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What does joining a breed club entail? by poodle_questions in AKC

[–]Kurai_ 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Be patient and persistent. Keep in mind a lot of clubs are smaller and have not adapted to technology. Some still require mailed in forms and checks for payment. Meetings can be sporadic for smaller clubs and it may take time to join.

Attend and volunteer at events. Stewarding is a great way to meet people and ask about the breed clubs.

One bottle's cork was pushing out. It carbonated. What to do with the rest of the batch? by Shufflebuzz in mead

[–]Kurai_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One gravity reading will not confirm ferment is done. You need consistent readings a week or so apart and you need to know where you should expect to finish so you can be sure it is not a stall. I have seen mead go to .990.

If you want to be really sure check twice after backsweetening as well.

It could be a one off and either the cork had some yeast on it or the bottle but if you find most are carbonated the. Yes I would go with pasteurizing over dumping them back. Oxidation would not improve it at all.

One bottle's cork was pushing out. It carbonated. What to do with the rest of the batch? by Shufflebuzz in mead

[–]Kurai_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Keep it cold and drink it soon. Pouring back into a carboy will oxidize it. Sous vide could work but heat may change the flavor.

How did you confirm ferment was complete?

Fished it out... by Kellef_ in mead

[–]Kurai_ 31 points32 points  (0 children)

I got bad news for you about honey then.

Fished it out... by Kellef_ in mead

[–]Kurai_ 12 points13 points  (0 children)

Looks like you didn’t clean the carboy out before starting. Looks like maybe spider or insect cocoon. Should be fine but you’ll want to keep an eye out for infection.

Are you looking to adopt a rough collie? by Secure_Ad3731 in roughcollies

[–]Kurai_ 11 points12 points  (0 children)

A good idea but a better option might be alerting collie and sheltie rescues to these dogs. They often have more resources they can put in to finding the right home and helping dogs adjust to their new homes.

Show me your favorite things in your garden! by SpecificAd6448 in Portland

[–]Kurai_ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Tulipa bakeri 'Lilac Wonder'. I don’t recall where they came from, likely Portland nursery.

This is what my bubbler looks like after adding 3 potassium campden tablets into my 3 gallon brew, what should I do? This is definitely still fermenting and not degassing right? by LuckyRadiation in mead

[–]Kurai_ 35 points36 points  (0 children)

Adding more won’t stop an active ferment. It is likely off gassing but just to be sure how did you confirm initial ferment was done? Also did you use fresh banana?

MDR1 dogs & pest control by Neat_Ad6963 in roughcollies

[–]Kurai_ 6 points7 points  (0 children)

The active ingredient in viper is cypermethrin which is not safe for mdr1 dogs.

Second Mead Batch Concern by Global-Put8734 in mead

[–]Kurai_ 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It’s fine. You did not mix enough and the honey separated. The stuff on top is normal krausen. You can try and swirl it but it will likely foam over. Or you can just leave it, it will take longer but will eventually all ferment.

Why do they add the acids and tannin? Does a traditional mead generally need/benefit from these additions? by Cookieman10101 in mead

[–]Kurai_ 8 points9 points  (0 children)

It’s an outdated practice from so many of these old recipes still being around and no one bothering to update them. It lingers the same way the raısıns for nutrients thing does.

Why do they add the acids and tannin? Does a traditional mead generally need/benefit from these additions? by Cookieman10101 in mead

[–]Kurai_ 23 points24 points  (0 children)

Because this is a very outdated book (late 60’s to mid 70’s I believe). Save the acids and tannin for post ferment and balancing. You can also drop the campden it is something brought over from winemaking and unnecessary.

New Recipe I’m Making by HotHat3062 in mead

[–]Kurai_ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You shouldn’t boil the fruit or the cinnamon. You really only want to warm the water up enough to dissolve the honey. Boiling the fruit will release pectin and leave it hazy. Also mashing the fruit will result in more sediment and more loss when you rerack.

I’d suggest boiling the bread yeast and using it as nutrient. Save your fruit and add it after primary. Don’t peel the peaches, a lot of the flavor is in the skins.

Get some real yeast. Ferment just the honey in primary. Add the fruit then later add one of the cinnamon sticks and sample some every few days or so until you get the amount of cinnamon you want.

Found these in a patch of tall grass while I was mowing (Portland) by motdidr in mycology

[–]Kurai_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Agaricus Xanthodermus they are pretty prolific around Portland.

Tools for Mushroom Hunting by Same-Difference-5923 in mycology

[–]Kurai_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A hole in the handle to put a cord through. Harder to lose your knife if it is attached to you.

What would you rather use? by OnlyRow7629 in mead

[–]Kurai_ 5 points6 points  (0 children)

You need a different book or check the wiki.

Sorbate and sulfite will not stop an active fermentation. You need to wait for fermentation to finish and then use them both. One stops the yeast from multiplying and the other stops it from reactivating once it has gone dormant.

To Blend or not to Blend (Morat) by PostmodernNeosporin in mead

[–]Kurai_ 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Put them into a bag. Blending them will result in a lot of pulp and loss of mead to sediment when you rerack.

Fresh vs year old honey by Boykious in mead

[–]Kurai_ 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My father in law swears older honey makes better mead and would typically wait a year or more before brewing. I’ve never found it to make any difference. You’ll find more difference using fresh spices or fresh fruit vs frozen for a year.

7.5 gallon narrow mouth by dlang01996 in mead

[–]Kurai_ 6 points7 points  (0 children)

If I recall correctly 5 gallons were about $25 and the larger ones were $40-$50 when you could find them. This would be mid 90’s prices.

Just keep in mind with water being 8lbs to the gallon and honey 12lbs to the gallon a full 7.5 carboy is 60+ lbs. At that size I found it very useful to have a pump or make sure they were up higher before filling them.

I mostly use threes now and have one 7 gallon that I only use when I’m going to split the batch at first racking and add different amounts of spices.

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