For my Marine friend returning home: Viking Blood Mead!!!

[Teufel Hunden]

I am intrigued by the process.

so....you add the previously mentioned ingredients to a large jug and then what? Just let it sit for four months?

Basically yes. With mead you add some extra nutrients throughout the process, but regardless you're just waiting for the yeast to do its stuff.

What is the primary and secondary you mention?

Primary fermentation is where the yeast does all or most of its work. How long it stays here depends on a number of factors, but generally speaking, you'd leave it until the yeast had run out of sugar to consume and stopped.

The secondary is just the second vessel, and you can rack (syphon from one to the next) the mead into a vessel with some fruit or other flavors as I did here, or you just transfer it to let it naturally clear. Mead can be here for months and months... some guys even let it sit for a year or more before doing anything with it. Here's an example of a spiced pumpkin mead that has been in the secondary for a couple of months:



It's clearing up very well. All that on the bottom is just dormant yeast. Eventually I'll rack the mead off of that and just let it sit for a while longer before bottling.

How do you know when it is done?

You know when fermentation is done by taking hydrometer readings. If readings go unchanged for a few days, the yeast is finished. When you go to secondary or things beyond, when it's finished depends on the individual mead and the taster. After a few months, you can give it a taste, and if it's not quite right, give it another month, etc.

How do you stop the fermentation pricess?

Fermentation stops on its own either when the yeast runs out of available sugar, or when the particular strain of yeast reaches its alcohol tolerance. The yeast I used for the Viking Blood has a limit of about 16% alcohol. Or, if you have a particular goal in mind in regards to sugar or alcohol content, you can stop fermentation by adding a stabilizer like Potassium Sorbate.

[Spartan Tartan]

Basically yes. With mead you add some extra nutrients throughout the process, but regardless you're just waiting for the yeast to do its stuff.





Primary fermentation is where the yeast does all or most of its work. How long it stays here depends on a number of factors, but generally speaking, you'd leave it until the yeast had run out of sugar to consume and stopped.

The secondary is just the second vessel, and you can rack (syphon from one to the next) the mead into a vessel with some fruit or other flavors as I did here, or you just transfer it to let it naturally clear. Mead can be here for months and months... some guys even let it sit for a year or more before doing anything with it. Here's an example of a spiced pumpkin mead that has been in the secondary for a couple of months:



It's clearing up very well. All that on the bottom is just dormant yeast. Eventually I'll rack the mead off of that and just let it sit for a while longer before bottling.



You know when fermentation is done by taking hydrometer readings. If readings go unchanged for a few days, the yeast is finished. When you go to secondary or things beyond, when it's finished depends on the individual mead and the taster. After a few months, you can give it a taste, and if it's not quite right, give it another month, etc.



Fermentation stops on its own either when the yeast runs out of available sugar, or when the particular strain of yeast reaches its alcohol tolerance. The yeast I used for the Viking Blood has a limit of about 16% alcohol. Or, if you have a particular goal in mind in regards to sugar or alcohol content, you can stop fermentation by adding a stabilizer like Potassium Sorbate.

sounds pretty straight forward. Thanks for such a thorough response. I may have to try it out just for fun and see how it goes. I will be kilted, of course

[Teufel Hunden]

sounds pretty straight forward. Thanks for such a thorough response.

No problem. I love all things brewing and wine making, so I'm always happy to help. It's fairly easy once you get it down.

I may have to try it out just for fun and see how it goes. I will be kilted, of course

I highly recommend you pick up "The Compleat Meadmaker" by Ken Schramm. It's on Amazon for about $12. It'll give you a good run down from beginning to end, making your first batch, plus it includes a bunch of recipes.


Kilted brewing is always fun.

[jkane]

If you like forums, check out gotmead.com. Great place to learn how to make mead and discuss it with others.

That cherry is looking very good!

Got 60lbs of honey to get fermenting this week. 10 gallons of cranberry, 15 gallons of peach/apple cyser, and 5 gallons of traditional to use for blending later. 30 lbs in the cranberry plus 20 lbs of berries, 15 in the traditional, and only 15 lbs in all 15 gallons of peach/apple juice just to add a little more alcohol.

[Teufel Hunden]

If you like forums, check out gotmead.com. Great place to learn how to make mead and discuss it with others.

Home Brew Talk is also pretty good. Mostly beer over there, with some wine, cider, and mead forums.

That cherry is looking very good!

Got 60lbs of honey to get fermenting this week. 10 gallons of cranberry, 15 gallons of peach/apple cyser, and 5 gallons of traditional to use for blending later. 30 lbs in the cranberry plus 20 lbs of berries, 15 in the traditional, and only 15 lbs in all 15 gallons of peach/apple juice just to add a little more alcohol.

Sounds like a pretty busy week!! I'm taking a break from mead for a little while, mostly to let all my current stuff age for a bit, and to make a blackberry wine. I made some a while back and it responded pretty well to oak, so this time around I'm going to let it age in an old rum cask. Usually it's the other way around with the distilled spirits being aged in former wine/sherry casks, but I figured I'll have a bunch of these things laying around, why not see how it goes?