Jake's Mead

No change to FG. Racked into growlers for drinking.

S.G. 1.025. Racked off of lees and onto Potassium Sorbate.

Already past the 2/3 sugar break. Added 1/4 tsp DAP, 1/2 tsp Fermaid K

S.G. Measured at 1.057 by refractometer Added 1/2 tsp of Pectic Enzyme to clarify.

Pitched Wyeast Belgian Strong Ale (1388). Difficulty with the smack pack, probably didn’t mix great before pitching. Cider temperature was a bit cold. Didn’t have any pectinase need to pick some up tomorrow.

It has now been a bit over a month since I originally racked Batch001. It's beginning to clarify but is nowhere near as clear as Batch002, I think a lot of that is just from the character of the Wildflower Honey. FG has remained steady at 1.002, and there is still a strong fussel taste after 2 months (62 days). The fussel taste is really a shame because otherwise the flavor is quite good. I think with plenty of patience this batch will turn out quite well. 

Well I finally racked Batch002 and took a FG and short pour. After attempting to backsweeten this batch, it ended up fermenting to completion at an FG of 0.996, completely dry. We are now 40 days in and the mead is starting to clarify and tastes quite good. It has none of the harshness of Batch001. If anything it's actually too smooth, lacking some of the complexity that would make it interesting. I think it would have been better if it would have maintained some residual sweetness, and perhaps a light oak would be a good addition.Overall though, I'd say this batch is very successful. Completely ready to bottle as is.

SG dropped to 1.000 so I decided it was time to backsweeten. I overshot my target of 1.010 slightly at 1.012 but the fermentation still appears to be active so I'm expecting the FG to drop back below 1.008. I'm out of Orange Blossom Honey now, so wherever it ends up at this point is it though, hopefully a good semi-sweet!

SG taken at 1.010 on Sunday evening. Airlock installed. I’m planning on back sweetening once the fermentation has stabilized. I’ll check tonight to see if there was an additional drop.

SG is at 1.022 tonight so I added my second SNA. 1/4 tsp DAP and 1/2 tsp Fermaid K. That makes a .070 drop in just 5 days. Should be pretty close to dry by the end of the week.

SG 1.053. Time for the first Staggered Nutrient Addition. It's definitely not as volatile as the first couple of nights, but it did have quite a reaction to the 1/4tsp DAP and 1/2tsp Fermaid K. I'm loving the scent of this batch so far.

SG is down to 1.070 after 48 hours. Every 24 hours I have been aerating the mead well. I'm expecting to hit the 2/3 sugar break by tomorrow night.

Batch002 Update: Today I funneled off another cup or so into a free growler in order to make some additional headspace in the primary. I also put the primary in a bucket to contain any overflow.

Batch002 BOMM (left) next to Batch001. You can see I removed some liquid to increase headspace.

Batch002: Zero headspace after adding yeast! Next time I'll remove more liquid at the start to account for yeast displacement, 1/2 cup wasn't enough.

Batch002: Well mixed honey and nutrients

Batch002: Adding honey