later