Mead Making: The First 72 Hours

[@Wulfjager]

Just a heads up to anyone doing the staggered nutrient schedule. I just added a small amount of diammonium phosphate to my mead at the 24 hour mark and had a coke and mentos situation. I didn't degas my mead prior to doing it and it foamed up a storm and made a disaster out of my kitchen. Make sure to dissolve the yeast nutrient in a tiny amount of sterile water before adding it

[@adventuresofziggydude7176]

Heya MMM! I have been watching your videos for some time now prior to brewing my first mead! I am about 12 hours underway now and am super excited to see my bubbles. I've always wanted to brew mead but never had the space for it until recently. I'm excited to get going and try different things. I don't think I could have done it without your channel and your guides / 101 classes. Thanks a lot for helping a dream come true!

[@ManMadeMead]

I love it! I’m so glad I could help!

[@3oh3fanboy]

Thanks so much for this video. I’m just doing some small 1/2 gallon blackberry + rosehip and cinnamon honey mead and it’s fermenting decently. It’s nice to learn more and do better for next time

[@kaseyhanus8457]

So helpful. You answered ALL my questions!! Great teacher 🙌🏻

[@brocknspectre1221]

I just painted the ceiling with a carboy of mead and a degassing wand. So maybe I have more to learn about aeration....

[@ManMadeMead]

Oh no...

[@sararistow6137]

You’re not alone 😂 did that the other day

[@blondequijote]

Priably a big reason why buckets are more popular as primary fermenter. Easy aeration.

[@brocknspectre1221]

@@blondequijote good advice 👍

[@blondequijote]

@@brocknspectre1221 More of an observation. Thing is, I don't think they make 1 gallon fermenting buckets whereas you can buy a gallon jug of Carlo rossi and the wine is free when you look at how much a glass carboy that size costs. Experimenting gets expensive so smaller batches can be better.

[@buzzboop]

This is great! This is very educational, I have learned so much from your channel. This is very true. While you can chuck every thing in and let the yeast burn through the honey, it will make boozy rocket fuel Mead which needs three years to age. Taking care of the fermentation for the first few days will improve its flavors and allow the honey to come forward. This shortens the amount of time from pitch to bottle and then to drink. I have definately made my share of rocket fuel. Great stuff man!

[@andrewcotton1651]

You might also be getting that boozy alcohol taste from the yeast, try an ale or mead yeast you won't get as high of an alcohol content but it won't have the burn as much as a champagne yeast does

[@devonbriar4627]

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[@reesebrayden5604]

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[@devonbriar4627]

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[@devonbriar4627]

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[@josefogarciaperez]

after watching your videos . last night finally did my first Mead Ever , wish me luck 😁

[@charlessiems5100]

What is a sugar break. I see in some recipes. Has to do with adding yeast.

[@jamesthomas8481]

Question , do you add nutrients in your starter or is it best to do right before applying to the main must batch?

[@ManMadeMead]

I do it normally after I add the yeast into the must!

[@BanditK]

I put yeast nutrient and sugar in before the yeast

[@GillOfTheNorth]

What would you consider to be a "high" starting gravity?

[@ManMadeMead]

To me, anything that is above 1.110 gravity!

[@dubbel6]

Learned a lot by your videos thanks for that. Started my first 3 gallon batch. didn't started with wyeast sweet so repitcht with lalvind47 after 72 hours. I only have fermaidK available as nutrients and added some raisins. Started with sg 1.114, day 3 it is at 1.090. added 1/4 tbs (1 gram) fermaidK at the beginning and a the third day. Plan is to add a little less on the 1/3 break. I only use fermaidK and read different stuff around the internet. read someone even suggest that when u dont use DAP with Fermaid K, he recommended to triple the amount when only using Fermaid K. What should do? Stick to plan or add more fermaidK? First timer bit unsure. 😁

[@ManMadeMead]

Fermaid K already has some DAP in it, so doubling down isn't necessary! I would say use the standard amount of Fermaid K. No need to triple your amounts! Too many nutrients can actually mess up your brew too. The yeast will only eat what they need and then they leave the other part alone. The extra nutrients end up being tastable in your brew!

[@dubbel6]

@@ManMadeMead thanks for your advise.

[@Gs_Bees]

Question: If your OG reading is 1.12 and has the possibility of 15-ish%, but your yeast maxes out at 14%, what happens to the yeast when fermentation stops? Doesn't this mean that your FG reading will be greater than 1.000, and therefore the mead would have a sugar content that hasn't been eaten up by the yeast? Would this make the mead taste sweeter? Would fermentation still need to be halted with white powders or pasteurization? Thanks!

[@ManMadeMead]

If the yeast are healthy they will go past their cap. If they aren’t they will more than likely stop before they finish through the sugar and leave some residual sweetness (a fg above 1.000)

[@DavidThomasTimmer]

Is this preferred rather than to back sweeten?

[@axelvanterheijden6482]

So i have a question. The yeast nutrient and starter you divide in 4 parts and stagger the adding over 4 moments like you expained. But do you use the first quart to add to the yeast to rehydrate /and/or make a starter with some of the wort? Or is that a seperate process and do you add the nutrient mix 4 times after adding the yeast. If that makes sense?

[@ManMadeMead]

I normally make a starter with some of the must and then add the first stage of nutrients after I have introduced the yeast starter into the mead.

[@xxAleksTxx]

How much yeast nutrients and energizer do i need for 1 gallon of mead? I understand that it's dependent on multiple factors, but is there a middle ground estimate for adding it all in at once?

[@ManMadeMead]

If you’re using Fermaid O it’s normally about 2 grams per gallon. Fermaid K is a little different. Yeast energizer is odd… I would try 1/4 tsp per gallon is a good starting point.

[@adamwhat84]

The starter with the must is now where the yeast rehydration is taking place? or follow rehydration steps then add it to the must for the starter?

[@ManMadeMead]

Either way - it's better to follow the rehydration steps and then add it to the must!

[@rav5033]

Can you reshare the notes here? Link isn't working

[@erathor9120]

I remember City Steading made a nice video on nutrients and raisins

[@jamesthomas8481]

Also, do some KVIEK yeast videos. It's a good strong tolerant killer yeast but I have no real guidance in its usage.

[@jacobsussman9769]

Hi! Just started my first batch of mead. I tried to get your notes to follow along but it says the file wasn't found. Would love to have the notes to make my mead better if you can fix it :)

[@ManMadeMead]

Oh no! I will need to see what happened to it. I hope I didn't delete it haha

[@thomasbacon]

Pitched Wyeast 4184: Must and yeast @ 74° 5pm 12/20 1.123 OG Degassed: 8:30 12/21 Degassed: 09:30 12/22 (significant offgassing) 2nd gravity check=1.117 Question: I have no activity at all, which I know it's still early, but the mead is already acting like its clarifying. The cake is formed and you can nearly see through the must. It appears fermentation is underway due to gravity readings. What do you think? Is it just holding the gas more? I'm thinking of degassing twice a day. Any thoughts on why it would be clearing up already?

[@ManMadeMead]

I would give it a few more days. If you take another reading in a day or two and the gravity is the same then the yeast have stopped fermenting. In that case we might need to talk about pitching new yeast!

[@thomasbacon]

@@ManMadeMead still nothing. I repitched the same type of yeast (I bought two packs for 2 batches). I also added 1/2 teaspoon per gallon more nutrients/boost. I did notice this time the liquid yeast was made 7/20/2020. So while not very old it is on the old side and is being very slow to reproduce. Maybe the second pack will help it get up to proper numbers?

[@Wulfjager]

@@thomasbacon what was the outcome of this batch?

[@thomasbacon]

@@Wulfjager second pitch worked. Batch came out delicious and on target for final ABV and Brix

[@easykinaka]

Do you degass past day 3?

[@ManMadeMead]

Not normally for me!

[@redditama6090]

1.12-1.11 gave me 0.01. I was trying to do some of the calculations here and make notes to follow along and to understand better but the calculations don't add up. Could you please help me further? I think i may be missing something

[@Gs_Bees]

Do you stir in yeast, or do you typically just let it do its own thing and trickle down?

[@ManMadeMead]

I normally stir it in

[@believingtheoutdoorschanel3241]

How long do you wait to drink mead

[@ManMadeMead]

Normally you want to wait at least 3 - 4 months to give it some time to age. But If it’s a low abv mead, you can drink it a little sooner!

[@janet6421]

I saw on another channel that using raisins works for nutrients. Does this work? How many should I use?

[@ManMadeMead]

I would not say they are a valuable nutrient. I did a whole video on them! kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3mVnmujlqihj5Y

[@Funpants94]

I'd be interested to see if there's anything you'd change or add to this video 3 years later. Like a 2.0 video.

[@zapasta4163]

Hey! I started my first traditional last night, I used lalvin EC 1118 and it’s been about 12 hours and still no bubbles. What did I do wrong??

[@ManMadeMead]

Give it a bit longer! It should start going. If it doesn’t, pitch more yeast!

[@zapasta4163]

@@ManMadeMead thanks 🙏

[@willemdebest3237]

I have some problems with measurements. Talking about gallons and pounds. A gallon is 3.785 ltr. and a pound (depend on which one) is 0,373 grams. Would it be a problem to use for each liter of water 40% of honey (4000ml)? Sometimes I see for one gallon people uses 3 pounds of honey.

[@ManMadeMead]

So your honey will equal about 20% of your total volume. If you add too much honey the gravity will be extremely high and more than likely this will stress out yeast and lead to a poor fermentation

[@kimjune]

i really admire your dedication to your channel! may i recommend for higher audio quality? The room noise is quite distracting

[@ManMadeMead]

Working on it!

[@NeonRazor7]

I would suggest not using wood for degassing or making any contact with a brew. Wood can sometimes harbor microbes that could damage your brew. Plastic and metal are much easier to sanitize

[@janet6421]

Historically brewing used a bundle of sticks to stir the must/mash. They used the same bundle each time they made a brew only replacing a few sticks each time. The bundle magically turned the must into alcohol. When a brewer's apprentice started his own business the master would give him one of the magic brewing wands. Wood can sometimes harbor microbes including yeast. Especially if you maximize surface area by using small sticks and permeability by leaving on the bark. However if your yeast comes out of a packet you don't need the unstable magic of wood.

[@BeanTownTactics]

Question! You said you degass once or twice a day when it’s really fermenting? I’ve seen so many of your videos and others that warn about the danger of introducing oxygen during fermentation and how it can have a devastating effect. Thanks in advance! Big fan!

[@ManMadeMead]

So I would suggest degassing once a day during the first 3 - 4 days of fermentation. After that, I’ve found it’s not too necessary!

[@dragonb5758]

Oxygen after fermentation is a problem. During fermentation the yeast need the oxygen

[@jsaucee1]

Edit those math equations.

[@jsaucee1]

1.12 - 1.11 = .01 not 1.01 I understand the easy mistake but newbies can easily be confused. Especially when you further it with the incorrect 1.01 residual sweetness text. I appreciate what you do and want to see you continue to help people.

[@achuchin]

​@@jsaucee1 Please listen to Jay this is very confusing

[@_film_flashback]

1.12 - 1.11 = 0.01 not 1.01

[@achuchin]

I love your videos they are helping me a lot but you should not leave this one up with those incorrect equations, it's not helping you and confusing newbies like me. Thank you keep rocking!

[@redditama6090]

1.12-1.11 gave me 0.01. I was trying to do some of the calculations here and make notes to follow along and to understand better but the calculations don't add up.

[@zachm5136]

I can't find any videos on the following: I want a video that shows how to make the BEST traditional mead... Including choice of honey, and elaborate techniques, like whether or not to oxygenate the mead, what to place the must in, what kind of yeast to use, whether to heat the honey, whether to activate yeast separately, whether to use nutrient/energizer, whether to do a staggered schedule, how long each step should take, best ingredient ratio, etc... But every video I find is like "here's how you can make a piece of $#%@ mead using a plastic bottle and hose water. And with your channel, I've learned a lot, but it seems like you do something different every time. I want a full-proof, high quality traditional mead. That's it.

[@TomoyoTatar]

Nah, you know what I'm gonna do, I'm just gonna put water and honey and fruit into hot water and then later put yeast, after I will put it into carboys. That's all I'm gonna do. No math, no bs.

[@kartoffelman111]

How did it turn out?

[@LawrenceYoungberg]

You are talking to beginners. Define your terms and abbreviations. What is a ABV and why is it important? SO 15% - 1 is 14% of what? Waving your hands about doesn't clear up anything. You lost me in your first discussion.

[@ManMadeMead]

I don’t feel like updating this 3 year old video. It looks like you’re passionate about it though. Feel free to make your own video!