Taste, SO2, pH and SG Testing for everyone...

I bought a set of SO2 test titrets.  They are expensive!  $2 a pop in a pack of 10...

Here are the results and some commentary:

Tasty Tasty

Strawberry Banana Melomel
-pH = 3.7
-Free SO2 = 40ppm
-Molecular SO2 = 0.51
-Specific Graviyt = 1.008
The molecular SO2 is on the low side.  I would like to bump this up to 0.8ppm so I need to add 23ppm free SO2 (63ppm total).  I am going to assume that 20% of any added SO2 will get bound so that means a final addition of ~29ppm of SO2.  The batch size is ~19L so that means 551mg of SO2.  Since K-Meta is 52% so that means 1.059g of K-Meta all-in-all...

The taste of this batch is very nice.  In fact, I would say this was drinkable right now.  But age will do it better.  At this time the strawberry is not quite up front and lacks a lot of the berry flavor.  The banana is in the background at a very low level. But my wife, who hates bananas, says the banana is very strong and powerful. ???  Anyways, this one will be ready to bottle in a few months.  I plan on starting to sample a bottle here and there around Christmas.

You've got potential kid

Strawberry Melomel
-pH = 3.3
-Free SO2 = 50ppm
-Molecular SO2 = 1.57ppm
-Specific Gravity = 0.998
The molecular SO2 is a bit high for this dry mead.  It really doesn't need above 0.8ppm.  But, that's fine, I expect the level to drop over the aging period.  So I'll just take this as being protected for the long run.

Overall the taste of this one is BONE dry with a big acid bite.  Still showing some bitter/harsh flavors along with a harsh mouth feel.  However, the aroma is very nice strawberry and not a hint of the H2S I had before.  It looks like the copper/splash did the trick.  Overall, I would say this mead has a potential and should really shine in a year or so.  I think I will back sweeten this one to around 1.010-1.012 to offset that acid bite.

Wait and see

Pineapple Coconut Melomel
-pH = 3.9
-Free SO2 = 150ppm
-Molecular SO2 = 1.21ppm
-Specific Gravity - ????
Okay, first the pH... I guess that MOUNTAIN of coconut I added to this mead forced the pH upwards a good deal.  Last I checked this mead was in the 3.4 range.  And because of the higher pH I have missed my desired Molecular SO2 level of 1.8 by a good margin.  I wanted to get it to 1.8 to help keep down any nasty beasts that may have been riding on that dried coconut.  The big problem is that the test kits don't test above 150ppm of free SO2.  So I guess I'm stuck here.  I will go ahead and mix in some K-Sorbate to help stabilize this for the long haul.

The taste is quite unpleasant right now.  The mead is still way too young to event start taking a guess at what this will be like in the end.  I can say this: The Pineapple is present and bold.  The Coconut is already coming out big time.  The honey is lost but I think it may come back after some time.

Further observation is that the coconut oil has risen to the top of the carboy. There isn't a whole bunch of it but it is a very noticeable layer.  I'm going to leave it for now as it is a fully saturated oil and protect by an airlock from oxygen.  I hope this means it won't go rancid in the next few months while I age this on the coconut.

I didn't take a gravity reading because I haven't back sweetened it yet.  That will come after I rack this off of the coconut.

Poison?

Finally we have the Orange Zest Traditional:
-pH = 3.9
-Free SO2 = 28ppm
-Molecular SO2 = 0.23ppm
-Gravity = 1.006
The pH of this combined with the low SO2 is causing a very low Molecular SO2 level.  This isn't good.  I will have to do something about it.  At this pH I'll need almost 100ppm Free SO2 to get my desired Molecular level.  I just might have to add acid as well as SO2 to achieve my goal.  I'll think about it.

The taste of this batch has turned ugly.  It is slightly sweet and there is a lot of honey essence. With the qualities it is a nice mead, but there is this BRUTAL bitterness to it.  I don't think it is the orange zest, I was careful not to add the pith.  Whatever the cause of this flavor, I would only drink a glass if you paid me to.  Perhaps a bit of acid would help to balance the sweetness.  But the bitter flavor is the killer.  I'll add some acid here in the next few weeks and bottle it in a few months.  I don't have much hope but who knows.

Triple Mead Racking Day

I got off my lazy ass this last weekend and racked the three Meads that were needing it.  The Strawberry Banana Melomel,  Orange Zest Traditional Mead, and the straight Strawberry Melomel.

Strawberry Melomel #2 - Racked...

Its been a while so here's what when down...

5/3 8:00AM - Started to smell really bad again.  A lot of H2S is being produced.  The big problem is that I don't have time to add any nutrients.

5/3 2:00PM - The smell started to dissipate on its own.  I'm just going to let it go and splash rack/ copper it when its finished...

5/5 9:00PM - The SG measures @ 1.002, pH @ 3.5.  Its dry now so I'm going to rack it off the gross lees.

As it turns out this shit smells... like shit.  That H2S is strong.  So I racked it through 10 feet of 3/8" copper tubing and splashed it into a 6 gallon Better Bottle.  The total yield was low. This didn't even come close to filling the carboy.  A good 5-6" of sludge was left in the bottom of the bucket.

I used a hose clamp to slow the flow through the copper pipe that should have given it enough time to react with the nasty.  I hope it did.

Added 1.5g of K-Meta and 2.5 tsp of Bentonite.  I also added 1/3 gallon of spring water to help make up for the loss...

I'll rack it in one month on 6/5.

Strawberry Mead #2

The smell is still gone.  Awesome!

Punched the fruit cap tonight at around 6:00PM.  Measured the SG @ 1.018, pH @ 3.5, Temperature @ 63F.

The taste is rough and young.  There is a bit of an off medicinal flavor... hopefully this will drop out with the yeast when they go dormant.  At this rate the bulk of the fermentation should be over in the next 3-4 days.  Then I'll let it clear out for a week or two and rack it off the bulk lees.

Strawberry mead #2

Measured SG @ 1.029  pH @ 3.4 Temperature @ 63F.
Taste is better than last time.  Less bitter.  Fruitier...

Strawberry Melomel #2 - The Stink Returns...

This AM the smell was back...  I'm at a loss here.  But since the last couple of time the smell was reduced significantly with a little nutrient addition, I'm going to do it again.  Added 2g of Fermaid-K and 2g of DAP.  Punched the cap and took a sample.

SG=1.042
pH=3.4
Temperature=63F

Sensory:  The taste is becoming noticeably bitter.  I assume this is because of the stressed yeast...  I hope this clears up after some aging.

Strawberry Melomel #2 - Updates

4/29 6:00 PM - Smells like a hobo is using my bathroom as a fart balloon!  Measured the SG @ 1.068, pH=3.4, Temperature = 59F.  The must is too cool so I raised the temperature of the water bath to 16C.  To help with the stinky ass I added 4g of Fermaid-K.  I also added 4/5 of a gallon of the must that I had reserved for later.  This raised the SG to 1.070, pH = 3.5, and lowered the temperature to 58F.

4/30 1:00 PM  - Damn it the stink is back!  I added 2g of Fermaid-K and 2g of DAP. SG=1.056, pH=3.5

4/30 10:00 PM - Checked on the fermentation and the stink is gone.  The temperature is = 64F.

Strawberry Melomel #2 - Update (pH problem...)

Aerated the must with the sanitary filter bubble wand for 20 minutes this afternoon.  Measured the SG @ 1.078.  The problem was the pH.  Its dropping quickly, today it was 3.3.  pH is a problem for the yeast if it drops to 3.2 or lower.  So I added 1 teaspoon of Asian Lye water that had been mixed into an 8oz glass of water.  I stirred it in gently and was surprised to see quite a bit of foam come out of the must.  This was after aeration after all so I didn't think there would be that must dissolved CO2 still...

Anyways, I'll give it a few hours then check the pH again.  I see how much that teaspoon of lye water moved the pH and make a proportional addition if need to bring the pH back to 3.4.

I tasted the pH sample and it was still very clean, still sweet, but quite a bit of acid bite to it.  Tasted like strawberries and honey still.  The alcohol hasn't become much more noticeable but it must be there.  So for it has dropped 34 points and that means about 4.7% abv.

Speaking of points, it occurs to me this is just about to the 1/3 break.  I'm going to add 2.5g of Fermaid-K tonight for the occasion!  Really though, since I over shot the fermaid-k at the last addition I'll cut back on the 1/3 break amount.  I've update the recipe to reflect the nutrient addition schedule changes...


Update: 3:00PM - Measured the pH and it is now at 3.4  So I am going to let it be for now but I'll be checking frequently to ensure this doesn't drop below 3.2.  I also punched the fruit cap.

Strawberry melomel #2 - added nutrients

Started to smell some off odors.  Thought it may be H2S so I  jumped the gun and added the second dose of nutrients ahead of schedule.  Added 6g of DAP, and 9.5g of fermaid-k.  Measured the specific gravity at 1.090.  This has dropped 20 points so far and tastes good as well .  Very clean, nice acid, the alcohol is just becoming noticeable.

Temperature remains stable at 60F.  The airlock is now moving along at a good rate. Much like the last batch this is going fast.  I'm a bit surprised because of the low temperature though... 

Aerated the must with a vigorous stirring.

Update: 1:46am and good news.  The smell is gone now...completely.  Lets see if I got it cut off at the pass.  Unlike last time... pH=3.5

Aerating the strawberry melomel.

Aerated the strawberry melomel tonight.  Measured the specific gravity at 1.108.  Temperature of the must is 60F.  pH is ... I didn't measure it! (Sad panda...)

Bubble Wand Aeration... 20 minutes.

Aeration plus a shot of my temperature controlling rig...

Strawberry Melomel #2 - Update (Lag phase over)

This morning the mead was bubbling every second or more so I decided the lag phase must be over.  I added 8g of Fermaid-K and 6g of DAP to a cup of water then mixed that into the mead.  The mead was right at 64F so I set the water bath temperature controller to 58F.  Things are coming along nicely.


-Update:  This afternoon I checked on the batch at lunch.  The SG is @ 1.110, Temperature of the must is @ 62F.  Bubble rate is picking up to two bubble per second or so.

Pictures of the strawberry mash

Yummy!

Strawberry Melomel #2 - The mead is in the making! Brewlog Started

I made good on my plans and the mead is now truly underway.  Here is the full procedure in case I or you want to follow it some day.

Day 1:
----------------

Ingredients:

• 9 pounds of fresh strawberries
• 8 pounds of frozen strawberries
• 4 teaspoons of Pectic Enzyme
• 2 grams of Potassium Metabisulfite
• 1 Gallon Spring or Tap water

Procedure:

• Wash and hull the fresh strawberries.  Place them into a solution of Star San for a few minutes then rinse with fresh water and drain.
• Crush the frozen strawberries in their bags.
• Sanitize a fermentation bucket along with a large fruit bag.
• Smash the fresh berries and add them to the bag along with the crushed frozen berries.
• Add 1 Gallon of water to the berries.
• Dissolve 2g of K-Meta in a cup of water and add to the berries.
• Dissolve 4 teaspoons of Pectic Enzyme in 2 cups of water and add to the berries.
• Mix the berries well then install the bucket lid.
• Leave this mixture for 24 hours.

Day 2:

-----------------

Ingredients:

• 16.5 Pounds of Clover Honey
• 1.5 Gallons of Spring Water
• 250ml of H2O @ 110F\
• 12.5 grams of Go-Ferm
• 10 grams Lalvin 71B Yeast

Procedure:

• Press the fruit bag and express as much as the juice as possible.  Set aside the solids.
• In a small bucket or container add 1 gallon of spring water.
• Using a stick blender whip the honey into the water.  You'll have to do this in two batches or so.
• Using the stick blender whip the honey/water mix into the strawberry juice.  This should ensure a homogeneous mixture as well as a good amount of oxygenation.
• Add water until the Specific gravity is ~1.110 (this batch was 1.112)
• Measure the pH (this batch was 3.7)
• Reserve 1 Gallon of must in a bottle and place in the fridge until needed.
• Heat 250ml of H20 to 110F
• Measure 12.5 grams of Go-Ferm and add to the heated water
• Mix well and wait until the temperature drops to 104F
• Sprinkle 10 grams of Lalvin 71-B Yeast into the Go-Ferm mixture.
• Wait 15 minutes.
• Add 125ml of the prepared must and mix gently
• Wait 20 minutes.
• Add 250ml of prepared must and mix gently
• Wait 30 minuets.
• Measure the temperature of the must and of the yeast starter.  They should be less than 10 degrees different.
• Pitch the yeast into the must and mix well.
• Place into a water bath @ 16C

*Notes:  The must was @ 72F and the yeast was @ 78F at the time of pitching.  The yeast starter was fermenting quite well and producing a good foam cap before pitching.  The water bath is @ 15.8C.

Day 3:

---------------------

Ingredients:

• 8g Fermaid-K
• 6g DAP

Procedure:

• After the lag phase mix the nutrients into a cup of water. 
• Aerate and degas the must.
• Mix the nutrient solution into the mead.

Ongoing:

------------------------

Aerate and degas daily until the SG reaches 1.090. Then add 9.5g of Fermaid-K and 6g of DAP as per the last nutrient addition.

Continue to aerate and degas daily until the SG reaches 1.075.  Then add 2.5g of Fermaid-K as per the nutrient addition procedure.

Swirl and degas daily but do not aerate until the SG reaches 1.055.  At this point remove the strawberries using the fruit bag.  Do not press the berries too much.  Top off the fermenter using the reserved gallon of must.  Add 4g of Fermaid-K as per the nutrient addition procedures.

Swirl daily but do not aerate the fermenter until the fermentation stops.  Once the mead goes dry and the SG stops dropping wait one week then rack into a carboy.  Stabilize with 50ppm of K-Meta and K-Sorbate.

Wait one to two months for it to drop clear.  If it does not drop clear in two months rack it anyway. 71B is not good to age on lees.  At this racking back sweeten to 1.010-1.015 is desired.  Add 25-50ppm K-Meta.

Wait ~3 months and rack again if there is any significant amount of sediment.  If it is crystal clear take three SG measurements, one week apart each.  If the SG doesn't change, bottle it.

Strawberry Melomel #2 Started

So fresh strawberries are coming into season and the smell was awesome in the store.  So I bought 9 pounds, picked up 17lbs of honey and 8 lbs of frozen strawberries.

Tonight I started my preparations and here's how it went down.

Washed the strawberries is fresh water then hulled them removing all of the greens.  Dunked into a solution of StarSan for a few minutes then rinsed with fresh water.  Then I sanitized my fermentation bucket (6.5 gallons) along with a fruit straining bag.  Mushed the strawberries with my hands and crushed the frozen berries.  All this went into the mesh bag along with a gallon of tap water.  

In order to prepare the fruit I added 2.022 grams of K-Meta to kill off the wild bugs.  I also added 4 teaspoons of Pectic Enzyme to start breaking down the cell walls of those berries.  I tied off the bag loosely and put on the lid.

At this point I'm going to wait for a day and let the pectic enzyme do its thing.  The K-Meta should stave off the bugs until I mix in the honey and pitch yeast.

Ingredients:

• 9 lbs of fresh strawberries
• 8 lbs of frozen strawberries
• 1 Gallon water
• 2.022 grams K-Meta
• 4 tsp. of Pectic Enzyme

After the rest period the following will be added.

• Balance water to ~6 Gallons 
• ~16 lbs Honey to a SG of 1.100
• 10g Lalvin 71B yeast re-hydrated in Go-Ferm
• Lye water to adjust pH to ~3.8

Nutrient Schedule:

The last time I made this I had real problems with Sulfide production due to a lack of nutrients.  At least that's what it appeared to be.  The last run used 16g of Fermaid-K and 14g of DAP for a total YAN of 260ppm.  This time around I am going to alter the balance of Nutrients more towards the Fermaid-K and also increase the total YAN to ~300ppm.

After the lag phase, not at pitch like  before, I will add 1/3 of the Fermaid-K and 1/2 of the DAP.  So that means 8-g Fermaid-K and 6g DAP.

At the 1/3 Break - 8g Fermaid-K and 6g DAP. 

At the 1/2 Break - 8g Fermaid-K and 0g DAP.

Aeration every day until 1/3 Break.  

Fermentation will be carried out @ 64F.  But if the fermentation speed is too fast I will drop it to 60F.  All this will be done with my newly build Water Bath Cooler.  Wait for details on this cool piece of kit.