I thank you for this. I began my own mead-making in 2021 and your early mead making videos were the more important for me both to get into and gradually improving my mead-making journey. My absolute first batches were often foul, infested, stalled and horrible. I am now on my 20th successful batch, getting more and more advanced over time. More ingredients, different processes, different kinds of yeast based on what I make, experimenting on my own. I have made traditional, bochet, rhubarb, blueberry, spiced, mango-habanero, bochet-cyser, blackberry, raspberry-licorice, strawberry, cherry, pinapple-coconut, peach, nectarine, lychee and apricot. Seeing this new mead making video made me reflect on the journey.
The timing of this vid couldn’t have been better for me. Just subscribed to you yesterday as I’m planning on starting my first batch this weekend. Keep up the great work!
After fermentation has stopped and you are considering back sweetening/racking, it states you need to add both Camden tablets and potassium sorbate. I done this with my first batch and i feel like it left a weird smell i can only describe as like an eggy fart and was concerned it ruined my mead, it has been left in bottles and is around 2 months old. Started my second batch last night and i was wondering if you would recommend using Camden tablets and potassium sorbate on this one? I don’t want the same issue after all the effort and time committed, are these both requirements? I also do not add Camden tablets at the start of my fermentation, would greatly appreciate your advice.
I personally haven't ever had that issue and I've used both of them at least 200 times. I would definitely still recommend potassium sorbate & potassium metabisulfite (aka campden tablets). You don't need to add the tablets before fermentation. Just add them when you are wanting to stabilize the brew after fermentation.
Hey Ryan G., newbie mead-maker here. Really love your videos. I'd like to ask a question, though: I've seen you recommend the schedule of staggered nutrienrs to be on days 0, 2, 4, and 6 on various occasions. But I've also seen Making the Most recommended the TOSNA schedule, which is 24h in, 48h in, and 72h in and then 7 days later (or at 1st sugar break). I kinda like your schedule more. But what are the advantages of each? Would you recommend yours over TOSNA? And if so, may i know why? Thanks!
Honestly they are pretty much the same. If you have a really high starting gravity brew, you might spread them out more. But most of the time it doesn't matter!
Would it be unwise to only use honey to flavor your mead while fermenting, and then back sweeten with your fruit/spice flavors(understanding I would need to stabilize it first)?
You can definitely do that. If you don't stabilize there will be some fermentation on the new ingredients (if the yeast can still ferment). I do this a lot when I want to retain more delicate fruit flavors!
Is there a refractometer that you would recommend for mead? I use a hydrometer but also wanted a refractometer but I’ve read they aren’t very accurate with mead.
Back in 2020, I started making beer from the kit simply because all the store shelves were empty of every beer and wine. And the very liquor there was, way too expensive. That's how I got into the hobby. Then, I slowly started wine. No, can't wait to get into mead
No one ever talks about how much of brewing is cleaning. It's 90% cleaning and 10% brewing. That there are virtually no in-depth videos on how to clean, what to clean with, why to clean, and ways to reduce the amount of time spent cleaning. Virtually no videos on how yeast behave (like no one talks about how yeast can foam or produce off-flavors when agitated too much), common problems beginners might face. Virtually no videos on how to rack properly, or why to rack. I see you all talk about these things as if we can read your minds (hint: we can't), nor do any of you include this stuff in your recipe cards and equipment needed. Racking means needing multiple carboys or containers, though this is never talked about. You all assume we just get it (hint: beginners won't). You all seem to think that we'll get it just by watching, which isn't how everyone learns, but then cut all of the video on everything else besides the 10% of brewing and include none of the information on the 90%. So many of my brews were ruined because steps in the recipe videos were skipped or just not mentioned unbeknownst to me. It also doesn't help when a beginner like myself goes on discord or wherever to get help and am inundated with criticisms because I followed the recipe to the letter and didn't do a thing that was never mentioned in the video in the first place. Brewtube has a serious 'curse of knowledge' problem and doesn't seem to want to help beginners actually get good. Make a video about that.
These are very specific topics that probably could use a video. Maybe I'll make one. The truth is, even if I made a video on every topic known to man, not everyone would find or watch those videos and still have the same questions. The only real way to fix the issue would be to explain every single detail of the mead making process during every video. I for one would go absolutely crazy if I had to do that in every video. It's okay for beginners to ask questions - it's part of the process. It's okay for them to make some mistakes in the beginning... that's how we learn.
Great review and simplification without losing nuance. Should be required watching for any newbie. 😊
Thank you Ryan Gosling of the Mead world.
"Of the mead world"? Isn't he just Ryan Gosling?
He is a handsome young man!! 🤣🤣🤣
I thank you for this. I began my own mead-making in 2021 and your early mead making videos were the more important for me both to get into and gradually improving my mead-making journey. My absolute first batches were often foul, infested, stalled and horrible. I am now on my 20th successful batch, getting more and more advanced over time. More ingredients, different processes, different kinds of yeast based on what I make, experimenting on my own. I have made traditional, bochet, rhubarb, blueberry, spiced, mango-habanero, bochet-cyser, blackberry, raspberry-licorice, strawberry, cherry, pinapple-coconut, peach, nectarine, lychee and apricot. Seeing this new mead making video made me reflect on the journey.
I love it! I'm happy you've stuck with it!
The timing of this vid couldn’t have been better for me. Just subscribed to you yesterday as I’m planning on starting my first batch this weekend. Keep up the great work!
Thanks again for another great mead video Ryan Gosling!
Really Appreciate Your Video , Thanks ! 🐯🤠
After fermentation has stopped and you are considering back sweetening/racking, it states you need to add both Camden tablets and potassium sorbate. I done this with my first batch and i feel like it left a weird smell i can only describe as like an eggy fart and was concerned it ruined my mead, it has been left in bottles and is around 2 months old. Started my second batch last night and i was wondering if you would recommend using Camden tablets and potassium sorbate on this one? I don’t want the same issue after all the effort and time committed, are these both requirements? I also do not add Camden tablets at the start of my fermentation, would greatly appreciate your advice.
I personally haven't ever had that issue and I've used both of them at least 200 times. I would definitely still recommend potassium sorbate & potassium metabisulfite (aka campden tablets). You don't need to add the tablets before fermentation. Just add them when you are wanting to stabilize the brew after fermentation.
Great review of the process for a beginner. Thanks
I’d like to see how you go about that 20 year brew.
Hey Ryan G., newbie mead-maker here. Really love your videos.
I'd like to ask a question, though:
I've seen you recommend the schedule of staggered nutrienrs to be on days 0, 2, 4, and 6 on various occasions. But I've also seen Making the Most recommended the TOSNA schedule, which is 24h in, 48h in, and 72h in and then 7 days later (or at 1st sugar break).
I kinda like your schedule more. But what are the advantages of each? Would you recommend yours over TOSNA? And if so, may i know why?
Thanks!
Honestly they are pretty much the same. If you have a really high starting gravity brew, you might spread them out more. But most of the time it doesn't matter!
@@ManMadeMead awesome! Thanks man!!
Would it be unwise to only use honey to flavor your mead while fermenting, and then back sweeten with your fruit/spice flavors(understanding I would need to stabilize it first)?
You can definitely do that. If you don't stabilize there will be some fermentation on the new ingredients (if the yeast can still ferment). I do this a lot when I want to retain more delicate fruit flavors!
What about potassium sorbate as the sole way to crash it?
You need to pair it with potassium metabisulfite to ensure that it actually works!
Is there a refractometer that you would recommend for mead? I use a hydrometer but also wanted a refractometer but I’ve read they aren’t very accurate with mead.
I like this one! They are accurate for mead but it does take some extra calculations when you take the reading after fermentation. amzn.to/3x58ak7
I didn’t know Ryan gosling made mead
Back in 2020, I started making beer from the kit simply because all the store shelves were empty of every beer and wine. And the very liquor there was, way too expensive. That's how I got into the hobby. Then, I slowly started wine. No, can't wait to get into mead
No one ever talks about how much of brewing is cleaning. It's 90% cleaning and 10% brewing. That there are virtually no in-depth videos on how to clean, what to clean with, why to clean, and ways to reduce the amount of time spent cleaning. Virtually no videos on how yeast behave (like no one talks about how yeast can foam or produce off-flavors when agitated too much), common problems beginners might face. Virtually no videos on how to rack properly, or why to rack. I see you all talk about these things as if we can read your minds (hint: we can't), nor do any of you include this stuff in your recipe cards and equipment needed. Racking means needing multiple carboys or containers, though this is never talked about. You all assume we just get it (hint: beginners won't). You all seem to think that we'll get it just by watching, which isn't how everyone learns, but then cut all of the video on everything else besides the 10% of brewing and include none of the information on the 90%. So many of my brews were ruined because steps in the recipe videos were skipped or just not mentioned unbeknownst to me. It also doesn't help when a beginner like myself goes on discord or wherever to get help and am inundated with criticisms because I followed the recipe to the letter and didn't do a thing that was never mentioned in the video in the first place.
Brewtube has a serious 'curse of knowledge' problem and doesn't seem to want to help beginners actually get good.
Make a video about that.
These are very specific topics that probably could use a video. Maybe I'll make one. The truth is, even if I made a video on every topic known to man, not everyone would find or watch those videos and still have the same questions. The only real way to fix the issue would be to explain every single detail of the mead making process during every video. I for one would go absolutely crazy if I had to do that in every video. It's okay for beginners to ask questions - it's part of the process. It's okay for them to make some mistakes in the beginning... that's how we learn.
Looks like you've spotted a gap in the market, perhaps time to start your own CZcams channel? 😊
Second!
First!