Sack Mead - City Steading makes a Sack Mead again, Improved Recipe!

Sack Mead - City Steading makes a Sack Mead again, Improved Recipe! Yes, we made Black Sack Mead once before. It wasn't a complete failure, but close enough that I'm disappointed! So, let's try this again, using a different method of Mead Making. This time, we will Step Feed Honey to the wort, and over time, build up a strong alcohol content, and still have control over the fermentation.
Link to Part 2 of this series: • Sack Mead Stepfeeding ...
Want to cook with mead? Check out our Viking Chili! • Video
Some links to items used in the Video:
* Sweet Squeeze Wildflower honey amzn.to/2R2Fm4D
* My Damuch T-Shirt city-steading.c...
* 1 gallon Carboy: amzn.to/2CygpVx
* 50 lb capacity scale amzn.to/2L7d7hf
* Airlock: amzn.to/2sBeoDw
* Self stirring cup:
amzn.to/2W5e1in
* TRBOS (sanitization bucket):
amzn.to/2VZpQGC
* Star San: amzn.to/2RTlqBX
* Cleaning Brushes:
amzn.to/2DlGadt
* Hydrometer:
amzn.to/2Dj8oWd
* Graduated Cylinder:
amzn.to/2TYgmJO
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[@fusion9619]

Y'all could write a book with recipes, styles, tricks and tips... I'd buy it.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It’s a plan… when I have time!

[@president12383]

It would be cool if there were diagrams as well. The book could look aged like parchment like an ancient spell tome

[@fusion9619]

@@president12383 oh that would be perfect. You also give me an idea : buy an actual spell tome (I researched this once - there are several available in esoteric stores) and just leave it on the coffee table and see what people say about it

[@president12383]

@@fusion9619 haha the reactions would be funny! I would love an old mead recipe book and hand down generation after generation

[@patlawson1659]

DAMUCH , is an educated guess . 🤠😁

[@terrycuyler5659]

I did a 2 1/2 gallon batch starting with 2 full gallons of spring water and 6 lbs of honey from there I fed it a 12oz bottle every time the ust went down 5 points and got my mead to 17% ABV.

[@ncpedersen]

I just love you guys! - so cute and passionate about brewing and creating! Nice humor and good explanartions and guides

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@treloughfarrer7604]

Once i get a few more batches under my belt ill try step feeding. Its an interesting idea. Ill have to try it eventually

[@christopherspitsen3203]

Love what you do. Have you ever thought of making a video where it is all rolled together. So you make it come back rack it and then bottle it splice it all together so people can see it all in one?

[@aceisking12]

That would be a very long video

[@CitySteadingBrews]

This.

[@bryanmoore7229]

Have y’all ever thought about making videos showing the active ferments? I think it’s fascinating to see, and I think your viewers would love it. I know I would. 😊

[@Moostery]

Can confirm. Sometimes I just like watching my brews ferment for a few minutes.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We did an airlock video once… could try this I guess.

[@Moostery]

@@CitySteadingBrews Maybe just include footage of the brew fermenting overlayed while you talk about it and aren't demonstrating anything important. I think that could be a nice visual =)

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We pretty much do that in the making videos now :)

[@Moostery]

@@CitySteadingBrews Ohh nice! I'm new to your channel but I have been binging it a bit. I don't even drink alcohol all that much. I just like making it. And my friends like that I make it too

[@MrMatrixtech]

Love the birds-eye shot

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

Yay! A series on step feeding! 🤩 Thank you so much! I am so intrigued by this process. And +1 comment for the algorithms!😎

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You are so welcome!

[@guyinpajamapants6892]

Lol! I searched through the vids to find the black sack follow up, but you answered it! God speed on this one!!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Actually... lol, speed is exactly what this brew does not need!

[@baldiemaier8165]

By the way after watching you I started as I love mead and cider. Thanks

[@nickoftimes972]

Cant wait to see how the step feeding works.

[@wtfpwnz0red]

EC-1118 will definitely ferment at 1.16 specific gravity. I had a cyser start at somewhere around 1.185 (a guess because I was off the scale) and it fermented down to 1.072. I probably stunted it starting off that high, but it did indeed power through. If I'd given it a more gentle start (say, 1.16) it might have fermented out to a full 18% ABV

[@FTWbiology]

Am I the only one who hears sack mead and thinks Sackville-Baggins xD

[@killerkirk2465]

Blake B your comment just killed me

[@ivanscherette7997]

No. No you aren't. 😂

[@raysgonefishing3271]

Hahaha I am now lol

[@2brothersrobwillgaming212]

i have done step feeding before on some stuff that is hard to make work...very happy of end stuff... but when adding extra stuff to your mix, do it very slowly.... it has the chance to bubble over on you...

[@JOCO1911]

Love your vids I hope your videos and channel blow up

[@Pseud0rand0m]

Awesome....I've been watching all of your videos. Making Mead and wines!

[@TL50-r9f]

Step fermentation works better. For wine or spirit musk. Yeast work more efficiently snacking rather than feasting in a high sugar environment. I am using this process in the Klingon blood wine. 1/3 of sugar spread out over each 3 to 4 week cycle except for the last brown sugar.

[@tillerintoxicated6917]

Was just thinking about you guys. I ate so much Turkey

[@dananelson8447]

Thanks for the video. Looking forward to the final reading.

[@AaronWayneOtto]

Great video. I would love to see the no mix experiment. I am interested in seeing how it turns out. Would it be like a stack mead without the multiple additions of honey. As the honey would dissolve slowly into the water and the yeast would have an area to thrive. Thanks for the videos you two are so fun to watch.

[@WolvGirl15]

I swear when I get a place where I have a room with a stable temperature then I'll make so much mead. Hopefully not fail again but hey, I'm here to learn

[@borttorbbq2556]

Same

[@Kingcj2001]

This gives hope for a second try at the bochet. I typically use four pounds of honey when I make mead and I've been pondering if caramelizing one pound would be enough rather than all of it. My last bochet was a bit disappointing, only coming out to about 7%. It was way, way too sweet and I had to fortify it with vodka. But if you guys do another bochet, it might be a good idea just to caramelize one pound since in theory that "burnt" honey's flavor would dominate the entire brew.

[@spikelove9533]

I've been planning out a sack mead im going for 22 abv. No special reason just cause. I figured I'd use a 2 day yeast starter and way over pitch. I'll do step feedings lots of air organic nitrogen yeast nutrients and olive oil diluted in 190. At .0000005 parts of a drop lol I'll use dady yeast I plan on 2 years to drink it. I know way more involved than you guys are into but it seems like a fun challenge. I might dry hop it at the end. Im not sure yet. We will see in a couple years. Now that I've said it ill have to get buisy and make it. I have some black berry honey. That seems like a good choice the nobles would enjoy in a sack mead back in the day.

[@abitofthisabitofthatwithda5379]

8 gal with 25 pounds using 1116(2 packages) started last January took 3 months(or there about) to finish cooking and no step feeding. It came out to 17abv. I think using 1118 would be able to cut the mustard being its the = to 1116. Good luck in the meantime.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yep,. and I plan to step feed it past that!

[@josephfalls1585]

First off, my wife and I love your videos. Thanks for getting me interested in making Mead. I have a question about step feeding and figuring the ABV. I have a strawberry wine that turned into a step feed. How do I figure it out? I added all of the used gravity points together, (it has refermented twice so far), and multiplied that by 135. That gave me 22.68% ABV. I used 71b and do not believe that it went that high. If I figure the ABV of each and add them together, it comes out the same. Thanks for your help and keep up the good work.

[@urbanhomesteadingchannel1813]

5:21 Brian thwack that packet 😂

[@boheromx]

LOL.....I'm literally 2 weeks into the same recipe. I might choose to step feed it lol

[@kristopherwood7521]

The CC trying to follow you guys is entertaining in itself. Making a sack mead with Stephanie. Did you ever make a brew that was great on paper but just not good when finished?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You haven't watched many of our videos yet..... lol. Yeah, happens often enough. We also try to turn them around into something good.

[@ilchickentv340]

In theory, instead of step feeding, or in addition, could you mix up the three pounds of honey into the water, then pour in a half pound or so right away to sit in the bottom, leaving the yeast with a "comfortable" environment plus more sugar to eat later?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I keep meaning to test this.

[@ilchickentv340]

@@CitySteadingBrews Looking forward to it!

[@timothywiener5977]

Another great video!! bottled up 5 gallons of pear wine using pears from my yard last weekend, so I'm looking for the next fermenting project, and this looks promising. I came to this video after watching the Dragon Blood and Dragon Breath videos. Question, have you tried or considered trying mixing two yeast strains? for example, in this case using Lavlin 71B to bring out fruity esters and the Lavlin EC1118 for its alcohol tolerance. either by mixing initially and hope they play nice up to 12% ABV so that fruity esters are produced before the 71B is outcompeted by the EC1118 which then finishes the ferment through the stepfeeding, or start the ferment solely with 71B to a 10-12% ABV, then add EC1118 with the first stepfeeding (may need to start EC1118 in a little honey water a couple days in advance to get a good colony started before dumping into the must). Or are those fruity esters so subtle that only a wine sno….aficionado would notice?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Mixing yeast doesn't really work like that. One yeast will normally win out over the other.

[@MistressKuroko]

I quick fermented sweetened condensed milk with chai then let it cold crash for about a month. Haven’t tasted it yet but it made a huge mess the first few days fermenting and I had to filter it after due to “curds” I guess. 🤞🏾here’s to hoping it tastes as good as it smells.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Not really sure what you're making there... sort of a blaand, but not really.

[@MistressKuroko]

City Steading Brews I’m not sure what I’m making either but it was home made chai so it was very spiced... hoping it has mellowed out with time 😞

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I think this is more of a kefir than an alcoholic drink to be honest!

[@keithmcauslan943]

I have been watching and enjoying your videos almost from the beginning, so thank you. I thought you said you weren't going to rack between each feeding? Seems like if you removed the trub, you would both make more room for the extra Mead and for more water in later feedings. The remaining yeast already in solutions would still be able to re-create a new colony.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Well... why force it to rebuild a colony with each addition? I'd much rather use the yeast already present that is acclimated to the alcohol.

[@williamedwards1822]

I did a step feed mead its still bulk aging but got it to low 15%abv. Was blown away because i used bread yeast.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Step feeding can sometimes go way past expectations.

[@armedbear529]

Wait....what was everything sanitized in?!

[@ChrisRedheart]

She didn't get to say it!!! Nnnoooooooo......😭

[@armedbear529]

Chris Redheart , we’ll never know now. Have Brian and Derica moved on from TRBOS? Have they found another sanitation vessel? Will TRBOS seek revenge for being replaced? Tune in next week...

[@Hin_Håle]

TRBOS doesn't work there anymore. And no, they're not giving out ex employees' personal information...

[@jdrains16]

My thought exactly!!

[@jdrains16]

james cowboy but would you put it in ... The Red Bucket of Sanitization!!!? I personally use TSSOS, The Stainless Sink of Sanitization.

[@billybobjones4317]

I recommend to anyone that wishes to make mead on a regular basis to get their own Hive, yes it costs a bit of money to set up, around $1000 on average for a Flow Hive system and about $500 for a Langstroth hive system plus about $200 for your first NUC. Once you have it all then it gets cheaper to make your second Hive as the Bees are free and the empty brood boxes are cheap just if you go Flow that is the expensive part. I spent a little over two thousand and have three Hives, if I sold my Honey I could make that money back in about 18 months at most as I would sell it cheaper than others in my area to make sure it sold, although once people taste Flow Honey they don't normally go back to shop bought. Once you have your hive set up then you get around 3.5 gallons of honey per hive every month depending on area of course, where I live we get Honey year around, other places have to setup their hives for snow and so lose around 6 months of Honey. Some will say it's to much trouble but honestly, it's very simple and only takes about an hour every ten days or so, the Bees do everything else. I know people that live in a Unit that have a hive on their Balcony as well as others that live in multi storey dwelling and have a couple hives on the roof. I also have many Australian Stingless Bee hives that I could collect the Honey from and will do so once I know more about making Mead with normal Honey. Honey can be used for a lot more things than just mead and they recommend at least two tablespoons of Honey a day, which I have been doing for quite some time and I also use Honey as my sugar replacement and can say everything that I sweeten with my Honey tastes way better than it ever did with over processed Sugar. My two cents ;)

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I've seen good and bad about those hives.... maybe I need more research!

[@billybobjones4317]

@@CitySteadingBrews The good you would hear is from people with the real Flow Hive that is made in Australia, the bad is from the people that bought the Chinese knock off, like I did when I didn't know there was a difference, the Bees didn't want anything to do with the Chinese knock offs and went straight for the Real flow hive when I got it. The fake Flow system was very poorly made and God knows what plastics they used . I washed and flushed the Fake frames and am trying again, the Bees are all over the frames going in and out of the cells but no wax build up in over a week :(. I am hoping they will eventually use them as once they coat the cells with wax it won't matter if the frames are the real thing or the cheap and nasty fake version :) I can tell you one thing for sure though and that is the flavour of the raw honey I get from the real flow frames is second to none and tastes better than any shop bought honey I have ever tasted and everyone that I have given my Honey too all say the same thing. My Nephew was buying very expensive Honey from an organic Bee Keeper and my Nephew tried mine and now no longer buys the expensive stuff as he said mine has far better flavour and doesn't give an after taste or that funny feeling you get in your throat from commercial grade Honey, must be the additives that they supposedly don't add, or could be the flavours that they don't add as well to get their range of specialty flower varieties, from specially trained Bees that only go to those certain plants :)

[@billybobjones4317]

@@CitySteadingBrews Pity it's so expensive to send things to America, or I would send you a jar, so you can tell me how much better or worse mine is compared to your wild flower version ? I still may do so from my next harvest, a 650ml jar and you can make a Mead from it like I am at present, got 7 Australian gallons going , three weeks on and they are still bubbling, give them a shake every day and they offload a fair amount of CO2 and then just keep slowly but surely venting through the air lock. Hoping they finish this coming week as I want to rack it and see how much honey is left as well as a taste test :)

[@Hawaiian_Shirt_guy]

I step-fed a strawberry wine with sugar 20 years ago. It was strong... very, very strong...

[@familielandman6229]

Hi Brian, i've got a question. Can you predetermine how much honey to add? Like for an 18% mead you would need a SG of about 1.330. Wich would mean about 3,8 pouds of honey per gallon. If you do it like in the video and step feed this 3.8 pounds, would you be able to get to the targeted 18%? Considiring yeast can't read in to considiration of course ;)

[@CitySteadingBrews]

In theory you can, but it could shock the yeast going that high right away and it can stall.

[@tim-tim-timmy6571]

Actually, honey doesnt go bad because there is not enough water for microorganisms to grow. We refer to it as ”activity of water” meaning the water that available for organisms. It is also for this reason than jams or heavily salted meats do not go bad.

[@rustyfunk3227]

Have you thought about making a raspberry mead

[@Hin_Håle]

Great vid as always. I have a question: why shake the bottle after every feeding? Shouldn't the yeast have propagated enough the first time around?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Gonna have to mix it anyway.

[@rickascii]

To get the honey around

[@krisredwood]

As the fermentation progresses, the yeast will flocculate, which could lead to healthy yeast settling below the lees, which delays or even bars them from accessing the honey additions. Also, as stated, the honey will need to be dissolved to help the yeast access it better. Great mead is made with healthy yeast. Long as you don't make it work too hard, (and give it the nutrients it needs so it isn't stressed) you can enjoy great mead sooner. I don't know about you, but I like to enjoy my mead in less than 6 weeks personally

[@Hin_Håle]

Thanks for your answers. I think you misunderstood my question though - or maybe I wasn't clear enough. Iagree with all of you, mixing is important with every feed. I was specifically asking about shaking though, since Brian talked about shaking the mead in the video. I was under the impression that it had something to do with oxygen?

[@krisredwood]

@@Hin_Håle the yeast still need a healthy environment to feed in. By shaking/stirring you're degassing the must to reduce the inhibitive gas, to create a more oxygenated environment for the yeast to better survive in during their log phase. Granted, this is something that must be done before the yeast begin entering their stationary phase if possible, because at that time (when you see flocculation has begun) they're undergoing a cellular change to begin cleaning up the less desirable flavours like diacetyl. Not to say they'll stop fermenting, just that it'll take longer. My step feeding protocol is completed within one week. And I only use it when dealing with the truly expensive honey, that I want to insure there's no loss to stalling.

[@Alwis-Haph-Rytte]

Orange zest, ok. I was watching and thinking jar of Saffron, $$$, yeah expensive mead with a jar of that much Saffron.

[@Twistedcrescendo]

*EDIT*: Test your hydrometer before using it, folks! After getting some wildly bizarre readings that would have meant my honey contained about 167g of sugar per 100g of honey, I took a plain water reading with my hydrometer. It showed plain water as having a specific gravity of 1.050... So I have no idea what alcohol content, or potential alcohol content, any of my batches has. Really excited to see how this turns out! My first attempt at making mead was a sack mead with an O.G. of somewhere around 1.150 or somewhere thereabouts (My hydrometer didn't, and still doesn't, go up that far) and it is still merrily bubbling away in a cabinet. I set up the batch right before seeing your video on your attempted Black Sack rescue, so I got really nervous about my batch failing miserably.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I think you have the wrong kind of hydrometer there.

[@Twistedcrescendo]

@@CitySteadingBrews I think you might be right.

[@MrDdoyle5]

Ever consider racking and step feeding? I am currently doing a 6 gallon batch of traditional sack mead. I didn't leave head room. I've let it go almost to dry but it had a lot of leese so the batch naturally had room to add more honey. So I'm still step feed but racking everytime. Just food for thought.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

That kills off the colony of yeast. That lees isn't dead, it's the colony working still, along with what's in the solution. Best to NOT rack inbetween.

[@laakins]

Just curious, why don’t you use a drill and a degassing/stirrer wand instead of shaking? Thanks!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

No need to degas at all really. We just keep things simple and... I don't have one of those things 😀

[@geraldbock8768]

I was remembering tap water in Florida...

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Don't. Block that memory out.

[@rickascii]

A minor thing, but have you ever tried using pollen as a yeast energizer? I know you're not huge on that kind of thing, but it's about as natural as you can get and might make for a cool product.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I have considered it and it is natural, but, in the quantities needed it costs moe than the honey!

[@rickascii]

@@CitySteadingBrews What about keeping your own bees? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

[@deathcooler]

Been watching your videos for a week now. Today just bought everything for my first brew. So here is an idea for another video. How do I handle crystalized honey. The only good local honey I managed to get is very good, but is all crystalized. Read around is good but how do I deal/handle/prepare damuch honey? Remember, I have one week experience brewing....experience watching videos... your videos... yeah...Love ya guys ;-)

[@saxonsoldier67]

Try placing the bottles that are crystallized in warm water to heat the contents. Crystals should dissolve and all the honey should be liquid again.

[@Hin_Håle]

If you're paranoid that your brew is going to get infected (like me) you can also spoon the honey into a pot with some water and heat it up to about 65°c for ten minutes to kill off the natural yeasties and bugs. But not much above that temp since that changes the flavour of the honey. Good luck with your brew!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Please don't heat your honey like that. You're killing off all the sublte flavors. Any natural yeast will be starved out by commercial yeast.... and there no nasties in honey.... it literally cannot spoil!

[@markdavidsonjewell]

Help Save our stuck, sticky and sweet sack mead. Hey Brian and Derica. Thanks for your wonderful content. I need your help with our stuck sack mead. I started making mead in 2020 thanks to your videos and have made many batches of your “my first mead” recipe, which has always come out wonderful. I decided I wanted to experiment with different yeasts, and pitched 71 beast, and most recently champagne EC 118 to make a sack mead. Since it apparently goes to 18% ABV, I of course upped the honey. I planned to make 3 1 gal batches, one dry (target FG=0.015), one med (0.025), one sweet (0.035). Using the normal honey to gravity calculator (1lbs = 35 gravity points), I weighed out the correct amounts, but then ran into two problems. 1. The hydrometer only goes up to 1.150, so I couldn’t take precise OG readings, which should have been (1.148, 1.158, and 1.168). 2. The OG was way off. I added way too much honey, indicating that our honey (local clover/wildflower), is far denser than 35 points per pound. To save the day, I decided to obtain a 4th carboy, fill it with must from the 3 others, and then dilute them all to obtain a more reasonable gravity (about 1.150). My new plan was to let them ferment out, then back sweeten/step feed to reach the desired sweetnesses. They were started on May 15 2022, and fermented rapidly, until late June, at which point they stopped (reading on July 5). I’ve taken several readings , and they’re not budging. They are super sweet (1.080), sticky, and are not anywhere close to 18%. If I could do this again, I would step feed them, but I can’t, and we have 4 gallons of mead to save. I watched your videos on how to restart a stuck mead. I know there is still sugar, and I also know that they haven’t reached their alcohol tolerance. I started by discarding part of one carboy (perfect for drosophila traps), and diluted it to 1.035, thinking the high sugar might be stressing it. I pitched a bunch more EC118 in all carboys for good measure and swirled it up. After 2 weeks, gravity hadn’t budged. My next idea was to feed the yeast with some dead yeast, so I added some yeast energizer (Elo's premium), and once again pitched some more EC118. It’s been another two weeks and I see no activity, bubbling or movement in the airlock, and the gravity is still the same as July 5. What’s wrong. How can I get the magic champagne yeast to work. As of now, it is undrinkable, and if I dilute it to a reasonable sugar level, it will be so weak in alcohol and flavour that it is not worthwhile. 4 gallons is a lot of mead, too much to waste. What do you suggest I do in my current predicament. What do you think I did wrong, if I were to start a similar batch in the future? Thanks again, And cheers from Halifax, Nova Scotia. Mark

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Okay, not that this will help now, but in the future, we aim for 1.120 MAX, usually 1.100ish, no matter what we're making as a starting gravity. Anything higher and you are just stressing the yeast as you are finding out. Dilution is really the only option. But, you -can- dilute it until it kicks up with EC-1118 and then step feed it again as the sugars are consumed to your desired ABV and sweetness level. It's a major pain in the butt, but it's better than dumping it all, which I don't want to see you do. Another thing you can add is yeast hulls, as they -may- help the yeast get going again in a stuck fermentation. Temperature also plays a part, try to get it over 70F.

[@markdavidsonjewell]

@@CitySteadingBrews I see - too much of a good thing is a bad thing. Thanks for the help!

[@markdavidsonjewell]

@@CitySteadingBrews I've diluted it and it's back to bubbling like crazy. Thanks for the help!

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

@@markdavidsonjewell - Months later I’m curious how it turned out. In more recent videos Brian and Derica have started using Fermaid O and I find adding yeast nutrient makes a big difference. It keeps the yeast happier, healthier, and munching away. Like Brian and Derica, I never go higher than 1.120 initially. Over time I keep adding honey. I allow the gravity to go down to 1.060, not lower, and add honey back to no higher than 1.100 or 1.120 whilst keeping an eye on the potential ABV all along. I rarely go by weight/volume of the honey, preferring gravity as an indicator. It works for me. When I want a high ABV yeast I’ll often hit 18-19%. My last strawberry mead ran away with me. I didn’t intend it to go high. Yeast being the pesky little type of creature that refuses to learn to read, back sweetening ended up re-starting fermentation and ending at a whopping 18,8%. So I back sweetened again, pasteurised and bottled for long-term storage. Eighteen months later my friends call it the Femme Fatale. Looks like an angel, ‘walks’ and ‘talks’ like an angel (tastes great and goes down smoothly) but is a devil in disguise. One glass gets the party started. More than one has the potential of having you snoring under the table if you’re not careful. 😂

[@jayjohnston3505]

Super curious to see how it turns out, I usually back sweeten after acid additions and bottling. Can y’all do a acid addition video?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Never had a need to add acid.

[@jayjohnston3505]

Hmm ok, I’ve recently been playing with the acids (tartaric, malic and citric) so far they’ve helped on some of my meads but not all lol. I’ve been wanting to get into step feeding but been hesitant because of having to adding more honey and airating the must but was wondering about oxidation. I do nutrient additions but....

[@Andersonvga1994]

great video!! have you ever tried hidrolysed beer yeast as a nutrient instead of orange peel or raisins? here in brazil i can find about 100grams for less than a dollar. its made for human consuption, and since we cant break the yeast cell wall, they hidrolyse it. i use it in my beers and i once did a must of just water, white sugar cane and dried yeast, tasted really nice bc of my kveik strand.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Yeah, you can get something similar by boiling bread yeast. I've not really tried it myself though.

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

@@CitySteadingBrews - I either boil baker’s yeast or the sediment of traditional mead or the sieved sediment of mildly flavoured meads (just started doing that). Works for my brews. Just keep boiled sediment in the fridge in a sanitised, airtight container if you don’t use it immediately. According to my biochemist father, it keeps in the fridge for several weeks and should contain more nutrients than plain boiled yeast. Got an endless explanation on that from Dad which I promptly forgot... 🙈

[@billybobjones4317]

Just curious, if you asre going to open it to add more Honey couldn't you then remove the currants and raisins ? Just as an aside, in Australia, Currants are a dried Berry and Raisins are a dried Black grape, not similar at all, could be different in America as we have sultanas that are green dried grapes and I think you guys call them raisins as well ? It's good to know that I can add honey and continue the fermentation with no real problems as that way I can get the 18% my Mead Yeast said it could do and also have it sweet and not dry. My two Meads that I started yesterday are bubbling away very nicely, as quickly as what my Ginger Beers used to, they also started bubbling about an hour or so after I placed them in their spot, wasn't expecting it to go so quick from all the videos I have watched ? Maybe the yeasts like home grown Honey better ;)

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You can add more honey at pretty much any time, really.

[@mythic_snake]

Someone just gifted me a bag full of Tamarinds. The sweetened juice tastes like a cross between freshly squeezed orange juice and Tang LOL. Would this be a good thing to use to flavor Mead? Or would the citrussy flavor just turn into bitter rind flavor as it ferments? Oh, I also have a bag full of hibiscus flowers somebody gave me. Your Viking Blood video shows you using cherry juice but I was wondering if I could use fresh Hibiscus tea.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Well, I've never used tamarind, but... try it? See if you like it. You can totally use hibiscus. We did in the Viking Blod clone video.

[@eddavanleemputten9232]

Amy, did you try the tamarind? If so, how did it turn out? I can some times get fresh tamarinds at a Chinese supermarket I go to. I’m thinking a tamarind mead or wine would make a wonderful gift for friends of mine (Asian extraction & friends who grew up in Asia). And... seems like a fun thing to serve to others: Me: “Here, try some tamarind wine/mead!” Friends: “Tama-WHAT?” Me: “It’s a fruit. It’s alcohol. It’s good.” Friends: “You had us at fruit alcohol.” 🤪

[@davidnalder735]

wish i had seen this one before i started haha. no wonder im going so slow ;D

[@YellowSnowIsBadForYou194]

Why don't you add boiled bakers yeast as a nutrient? As I understood, they are full of amino nitrogen, food for living yeast.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Sure you can.

[@garthwillard1793]

Ok yeah... think I messed up. Here’s what I got 1 gallon carboy, 30grams raisins, 4lbs of honey, KIV-1116 and an OG of 1.170! I started this before I knew about step feeding it’s been bubbling away for a week and my theory was 18% yeast with 4lbs would put me at 20% “potential” so it should end up a lil sweet. BUT after watching this I’m kinda thinking I messed up. I was thinking about moving to a 3gal carboy and diluting with water to lower the gravity. What do you recommend?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Kinda high OG, yes... diluting down to 1.130 or lower is my suggestion. You can always step feed to the tolerance, but once it's stuck... it's harder to get it going again.

[@ConnorPatrickMusicSOH]

My first mead has gone a little dryer than I would like it to be. I don't necessarily want a higher ABV but would like it to be a little sweeter. Would you say - since it's my first mead - I should get into stepfeeding to make it sweeter or would you recommend to wait until I'm a bit more experienced making meads? If so, is there a way to backsweeten my mead without starting up fermentation again?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Simplest fix... put mead in your glass to drink, add some honey to taste, mix. Done. Next fix... pasteurization, kzbin.info/www/bejne/imrZqIifl66Mm5o If you've already bottled, nothing you can do but the first simple fix.

[@jacqueslangenhoven1754]

How many liters is in 1 gallon carbody you use ( 3.8 liters)? 1 gallon in South Africa is 4.5 liters. Just want to be sure to adjust amount of honey

[@CitySteadingBrews]

3.785 liters to a US gallon, yup.

[@ChristnThms]

Very interested in this. I just got into this hobby, and have received a lot of positive feedback from my friends. So far I've done the lighter versions, but I'd like to try one of these higher ABV versions just to see how it comes out. Quick question though. Since the yeast you're using is advertised as 18% tolerant, what is the actual difference between this step feeding technique and just letting it chew through the full load of honey all at once (assuming the same total time involved to allow for aging)? Are you hoping to exceed the advertised 18% by a significant amount?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Not just hoping to exceed it... but, sometimes it's better to not shock the yeast regardless of it's tolerance.

[@ChristnThms]

@@CitySteadingBrews gotcha. So, any target ABV that's even close to the advertised tolerance could benefit from step feeding, just to ensure that you actually accomplish the goal?

[@mattrebow4]

Damuch!!!

[@slowwound2656]

I've gotten as high as 22% with ec 1118

[@danwinks4917]

Would adding wheat a good idea?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Why? It’s mead...

[@MerlinsBeard91]

Hey guys, I love the channel and have watched....probably 20 or so vids in the last 2 days :D I've always enjoyed the thought of brewing my own mead and I would love to do it. However, I'm concerned that it's a honey WINE. So far I have not had a wine that I have enjoyed, granted I also have not had a wine over $20, so I don't want to dive head first into making my own mead only to find out that I don't enjoy it. Are there any brands of mead that you would suggest in order to get an idea of what I would be getting in to? Thanks!!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Try Chaucer's. It's not great mead, but it's not horrible.

[@MerlinsBeard91]

City Steading Brews I will definitely give it a try the next time I can. Thanks!

[@caleblucas3206]

I know this is a mead video but how much sugar do I need to add to 5 gallons of completely dry wine to get to 1.020-1.030spgr (that would be considered a “sweet wine”/“dessert wine” right?)

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Sugar is .046 gravity per pound in a gallon, so, you'd need about 1/2 a lb per gallon.

[@robutubemacarthur]

can I just leave the airlock off and cover with a cloth until I’m done step feeding?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

If you really want to. I simply prefer keeping all the oxygen out to prevent acetobactor activation and.. we have cats.

[@jefferylinville5945]

I know you guys use 2 different types of scales, can you give me a link for those?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

This one is in the description of this video: 50 lb capacity scale amzn.to/2L7d7hf And my new one (purchased after this video was made) amzn.to/3bRQt98

[@barcigian]

Quention: is honey with honeycomb mead any good? I mean, honey with honeycmb is quite a delicacy!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Best you can get is what it is.

[@surfingsumner]

Hi Great show, really enjoying your content. Have you done a low abv session mead, like 6%? If so can you tell me how to locate on your site. Or better still could you go through a process of making low abv carbonated session mead. Issues I see are trying to get a good mouth feel if you are going to use low amount of honey, and secondly if you have more honey how you stop abv blowing out. Cold crashing and keeping stored in fridge to control abv is not what I would want to do. Your response and possible new brew would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Steve in NZ.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We did a ginger beer, same idea really. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rZOxfIqhoptoqNE

[@andrewlutton4684]

Hi. I’m going to follow you, 1 week delayed, would be great to compare in a years time.

[@mildredtoepfer7897]

I keep forgetting you guys are in Florida and don't have as much of an evaporation issue as we do in dryer climates. (my brain was going "well won't some of the water evaporate out as well giving more space in the jug as it goes along?")

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It won't evaporate with an airlock on it.

[@Indian0Lore]

So, is it almost ready?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It's been done a long time, check the description for the next video in the series.

[@Indian0Lore]

@@CitySteadingBrews didn’t realize it was 2019.

[@spanthrax]

Would it be fine to step feed a sack mead over a few months in a plastic bucket?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

That’s how some do it. I just prefer glass :)

[@asdf-y2c]

Hey guys. Love your content, keep it up. I do have a problem and hope you guys might be able to help out: Im from switzerland and star san is realy realy hard to get here. I could buy it on amazon but the shiping fee alone is around 40 bucks. Do you know of any good alternatives? I've seen things like halades alco but im not sure if its any good. Any ideas? Thanks a lot for your great videos

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I've only ever really used Star San. An alternative is simply boiling like you would if canning or preserving food.

[@mrkone13]

Hey guys , I usually use tupelo honey in my brews and I am thinking about subbing it for this step feeding recipe. Do you guys have any experience with tupelo honey and if so what are your thoughts?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I've never tried it but I see no reason why you couldn't sub it out.

[@seufererfamily]

I started a black sack mead a month ago! It has raisins in it so I was going to rack it today. But it is still bubbling about once a minute and I can see little bubbles coming up. Should I still rack it or wait? I'm worried about the raisins spoiling.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

The raisins won't spoil. But, take a reading to know when to rack. Take two, a week apart, when they don't change, it's done. Counting bubbles doesn't tell you anything really.

[@blairleipst7416]

Does the colour of a glass fermentation vessel make a difference to the must and/or final product??

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Not if kept in the dark.

[@tillerintoxicated6917]

14:00 in TRBOS

[@charlesdancel1031]

Where did you guys get that jar of orange zest?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Made it.

[@PanthorPapa84]

I wonder where everything was sanatized

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We use star san in a bucket just off camera.

[@MrSweetbabyray]

So something that's always confused me what actually makes a champagne used a champagne yeast whenever you're buying it commercially because I see that would be the same alcohol tolerance but they don't call them"champagne" is there something specific that the yeast is supposed to do that makes it a champagne versus just any other wine yeast

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Technically, champagne yeast is made to make champagne, otherwise it's just a wine yeast with a high tolerance. The champagne method uses yeast after fermentation is done to simply carbonate, and that's it. They then invert the bottles, freeze the tops and pop out the yeast cake. That's what champagne yeast was bred for, it was not meant to be a primary fermentation yeast, though it can certainly do the job.

[@MrSweetbabyray]

@@CitySteadingBrews awesome thank you

[@johan_retry_games]

So i was wondering, any chance you could make a video of the bottles under "the desk of fermentation" cause i'm really curious to see different stages of the process. You guys inspired me to make my first mead (water, honey, tea, raisins) and well, 6th of december would be 1 month and should be the moment of racking if i remembered the steps you mentioned before. However, mine still looks like fanta ... its not clear and still sparkly... Does that meen its not actually finished, should i let it go for a bit more or should i do the racking anyway and see what happens in the second step?

[@cherisseepp5332]

Johan Nolte time isn’t written in stone. It may be ready to rack on the 6th, it may not be ready to rack until the 26th.

[@johan_retry_games]

@@cherisseepp5332 so that's why im asking to see different stages of Mead brewing. This is my first time, is 'fanta' the best time to rack 😂 or do i wait till the fizz is gone and i can see trough the liquid or does it sometimes Just Stay like this?

[@aceisking12]

@@johan_retry_games I'm not who you asked, but I hope I can answer your question. There's debate on that issue. The short version is that there's a trade off. Some people measure the gravity of the batch every day and rack it off the lees the moment it's done fermenting, then rack it again once it's mostly cleared up, then rack again when it's clear, then wait a few months and bottle it... If you do that with a 1 gallon fermenter there won't be any left. Other (more reasonable) people just wait till it's at least mostly clear, a little haze is ok, and rack once, then leave it till it needs bottled. Then there are also folks who just leave it in primary till it's crystal clear and go straight to bottles (I find these people are much more proficient than I am at not sucking up the lees). So really it's up to you to choose what is best for your situation. If your brew is still hazy then it could still have something going on. Mine typically do this when I didn't add enough nutrients and the yeast slow way down/stop trying to get the last of the sugar without the resources they need to get it. I'm not an expert, I have two batches doing that right now, and I don't know how to fix it yet. I'm thinking of re-pitching the yeast (or a different yeast) with nutrients and seeing if that works. Or... (I literally just had this idea), I could rack it onto some frozen blueberries I have and switch to blueberry mead instead of traditional. The fruit will have all the nutrients the yeast need in plentiful supply, and my last blueberry bochet came out pretty good adding blueberries in secondary. Gotta find my notes, I think I used 1.5 lbs of blueberries last time.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Well, I don't think a whole video on "under my desk" is a good idea really... Just not enough to show there. As for when to rack... Here's the best advice I can give for brewing. Make the brew. Wait a month. Take a reading. Wait a week, take another. If they haven't changed, it's ready to rack. If it hasn't cleared, rack it but let it sit until it does. This could take months!

[@spiritualinsight]

Can you do this as a bochet?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You can... but then it's a bochet, not a sack mead :)

[@spiritualinsight]

@@CitySteadingBrews I was asking as I was planning a braggot with Apple juice and caramelized honey. But from my first test with the honey and apple juice being caramelized I had gotten a 1.4-ish reading for initial and was trying to figure out how to make it not stall out (again) since I had not even included the malt in yet... I think this may be a good workaround method is stepping the sugars in... Edit: also been reading up on brown ales (english brown and Scottish ales)

[@Mezox13]

First. Keen to see this

[@baldiemaier8165]

I just made 1 gallon of hard cider. It has stopped fermentation after a week. Is that ok. Should I rack to second gallon. I’m new to this

[@CitySteadingBrews]

How do you know it stopped? If you took two readings, a week apart and they haven't changed, then you know it stopped. Once that happens, you can rack it.

[@baldiemaier8165]

City Steading Brews it went completely dry. The reading did not change. Going to wait week and check again just to be sure

[@owenbooler3184]

Could it be 3lbs for a uk gallon? Which is 4.5 ltr?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

1.6 kg for 3.875 liters, so... 1.85 kg for a UK gallon, or a touch over 4 lbs. You can do 3 if you want, but the og will start lower is all.

[@owenbooler3184]

@@CitySteadingBrews sorry didnt do the maths correctly!

[@mitchellmohr8575]

So this is where the Myth Buster's guy went.

[@wadedog4280]

Do you have a FB group I can join ?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We have a VIP group for Patrons throigh Patreon.

[@Jakenatorr]

7th OCFA. level up

[@blairleipst7416]

I know where it is (the bung) it'll be in the last place you look

[@user-super-user]

hi, great series (episode 2 is missing from the playlist, shows episodes 1,3,4,5 and 6)

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Thanks, it's been added. :)