Mead Making 501: Making More Impressive Mead

[@iseletoopu3313]

my second batch bubbling 😎 thnx MMM

[@jgar538]

Great video. Your stage presents has improved nicely through this series and your information has improved greatly. I thank you for helping all of us out there with this complex topic. Cheerz.

[@sergioescobar460]

That’s something that I found fun about making mead, the experimentation. I made my first batch and wrote about it in a journal. Made some changes with the same ingredients and seeing if and how that changes anything

[@FlopySloppyPoppy]

So happy, been waiting for this 💪

[@FaewoodMead]

I never thought of finding a water report! Love these topics!!!

[@TigerPat_9180]

Really Enjoyed Your Video , Thanks ! 🐯🤠

[@keithmcauslan943]

I have making beers, meads and wines now for 4 years I have had some very good success; BUT I have recently noticed that my white wines are oxidizing in conditioning. Besides reducing headspace, not enough bottle sizes to reliably have less head space with out throwing out 1/3 of the wine in some cases. Thinking back to Jack Keller's book. it occurs to me maybe I should be adding my stabilizers earlier to increase the amount of available sulfur. At what point do you regularly add them? I usually ferment for about 2 weeks Gravity down to 0.992, 994, etc.. I rack off now and let it sit for 2 more weeks (was three for 1.5 years), Taste it adjust for balance and stabilize. Let it sit for 2 more weeks then bottle. and wait 3 months. Before cracking the smaller sample bottles. I am wondering about stabilizing directly after the first 2 weeks of fermentation, providing the wines more free sulfur to prevent oxidizing. Then continue with my process of balancing after the stabilizing. The other thing I have considered is filling the head space with CO2, not trying to make it sparkling, just filling the headspace.

[@ryandean5788]

First, thank you for the content. I love this whole series and it has helped me. Could you make a video on bench trials? I have some bulk aged meads in secondary, and I am not sure how to go about adding acids / tannins before bottling. I want these guys to be great when I pop the bottle, so I'm trying to make the most of the opportunity to adjust before bottling. What are reasonable amounts of citric, tartaric, or wine tannins to add? Just seeing you go through the process and provide your usual commentary would be helpful.

[@ManMadeMead]

My buddy Doin the most have a video on that and it’s killer! He walks through everything you’re asking and has a guest on who is super knowledgeable about it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d5LMk4upqNF1oqc

[@alfonsoelric6887]

I have not done the research for this so it may have been asked some where before. For secondary I know it is highly recommended to do it in a glass carboy as plastic is oxygen permeable. However I've heard of the absolute nightmare fruit is in carboy. Therefore, I wonder if you were to add fruit to secondary would you dump everything in a plastic bucket until the fruit have sat long enough and then transistion it to a glass carboy, or do you just deal with the pain and put all of it into a glass carboy? If you suggest put it into a plastic bucket for secondary, would it be sitting on the fruit long enough that you have to worry about oxidizing?

[@chrisjohnsharp]

I have noticed in a few of your videos you talk about the 3 main acids and is the same on other people videos too not seen anyone talk about lactic acid and would like it to be talked about more I’m not sure if you have used it before I have made sour beers from it in the past with yeast in a sour mash and kettle sour and have been wondering for a while if it can be used in a mead or wine had a few ideas but not try anything yet and quite interested if I could make it work

[@Hugh_Jassle]

Can you do a review on Charm City dry? As I wait for my first ferm to clear I've been trying several brands my local wine store offers. Most of them have been far too sweet however the Charm City only has those subtle floral notes and has been my favorite so far.

[@MrMac10666]

Hi, do I have to wash fruit or sanitise it before I put it in the jar …. Nick

[@slatevalleymountainman]

Something I wanna get some clarification for: What about acids, sweetness, and tannins in primary vs secondary? I'll experiment on my own, but in your experience, is there a crazy difference, or is it subtle enough that you can add at either stage and not change flavor profiles?

[@jmwfit3112]

Unless it’s a recipe you’ve run before, it would be tough to know what you are balancing until at least primary is completed

[@slatevalleymountainman]

@@jmwfit3112 i see what you mean. I just didnt know if adjusting before primary would change the profile as opposed to adjusting after. Like if you needed to add tannin, would adding tea be good before, or after?

[@ManMadeMead]

I like to balance my acids and tannins in secondary... like JMW said below - unless you know what result a ingredient will give when it comes to tannin or acidity.. it's hard to do adjusting in the primary. I would say tea is something best added before fermentation but it can be added in secondary too.

[@slatevalleymountainman]

@@ManMadeMead that helps a lot, thank you so much! Love your work, love your channel, thank you for taking the time to respond!

[@dylweezy117]

Hey MMM can you suggest something for me, or help me troubleshoot? I'm on day 0 of my primary fermentation, first time adding ingredients other than a regular must. I'm also using fermaid O and Go Ferm, I feel like I don't have enough headroom in the carboy as I have had to take the bung out and degass twice already to stop the mix from backing up into the airlock and making a mess. Help?

[@ManMadeMead]

You can always take a little bit of it out and put it into a different container. You can keep that until after the fermentation is done and then add it after you rack!

[@dylweezy117]

@@ManMadeMead I will try that, thanks!

[@OutdorsDanny]

Is it safe to use a stainless steel brew kettle, specifically a a 16 gal brewsie?

[@jakubswitalski7989]

I read in some books (e.g. C.J.Berry's recipes) that you shouldn't ferment in metal containers due to risk of acid corrosion

[@chrisschaefer5523]

Should I add nutrients in my traditional mead

[@ManMadeMead]

You definitely should!

[@jillstachkunis5260]

Hey man I’m still waiting for my winning prize from a few weeks ago. Not sure if you got my address. Please let me know

[@ManMadeMead]

Hey Jill! So sorry, I guess your reply got lost in my email. Shoot me your address via email and I will get it shipped out asap! Email: [e-mail]

[@nukem11b]

1st comment! YAY!!!

[@magacop5180]

🎉 🥇🏆 You won!

[@TigerPat_9180]

👍🥂