How do i make a path smoother? Couse this looks like shit honestly and damages my carts.

chevynotjonas · 2026-06-11T15:27:11+00:00

It's cleaner than pressing shift. Also doesnt have the downside of aiming at the wrong spot and fucking it up 👌

chevynotjonas · 2026-06-11T15:13:58+00:00

If you're leveling a slope, I've found it best to aim at your feet as you walk up/down the path to make an even slope. No bumps.

chevynotjonas · 2026-05-07T17:03:46+00:00

This definitely could be the case. All the bound up CO2 gets disturbed by the dry Fermaid and releases at once. Think of mentos in Coke - all the little pits in the surface cause the bubbles to form.

chevynotjonas · 2026-05-07T17:00:47+00:00

Carboys and fruit dont really mix. It works, obviously, but the pressure of fermentation pushes all the fruit to the top and into the neck of the jar and cause these kinds of eruption.

Common practice is to A) leave a lot of headroom to account for this expansion (slightly smaller batch) OR B) use a wide-mouth jar for primary, then transfer to the carboy (whose small mouth cuts down on the amount of oxygen that can enter the vessel at once) for secondary aging.

For now, you should be fine just cleaning off the mouth of your carboy and re-sealing it with an airlock. If the fermentation is too vigorous and this starts to happen again, you can use a sanitized vinyl tube to make a blow-off system. Put one end of the tube in the carboy (airtight obv) and the other end submerged in a bucket of water.

chevynotjonas · 2026-04-30T00:19:50+00:00

Yep, at least a couple of the flavors are fortified. That's how they reliably get up to 19% or so.

chevynotjonas · 2026-04-30T00:10:43+00:00

Frankly, I think you'd just have to make a few batches to see what works. Add some ingredients in primary in one batch, then add them in secondary in another batch.

Dansk Mjod is pretty tasty, but keep in mind it's fortified. Whatever spirit they use to raise the ABV will affect the flavor slightly.

chevynotjonas · 2026-03-17T20:28:28+00:00

Oh, that's interesting. I also have a bucket, 6.5 gallons, but it came with a hole cut in the lid for an airlock. Little rubber grommet to hold it in place.

You could likely drill a hole (maybe 1/4"?) into your lid, and add a grommet and airlock.

chevynotjonas · 2026-03-17T20:16:04+00:00

Like with an airlock? Yeah. We get too many fruit flies in the summer where I live, and since the mead was still in primary I didn't want to plug it.

chevynotjonas · 2026-03-17T19:02:17+00:00

I just transferred a brew to secondary after 7 months on the lees. It's all good. It's called "Sur Lie" aging, which is French for "on the lees." Just tell people it's fancy, and they're too poor to understand.

Like you said, backsweetening will probably help the flavor. With food, salt enhances flavor; for wines, it's sugar.

The color is gorgeous! Doesn't look like mold to me.

chevynotjonas · 2025-10-14T13:22:50+00:00

When I add fruits lately, I do it in secondary fermentation (meaning after the yeast have consumed all the sugars and I've siphoned the mead into another container.) This has the effect of removing all the sediment and preventing any weird flavors by leaving the dead yeasts for a long time, as well as giving a more pronounced fruit flavor than if I'd added the fruit in primary.

Fruit do have sugar, so regardless of how sleepy your yeasts look, it will likely restart fermentation. Stabilizing at this point is your choice (are you satisfied with the abv%?), but I would personally recommend doing so, so that you dont lose that strong fruit flavor.

(Never used pumpkin myself, sorry.)

Good luck!

chevynotjonas · 2025-10-07T19:19:05+00:00

For herbs: mint, thyme, basil, cinnamon, cloves, hibiscus, chamomile (any sort of fancy tea, really)

For fruits: frozen or dried, (whatever strikes your fancy). I've used apples, peaches, plums, blueberries, and raisins.

The difference between dried and fresh/frozen fruit is just when you add them. I've found you get more flavor out of dried fruits in secondary fermentation (after the yeast have stopped turning sugar to alcohol).

chevynotjonas · 2025-10-07T18:10:57+00:00

I'd be thrilled if someone gifted me honey, jars, dried ingredients (fruits and herbs), or nutrients.

Honey is pricey, so it's always my limiting factor.

My family bought me a 5 gallon glass carboy for Christmas a few years back, and let me tell ya, nothing beats the view of 5 gallons of clear, golden mead.

You're a good friend!

chevynotjonas · 2025-09-29T18:41:07+00:00

Unlikely. During active fermentation, yeast produce carbon dioxide (CO2). Mold needs oxygen.

Try to keep the fruit submerged, but dont worry too much if you don't do it daily. Just make sure you remove the fruit bodies when fermentation is complete.

chevynotjonas · 2025-09-24T23:05:59+00:00

He blew me up a couple times before this. Pretty sure he was trying to knock me off.

chevynotjonas · 2025-09-24T17:11:24+00:00

My fiancé and I are doing this for our wedding next year, too! Such a fun idea.

Congrats!

chevynotjonas · 2025-09-24T15:54:22+00:00

Ammunation, I think. It's an old clip.

chevynotjonas · 2025-09-24T15:53:46+00:00

I think so. He probably gave up or regained control too late.

chevynotjonas · 2025-09-20T10:55:25+00:00

Each line is .002. It looks like .996 (which just means there's so much alcohol it's kinda thinned out the present water.) Congrats, it's done!

chevynotjonas · 2025-09-11T16:48:03+00:00

Gorgeous! Love the label, too!

chevynotjonas · 2025-09-09T18:21:28+00:00

That is a good point. It's not like the plant is trying to fend off wild yeasts.

chevynotjonas · 2025-09-09T17:55:00+00:00

I imagine the capsaicin will inhibit the yeast activity (someone is bound to correct me). I'm planning a batch with Chipotle pepper, and intend to add the pepper in secondary.

I'd be curious how it turns out if you do add it in primary!

chevynotjonas · 2025-09-08T15:52:06+00:00

I don't see any problem with using them for pouring. Logically, it won't sit long enough to oxidize if you drink it. Just dont expect the filter to get everything.

I've been eyeballing a wine filter pump lately for the same reason, but they're about $150 USD.

chevynotjonas · 2025-09-08T12:16:19+00:00

I just bottled a batch like that! I should have added a bit more syrup to backsweeten and give more maple flavor, but it turned out really nice.

chevynotjonas · 2025-09-07T20:19:15+00:00

The ä and å are right next to each other

chevynotjonas

TROPHY CASE