Been trying a new crafting project lately - mead! Much like soapmaking, the basics are deceptively simple but easy to mess up if you're not precise or rushing through. And much like with soapmaking, there are literally endless variations to try, additives to experiment with, different yeasts and honeys to play with (versus different oils), each which gives different tastes, textures, and flavors to the end product.
So far, I've made 5 batches, with mixed results. My first two - a straight wildflower and then an orange blossom - came out magnificently. Unfortunately as they say - don't get cocky, kid! The next two had mixed results, one I think positive in the long run, the other definitely in TBD category.
Today's effort, well, we'll see. I *may* have screwed something up, I may not have. Unlike with soap, mead you may not know its initial success for 2 weeks, and ultimately 6 months to a year. (Soap you'll know within 24 hours if it worked out or not.)
Recipe:
- 16 lb Brewers Best Wildflower honey plus maybe a pound or two?
- 10g (2 packs) D47 yeast
- 3 gal water plus balance to hit 6gal in fermenter
- 1 container plum puree
- 2 oz ginger root
I did a cold brewing method, as I've read a number of places that seem to prefer this over the boiling method. Purists argue that boiling the honey removes many of the health benefits of honey, and also changes the flavor profile. That said, if I keep running into issues, I'll go back to boiling.
New things:
- I've never tried the D47 yeast. I would have gone with 71B, except I had initially intended to make a hopped and malted braggot, which called for D47. Got the water ready, pitched the yeast, then realized how much boiling of the grains was involved - and since it was evening already, I didn't want to be working on it well into the night. Wasn't sure how long you can leave yeast once it's been pitched, so figured - eh, I'll just make the base for that peach ginger I have been wanting to try with the clover honey. Except....instead of right then swapping the honeys out, I forgot. So I poured the wildflower honey (stronger flavor) into the water instead of the white clover. ARGH.
Note to self:
This is why you should not make mead (or soap) in a hurry! You make mistakes.
Ok, so what now? Well, I didn't want to use the wildflower honey for the more delicate peaches, I knew that, and I needed to boil the grains first. I already have some straight wildflower in the basement with this honey, so no sense in that. But I did have both tart cherry juice and plum puree for a plum ginger I'd been wanting to try, so well....one can of plum puree, it is!
The good news is, after that it came along well. I need to still add the ginger, but the plum and honey all mixed up. Initial tasting indicated it's VERY sweet right now, but hopefully a lot of that will come out.
Troubleshooting:
- The OG was only about 1.09/1.10 *tops*. That's a bit on the weak side. I'd rather too weak than too strong, but it's not ideal.
- When I came to check on it the next morning, the fermentation was going so fast that it had backed up into the airlock. I've never had this happen before. Not sure if it's a result of something "wrong", or just filling it to the 6gal mark (instead of my usual 5gal batch) and not having enough space for the fermentation.
Lessons Learned:
- Said it before, but I will say it again. DON'T RUSH THROUGH. Haste, literally, makes waste.
- If I screw up a batch or recipe early on - JUST START OVER. If I had just written off the pitched yeast and started fresh the next day, my failure would have cost me $2.00 and another trip today to the brewing store. Now, if this batch doesn't come out, my efforts to "save" the water and pitched yeast will cost me close to $100....$84 in honey, $12 in plum puree, plus the yeast. Oh, and still another trip to the brewing store anyway, to replace the honey.
I'll update in two weeks once I know the results of the fermentation. It may be that the flavor comes out great and the rapid fermentation is not a worry. My suspicion is that it will ultimately be salvageable (like the black currant effort), especially as it ages, but that it's going to wind up a bit on the sweet side, and also a bit on the weak side (in flavor, not alcohol content). Dry is good, weak/thin is not. So we'll see!
