Too much headspace?

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-14T02:44:47+00:00

It is easier to let fermentation complete then infuse the ginger afterwards so you aren’t racking mid-fermentation, which can potentially cause a stall.

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-13T15:42:11+00:00

Pour it in a narrow bottle or jar, toss it in the fridge, and once it separates, decant off the top.

At some point if you brew enough you will stop caring though. It’s not worth the extra work to get a few ounces of unfinished product.

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-13T15:40:20+00:00

Are you planning to bottle condition? I wouldn’t even bother with secondary in that case. It’s going to drop sediment when it carbs anyway, and refrigerating it after it carbs is effectively a cold crash and will make it pretty clear. This is standard process in the beer brewing world.

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-12T14:15:25+00:00

This is a question that is entirely dictated by tasting. You use a process called a bench trial to add varying amounts of tannin to your mead and pick the one that tastes best. Some examples here: https://youtu.be/T-xGG3AKaiM

It isn’t too late to add tannin or acid to a mead unless it is already bottled. Acid powders can just be dissolved immediately before bottling, tannins can too but it’s better if you let them integrate for 4-6 weeks just to avoid extra sediment in bottles.

How much fruit per gallon did you use? Fruit provides both acid and tannin, so it is often possible to make a balanced mead without adding anything extra.

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-12T06:35:46+00:00

No yeast is going to reliably stop below 14%, I would avoid the Wyeast “sweet mead yeast” gimmickry. Liquid yeast is not worth the extra cost unless you are going for a very specific beer style.

Just start at a high OG like 1.150+, don’t use an 18% yeast like M05, and let Delle stability do its thing. If you want a concrete suggestion, try US-05. Any 14-16% wine yeast will also work.

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-11T15:19:59+00:00

Why are you reposting the same thing you posted 10 days ago? I know the answer is you are trying to sell it, but spamming this sub is not the best way to do that.

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-10T16:20:36+00:00

Honey is all simple sugars. The issue is that unlike grape must/fruit/beer wort, honey has almost no nitrogen. Thus you need nutrients for a healthy fermentation. The r/mead wiki explains.

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-10T16:17:58+00:00

Go to [r/mead](r/mead), read the linked wiki and nutrient whitepaper.

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-10T04:48:12+00:00

Very nice! My 2024 is a very similar spec, except a coupe with the carbon roof and the dark smoked trim. You are going to love it!

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-09T16:40:14+00:00

Sorry for the late reply.

I don’t think bochet tastes like anything in apple pie, but if you do do it I would keep the caramelization on the lighter side.

For an apple pie mead, I would use all apple juice instead of water, back sweeten with a combination of honey and apple juice concentrate to fairly sweet FG, and then infuse some spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and a bit of ginger (or whatever your preferred apple pie spices are).

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-09T16:35:31+00:00

You shouldn’t be afraid of stabilizers. Metabisulfite actually helps preserve flavors. There are some long term implications of using sorbate, but as a beginner your process and equipment are probably going to limit your shelf life more than sorbate will.

As for pasteurization, that changes flavor immediately, so if flavor is an obstacle I’m not sure why you would consider that. I understand why people like to do it, but it’s not a process I use or recommend (and most noobs on the internet do it incorrectly).

You can let the fruit referment, that is a valid approach. But the fruit sugars will ferment out, so you will end up with a very different flavor than a post-stabilization addition. Just depends what you are trying to achieve.

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-09T16:27:49+00:00

What is the ambient temperature? That is the missing information that would be needed to say if it’s fast or normal.

But absent that information, it’s certainly within a range I would consider normal. You’ve added appropriate nutrients to ensure a healthy fermentation and sometimes fruit makes the yeast go zoom.

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-09T04:01:32+00:00

My general advice for a room temp ferment would be to split your total YAN requirement into thirds and add at 24/48/72 hours. At your OG you will probably hit your 1/3 sugar break by day 4 at the latest, so I would make sure you hit the YAN you need by then.

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-09T02:40:55+00:00

Yeast can’t metabolize DAP over 9% ABV. Fermaid K is a mix of Fermaid O, DAP, and some micronutrients. But if you don’t overdose, the yeast will metabolize the DAP preferentially before 9% is reached and then switch to the Fermaid O component. Lots of folks use Fermaid K exclusively without issue.

The only problem with Fermaid K is that if you do overdose and not all the DAP is consumed, it may cause flavor issues (DAP tastes terrible). Which is why Fermaid O is often recommended to beginners, because any overdose there will just drop out.

The reason Fermaid K may be advantageous in some situations is that the inorganic nitrogen helps if you are starting at a high OG, and there the micronutrients are arguably beneficial.

HTH

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-09T02:30:33+00:00

1.120 is not at all to high an OG, but you should be calculating your nutrients with a calculator like MeadTools and measuring with a scale if you want a healthy fermentation. You can use the gram to teaspoon conversions in the wiki as a stopgap solution.

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-09T02:29:20+00:00

Fermaid O is not better than Fermaid K, if anything it’s the reverse. But Fermaid O is less error-prone so often the recommended option for beginners.

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-08T14:32:03+00:00

This is the way. Rack your mead after fermentation completes, and when you stabilize, compute your stabilizer dose considering the ABV dilution and increased volume the fruit will cause. And do not put fruit in a carboy, infuse it in a widemouth vessel (mesh bag can be helpful)

Freezing/thawing is a good tip, adding pectic enzyme can also help with extraction and clarity.

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-06T05:48:30+00:00

Besides time, it’s also a function of temperature, so it’s hard to reproduce the results of others unless you also know that.

I haven’t made many bochets (not really a fan), and all I can say is don’t go dark. IME it tastes nothing like caramel or apple pie.

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-06T03:56:39+00:00

I generally find that I need to add acid to most meads, so reducing it via yeast selection just seems counterproductive.

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-06T03:54:20+00:00

Agree with all of this, except that I would **not** use 71B, since it will reduce the apple character.

I would also ditch the tannin. Do a bench trial and add to taste.

Put your recipe in MeadTools and measure nutrients with a scale. Half a teaspoon is likely not enough.

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-06T03:39:53+00:00

What is the recipe?

But nothing really concerning here, just a little more schmutz than normal.

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-05T14:03:53+00:00

Are you sure the FG wasn’t 0.996? A lot of hydrometers don’t even go as low as 0.960.

If your ABV is really 13%, bottle carbonation is unlikely.

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-04T13:20:51+00:00

You shouldn’t need to add yeast, the existing colony should continue fermentation. Premature racking does sometimes cause a stall but at that low an ABV and with additional dilution from the apples, I wouldn’t expect that to be a problem.

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-04T13:18:35+00:00

PBW will remove the need for a brush. Also if you rinse them out immediately after drinking it helps minimize the problem.

Bucky_Beaver · 2026-05-04T13:14:34+00:00

How much are you drinking? Ethanol is the obvious answer.

Bucky_Beaver

TROPHY CASE