So this is my first attempt at making mead, and just to keep it interesting, I bumped my head and decided to make an 18% abv sweet mead.
Here is what I have done so far and the ingredients I used.
Bought all my equipment today, washed and sanitized it.
Mixed approx. 20# (7 quarts) of honey with hot tap water from my deep well to obtain an OG of 1.138. Shook and stirred vigorously to oxygenate.
Mixed 1 package of Lalvin EC-1118 in warm water according to directions. I have read that even though 5g is enough for 6 gallons, two packages are recommended for this process.
Mixed 1 tsp DAP with 1/2 tsp. Wyeast wine nutrient blend and mixed 1/4 th of the mixture with the yeast. Progressive supplementation.
Dumped the frothy mess into the fermenter and mixed it into the must.
Stuck an airlock and bung on top of the carboy.
Lessons learned so far.
1. Do not pour boiling water into anything made of PET. It was recommended that well water be boiled before using. I dutifully followed instructions and poured the still very hot but no longer boiling water into my brand new primary. Rut-roh. Got cold water into it fast enough to not cause any significant deformation. So much for the boiled well water.
2. It is easier to mix the honey and water together in a large pot than it is to mix it in the carboy. Now I know why plastic buckets work well as primary fermenters.
3. Do not put the airlock on when the carboy is still warmer than room temperature.
More to come...
Here is what I have done so far and the ingredients I used.
Bought all my equipment today, washed and sanitized it.
Mixed approx. 20# (7 quarts) of honey with hot tap water from my deep well to obtain an OG of 1.138. Shook and stirred vigorously to oxygenate.
Mixed 1 package of Lalvin EC-1118 in warm water according to directions. I have read that even though 5g is enough for 6 gallons, two packages are recommended for this process.
Mixed 1 tsp DAP with 1/2 tsp. Wyeast wine nutrient blend and mixed 1/4 th of the mixture with the yeast. Progressive supplementation.
Dumped the frothy mess into the fermenter and mixed it into the must.
Stuck an airlock and bung on top of the carboy.
Lessons learned so far.
1. Do not pour boiling water into anything made of PET. It was recommended that well water be boiled before using. I dutifully followed instructions and poured the still very hot but no longer boiling water into my brand new primary. Rut-roh. Got cold water into it fast enough to not cause any significant deformation. So much for the boiled well water.
2. It is easier to mix the honey and water together in a large pot than it is to mix it in the carboy. Now I know why plastic buckets work well as primary fermenters.
3. Do not put the airlock on when the carboy is still warmer than room temperature.
More to come...