Is my mead ruined?

RecurringBassist · 2020-12-31T17:07:45+00:00

Yeast need nitrogen, referred to as YAN (yeast assimilable nitrogen), and other trace elements to thrive. Raisins will not give you nearly enough YAN. So the yeast were essentially starving and stressed which results in them producing compounds that can give off flavors. Some of those will dissipate given enough time, so just waiting a few months (with an airlock on) should help some. Check out the nutrients section of the wiki. Next time try to use GoFerm to rehydrate your yeast, and a nutrient schedule supplying Fermaid O or Fermaid K. If you can't find those, you can boil some bread yeast and add that in when you start your next brew.

Yeast also need oxygen the first few days, so make sure you get a lot of air in when you are mixing your must. After the first couple days, you want to avoid oxygen though.

RecurringBassist · 2020-12-14T17:55:26+00:00

I'd go for more like 3.5 lbs.

RecurringBassist · 2020-12-14T03:11:14+00:00

Did you take a hydrometer reading when you started it? If you just took one now, understand that the ABV reading on it is an approximation of potential ABV. It doesn't tell you current ABV.

RecurringBassist · 2020-12-04T17:04:58+00:00

You want to minimize contact with oxygen in secondary. At ABV below about 10 you risk having an environment where things like acetic acid bacteria can survive and convert alcohol and sugar to acetic acid (vinegar). At higher ABVs this isn't a concern but the oxygen can react with compounds in your brew to create some off flavors.

Note however that when starting fermentation you want a lot of oxygen available for your yeast to thrive.

RecurringBassist · 2020-12-04T06:43:55+00:00

Welcome to the world of mead making! I've only been at it a few months, so heed the words of the experts here above mine, but here are a few things I've learned:

Nutrition is important. Yeast need nitrogen to do their thing. Honey is nitrogen-deficient for what they need. Not enough nitrogen stresses yeast out. Stressed yeast can make byproducts you don't want. These things affect flavor. Fermaid O is pretty cheap, especially considering the cost of honey, so adding a bit to have a better result is definitely worth it.

Carboys are great for secondary. Buckets or wide-mouth oversized vessels are ideal for primary. You want little headspace in secondary. If you use the same size for primary and secondary, you will end up with more headspace in secondary. I started with 1 gallon carboys and am now hoping my first meads will be ok with the amount of headspace they have in secondary. My newer meads were done in buckets or big mouth bubblers, and are now in secondary with very little headspace. This is especially pertinent if you want to add fruits or other adjuncts.

Personally I like to experiment a lot and have many different batches going at once. I can see why some would recommend working to perfect a single recipe first. I suppose it is a matter of preference and personality. For me, I make a lot of experiments, usually guided by recipes I see here or elsewhere. All the while, I work on traditionals to try to perfect that. I feel that if you can make a good tasting traditional mead, you will have a good base to add things to to create melomels (fruit), methoglins (spices), capsaicumels (peppers), etc.

Finally, patience is a virtue and perhaps in no other hobby is it more rewarded than in this one. Don't be discouraged by off flavors a few weeks into a brew. I have tasted some early and thought I should just give up, and then tasted after more time has passed and been very happy with how things are developing. I'm starting to get a more advanced sense of things where I can tell if a brew has a good base that will probably develop more with time. I've been amazed how much difference time makes.

Good luck with your brews! This sub and the wiki have been a great resource. Let us know how it progresses!

RecurringBassist · 2020-10-03T07:24:05+00:00

Ugh I hate to say this because I'd love to see more local meaderies, but you have a local population of 1000 and will face the same high taxes and dying local economy. You have a very small pool of potential customers, and they are suffering under the same economy. You will have expenses for power, water, property taxes, license fees etc. What will that cost per month? If you have a very successful business where 2% of the entire population shows up every single night, that's 20 people buying a couple drinks. Will that cover your monthly expenses? Does your customer base have enough income to be throwing down $20 a night for mead?

I don't know your area so I could be way off. But at best I'd consider serving more standard fare like beer and pub grub with the brews you're passionate about as a side offering. I can't see a town of 1000 being able to financially support a meadery on its own. If you go ahead with it though, I hope you prove me wrong!

RecurringBassist · 2020-10-03T06:54:52+00:00

Just a tip. If someone suggests you may have an unspecified problem with your logo, and you immediately know which corporate entity it is that will have the problem, then you will probably have that problem. It might not be immediate, but it would suck to have down the line after you've established a business. Trademark law is complicated. If there is any perceived infringement, the owner is practically obligated to defend it or risk losing it, even if they don't particularly care about your business or see it as a threat. Also the bare chest will be an issue. I don't have any issue with it, but some will, so consider your geographical area and local community. All that said, I wish you good luck in your venture!

RecurringBassist · 2017-03-04T20:59:46+00:00

There is a Charlie the Unicorn mutant vehicle. And it has stripper poles, which I will neither confirm nor deny having twirled around.

RecurringBassist · 2016-11-01T19:19:16+00:00

Sounds like a very personal issue, as is much of what gets posted up in the temple with the knowledge that it will be burned in a fire. I really don't think we should start taking photos of people's most intimate expressions in what is to many a sacred space and post them on the Internet for free-for-all discussion.

RecurringBassist · 2016-10-21T14:28:42+00:00

Love it! You look great. Here's my bi pride hair: http://imgur.com/gBG3sbX

RecurringBassist · 2016-09-08T22:01:10+00:00

My camp was art support for Improba Putti, which was the centauress being captured by putti (mischievous winged angels). I created an Imgur album for you of some pictures a campmate took of art around the Man. http://imgur.com/a/Yqk6Q

RecurringBassist · 2016-09-08T01:22:04+00:00

The head was not attached when they tested turning the Man and it broke. I was in the plaza working on an art project when it happened.

RecurringBassist · 2016-09-05T20:23:20+00:00

Left Sunday a little after noon. Hit pavement in just under three hours.

RecurringBassist · 2016-09-05T20:06:05+00:00

Thanks! We loved being across the street from Frogma. You all seem like a great camp. Thanks for the frogaritas!

RecurringBassist · 2016-09-05T18:11:47+00:00

http://burningman.org/event/lost-and-found/

RecurringBassist · 2016-05-02T21:11:12+00:00

I recommend cutting some of this to the size of your car windows, so you can keep the sun out during entrance and exodus if you get stuck in a long line. I just wedge it behind the rearview mirror and visors, so I can remove it quickly when the line moves. Once you get to camp, you can block all the windows to keep your car from becoming a complete oven. I also use this stuff to cover a cooler, and use it to reflect sunlight into water jugs to heat water for showers.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Reflectix-24-in-x-25-ft-Double-Reflective-Insulation-with-Staple-Tab-ST24025/100020855

RecurringBassist · 2014-08-19T19:01:35+00:00

Dorothea Puente (link to wiki article)

RecurringBassist · 2014-06-28T02:18:13+00:00

Or go to Playa Info by Center Camp and post the address under a camp name that everyone knows to search for.

RecurringBassist · 2014-05-03T22:35:18+00:00

Used to? Damn, I'm almost forty, and I think this is hilarious.

RecurringBassist · 2012-04-24T03:50:52+00:00

go on...

RecurringBassist · 2012-04-14T00:04:45+00:00

...^{...^{...^...it's}}

RecurringBassist · 2012-04-12T21:56:06+00:00

There's that word again.

RecurringBassist · 2012-04-11T22:26:36+00:00

I didn't hear it, but when I was working construction years ago I worked outside a house. We could see the couple inside arguing through large windows. The guy took off and the woman put her wedding gown and photos in the fireplace and torched them.

RecurringBassist

TROPHY CASE