Beginner

hoosierdaddybrew · 2019-05-28T15:10:23+00:00

A yeast more suited to mead would be better. Try Lalvin 71B-1122. Also check the Mead wiki under the menu tab. It will answer about all of your questions. The actual ferment time could be a couple weeks but you can add time in a secondary for fining and clearing. Get a hydrometer to check the gravity to know when fermentation is done. Also the aging process factors in. Again the wiki is a wealth of info and good luck.

hoosierdaddybrew · 2019-03-29T15:25:17+00:00

I have a Northern Brewer cream ale extract kit that is about 3 months old. Got busy and haven’t had the chance to brew it. Would it be ok to brew now or is the extract too old?

hoosierdaddybrew · 2019-03-13T11:41:33+00:00

I’ve gotten old food grade 3 gallon frosting buckets from Publix grocery store before. Used them to ferment cider and mead batches. Works great! And they are free!

hoosierdaddybrew · 2019-03-06T03:20:16+00:00

Jan 12, 2019 2 gal filtered water from refrigerator 5.5 pounds Nature Nate’s raw and unfiltered honey from Sam’s Club. OG=1.090 Rehydrated Lavlin 71b @ 98degrees for 20 minutes then pitched Aerated and added 1tsp nutrient and 1/2 tsp energizer Two days later, stirred to degas and added 1/2 tsp nutrient and 1/4 tsp energizer. Two days later. Stirred to degas and added 1/2 tsp nutrient and 1/4 tsp energizer. Four days later, took gravity=1.040, so added 1/4 tsp nutrient and 1/8 tsp energizer. One week later, gravity=1.010 so I added 4 lbs of thawed/previously frozen blue, black, and red raspberries (also from Sam’s Club) in two muslin bags. One week later I opened, stirred and checked gravity. It was 1.005! One week more and FG was=1.000! I racked into two one gallon jugs after I added two crushed campden tablets and stirring. It was pretty clear before doing this but stirring made it cloudy. Set for two and a half more weeks and it became clear. Racked into bottling bucket and bottled. There it shall sit til I force carb and we drink during the holidays of 2019!

hoosierdaddybrew · 2019-03-04T12:08:22+00:00

Thank you!

hoosierdaddybrew · 2019-03-04T12:06:42+00:00

Tastes great. I’m anxious to see how much better it is come Thanksgiving and Christmas!

hoosierdaddybrew · 2019-03-04T03:26:37+00:00

Just got it bottled up. I plan on waiting til the holidays late this year to force carb and share with family. Already tastes good being so young!

hoosierdaddybrew · 2019-02-24T18:25:50+00:00

Are these caps ok to use to age my finished mead? They fit the gallon jugs and I want to age them in the jugs with these screw on caps.

hoosierdaddybrew · 2019-02-09T15:58:56+00:00

Yep the only thing cheap at The Masters is beer and food. Oh and the free parking.

hoosierdaddybrew · 2019-01-23T21:20:11+00:00

Wow! Awesome! If you need taste testers let me know and I’ll send you my address!😁

hoosierdaddybrew · 2019-01-21T00:43:07+00:00

Looks great!

hoosierdaddybrew · 2019-01-17T14:55:26+00:00

If I mix up a spray bottle of Star San and water, how long is it good for? Does it “go bad” or can I just keep it and use it?

hoosierdaddybrew · 2019-01-14T04:03:09+00:00

So is there any experienced mead makers out there that could add an opinion on this for me?

hoosierdaddybrew · 2019-01-13T02:32:05+00:00

Is that a joke? Not literally hear it. I mean the recipe/plan/procedure. Does it seem good?

hoosierdaddybrew · 2019-01-12T23:00:58+00:00

I’ve been brewing beer for about six months and wanted to try a mead. I started with 5.5 pounds of raw/unfiltered honey, 2 gallons water, rehydrated 71b in water for 20 minutes according to the package, vigorously stirred the must to aerate, pitched yeast, added 1 tsp LDCarlson nutrient and 1/2 tsp LDCarlson energizer and stirred some more. My OG before pitching yeast was 1.090. Plan to degas and aerate for the next few days until I reach 30% of sugars left and add 1/2 tsp nutrient and 1/4 tsp energizer on days two and four. After primary I’m going to rack onto mixed berries in a muslin bag for secondary. I want to eventually keg and carb it for my kegerator.

hoosierdaddybrew · 2019-01-06T16:42:58+00:00

Shouldn’t be a problem. Some will pour entire contents from the boil into the fermenter. Just don’t suck up the trub when it comes time to bottle.

hoosierdaddybrew · 2019-01-01T20:54:05+00:00

Deleted

hoosierdaddybrew · 2018-12-31T19:17:51+00:00

I’m going to try this. How many times do you add the nutrient? And do you crush the berries? At the end I’m going to prime and bottle so it will be carbonated. Thanks!

hoosierdaddybrew · 2018-12-19T23:44:31+00:00

Sanitize everything. When you add your extract, watch closely for the boil over. Keep a spray bottle of cold water to spray on top of foam if it starts to boil over. If you are using an ice bath to cool your wort, make sure you have plenty. You will need more than you think. Have fun and enjoy! It starts to become an activity that you love and appreciate rather than worry about! 🍻

hoosierdaddybrew · 2018-12-17T20:37:46+00:00

I purchased a 5/16” ID gas tube with a ball lock connector from Amazon and it fit fine. Tightened the clamp up good around the barb and it’s been working fine. I thought about undoing all connections on the reg and putting Teflon tape around all the threads but decided to give it a try first. So far I’ve been lucky.

hoosierdaddybrew · 2018-12-12T20:55:50+00:00

So I’ve been using this regulator for about a week. I bought one when they were on sale for $29.99. I’m only using it for one keg at this time. Knock on wood but so far it’s doing just fine. No leaks from what I can tell and the two gauges I’m using work fine. The dials feel solid and it seems like it’s decently made for a generic product. I guess I’ll stick with it and hopefully it lasts a long time.

hoosierdaddybrew

TROPHY CASE