Mead Transfer using The Catalyst Fermentation System

[@shaunallenparker]

If all the yeast and everything doesn't even settle all the way to the bottom, what other purpose is there for this system instead of any other method? Thanks

[@BeerReview]

This is just the system I wanted to use for testing meads. If someone has a Catalyst and wanted to try mead making they could use it. No need to go buy more stuff. Cheers

[@bradruddy]

From one bearded Brad to another, great videos. I just made my first small batch of mead a couple months ago and I'll be making another this week. I look forward to going through more of your videos. Cheers, man.

[@BeerReview]

Nice. Meads are fun to make(and drink). Let me know what you are making. The chocolate mead tasting will be out today at 1. Thanks for watching Cheers

[@bradruddy]

That's what I've been researching this weekend. I just did a regular mead previously but I'm thinking about doing a vanilla one this time. I've read that people have had issues getting the vanilla taste to be present so I'm still looking into it some more.

[@BeerReview]

Im not sure if you have checked out my vanilla mead videos yet but they might have some info in them that might help. For a 1 gal batch I would go with 2 or more whole beans. Maybe 3 would be best. Cheers. Let me know what you do

[@bradruddy]

Yeah I actually watched them today. Ive heard about making your own vanilla extract but I'm thinking about adding 3 beans in secondary. I'll let you know how it goes.

[@BeerReview]

Yea I was reading about that too but was thinking for my 1st batches I would just use the beans. Cheers

[@myates4652]

It has been a while since you made this video, I just found your channel, hopefully you are still reading the comments. They make 4 ounce mason jars with the same threads, they are called jelly jars. Maybe they are too small, I am not sure. Also I thought that a slight tap on the bottom of the conical every few days might help to clear the bottom of that slight issue with the lees. Again, I am not sure. I have just started brewing a few months back, so I hope this is helpful. Thanks for the info.

[@BeerReview]

Yup I read every comment. Thanks for the info. I think I do have a small mason jar like that. I have used this on other batches and I think the slight tap does help some but it will not get it all. How is your homebrewing going? We are making a lot of videos right now on SMaSH beers that could help a new homebrewer. Check them out and let me know what you think. Thanks for watching and let me know if you have any questions. Cheers

[@myates4652]

@@BeerReview I had to look up what a SMaSH beer was, thanks for the recommendation, I have not gotten that far in your videos. That seems like a great way to get started, I have only been doing pre made beer kits so far. I have mostly been concentrating on meads, ciders and cysers. What would you recommend for the stout lover, if any, for SMaSH beer recipes. Sănătate!

[@BeerReview]

@@myates4652 Np. Keep making the kits until you think you have everything down. If you can once you move to grain I would buy a Mr Beer kit like we are using in our SMaSH videos and start there and see how you like it. 1 pot and a brew bag would be the only thing you need if you can do it on the stove. I think making small batches is the way to go unless you know you will drink 5 gallons. We will work into stouts but for a standard stout, I would do something like 65% 2-row 11% flaked barley 11% carapils 8% roasted barley 5% chocolate malt. East Kent goldings for hops. You could play around with this and see how you like it. I like my stouts more on the coffee side so I might add in some cold brewed coffee. Cheers

[@tylerssadler]

Couldn't you just fill the jar with the mead before reattaching it in order to keep air from moving through it when the valve is reopened? Some still would but you could limit it a lot by filling the jar. I enjoyed the video. I am just getting into brewing myself and still have a ton to learn.

[@GeoffLord]

Nice, very nice: have you ever tried speeding up the clearing? i only ask because i am not the most patient for first experiments... I will be trying this maybe not with the Catalyst Fermentation System (For now - it is appealing though), but i am ever hopeful, love the scientific get that flavour right experimental test!! From over the Pond in the UK.. I have hit Subscribe !

[@BeerReview]

No I have not. I want to get back into making more meads just have not had the time with all the brewing. I will add that to my list to try. Thanks for the sub and comment. Cheers

[@frederickorcutt9112]

Great video Brad. I work in a tasting room at a Meadery and they turned me on to trying a batch of my own. I think one of the conical fermentors may be in my future, until then just the 1 gallons. I'll be checking out the rest of your video's!

[@BeerReview]

Nice. Yea I did this then split it into 5 1 gallon batches. Let me know if you see anything Im doing wrong or anything I should add. Im still learning a lot about making meads. Cheers

[@wtglb]

I put all my fruits in secondary using 2-gal fermentation buckets, seems to have worked well. I have some of those same extracts, haven’t used them yet. Looking forward to seeing how they turned out!

[@BeerReview]

Nice. Most of the info in Brew Your Own Mag is saying fruits should go in primary fermentation. All the meads that I have made I have put the fruit in secondary so Im going to try it in the primary and see what that does. Cheers

[@wtglb]

Brad Allison I’d be interested to see how that works. I put 3.5 lbs of mashed frozen strawberries into a secondary back in June and kept it there for about a month. It has a nice red color and the Strawberry flavor is pretty strong. It is a bit hazy even though I added pectin, I’m going to add bentonite to see if I can clear it. Cheers!

[@BeerReview]

Will do. I might have to do a test on this and see what one is better. Cheers

[@countryboycharlie9793]

I can’t get it to all fall below the gate val, I tried everything in the comments.... it’s just like my fast fermenter... the best think for the money is a bucket..... I have kept it to long to send back but it is for sale .... not your fault, happy brewing👍

[@BeerReview]

Im not sure whats going on with yours. I have another batch in mine so I will see how that works. Cheers

[@Yaegermeister163]

What was the brand of the flavors you added to the mead?

[@BeerReview]

Brewer's Best. Its almost time to make some more meads. Thanks for watching Cheers

[@NoHypeBeerReviews]

I love your channel! Awesome to see this part of the process.

[@BeerReview]

New updates should be out in about 2 weeks. Cheers

[@Jakub_Senkerik]

I just transfered my mead yeasterday, it was my first batch. But my mead is completely without sugar and taste more like wine than mead. I guess 3 mistakes, can u help me? ♦ My fermentation stops after 3 weeks and I rack it one week after it stopped. ♦ I had 1 gallon recipe, but I used 5L carboy...so there was oxygen. ♦ I used 2 packets of wine yeast (it was 0,6g so I fought it will be not enough. But after 1 week I looked up, that one packet is for 5L of fruti wine)

[@BeerReview]

Yea the yeast had a fun time with all the sugar. I'm sure the wine yeast has a high tolerance it can eat more sugar and not get drunk. I think the mead will be ok but you will need to backsweeten with honey to get the sugar taste back. I think you are still going to get some wine tastes in your mead b/c you used a wine yeast. Also, I would use some potassium sorbate to make sure any leftover yeast doesn't start eating the honey you backsweeten with. Keep me posted on what you do. Cheers

[@jaworowski100]

It is hard to get an idea of your exact problem without more information. - SG? -FG? -what yeast did you use EC-1118? Most wine yeast has a high alcohol tolerance so chances are you ran your mead dry. I'm assuming your mead has a hot taste "high alcohol taste". Happens to most high ABV meads takes time to age before it will go away. You definitely will want to stabilize your mead before back sweetening to prevent a restart. Cold crashing can also help.

[@stanleygrover1685]

I save a bottle of mead or take a bottle from aged batch and fill the lees catcher with it before putting it back on the fermenter!

[@BeerReview]

Thanks for the info I will have to try that. I will be making more mead soon. Thanks for watching Cheers

[@jaydeebaby7]

When you say you use a bag to put the fruit in... What type of bag? And why a bag? Just easier to pull it out?

[@BeerReview]

Like a muslin mesh bag. The issue you have with some kinds of fruits like peaches is its hard to pull all the mead off of them. An auto siphon will get plugged easy. So if you can put the fruit in a bag it will stay in the bag so you dont have issues. Yup all you would have to do is pull the bag out and you should be good. Cheers

[@jsaucee1]

Have you tried taking your mason jar and filling it with you mead in the catalyst prior to placing it back on? I like the idea of adding carmelized honey to that last one.

[@BeerReview]

No, I have not but I think that would be a good idea. I did watch a brewing video that adds the hops to the mason jar then put the jar on and it didn't work well but I think the caramelized honey would work. Cheers

[@blakehunter7443]

I understand the purpose of the mason jar (yeast collection for future generations), but it might be wise to just keep the transfer funnel on the bottom of the vessel throughout fermentation, if you are concerned with oxygenating your product. This way, when you go to rack off into secondary you can collect cloudy runnings, or trub, for later use while also limiting product exposure to oxygen. For some this might be a great product, but really an opaque conical fermenter with an adjustable racking arm port (which can be jerry rigged out of a cheap hdpe 2 elbow from homebrew stores, a valve, gaskets, some nuts, and a white plastic food grade bucket, which may even come pre drilled) is superior in cost effectiveness. Not a huge mead guy, new to the craft. Coming from a beer point of view. Just food for thought.

[@bsmeadery9968]

Thoughts on a Green Tea Mead?

[@BeerReview]

That might be good. I do like green tea. I will add it to the list. I was thinking mint tea. Cheers

[@bsmeadery9968]

Brad Allison it would be like a mead for when you’re sick.. Green Tea/ Honey?? Sounds like a great remedy for being sick to me.

[@BeerReview]

It sounds good to me. Cheers

[@Marauder623]

That sounds really disgusting.

[@BeerReview]

If you dont think green tea I think it would but I drink green tea all the time. Cheers

[@Martyown]

Lovely video, and nice beard! I'm really looking forward to the next mead video :)

[@BeerReview]

Thanks. I should have update videos out in about 2 weeks. Thanks for watching. Cheers

[@Vroomerz]

I like your "eye ball it" method.

[@BeerReview]

Thanks for watching Cheers

[@MikeP350]

This mead was only 7.5%?

[@BeerReview]

Yup. I did not want a high ABV mead. I will be making some higher ABV meads this year. Cheers

[@pfattmarketplace8996]

You could have opened the butterfly valve again to get the last of the yeast settlement down.

[@BeerReview]

Yes you are right.

[@jsaucee1]

The fact that people are looking at these videos to learn something new to them should make it obvious that almost everything you're doing with equipment that we have never seen makes almost everything you do not something obvious to someone who has never done it.

[@redheadbeers7309]

2:00 you were right the first time. O2 bad, CO2 good

[@BeerReview]

Yea when I was editing this I was like crap I had it right. Thanks for pointing that out. Cheers

[@bobbob-ze9zo]

@@BeerReview On the other hand you have a couple of bubbles rapidly rising straight to the top and not dispersing into the liquid. ( no change ) I think you should recheck your science on this one.

[@Marauder623]

I must admit, that mead does look great. I don't think i could get on with the catalyst, especially with that amount of bubbling when transferring to other containers. The oxidation and infection risks coupled with the expense of honey in the UK turns me off it.

[@scipio2009]

Equipment error, tbh; not sure how the equipment is actually set up, but he basically had more than enough of the clear mead in the Mason jar to fill the funnel, and avoid that air being present (clamp the end of the hose, connect it to the water, fill the hose with something heavier than the mead, and then fill the funnel with mead before connecting it)

[@pfattmarketplace8996]

You really should leave one of the gallons as-is as a control for your experiment so you know how the plain un-flavored mead turns out.

[@BeerReview]

I did do that with this I still have 1 that is unflavored. I will be doing an update video on them soon. I know I did say that I wanted to put something in all of them but I did not do that. Thanks for the info Cheers.

[@Aleph-Noll]

not a good system to be honest

[@BeerReview]

Why do you think its not a good system? Cheers

[@Aleph-Noll]

seems like theres a lot of waste and extra steps that can be avoided if you just use a glass carboy you know

[@BeerReview]

Yes you are right. Craft a Brew did send me the catalyst and wanted me to make a mead with it so thats what I did. Cheers

[@Crazt]

Another KZbinr used it with beer and it seemed to work better. I think a smaller Mason jar may have worked better. If I had one, I'd probably leave it shut for the primary fermentation period, and open it about a day before transferring it to a secondary, open it and let the much resettle in a smaller Mason jar.

[@BeerReview]

@@Crazt With meads I think you are right. A smaller jar would be best. I will be making another batch in the catalyst so I will use a smaller jar. Cheers