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Mead Fermentation Control
I've fermented and bottled two meads to date, and have one in primary (about 3 weeks) right now.
Here is some information as to my brewing environment. I live in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California, and the summers (and even winters) are very warm. It is not atypical for a July day to be in excess of 100 degrees (F). Being cheap and green the air conditioner is off during the day when my wife and I are both at work. Also, as space and resources are limited, my only form of temperature control is a water bath in the tub of the second bathroom and I['m not buying another fridge). It is a full size tub that even in the hot summer the water maintains a temperature of 64-68 degrees. The bathroom does not have any external walls and with the door shut maintains a pretty consistent air temp as well.
The first mead I made turned out great. No higher fusel alcohols, perfectly carbonated and very drinkable. I made a five gallon batch that had an OG around 1.100. I boiled the honey in aprrox. 2.5 gal of water, cooled, and added sanitary water to the 5 gal mark. Aerated via shaking, pitched the yeast and let sit in the bathroom, NOT in the water bath for approx 2 months, probably near 70 degrees. I then bottled it and by pure chance, without the addition of additional sugar, it continued to ferment in the bottle. I realize that I got lucky and had no control of fermentation.(This was early on in my brewing experience). I could have very easily had bottle bombs instead of a very drinkable mead.
The second mead I made was a melomel with raspberries. I used the same type of recipe, 12lbs of honey to 5 gal of water; I then added two 16 oz cans of Oregon brand canned raspberries. This brand is highly recommended by others in the multiple forums. This time I did everything I though was right. I controlled fermentation temp in the mid to upper 60s for nearly 2 months. I racked the mead 3 times and each time I was leaving a great deal of solids behind. After 3 months I though the mead was fully attenuated (although I didn't record my measurements) added priming sugar and bottled. This mead is hot....I mean really hot. Almost undrinkably hot. I realize that the additional fructose sugars would bump the alcohol content but I can't believe how undrinkable it us considering the low fermentation temp. Having made this mead I think I would definitely the secondary after a good long primary ferment but am still confused on why the hot alcohols.
My questions are as follows.
1) What temp do you all ferment at?
2) What yeast do you all use? In both of my meads I have used Wyest Sweat Mead.
3) When do you add any additions to the mead
4) When do you consider primary fermentation complete (i.e. 60% attenuation, 70% attenuation, 80% attenuation, etc)? Although a sweat mead and a dry mead are different in tast they attenuation of the yeast typically are closer then one would imagine.
5) Do you warm your meads at the end of fermentation to gut a full attenuation? I did this after several months of the raspberry melomel and although it was very well attenuated it is possible that this is where the hotness came from.
6) Will the hot alcohols 'age out'? It’s been in the bottle about 5 months now and there is still plenty of heat, just curious what others have experienced over the course of many months to years.
7) Do you use yeast pitching rates similar to beer. (i.e. for a gravity in excess of 1.080 do you build a starter, or even ramp up to build a large starter)
Thanks
1) I am not as much of a stickler on temp for meads. But my frementing area stays at 65-70F all year.
2) I have had good luck with Champange yeast, SafeAle-05, sweet & dry mead yeast. It depends on what i want. A lower attenuating yeast will produce a sweeter mead.
3) I have done meads where fruit is added to the boil. Some where the fruit is added to the primary after the boil. Then some I have done where I allow the yeast to work on the must a while befor racking onto the fruit in the secondary. To be honest the only one I'd not recomend is adding to the boil. Seems to me that boiling fruit just makes it bitter.
4) I won't leave mead or beer in the primary for more than 4 weeks. And for mead I rack every 4 weeks there after until it's bottled. I don't like the idea of leaving it set on all that trub. Besides racking is a good time to take gravities, make a taste test, repitch yeast, add fruit and so on. It's easier to correct problems as they happen vs dealing with them after it's done.
5) I try to maintain a stable temp throughout the ferment.
6) Meads will mellow with age. But aging isn't a cure all.
7) I pitch according to the expected original gravity and always pitch with a good starter.
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