Mead Making 301: Done Fermenting, Now What?

Hey friends! Today we are diving even further into the world of mead making. This is Mead Making 301 and we will be discussing a few major topics: backsweetening, carbonating, aging meads and using woods in your meads. These are all important things to understand to make your mead taste the best it can. We are generally talking about the last few stages of the meads life before we bottle it. There are of course a bunch of other topics that we will discuss one day, but I want to save those for some other videos. Make sure to like and subscribe for more content! Check out the links below and thanks for watching!
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[@LordUroko88]

You've been replying to so many of my questions on here and i am super appreciative of all the help. Not only are you videos super helpful but any questions that arise you answer within a day or 2 which is so unlike almost any other creator and so incredibly appreciated. I just want to thank you!

[@numenorbear1519]

Thanks for this series. Got about a week left on my first batch. Your timing is impeccable

[@shawneevivarium1974]

Hey man, I love your videos. Thanks so much for making these, it's helping SO much. Keep up the good work.

[@ManMadeMead]

I’m happy to help!

[@jonboy9030]

Bring this is so great! Thanks for sharing!

[@Nashobawolfvarg]

Rock on man, I do appreciate your advice.

[@pavelkaiser6787]

Tahnk you for all of your videos! I have learned things that I even did not know existed!

[@cedyabc42]

just watched all three of these. plan on making my first batch soon. I'm super excited.

[@ManMadeMead]

Awesome! Let me know how it turns out!

[@miguelespinaluribe7109]

thanks for your content man, i am from colombia greetings. i am an apicultor and im looking to make other products with my honey and you are helping my a lot.

[@Anaxagoran]

This 3 video into to mead making was incredibly helpful. You explained things in a way that was very easy to understand. Thanks a lot!

[@ManMadeMead]

I’m glad I could help! Happy mead making!

[@eliskull]

yeah those three videos cleared up a couple things iv been researching past couple days so thanks pal!

[@ManMadeMead]

I'm super glad I can help!

[@DaleDuffy]

Good video MMM, thanks again.

[@MaverickJohnson007]

Love this channel! Informative as always🥂

[@ManMadeMead]

Thank you!!

[@TheBigfootExpertonYoutube]

Excellent info., Thanksman!

[@thomastodd9333]

Thanks for the class

[@Ertreon]

Thanks for sharing I’ve learned a lot by your videos

[@ManMadeMead]

I’m happy to share!

[@Mp-jw1qg]

your videos have helped me make some of the best mead ive ever had. this cherry blackberry blend i just did is insane. would love to send ya some after it ages in a brandy barrel for 8 months

[@ManMadeMead]

I'm so happy I can help! I'd love to try it one day!

[@Mud838]

Goodmorning hope your feeling well The best part of your video is when you stressed the method at the very end we all can make mead but making the same thing twice that's the method Keep on keeping on

[@ManMadeMead]

Thanks for watching!

[@benjaminsuddeth6448]

I want to see a video on labels. I really like your simple labels and want them on my bottles but also am curious how you make the fancy labels.

[@nireini6512]

Great videos and very informative. It would be really helpful to see an actual demonstration of the processes that are being done like back-sweetening adding and mixing the bentonite clay & potassium sorbate.

[@alpaca4289]

I just started making mead and decided to do 5 gallons on my first batch. Right as I finished mixing my water, honey and yeast, I dropped and broke my hydrometer....I just decided to wing it and let it sit for 4 weeks before racking to secondaries and introducing fruits. Hopefully everything goes alright.

[@JebadiahBlaze]

Lol I did the same exact thing. Mine sat for about 3.5 weeks and my heater also went out, so my temp control was bad as well. This one is gonna take a while to be drinkable lol

[@motteherald]

How did it turn out in the end?

[@chickenjuice4841]

Did it work out?

[@alpaca4289]

@@chickenjuice4841 It turned out pretty good, not sure the reasoning but its just a bit dry. If I do it again, id definitely add more fruit on the secondaries and maybe backsweeten with more honey.

[@aidensushi5075]

@@alpaca4289Did you use honey to backsweeten?

[@isaaclux2128]

Topic idea for 401: step feeding, calculating specific gravity (including after step feeding), organic vs inorganic nutrients, bottling, more complicated meads like braggots and great/long meads.

[@ManMadeMead]

These are great ideas!

[@BlackJesus8463]

Thanks!

[@j.b.4340]

Your website looks helpful. 👍🏻

[@ManMadeMead]

I’m glad!

[@end0skeleton404]

I have about 20 hours of reading, studying, watching videos. I'm still months out before I'm going to start making mead (saving to buy decent supplies). Wellcome Mead is a book I want to get my hands on and some of the books in the bibliography. I'll definitely be trying a carbonated mead after my first traditional. I've been a line cook for 12 years, and been under the wing of a couple chefs, so I know the importance of studying and learning. Hands-on experience is where you really learn though.

[@ManMadeMead]

You’re going to be ready for sure!

[@aqualust5016]

I've patiently aged a back sweetened mead for 2.5 years flavored with crushed & frozen apples, cinnamon, and honey with an original ABV of 19%. Probably gonna wait another year for my wedding and try it then.

[@ManMadeMead]

That sounds amazing!

[@jasonkingsley7386]

I like doing small batch. I get my friends and family to give me their carlo rossi bottles. They work great, cheap, and glass.

[@qquantumpi]

Getting my materials together to make my first batch of mead. Going to use local Arizona orange blossom honey, raw and unfiltered. Thinking about doing at least 2 gallons of must then rack each gallon for a traditional and melomel. Excited to join the mead movement!

[@ManMadeMead]

That sounds great! Let me know how it turns out!

[@qquantumpi]

@@ManMadeMead will do! Quick question though! Is it okay to do a 2 gal primary fermentation in a 5 gal bucket? Or will the extra air become a problem?

[@ManMadeMead]

@@qquantumpi that’s totally fine! You just don’t want to age with a bunch of air on it or in plastic!

[@qquantumpi]

@@ManMadeMead cool, thank-you so much for your replies! And please keep up the great content, cheers 🍻🤙

[@yourmetalgod69]

I am getting to a new step feeding time in my 1st mead, I am going to be adding more honey, fruit and hulls, with the end goal of pushing the 71B to its limit of alcohol making. while tweaking the flavor and color of the brew. I may also tweak the acids a bit but won't know untill I taste it. I am using malic acid for my tweaks as 71b can eat some of it to give a rounder acid feel. I am loving the flavors sofar when I have done my readings. I love still sweet meads so the step feeding lets me get there and get me buzzed quicker lol. I know I am almost done I may cold crash it soon and then pasturize after racking I am gonna bulk age it until before xmas so I have too many options at the moment. I am planning my next flavor already, I am looking to do a combo and type never done yet(at least one that I can find anywhere)

[@omarormachea3860]

Hi, man. I would like to know if it is necessary (or not) to put the fermenter in a dark place for a better fermentation process. Thank you for the full info about making mead.

[@forrest42]

I'm getting ready to rack 5 gal batch to secondary. Im worried about headspace. Should I use another 5 gal carboy and marbles for the secondary vessel, or shouod i use 3 gal and 1 gal carboys etc. Trying to avoid as much waste as possible. Thanks, this video, just like all your others was super helpful!

[@damoclesian]

Loving your videos. Can you share the ABV calculator you had mentioned in the video? Thanks!

[@ManMadeMead]

Of course! www.brewersfriend.com/abv-calculator/

[@sushibar916]

Quick question...I have about a dozen 1 gallon batches aging for several months, but there is still a good 1/4" of fallen leese in some. I don't want to rack off just because I will lose more product, BUT I also do not want to have these so-called "off flavors" for leaving it there. Should I just bottle it off and call it a day?

[@Stunner509m]

Hey bud just got into this hobby on my second batch I have a question. When I rack out of primary fermentation into a new glass gallon do I need to add any chemicals?

[@patlawson1659]

I start at 1.100 , when it goes Dry , sometimes at 0.990 to 0.996, I'll Backsweeten to 10-20 , when that goes Dry I'll sweeten to 10-10 to 10-14 with Honey 🍯, about 2 1/2 pounds in a 6.5 gallon Fermenter . That will usually go to 10-06 to 10-10 when it Stops . I'll take the Brew Bag out . Rack into a 6 or 5 Gallon Carboy , depends on Head Space . Let it sit in Conditioning , Clearifiying , then Rack into 1 Gallon Jars . Let that sit , take a gallon Inside , Rack into Bottle's 🍾 , put em in the Fridge . I've never Pasturize , yet . But that's my System . I'm always ready for Improvement tho . My Brews are usually between 17.550 to 18.090 . I'm used to it , so I'm good with it . 🤠

[@cliffordcole7196]

Do you need both metabisulphite and potassium sorbate or can you just use one? Thanks!

[@keyvanhashemi]

Hey man Love the tutorial videos I just have a question about how much Potassium Metabisulphate for a gallon batch? thanks again for the videos

[@ManMadeMead]

It's 1/2 tsp for a gallon!

[@brocknspectre1221]

Thank you for this video! I’m avoiding white powders because they trigger migraines for me. Would you ever consider adding some grain alcohol to bring up ABV in a sweet mead?

[@ManMadeMead]

That might work!

[@Bjornbloodeye]

If anyone happens to be answering questions here still, I'm just trying to figure out how I stabilize and back sweeten without allowing mold to start since my brew won't be creating C02 anymore?? Unless I'm supposed to back sweeten and then bottle it shortly after?

[@i_inf0din254]

I recently started trying to make mead because of you guys.. so I want to see if there is anything going wrong that I should be aware of.. Started two different meads both in 1 gal carboys with airlocks. In one, I am trying a wild ferment.. no yeast added. I have 3.5lbs of honey and 1lb of frozen blueberries that thawed out a little bit first, and 1 mug of black tea that cooled off the temp wasn't good enough and the honey didn't mix well, my fault.. so it's reading was 1.050... this was one week ago and it's not bubbled at all. My second batch is a basic honey mead. 3.5lbs of honey, 1 mug of black tea, and 1tsp of Fleischmanns bread yeast. It mixed much better and it's reading is 1.123 Been bubbling every few seconds for several days and seems to be going well. Same day, a week ago, bubbles are slowing down to about 4.5 seconds but seems okay. What are my next steps or should I really sit on these? I thought I should maybe go for second fermentation on the second basic mead batch in another week or so, or should I just wait for the bubbles to stop? Do I check readings per week to make sure it's not changed to start secondary or do I rack it before it's done? I'm unsure of the process exactly. The wild ferment batch of blueberry mead seems to he super slow, I was hoping to see something by now... what should I do to help that? I could add yeast however my wife was hoping it could be wild fermented because she didn't want to have the bread yeast added for dietary reasons. And if the only option was to add yeast, is it in a poor state to do that considering its been sitting for a week ? I didn't want to have to throw it away if I didn't have to, no mold or anything going on, so it looks fine.

[@ManMadeMead]

I'm going to point you to my discord because this is a lot of questions and you can get them answered easier and quicker here: Discord.io/ManMadeMead

[@trevorarmstrong4358]

Again great video boss. Now, when we make our mead we normally go about 1.075 x 10% abc there about. We want to make a sweet or so Mead. Do you know of a yeast that could shut down around 7 or 8% which should give us some sweetness without back sweetening and cranking up fermentation again. I’m guessing pasturization is another way to kill the yeast and back sweeten safety. Thanks

[@ManMadeMead]

Unfortunately all wine yeasts go above that. You can probably find an ale yeast that will stop at 7% though!

[@johngrieshaber7567]

Whats the chemistry of how aging changes flavor

[@DrLextor]

These videos are awesome can you make a step by step recap in the entire process?

[@ManMadeMead]

I have a video about that coming out in the future!

[@DrLextor]

@@ManMadeMead awesome :) looking forward to it ^^

[@kuvsayeed8166]

please do a video on how to stabilize -step by step as i think this is a very important (and confusing) stage that could result in injury if done wrong. Somehow there's very little amount of documented videos on this subject on youtube!

[@ManMadeMead]

I'll make one!

[@chrishenderson6806]

Question on oaking. Can I (with reasonably good results) use woods locally available to me either dry (unsmoked) or smoked myself? Mostly I have wild cherry and maple. Apple sometimes.

[@ManMadeMead]

Hmmm I honestly don't really know. I haven't tried it before!

[@anthonycarroll941]

When talking about oaring mead, I would like to know if just cracking (not breaking to small pieces) pecans would work and if safe to do so?

[@ManMadeMead]

Pecans have oil in them. You need to boil or bake the oil out of them before using them. Otherwise it could work!

[@brianwilliams4558]

Love the videos - I am a newbie at this and they have been a huge help thru this process! I do have a question though - when I began I didnt do a gravity reading bc I didnt have the tool (I recently bought one) - how will I know if the fermentation process is done?

[@ManMadeMead]

So you can still use your hydrometer to find that out! You can safely assume that your mead started above 1.000. Take a gravity reading and see if it lands there (1.000). If so - it's probably done! If it doesn't stop there but halts for awhile at a different gravity (Say 1.010) for awhile - you can assume that it's done!

[@brianwilliams4558]

@@ManMadeMead Ok, perfect! I'm sure I'll be back with some more questions along the way. Thanks for the help!

[@stevealford230]

@@brianwilliams4558 This is a year late, so probably unnecessary, but just FYI... you only need to know the starting gravity so that you can calculate the abv when it's finished... but you can check the gravity at any point and that number will tell you if there are still fermentable sugars. If it's 1.000 or lower, then it fermented dry; anything above that and you still have sugars. If the number stays the same for a few days, it's stuck/stalled and will need your assistance to finish converting the remaining sugars... and if you want it to stay at that stuck level (or it's1.000 or below), then you're done with primary. You could add sugars and restart primary if you want a higher abv than you have, if you have yeast that can tolerate it... but that's ancillary to your question.

[@royaddinall8479]

Hi from south Africa and been watching a lot of you videos I was just wondering what will happen if you done the the fermenting prices of your meed and started to distill it and then after bottle what would happen and how will it tast like

[@ManMadeMead]

I haven’t distilled mead my before so I’m not sure!

[@fire_stick9124]

These are very helpful videos. But Im worried about stabilizing the mead. I personally want to do it naturally with out white powders. Will I be able to keep it room temp without issues, or am I going to have to always to keep it cold? Ps making first mead

[@ManMadeMead]

You can keep it room temp and it should be fine!

[@mchume65]

My latest 1 gal mead batch, I wanted to go sweeter, so I went with about 4 lbs of honey and D-47 yeast. Started on 10 March and it is still fermenting quite actively at room temp of 68 to 70F. My goal is to add vanilla bean after the first racking. I'm wondering if I should let it keep fermenting or stop it with campden tabs at some point?

[@ManMadeMead]

That depends! Do you like sweeter meads?

[@frederikkjr9366]

are campden tablets a 2 in 1 kind of thing? so if i buy the tablets i dont need to worry about having 2 different additives?

[@ManMadeMead]

Campden tablets are potassium metabisulfite! You have to use Potassium sorbate (which is a different thing) in conjunction with campden tablets to stabilize properly!

[@goksuozalp52]

Hi, my mead has been resting/aging for 7 months after i changed the first glass container after fermenting, there are no yeasty things at the bottom like it was with the fermantation container. It looks very clear. Can i add honey to it safely or do you think it would start fermenting again? Thanks a lot!

[@bigpatty823]

Unless fermentation stopped via alcohol tolerance that yeast can remain dormant for years, so proper stabilization would be necessary.

[@ozoneswiftak]

I seen a video of you topping off with water after you rack. Do you think headspace is bad? Or leaving a 5 gallon carboy will go bad with two inches of heads space. Besides diluting the abv.

[@ManMadeMead]

A lot of headspace isn’t good!

[@TheColasus45]

I'm just getting into mead making and the thing that has me the most worried is the stabilizing process. I have campden tablets ready to go when I need then. My worry is how long do I let them do their work before racking the mead? Or are they just set and forget?

[@ManMadeMead]

If you have a hydrometer you can measure the gravity to know when it’s done fermenting. If you don’t, you’re kind of stuck guessing when’s it done fermenting!

[@kimwsears]

In one of your videos, you mention pasteurizing in your oven. Do you have a video on pasteurizing in the oven versus stove-top or immersion circulator?

[@ManMadeMead]

I don’t have a video on it… I need to make one! My buddy doin the most has a good one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYXGn5yMepimi5Isi=TbxIOt7AUwlciMZr

[@sebastianhansen1777]

Thanks for the content. I was wondering if it's strictly necessary to disinfect with a brewage driven disinfectant as as StarSan, or can be subsitued for high grade disifenctant alcohol. I'm asking because StarSan is unavailable in my country. Cheers.

[@ManMadeMead]

I would highly recommend using a food grade sanitizer because you might alter the flavor of the alcohol or affect the yeast performance by using a non food grade sanitizer

[@julietardos5044]

You can always boil your bottles and gear in water for a few minutes to kill germs. You will need to let it all cool down before you brew with it. And make sure your hands and surfaces are clean.

[@patlawson1659]

O.K. You explained what Campden Tablets are for in Mead Making 301 . I'm Good Thanks . Now , on with the show. P.S. I usually just Step Feed until the Yeast won't Dance anymore . And try to get it to 10-10 when it's Done . 🤠

[@habrielheiden9109]

Quick question. You should stabilize before using a fining agent correct?

[@ManMadeMead]

I would stabilize and backsweeten before putting a fining agent in!

[@txbirdman01]

This guy is all over the place

[@ManMadeMead]

KZbin is a big place!

[@TR-ec6ff]

How concerned should I be about degassing a mead? Also curious as to the best way to make sure you get a nice homogenous product while back sweetening with either honey or erithryitol. Should I just be stirring like a mad man?

[@ManMadeMead]

Degassing isn’t too important if you plan on letting it age! To get a sweeter meadow without backsweetening, you will want to start with a higher gravity than your yeast can handle and then let it ferment. This should leave some residual sweetness

[@Granitetron]

Is it necessary to sanitize oak spirals before use. I just ordered my first one to try!

[@ManMadeMead]

It’s not a bad thing to do! It’s not necessary though!

[@samman623]

When aging mead, do you age it during the fermentation stage or do you rack it out of the carboy and age it then?

[@samman623]

Clearly I didn't finish the video before I asked lol

[@krimsondelirium7288]

If your mead does cap out and you don't want to back sweeten, do you have to use the white powder before bottling them

[@ManMadeMead]

Nope!

[@larsbrown9322]

I had 5 gallons of elderberry wine. The fermentation was done, but i had been far away and could not bottle it. The wine had some headspace and unfortunately developed a layer of mold on the surface of the wine. The worms got a good drink.

[@magacop5180]

So if Yeast eats thru sugars does this mean I should have waited to add the honey until after the Fermentation?

[@ManMadeMead]

Nope! Your yeast need to consume the sugars for it to be considered mead. If you want a brew to be sweeter you can stabilize the brew or pasteurize it and then back sweeten. This will keep the yeast from fermenting on the honey!

[@samboyco2721]

How much extra honey should I add at the start if I'm looking to have a sweeter mead? ie if I needed a 1.105idh gravity to finish dry at 1.000 with a yeast capped at 14%, would I want to add honey to an initial gravity of 1.115 to finish sweet?

[@ManMadeMead]

So you’ll want to avoid .010 over your yeasts possible cap. The problem is that the yeast might actually go past their cap if they are healthy. The easiest way to get a sweet mead is to backsweeten it after it’s done fermenting (you will have to stabilize the mead first generally).

[@teresaashby4037]

Can I let my need age in the same bottle it ferments

[@unvaccinatedstraightguy5327]

I have an Mead on 71B (14%max) that went dry (1.000) from 1.065 (8.5%abv). If I add honey back up to 1.065 for a secondary fermentation and it runs dry (1.000), would I just add those two 8.5%abv's together to 17%abv? With the yeast stopping at 14%, and 3% staying for sweetness?

[@ManMadeMead]

So you will add the total abv of those two gravities! Some mead purists will say that because you’ve added volume to the brew while also adding abv, that you have in turn actually lowered the abv slightly. However, I think for us homebrewers that’s an unnecessary point! Yeast have theoretical caps but often underperform or overperform. I would expect your yeast to completely stop at 14%… it definitely could happen but they will probably fudge the numbers some!

[@connortyson2499]

is there a community of home brewers? like subscribers as well as youtube homebrewers? I think it would be really cool to get a forum for it.

[@ManMadeMead]

There are tons of them! There are Facebook pages, Reddit threads and discords like mine! Http://discord.io/manmademead

[@TheSchmidt3000]

How often is semi-regularly tasting while oaking? Every other day? I dont want too much air to get into the batch.

[@ManMadeMead]

My opinion is that you can never taste your mead too many times! I would taste mine every other day!

[@alecgreive2877]

Okay so I bought a kit and followed it to the tee. With the yeast nutrients and everything it's only been a week and it isn't bubbling like it was. Is it okay or do I need to do something help please!!!!

[@ManMadeMead]

You might need to pitch some more yeast! If your yeast were dead or were properly introduced then they can struggle and not get going!

[@scotthenderson4376]

how long do you have to age this before it drinkable? Hoping its not a year or more that seems excessive except for special brews

[@ManMadeMead]

There are lots of factors that go into how long to age a mead… here’s a video I shared recently talking about it! kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJu6cndtaa2ih9U

[@fw3495]

for the sanitizer spray bottle, can you use RO water?

[@ManMadeMead]

Sure!

[@krimsondelirium7288]

how would i figure out the cap for the other yeast and how much more honey to add to compensate so that I dont have to back sweeten if it is something like the K1-v1116 which is a 18% and I plan to do a second fermentation to add fruit. Would I be able to just add more honey during that second fermentation?

[@ManMadeMead]

You can google the cap for a yeast. Assume each pound of honey is 1.040 gravity. You’ll want to go atleast 10 - 20 points of gravity over whatever cap you need. you can definitely add more honey then

[@krimsondelirium7288]

@@ManMadeMead okay so if my cap for the yeast like the 1.000 like d47 i want the start gravity to be 1.040 correct? so when I check it the fermentation is done it would be a 1.010 or a 1.020. I think trying to figure out all the math and measurements is my biggest problem. Do you happen to have a video on all this?

[@fifive]

what if i removed my mead from primary too early, i did not take a gravity reading when i started my mead with 3pounds of honey and mangrove jacks mo5 mead yeast in a one gallon cardboy i think i used about one and half teaspoon of yeast for one gallon just recently got a hydrometer but i already moved it to secondary before getting the hydrometer. i did not rehydrate my yeast also, i just poured it in. it was all in primary for about 4weeks and when i put it into secondary it tasted strong, there was no bubbling and alot of stuff had fallen to the bottom. i quite liked the taste and it was still quite sweet also, have i really messed it up or will pasteurization help me after it has been for quite some time in secondary?

[@ManMadeMead]

Pasteurizing will just halt any further fermentation. If you want it less sweet you will need to dilute it or mix with another mead. If it’s not sweet enough you can pasteurize it and then add more honey to make it more sweet.

[@EricAndrewDodson]

So in my case, my OG was 1.152 on 11/05, then checked it a couple days later, 11/07 and it as 1.150. Waited a bit and it was 1.070. So is it likely my brew is going to stall?

[@ManMadeMead]

I don't know of many yeasts that can consume 1.152 worth of sugar, it's probably going to halt at a sweet level.. however, I don't know where that will be exactly!

[@zachburton4190]

I just racked a mead that may not have been 100% done fermenting but it was at my abv and taste preference so since it was what I wanted I racked it. Trying to stop further fermentation. If I want to add honey for more honey flavor/ sweetness would it be okay to just add the honey right now so whatever yeast want to ferment just ferment out and everything will fall out of suspension maybe a little faster. Let’s say I did go ahead and add some honey after my first racking would I want to wait until it’s done fermenting and rack again to clear? Then after clearing bottle? Or ???

[@ManMadeMead]

You will need to stabilize the brew before you backsweeten! So add potassium sorbate & metabisulfite or pasteurize it so you can backsweeten safely. You would stabilize and the backsweeten and then bottle when you’re ready!

[@HarknessProductions]

Do you have a favorite way of calculating how much sugar to add for bottle carbonation?

[@chriswiltse2281]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/npLdZGeHiNuShZI

[@chriswiltse2281]

the difficulty is that not all honey is exactly equal either. the best thing i can suggest is use your hydrometer with your math and work from there adding more sugars or water for for what you are particularly wanting. if adding sugar into secondary; your guess is as good as anybody elses (depending on how you are adding it and taking into consideration at what level your yeast will stop at) . when dealing with actual fruit chunks it is also a guessing game regardless of what the hydrometer says because sugar is hiding in the fruit. i think everyone will agree with me that if you are planning to share your mead with friends (in general sweeter is better for crowd pleasing).

[@ManMadeMead]

Great question! Northern brewer has a great calculator for this: www.northernbrewer.com/pages/priming-sugar-calculator The issue is that honey has a different sugar content than normal sugar (generally you’ll put less honey in)! But this calculator does honey quantities too, so it’s perfect

[@danielumpleby6369]

What should a starting gravity be on a wine? I making about 2 gallons and it is starting around 1070. I’d like it to go to about 10 or 12 percent

[@ManMadeMead]

It depends on the wine! Did you make it from a kit?

[@danielumpleby6369]

Man Made Mead peach wine. No kit I had almost 6 pounds of fresh frozen peaches. I used what I had due to the covid situation. Half white and half brown sugar but it only brought me up to 1070 I use red star yeast

[@Gs_Bees]

Thanks for you videos! Quick question: I'm currently gathering supplies to make the basic, traditional mead recipe [3 lbs honey, 1 gallon water, D47 (+nutrients)]. If I were to use 3.5 lbs honey instead of 3 lbs, what could go wrong? What differs in the process if using 3.5 lbs honey in this recipe instead of 3lbs? Thanks!

[@ManMadeMead]

Nothing would go wrong, it would just be higher ABV in the long run! The process doesn't change a bit, the starting gravity will just be higher!

[@Gs_Bees]

@@ManMadeMead awesome, thanks for your help!

[@Zerath0]

I have a question, how do I carbonate a mead, where fermenting is done, but there is still sugars in the brew? Like a mead where I used low abv tolerance yeast, but there is still extra sugars but the yeast won't ferment any longer.

[@ManMadeMead]

You probably won’t find a yeast that stops below 10% ABV. If you somehow do have residual sugar with active yeast - I would be careful. They could start refermenting if they haven’t hit their abv cap. It sounds like you are wanting to force carbonate your mead. You will need some kegging equipment to do so!

[@Inventerius]

If it is done fermenting but not at the alcohol limit of the yeast can jou just ad honey and have it ferment on in a fermenting setup?

[@ManMadeMead]

Yup! More honey will lead to more alcohol content!

[@jimawhitaker]

Would back sweetening with sugar bring up the sweet level without increasing cloudiness?

[@ManMadeMead]

It’ll add a little cloudiness but that should clear up eventually!

[@Revy8]

i'd like to know more about how to naturally carbonate safely

[@ManMadeMead]

You can bottle carbonate with priming sugar and active yeast! It's a safe thing when you use the right amount of priming sugar!

[@scotthenderson4376]

1st try with a 1 gal batch with 2 lbs of honey pitched the yeast just bread yeast. waited 2 weeks as it cleared. racked it off gave it a taste and it was sweet and kinda carbonated. didn't show any alcohol so I added more honey and yeast nothing happened so I added yeast nutrient still nothing ?? I know I probably messed it up big time but if its even close to drinkable I'll make a bunch more

[@ManMadeMead]

So you didn’t notice any fermentation at all? More yeast should have hopefully kick started that fermentation if it hadn’t started!

[@waterbeardealer]

When fermenting can you use a cap or do you have to use an airlock on your carboy?

[@crowxar]

Use a cap, and just screw it down tight so that the gasses don't escape. The airlock is to keep oxygen from getting in so a tight cap will do the same thing

[@cidmontenegro8225]

@@crowxarBesides helping with the O2 barrier, the airlock allows gasses to escape to decrease the pressure in the fermentation vessel!

[@zoa1064]

Hey! So I racked my first mead.. it is a blueberry one. I had a good amount of space after removing the fruit and sediment.. I used some marbles to take up space but still have 5ish inches left in the carboy of air. Is that too much space for secondary? Or can it age with that much space just fine? Also - Should I stabilize after primary? because I do have some swing top bottles. If the car boy has too much space I was thinking I can stabilize and age in the swing top bottles? Not sure what to do - still new to this.. I have 2 more meads almost done with primary so I want to optimize my set ups.. Thanks for the help in advance!

[@ManMadeMead]

You should be fine with a little bit of headspace. I would definitely stabilize it and use campden tablets (they will help fight against oxygenation too).

[@zoa1064]

@@ManMadeMead thank you!

[@charlespwnage5435]

I see a thin white mead and i see websites saying its Mycoderma candida but what i have looks nothing like the images i find it looks more as if there is a slime in it it was there before and is still there after racking so idk what it is

[@ManMadeMead]

I’m honestly not sure! I’d have to see a picture to be able to help!

[@randyhayden3159]

Should i pasteurization my mead?

[@ManMadeMead]

If you want to!

[@LauraJayne64]

I’ve had some people say that I should only use 1/2 packet of yeast for a gallon of mead. Others have told me that I should just use the whole packet. Which do you feel is correct?

[@blaven]

Just toss in the whole pack. It won't hurt it.

[@RiccardoStrom]

is there a way to keep it sweet without backsweetening? i'm using m05 that has an hypotetical cap of 18% (a lil higher than my desires). i was thinking if it was possible to put enough honey for 12%/14% ABV + .03/.05 gravity more and stabilize it when sampling tells me that the FG is 1.03/1.05 is it something feasible or it's overcomplicating things? sorry i'm still a newbie and i'm figuring out how it should work

[@ManMadeMead]

You could cold crash it when you try to the point you want and then stabilize it. Theoretically the yeast would stop fermenting and fall to the bottom. You would want to rack off the yeast before stabilizing though!

[@RiccardoStrom]

@@ManMadeMead thank you! i would totally try that the next batch :)...if i understand it correctly i should cold crash it when it's in the right spot and then rack it in a clean carboy when clearer and then add something like potassium sorbate to stabilize it for good?

[@PTS0x45]

At about 8:36 you mentioned an ABV calculator. But I don't see one. Which one are you talking about?

[@ManMadeMead]

This is a good one! meadtools.com/ExtraCalcs/

[@PTS0x45]

@@ManMadeMeadThanks dude!

[@daltonschinck9023]

What about stainless steel for fermenting and aging? is there any part of the process you shouldn't use it for?

[@ManMadeMead]

It definitely would! You can use stainless for everything if you wanted!

[@daltonschinck9023]

@@ManMadeMead thank you!! I’m going to be starting my mead making journey soon. And my buddy and I have tossed around the idea of making a business of it, so I’m trying to get a solid knowledge base first. Your videos are amazing and are very informative! Keep it up and cheers!

[@Paxnidus]

Started fermentation on the 3rd of November and am only fermenting for 14 days. What should I expect my mead to look like right now roughly? Added dried blueberries and allspice and a little toasted marshmallow flavoring like just a drop and 4 pounds of honey 😂 I might have messed up

[@ManMadeMead]

It will probably look pretty cloudy! There should be some bubbling still but you will see that slow down and thing will start to collect at the bottom once it's all done!

[@Paxnidus]

@@ManMadeMead thanks for the quick response

[@maryspooner9686]

So question and All of the four information first before the question also understand that just throwing them out is not an option I am very new to meed and wine making and I do not have a hydrometer (I believe that's what it's called the tool to tell how much sugar and later how much alcohol is in it) Through the research that I have done so far everyone is saying I need one okay I understand I will get one shortly But due to this My existing batches do not have the original reading Most of them are made with seasonal ingredients that near impossible to get out of season and still wouldn't be the same anyways So creating a new batch I'm getting a reading on that not an option Now on to the question but you have all the information once I do get the tool is there any way to backread from The finished Mead and wine Seeing as as mentioned above I can't recreate the recipe until next year when there wouldn't be exactly the same anyways so that's ruled out Is there any other way or do I just have to go into a blind

[@jonbertocchi173]

I enjoy the vids i recently got into mead making. So im still confused on how to read the i guess gravity checker.. you said you used 3 cups of honey and 1gallon of water which is 16 cups.. i did that and i didnt see my gravity checker float or anything. Just sunk to the bottom.. do you have a video a talkong about checking gravity?

[@ManMadeMead]

I don't have a video about it. But to explain, you have to look and see where the liquid line is floating at and read the numbers where it's at. You might be somewhere around 1.080 to 1.100. You then take that an plug it into this formula: Starting Gravity - Final Gravity x 131.25 = ABV. Let me know if that works!

[@jonbertocchi173]

@@ManMadeMead thank you, it works for me.

[@kristarandall3233]

@@ManMadeMead I thought it was 3 pounds of honey?

[@willh5061]

Star San becomes ineffective once mixed, after a few hours (not weeks).

[@ManMadeMead]

Distilled water will make it last much longer - as long as you aren't messing your starsan water up with any other things, you can use it for awhile!

[@vepristhorn8278]

What about pasteurizing to stabilize mead?

[@ManMadeMead]

You can definitely do that!

[@ld5984]

You mentioned in the video you were going to put a Calculator for how much honey versus water to add in order to know what your APV could be. Can you please reference that

[@ManMadeMead]

Here’s an ABV calculator: www.meadmakr.com/abv-calculator/ Here’s another for how much honey and such to add: docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MBaxz14Y2eQ9oFnsJf_HOZyiUpMOtoCyxVs8Q3G0VvM/edit

[@ld5984]

@@ManMadeMead Damn thanks for the fast reply. Currently watching your one video about 8 common beginner mistakes. Thanks for the info man.

[@robertlehman3954]

I am getting ready to make my first Mead. When I am done making my Mead, Where can I store my Mead? Can I put my Mead in the basement, in a closet.

[@ManMadeMead]

Store it in a cool place (like a basement or closet) and make sure it doesn't get too hot!

[@beformidable12]

Does anyone know at which temperature should a mead be aged ?

[@ManMadeMead]

I would try to keep it between 60 - 68F