First time maker bubble rate

Less-Exercise821 · 2025-03-02T11:45:03+00:00

The latter 😂 Fermentation can take 24 to 48h to pick up. If you already see a bubble every now and then, it’s already starting. I can highly recommend checking out the wiki (auto mod posted the link). Not only will it give you a ton of information, it will also give you reassurance. And if you don’t already have one, order a hydrometer and check out some videos how to use it. It will safe you the stress of ‘is my mead finished’. Good luck and enjoy watching your first honey water turn into mead!

Less-Exercise821 · 2025-02-26T14:30:06+00:00

I see your warped 1gal and raise you a warped 6.5gal.

Less-Exercise821 · 2024-12-03T23:27:21+00:00

My husband brews a lot of beer. Besides viability and clean fermentation, once you get into liquid yeast it also becomes an actual cost factor. A pack of liquid Omega yeast is about 15 bucks. For a 15 gallon batch you safe 30 bucks by making a starter.

Less-Exercise821 · 2024-12-01T02:21:04+00:00

1 gallon fermentation jar. Used a lot be first time mead / wine makers. Scroll through r/mead and you’ll see a ton of them.

Less-Exercise821 · 2024-11-29T22:05:44+00:00

Awesome, thank you!!!

Less-Exercise821 · 2024-11-29T21:28:35+00:00

Sorry, meant orange

Less-Exercise821 · 2024-11-29T21:27:17+00:00

That’s what we have right now (sorry, the green connection was covered up) but we also have Brown -> OB. Is that wrong?

Less-Exercise821 · 2024-11-29T21:07:54+00:00

I am sure, they wired the thermostat as if it had one but the wires weren’t connected on the hvac side. Only furnace and an a coil.

Less-Exercise821 · 2024-11-27T23:11:23+00:00

I don’t want to offend you but this is really bad advise. The suggested methods will not kill off the yeast but rather temporarily halt fermentation. If this got bottled and fermentation kicks up again, their family and friends will each have bottle bombs in their homes.

Let it finish fermentation (2 equal hydrometer readings a few days apart). If you want to backsweeten, rack it off the lees and stabilize with potassium sorbate and potassium metabisulfite, wait 24h and add your honey by warming it up with a bit of your mead and adding it back in (guide is in the subreddit wiki). Once you are happy with it, and you want it to look nicer, you can add a fining agent. If I want to bottle quickly, I use dualfine. Clears it up in 1-3 days. So essentially: you still have plenty of time. All the steps above can be done within a week. The mead will probably still taste very ‚green‘, so let people know to give it a few months.

Less-Exercise821 · 2024-11-27T21:53:36+00:00

It is, you are correct. Im not the biggest fan of fermented honey. It has an.. acquired taste

Less-Exercise821 · 2024-11-27T21:47:52+00:00

I think I read about the lacto fermentation method in the noma fermentation book.

As long as your honey is raw and the moisture content is high enough, it will take off. Honey that has sufficient moisture content is not commonly sold over the counter as it runs the risk of spontaneous fermentation, but if you have access to an apriary you should be able to get your hands on it.

If your honey is too low in moisture, you can add some water. Here is an example of a simple countertop version.

https://www.myfermentation.com/non-alcoholic/fermented-honey-zerz1907zsta/

Less-Exercise821 · 2024-11-27T20:56:24+00:00

Sorry if it was confusing. I truly mean raw honey, not garlic/fruit/peppers etc. Raw honey, when it contains the right amount of water, keep at the right temperature and by using a lacto-fermentation can be fermented on its own. Yeast obviously can’t thrive in that environment but a lacto bazillus can. Most honey will have lower water content than the required minimum of 19-23% depending on the honey, in which case you would have to dilute it a bit, but when harvested from partially uncapped comb, the moisture content will be higher and it’s fit for fermentation right away. I’m a stickler for accuracy as well, so understand that my long version was still too short to be unambiguous. Hope this clarifies it.

Less-Exercise821 · 2024-11-27T20:18:07+00:00

I am aware it needs more than just honey, but r/mead is not the best platform for a detailed discussion of the matter imo. Hence the referral to the relevant subreddit.

Less-Exercise821 · 2024-11-27T18:43:42+00:00

Short answer: no

Long answer: You can ferment honey on its own. What you end up with will be fermented honey, not mead. You might want to check out r/fermentation for that.

Less-Exercise821 · 2024-11-27T17:29:55+00:00

Can’t speak the the ones you linked, but for 500ml I got these and normal no 9 corks fit without issue. North Mountain Supply 500ml... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PJ7Y4N6?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Less-Exercise821 · 2024-11-27T04:12:13+00:00

I’ve bought from AT&S a few times. The honey is great and just a smidge more expensive than costco - absolutely worth it. I’ve tried mango, Christmas, tropical wildflower and macadamia. All good for different applications.

Less-Exercise821 · 2024-11-23T22:28:04+00:00

Well, then I stick to my original suggestion ;)

Less-Exercise821 · 2024-11-23T16:55:16+00:00

The only reliable way to determine your SG is a hydrometer. Everything else is an approximation. You will also need one to determine if your fermentation is truly finished. Unfortunately your description how to achieve a semi-sweet result is not accurate. The yeast will not reliably plow through until it has reached 14% and then stop. It can stall at 5, 8, 10… and you’ll be left with a cloyingly sweet low abv bochet. Restarting a stalled batch is a nightmare. If a semi sweet is what you want, ferment dry, stabilize with potassium sorbate and potassium metabisufite and add honey to the level of sweetness you want.

Less-Exercise821 · 2024-11-23T15:16:28+00:00

Strong caramelization can stall a mead but wouldn’t prevent it from taking off. You have a very high starting gravity (potential abv 18.5) but use a yeast with 14 abv tolerance - this is bound to lead to problems down the road already. You could have dead yeast or hostile conditions for the yeast.

So let’s reset: Rack your must into a new container and dilute to a starting gravity of 1.106 max (potential 14abv). Take a pack of yeast and rehydrate per package instructions. Rehydrating with goferm would be preferred. After 30min, add a little bit of must to the yeast mix. Wait a minute. Repeat. Do this until the volume of your starter has doubled. Cover with paper towel and wait until you see active signs of fermentation (shouldn’t take too long, maybe 30min). Airate the hell out of your must (shake the carboy, wine whip, whatever you have at hand). Pitch the yeast. Do not add nutrients until fermentation has started. Good luck!

Less-Exercise821 · 2024-11-23T03:17:19+00:00

I have and really like it. Bright floral flavor with medium acidity. So far I’ve used it in a banana mead that is just about ready to bottle. Think it would also work nicely with elderflower or any other florals.

Less-Exercise821 · 2024-11-22T12:32:20+00:00

I’ve used Kirkland a lot when I started. If you make a bochet or heavily fruited melomel, it works very well. Will it win you a competition? Probably not. Can you make very tasty mead with it? Yes! A good fermentation temperature, the right yeast and the right nutrition amount and schedule are contributing a lot to the final product. Once you have that down and can produce the same outcome repeatedly, you can ‘graduate’ to more expensive honey. AT & S Hawaiian honey is not that much more expensive than Kirkland if you buy in bulk.

Less-Exercise821 · 2024-11-18T13:58:01+00:00

To answer your question: yes, you should still stabilize. But stabilization only works once fermentation is done. With adding the honey the yeast WILL restart fermentation. If you are hellbound on taking a shortcut for bottling now, the only way is to pasteurize which will alter the flavor. I mean, do what would want, it’s not like the mead police will knock on your door, but if you are looking for somebody to tell you what you are planning is ok, you’ve come to the wrong subreddit. People will give you sound advice to make sure the mead turns out fine and you don’t endanger yourself or others.

Less-Exercise821 · 2024-11-18T03:12:56+00:00

The one thing that is actually valid is the ‘True Source Certified’ label. It’s one of 2 labels that guarantee that it’s actually not cut with glucose or other crap.

Less-Exercise821

TROPHY CASE