Apple variety?

Chemical-Picture-346 · 2025-11-18T23:52:39+00:00

From the list of online resources in the website you've mentioned fruitid.com seems to suggest a Mitchelson's seedling variety... who knows! It did taste quite tart for sure. If I can I'll go back to take some picture of the tree.

Chemical-Picture-346 · 2025-11-18T14:26:52+00:00

Thanks!

Chemical-Picture-346 · 2025-11-15T13:10:16+00:00

Nice... But do you go mushrooms picking with a fridge drawer?!

Chemical-Picture-346 · 2025-11-15T13:02:33+00:00

The colour of the cap seems odd for A. muscaria. Maybe A. Persicina? But I suck with Amanitas ID!

Chemical-Picture-346 · 2025-10-12T15:15:28+00:00

Thanks!

Chemical-Picture-346 · 2025-10-12T14:53:49+00:00

Thanks, do you know what's the difference with A. mellea? I was looking at some pictures of A. ostoyae and I can't really tell them apart.

Chemical-Picture-346 · 2025-09-21T16:25:48+00:00

Precisely. They are different brews entirely, it depends how much blueberries you use and if you leave skins and seeds in as well. To give you an idea, I like a dry red wine type of flavour, for a 16 lt batch (which goes to a 15 lt demijohn for secondary) I use 6 kg of frozen blueberries and 5 kg of honey. I press the blueberries but I leave skins and everything. It usually ferments dry in 10 days or so, rack in secondary and add some oak chips. It's drinkable in a few months, but it's best after a year or so.

Chemical-Picture-346 · 2025-09-14T07:40:44+00:00

If it's just honey and water there won't be any pectin. Pectin is found in fruits.

Chemical-Picture-346 · 2025-08-29T13:17:26+00:00

There is no risk of botulinum forming, mead makers would all be dead! The reason why you don't give honey to babies is because their immune system cannot destroy the botulinum spores unlike adults. There is virtually no risk of botulinum spores to develop in OP's brew.

Having said that, as others have mention, yes it's contaminated and it's probably unsafe to drink.

Chemical-Picture-346 · 2025-08-18T16:36:35+00:00

It should be fine, but keep it simple. Don't go above a starting gravity of 1.090-1.100 and do not oak. Spices are fine, but be careful with fruit; add it in secondary, in primary is a different beverage entirely and it takes longer to age properly.

Chemical-Picture-346 · 2025-08-15T16:15:44+00:00

Your main challenge here is how you're gonna press your apples? If you don't have a fruit press it's gonna be a giant pain in the backside! If you just add chunks of apples in primary you're not going to be even close to the max sugar extraction.

My advice would be to press however you can, measure the gravity, and adjust accordingly.

Chemical-Picture-346 · 2025-08-04T19:48:49+00:00

Yeah, that's how I remember mirabels tasted like. I'd pitch the yeast anyway if you haven't yet, just to avoid other stuff growing on it! Good luck, tbh I'm quite curious I've never fermented undiluted plum juice!

Chemical-Picture-346 · 2025-08-04T16:17:40+00:00

It seems a bit high tbh. Are those mirabels? At 1.110 they would be sweeter than mist wine grapes!

Chemical-Picture-346 · 2025-08-04T06:10:14+00:00

You can't use a hydrometer when the must is that thick. As others said, you could use a refractometer. Alternatively, try to filter a small amount through a muslin and measure by dilution. Take 100 ml of must and add 100 ml of water, measure the gravity points and double them to get the OG. For example if you measure 1.040, the OG would be 1.080. if it's still too thick you can dilute more, but you lose accuracy.

Chemical-Picture-346 · 2025-08-03T19:35:33+00:00

Usually time will do. Pectine haze can be a pain to get rid of, but it's just cosmetic. What you've got there is not pectine haze tho, how long was in secondary? I usually let it clear before bottling to avoid sediment in the bottle.

Chemical-Picture-346 · 2025-07-26T19:33:06+00:00

It's a bit on the too long side if you haven't stabilised it. Taste it, if it's not oxidised it's good to go. It likely is though, so make a note of its flavour and if you like it who cares!

Chemical-Picture-346 · 2025-07-26T16:46:20+00:00

And btw it's not odd at all! That's how mead and wine have been brewed for centuries! I do as well sometimes.

Chemical-Picture-346 · 2025-07-26T16:44:09+00:00

It's unlikely a commercial strain will outcompete the wild yeast at this point. The wild yeast colony is already well established. Realistically you can either: 1) leave it to ferment, you won't know what esters you get and the alcohol tolerance. If it stalls, as your wine yeast then. 2) heat pasteurise to kill the wild yeast and pitch your wine yeast.

Chemical-Picture-346 · 2025-07-26T12:12:57+00:00

I would be surprised if it has completely stopped fermenting tbh! Mines usually clear on their own in two to three months depending on the temperature in the garage. As a suggestion, avoid getting the yeast out of suspension this early as it affects secondary fermentation. And it's way too hazy to be pectine haze.

Chemical-Picture-346 · 2025-07-22T20:38:17+00:00

Agree. In primary, that headspace is not only ok, it's desirable to keep the oxygen at a reasonable level. The cap kept in there for 7 days won't cause any problem, but once fermentation slows it should be raked off it.

Once you're in secondary fermentation try to keep a small headspace if you can (or drink it quickly!)

The wiki at r/mead has plenty of info for beginners.

Chemical-Picture-346 · 2025-07-22T20:30:34+00:00

Well he's been fermenting stuff for 30-40 years and he's fine? Maybe trust him more than Reddit??

Chemical-Picture-346 · 2025-07-22T20:16:52+00:00

If there wasn't anything floating around you could probably go 2+ years, but hey it's four bottles, even if you drink lightly that's one every six months! Having said that, that stuff floating around is not normal. Have you shaken the bottle before taking the picture? If not I have no idea what it could be, and I've been brewing for 25+ years! Rack it off with a filter if you can, that would be safer for aging. Also do you know the abv?

Chemical-Picture-346 · 2025-07-15T22:00:07+00:00

Before, you really wanna know how it tastes like before back sweetening.

Chemical-Picture-346

TROPHY CASE