We lived in appalachain mountains..back down in florida again now lol but we absolutely live the sourwood honey. I am from florida and so I grew up on orange blossom and I tell you what...the darker the honey is, the more I love it! You cant beat the flavors of the dark fall honey. My favorite so far though is mangrove honey....best of the best!
Some years ago, I did a step feed mead. Don't recall the yeast used or honey nor fruits used. The one thing I do remember is the final abv 23% . No alcohol taste what so ever but you did have to drink it slowly and sparingly. If not you could wake up the next day, wondering what happen! I do believe there's one bottle leftover that's now 3 if 4 years old now.
Honey is the main sweetener that we use around our house so there’s rarely any leftovers. But we make quite a bit of various meads and that is why leftovers don’t exist. We also made some silicone gaskets (1/8” thick) for our big mouth bubblers. You have to really crank the lid down but we rarely have leaks anymore. They’re food grade high temperature silicone and clean up really nice.
After watching almost half your videos...pouring over and over the parts about just getting the ingredients right....keep in mind I was paying attention!!...no where did you guys prepare me for... pushing the cork in while shaking !! Having a great time getting started with mead, thanks so much for your instructions and the fun watching! Haden
Good news City Steaders. My second batch which had three cherry juices,1 cranberry,2 Pineapple juices plus the right honey for three gallons. Started that batch January 25. Used fleishmans yeast it stopped or so I thought today .81 sg. After pulling it out I poured a little into a glass tasted it. Not bad I should say.
Thank you for this, you answered a lot of questions I had. Number one was what happens to all the left over types of honey? It was great to see you work your magic. The real reason you take so many readings is because you are good teachers.
I love this video. It's a great demonstration of "you don't have to do it this exact way" to succeed. Mead is a very forgiving brew, and it encourages experimentation.
Pro tip from not a pro but I use a bent and sanitized paperclip hung over the opening of the bottle to prevent the funnel from airlocking on the carboy.
Boil a pot, once boiling remove from heat and place your glass honey jar in the water (plastic let the water cool some first). Check on it and swirl it. It should break up the crystals back into liquid, if it's all crystals add a little hot water inside too
You guys have the best references! I've known probably 99٪ of the ones I've heard. I'm going to be starting my own Mead brewing soon so I may be asking some questions.
I love your method of teaching because I rarely use a recipe, but take a lot of inspiration. So the teach a man to fiah analogy works… At the moment the ec-1118 is happily fermenting in my basement at 14’c (about 57’f) so I guess it works in alot of environments, but itsa logic of it works different in different environments. Here in Norway it is winter and cold outside so that affects the temperature inside even with heating.
Awesome content!! I’ll finish the show when I get to the shop. Thanks for always making useful videos! You both helped me have the basics, get out, and just do the thing
Hey guys, yet again this was a great video and really good for a newbie like me. I didn’t realise that I got, and I assume it’s because I’m in Australia 🇦🇺 that my carboys are a British gallon, but I followed a video you guys did 5 years ago about basic mead. So instead of 3 pounds of honey I added 3.3 and upped everything accordingly. I was watching it while making my first brew. It was so much fun. And I was watching this video as I was organising the final steps so hence the comment on this video….. again thanks for all the work and time you put into your videos. I’m absolutely hooked. Cheers 🇦🇺
I was though how to make wine n beer by an "OLD TIMER" IT wasn't the best watching y'all recently is taking it to another level I'm excited to get back to it again using your tips n tricks
Hey! Mason jars are actually very good for making mead and fermenting sugars. The trick is not to lock the lid but hold it with a rubber band, and it will act as a valve, so it can release the co2 and not let anything in.
The way I re-liquify crystalized honey is to put a trivet in the bottom of a saucepan, put the jar of honey crystals on the trivet, put in enough water into the saucepan to be above the level of the honey in the jar. Then, over low heat, I let the water come to a bare simmer. this normally melts all the crystals into liquid honey.
Great video today. I really enjoyed it. As as an added benefit we got two good "Derica-isms"... the junkyard reference and "numbers guilt". Laughed out loud both times!
I have fermented in mason jars before. Just don’t screw the ring on all the way. The top lays flat and keeps out bugs while it’s loose enough to let gas escape. You can also flip the top upside down to make super sure it’s loose enough.
I know you guys have said what kind of jug that is that you have converted into a fermenter, and I remember that it was apple juice but I cannot remember for the life of me the brand! 😂 wanting to make an apple cider soon! You guys’ are an abdolute joy to watch!
Hey Brian, I got an epic "foam dome" photo of some "expired" ale yeast that I kept stored in my refrigerator for a few years. Definitely survived and not expired. A very important reason to bloom yeast ahead of time, especially if it is in question. I'd love to send the pic somehow if you like.
Hey guys! Was inspired by you to start my mead making journey, and am so thankful I did! My maple mead (with vanilla black tea :) just hit red star’s premier Blanc ABV tolerance in just NINE DAYS!? Hydrometer readings before and after are showing a 16% ABV with 30 points of residual sweetness. Wanted to thank you guys and let you know in case you were curious about working with red star’s “dreaded” yeasts in any future projects.
I am pretty excited. Going to Temecula, CA in a couple days. If you are not familiar, Temecula is about an hour NE of San Diego and is wine country, many wineries. Lovely. But, in addition to some wine tasting we are going to go to a couple small meaderies. Looking forward to it. I'm really interested in making a traditional mead.
From what I can see, there are only two meaderies in Temecula and they are small .... which is fine with me. It should be motivational. But honestly, how much motivation do I need after watching your videos. Ok, visiting a meadery should provide some additional inspiration.
Ha ha, I can't resist this... ''The water's not that hot.'' ..... then a few times.. ''OW!'' I think is. 😄 Tbf, I've done exactly the same... we just won't give in. 💪😉 Another great video.
You guys inspired me to try my first mead! I am doing a Blueberry mead! Im so excited to see how it comes out. On my first Gravity test (at 72degree F) i am at 1.148, My only hope is my yeast can handle it. I am using the K1-V1116 Lalvin
Interesting content on acid introduction because I recently used Lactic acid to achieve a creamier mead with a raspberry vanilla…..and yes I am still waiting for a mead/wine called……..”Steve” ☘️ Sláinte
People are dumb criticizing you because each packet of yeast is gonna very slightly so nothing will be exact ever just keep putting good content out and teaching people nothing will ever be the exact same.. most of the criticism is from people that have never even tried to do it just watched videos lol
About fermenting in ball jars. Ball has jars for fermenting vegetables. How would that not be safe for maybe a small batch trial wine or wine in general? Plus, that is how I made my very first blueberry meade. It was drank kind of young. But, turned out not too shabby. Was told it reminded someone of a brandy.. Just being wine curious. Thanks you two for all the entertainment.
Mead idea!! I'd really like to see a low bush salmonberry mead, also known as cloudberries.(my favorite berry) I live in Alaska, we make really good salmonberry jam and I'd just love to see a salmonberry mead on the channel. I'll do what I can to send you guys some jam if I see a notification that y'all made that Alaskan style mead, quyana!
You can decrystallize honey by boiling water then taking it off the heat and then submerging the container of honey in the water. The heat will melt the crystals and you will be able to pour the honey out. Just make sure you use it within a couple of days before it starts to crystallize again. The reason it crystallizes is because moisture gets into the honey.
Maybe it depends on the honey, but I just used room temp water to add to honey jars, not hot water. Then a tiny stir seems enough to loosen it up and get it half dissolved. Then a good shake. In my case all the honey came out. Maybe if the honey is more solid then slightly higher temp required. Better still I've used a bain-marie (pyrex bowl suspended over a pan of water on the stove, which you could presumably do by somehow suspending the honey jar itself over hot water) - to prevent over-heating the honey and ruining its flavour. Although the mix of honey- maybe it doesn't matter if you lose a bit of flavour. Just use it for its sugar...
I don't know if this will make things better or worse, but siphoning is not really sucking, it's atmospheric pressure pushing down on the liquid in the source. But I'm thinking that replacing suck with push might still introduce the potential for "is that code for something ..."
Oh my gosh the swila wine! Do you remember in that episode how the name twyla was brought up? It’s because if that video that one of my twins is named Twila 😂 it suits her so well.
@@CitySteadingBrews seriously. If you go back to the video I remember making a comment that I would use the name Twila if I have two girls. Well, I had two girls.
Instead of rinsing out you almost empty honey jar with water you could use some of your brew. Just be careful you don't oxygenate more that absolutely necessary.
@@CitySteadingBrewsIf the jar was already infected whatever you rinse the jar with doesn't really matter since you would have just poured infected honey into your brew.
I had an Ocean Spray Cranberry Watermelon wine that finished, I started an Hibiscus Cherry wine today. I only had 2 Yeast available, Bread yeast and 1118. I debated whether to re-use the yeast from the Cran Watermelon wine. I used the 1118, but am wondering if it will leave any of the cherry flavor behind. We will see.
@@CitySteadingBrews lol sorry. You were saying it looked like Vesuvius when an airlock blew out of a fermenter. Krakatoa literally blew up the island it was so by putting a lid or cap on one would be turning a brew into Krakatoa, *boom* shrapnel. Hope that makes sense, my brain makes weird connections.
If this helps There is no such thing as suction, it is more accurate to say it is a high pressure being pushed into a lower pressure due to atmospheric pressure.
I haven't checked all 260 comments so forgive me if it's a repeat. When I know i will use up all the honey of a jar, I just weigh the jar with the honey, empty it (with hot water if necessary), weigh the empty jar, substract and ta daaa 😁
So, for once, temperature compensation for your hydrometer might have been a good idea for this one - with about 40F difference between your calibration and reading temps - that 1.078 was probably closer to 1.085 (per FermCalc), or about 1% ABV... Still watching the vid, maybe you address this later, and I know it's not really a big deal either 😊
40f difference? I don't remember the mist being 100f. Also... it would be less than that as we would have tested the second at 75ish, and... it's less than 1% abv so... as you said, doesn't matter really 😛
Great content! Thanks so much! Would you be able to do one using a clarifier or fining? I used fining on my batch and it made an absolutely incredible difference to smell/taste in the direction of better. The smell of the stuff that came out wasn't very nice, and you could really get the floral notes. Keep up the great work!! :)
So awesome going to try this. Me and the wife have made your meads many times now j while the cat juges us from the corner😊 I have a question about sediment. And colors are hybiscus has really dark almost black looking (contains everclear ! Realldark yellow gray looking in honey mead.
Cheap Scotch is still better than no Scotch..... Why you be hatin'? As Capt. Sparrow had said. "Why is rum gone". Keep stuff on the shelf. That's my motto. Never know when someone will drop in.
Hi Guys, I've really enjoyed your videos and the format is very relaxed and friendly. I often find myself laughing at your videos. I've started my first mead 3 days ago. I have a quick question, I've seen you (nearly always) pitch the yeast as a last ingredient before putting an airlock on it. Does the order of ingredients matter a lot? Or could you throw in the dry material first and then add your liquids?
From my understanding, which is based on your videos, you all do like 80% of the homebrewing process, which works if you subscribe to the 80/20 rule. Perhaps the remaining 20% is where your limits are. Not that this is a slight or anything, but maybe you need to push into that 20% to be able to push into the higher ABVs. Like better temp/environment control or aeration over the first few days and not just relying on the initial oxygenation. It only makes sense that if you want to get the most, you need to do the most. Not that it matters, I'm just thinking out loud. Don't go changing.
Lol, i just started a pantry mead from 4 small jars of very old, very dark honey we had brought back from trips to italy, france, greece, and india. I used cranberry juice as a base and will spice it. It was so strongly flavored we just didnt enjoy it raw (very wild flowers). So off to meadville it goes....
One of the best meads I did was a 11 Liter batch of 4 Liter apple juice and all the leftover honey i found. I never managed to do something AS tasty as that and i do Not have a single clue what was in it
A heck of a process to use up leftovers! Could be interesting just for the variety of honeys however. If you mentioned it, I didn't catch it. Was it unique from any traditional mead using just a single variety?
Love your videos and have made some yummy mead thanks to your inspiration. Dumb question and maybe I missed it but why "rack" if you are transferring all the lees?
Hi, do you have a hint for me how to decrease acidity? My strawberry mead is very acidic right now. I've put it on cherry wood and sweetend to 1.040 and it is still very acid. Abv is at 10% and i have 15L. Thank you for the content🫶
It's also not a necessary step. I've done dozens of brews and don't rehydrated my yeast, I just dump it in. Never had a problem. If you're making a high-abv mead off the bat, then the yeast might have a harder time starting so I'd probably consider it then.
Someone forgot their [other] towel 😉
"the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have"
Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy is a great movie
A Sanford and Son reference! Wow, I'm old...
Lol
As are we all, lol!
I got it immediately too. 😀
I'm 40yo Aussie and even I got it, lol.
I got it too. I’m 51.
Red fox Sanford, and son, one of my favorite shows growing up
I think they drank Ripple.
Love when Danica just rambles on and on
We lived in appalachain mountains..back down in florida again now lol but we absolutely live the sourwood honey. I am from florida and so I grew up on orange blossom and I tell you what...the darker the honey is, the more I love it! You cant beat the flavors of the dark fall honey. My favorite so far though is mangrove honey....best of the best!
Agreed on all points!
Some years ago, I did a step feed mead. Don't recall the yeast used or honey nor fruits used. The one thing I do remember is the final abv 23% . No alcohol taste what so ever but you did have to drink it slowly and sparingly. If not you could wake up the next day, wondering what happen! I do believe there's one bottle leftover that's now 3 if 4 years old now.
That's so crystalized it tried to read my aura.
Lol
Honey is the main sweetener that we use around our house so there’s rarely any leftovers. But we make quite a bit of various meads and that is why leftovers don’t exist. We also made some silicone gaskets (1/8” thick) for our big mouth bubblers. You have to really crank the lid down but we rarely have leaks anymore. They’re food grade high temperature silicone and clean up really nice.
After watching almost half your videos...pouring over and over the parts about just getting the ingredients right....keep in mind I was paying attention!!...no where did you guys prepare me for... pushing the cork in while shaking !!
Having a great time getting started with mead, thanks so much for your instructions and the fun watching!
Haden
Good news City Steaders. My second batch which had three cherry juices,1 cranberry,2 Pineapple juices plus the right honey for three gallons. Started that batch January 25. Used fleishmans yeast it stopped or so I thought today .81 sg. After pulling it out I poured a little into a glass tasted it. Not bad I should say.
Hit the like button as soon as Nox appeared.
Lol
Thank you for this, you answered a lot of questions I had. Number one was what happens to all the left over types of honey? It was great to see you work your magic. The real reason you take so many readings is because you are good teachers.
Thanks!
I love this video. It's a great demonstration of "you don't have to do it this exact way" to succeed. Mead is a very forgiving brew, and it encourages experimentation.
Exactly!
Pro tip from not a pro but I use a bent and sanitized paperclip hung over the opening of the bottle to prevent the funnel from airlocking on the carboy.
That will work!
Boil a pot, once boiling remove from heat and place your glass honey jar in the water (plastic let the water cool some first). Check on it and swirl it. It should break up the crystals back into liquid, if it's all crystals add a little hot water inside too
You guys have the best references! I've known probably 99٪ of the ones I've heard. I'm going to be starting my own Mead brewing soon so I may be asking some questions.
Happy to help!
I love your method of teaching because I rarely use a recipe, but take a lot of inspiration. So the teach a man to fiah analogy works…
At the moment the ec-1118 is happily fermenting in my basement at 14’c (about 57’f) so I guess it works in alot of environments, but itsa logic of it works different in different environments. Here in Norway it is winter and cold outside so that affects the temperature inside even with heating.
Awesome content!! I’ll finish the show when I get to the shop. Thanks for always making useful videos!
You both helped me have the basics, get out, and just do the thing
Love all the "Spaceballs" references. 😂😂
46:35 I’m here to learn about mead-I so enjoy your videos, but as a woman I have to say that Derica’s hair is lovely! ✨
For mixing without adding oxigen to the mix, you could use the cocktail spoon mixing technique, its precisely thought of for that.
'Like a surgeon...' Could be a song. 'Shake, shake your honey...' ❤🐝
Hey guys, yet again this was a great video and really good for a newbie like me. I didn’t realise that I got, and I assume it’s because I’m in Australia 🇦🇺 that my carboys are a British gallon, but I followed a video you guys did 5 years ago about basic mead. So instead of 3 pounds of honey I added 3.3 and upped everything accordingly. I was watching it while making my first brew. It was so much fun. And I was watching this video as I was organising the final steps so hence the comment on this video….. again thanks for all the work and time you put into your videos. I’m absolutely hooked. Cheers 🇦🇺
I was though how to make wine n beer by an "OLD TIMER" IT wasn't the best watching y'all recently is taking it to another level I'm excited to get back to it again using your tips n tricks
Welcome!
Another great video! I love just taking left overs and making something new out of them, even better when it is actually good.
Hey! Mason jars are actually very good for making mead and fermenting sugars. The trick is not to lock the lid but hold it with a rubber band, and it will act as a valve, so it can release the co2 and not let anything in.
I and my family are drinking yummy wine today...that both of you taught me to make. It's sweet, delicious, and perfect. Thank you!
Awesome! Well done!
@@CitySteadingBrews You guys have made me a star!!! ❤️❤️❤️
The way I re-liquify crystalized honey is to put a trivet in the bottom of a saucepan, put the jar of honey crystals on the trivet, put in enough water into the saucepan to be above the level of the honey in the jar. Then, over low heat, I let the water come to a bare simmer. this normally melts all the crystals into liquid honey.
This is definitely someone's first video and I think that person is probably looking up what bajesus is so they know how to get it out.
Great video today. I really enjoyed it. As as an added benefit we got two good "Derica-isms"... the junkyard reference and "numbers guilt". Laughed out loud both times!
I have fermented in mason jars before. Just don’t screw the ring on all the way. The top lays flat and keeps out bugs while it’s loose enough to let gas escape. You can also flip the top upside down to make super sure it’s loose enough.
"Elizabeth! It's the BIG ONE, I'm comin' to join ya honey ".
I know you guys have said what kind of jug that is that you have converted into a fermenter, and I remember that it was apple juice but I cannot remember for the life of me the brand! 😂 wanting to make an apple cider soon! You guys’ are an abdolute joy to watch!
I think it was just Publix brand. We can't get it anymore.
Yes Sanford and sons . Watched it on the rerun channel in the 90s when I was a teen
I use a strong spoon to help mix up and dissolve crystallized honey with hot water.
Hey Brian, I got an epic "foam dome" photo of some "expired" ale yeast that I kept stored in my refrigerator for a few years. Definitely survived and not expired. A very important reason to bloom yeast ahead of time, especially if it is in question. I'd love to send the pic somehow if you like.
Love the vids! I opened a bottle... Or 2... It was a long video... Of my cranberry pomegranate apple cider and enjoyed my evening watching you.
Awesome! I would make it shorter but there's so much information...
Hey guys! Was inspired by you to start my mead making journey, and am so thankful I did! My maple mead (with vanilla black tea :) just hit red star’s premier Blanc ABV tolerance in just NINE DAYS!? Hydrometer readings before and after are showing a 16% ABV with 30 points of residual sweetness. Wanted to thank you guys and let you know in case you were curious about working with red star’s “dreaded” yeasts in any future projects.
We have used lots of Red Star yeasts!
@CitySteadingBrews but they have terrible (and not tearable) packets...
I am pretty excited. Going to Temecula, CA in a couple days. If you are not familiar, Temecula is about an hour NE of San Diego and is wine country, many wineries. Lovely. But, in addition to some wine tasting we are going to go to a couple small meaderies. Looking forward to it. I'm really interested in making a traditional mead.
Nice!
From what I can see, there are only two meaderies in Temecula and they are small .... which is fine with me. It should be motivational. But honestly, how much motivation do I need after watching your videos. Ok, visiting a meadery should provide some additional inspiration.
Ha ha, I can't resist this... ''The water's not that hot.'' ..... then a few times.. ''OW!''
I think is. 😄 Tbf, I've done exactly the same... we just won't give in. 💪😉
Another great video.
You guys inspired me to try my first mead! I am doing a Blueberry mead! Im so excited to see how it comes out. On my first Gravity test (at 72degree F) i am at 1.148, My only hope is my yeast can handle it. I am using the K1-V1116 Lalvin
Yeah... that's quite high. Try diluting a bit? That yeast can't ferment that high.
@@CitySteadingBrews thanks for the advise!! I diluted to 1.118
Awesome video guys! I had 71b get to about 17.7 almost to 18 with banana wine!
Yeah 71b is amazing.
You two have a great channel, always enjoy you're vids.You both do a great job at explaining the process.Enjoyed watching this one well done.🎉🔥
Thanks!
Interesting content on acid introduction because I recently used Lactic acid to achieve a creamier mead with a raspberry vanilla…..and yes I am still waiting for a mead/wine called……..”Steve” ☘️ Sláinte
People are dumb criticizing you because each packet of yeast is gonna very slightly so nothing will be exact ever just keep putting good content out and teaching people nothing will ever be the exact same.. most of the criticism is from people that have never even tried to do it just watched videos lol
Loved the video but I think my favorite part was the Nox sighting :D
About fermenting in ball jars. Ball has jars for fermenting vegetables. How would that not be safe for maybe a small batch trial wine or wine in general? Plus, that is how I made my very first blueberry meade. It was drank kind of young. But, turned out not too shabby. Was told it reminded someone of a brandy.. Just being wine curious. Thanks you two for all the entertainment.
You can. We normally don't recommend bottling in mason jars.
Mead idea!! I'd really like to see a low bush salmonberry mead, also known as cloudberries.(my favorite berry) I live in Alaska, we make really good salmonberry jam and I'd just love to see a salmonberry mead on the channel. I'll do what I can to send you guys some jam if I see a notification that y'all made that Alaskan style mead, quyana!
If we had access to them, we could try.
You can decrystallize honey by boiling water then taking it off the heat and then submerging the container of honey in the water. The heat will melt the crystals and you will be able to pour the honey out. Just make sure you use it within a couple of days before it starts to crystallize again. The reason it crystallizes is because moisture gets into the honey.
Omg im using that costco wildflower mead for my first batch! Wish me luck
Missed a golden opportunity to call this a meadley.
Doh!
You guys are so awesome. I love watching your videos
Well thank you!
"There will be no bejezus left" 😂😂
Sir is Mega maid went from suck to blow...lol spaceballs one of my favorite old movies
Thank you. I always enjoy your content.
Thanks for watching 👍
You weren't sucking. You were allowing atmospheric pressure to push the liquid to the destination vessel.
You guys could never suck.
Lol
Good video as always. I think I heard a 13th Warrior reference - It’s made from Honey!
You did!
42:16 "When will then be now?"
"Soon."
😉
Love this.
Was a fun way to use up random honey!
Use your souvide and warm your crystallized honey jars to about 100. The honey will de crystallize.
I use a "Spoon Of Unusual Proportion". It's three ft' long and I call it my "soup" spoon for short...😅
Maybe it depends on the honey, but I just used room temp water to add to honey jars, not hot water. Then a tiny stir seems enough to loosen it up and get it half dissolved. Then a good shake. In my case all the honey came out. Maybe if the honey is more solid then slightly higher temp required. Better still I've used a bain-marie (pyrex bowl suspended over a pan of water on the stove, which you could presumably do by somehow suspending the honey jar itself over hot water) - to prevent over-heating the honey and ruining its flavour.
Although the mix of honey- maybe it doesn't matter if you lose a bit of flavour. Just use it for its sugar...
I did hot since it was handy...
@@CitySteadingBrews That's a very CSB thing to say ;) (I mean that affectionately!)
I don't know if this will make things better or worse, but siphoning is not really sucking, it's atmospheric pressure pushing down on the liquid in the source. But I'm thinking that replacing suck with push might still introduce the potential for "is that code for something ..."
Yup.
Oh my gosh the swila wine! Do you remember in that episode how the name twyla was brought up? It’s because if that video that one of my twins is named Twila 😂 it suits her so well.
Seriously? Lol
@@CitySteadingBrews seriously. If you go back to the video I remember making a comment that I would use the name Twila if I have two girls. Well, I had two girls.
Instead of rinsing out you almost empty honey jar with water you could use some of your brew. Just be careful you don't oxygenate more that absolutely necessary.
Yup. So long as the whole jar got sanitized.
@@CitySteadingBrewsIf the jar was already infected whatever you rinse the jar with doesn't really matter since you would have just poured infected honey into your brew.
I had an Ocean Spray Cranberry Watermelon wine that finished, I started an Hibiscus Cherry wine today. I only had 2 Yeast available, Bread yeast and 1118. I debated whether to re-use the yeast from the Cran Watermelon wine. I used the 1118, but am wondering if it will leave any of the cherry flavor behind. We will see.
I've done this sort of thing and still have a few bottles of what I call Heinz 57 Mead.
Nice name!
Clogged airlock = Vesuvius
Lid/cap = Krakatoa
There are fermentation lids for mason jars with a hole for an airlock in case you didn't know.
😊
I know... what does that mean for this brew? I think I misunderstood something 😎
@@CitySteadingBrews lol sorry. You were saying it looked like Vesuvius when an airlock blew out of a fermenter. Krakatoa literally blew up the island it was so by putting a lid or cap on one would be turning a brew into Krakatoa, *boom* shrapnel.
Hope that makes sense, my brain makes weird connections.
Ahh gotcha!
@@CitySteadingBrews yeah sorry, that was confusing.
Nice sack mead!
Thanks!
Let's hear it for "Sanford and Son".
If this helps There is no such thing as suction, it is more accurate to say it is a high pressure being pushed into a lower pressure due to atmospheric pressure.
" I can taste neither the fermentation of grape, nor of wheat."
"😂"
"What? Why do you laugh?"
"😂HONEY! It's made from honey!"
Exactly!
I haven't checked all 260 comments so forgive me if it's a repeat. When I know i will use up all the honey of a jar, I just weigh the jar with the honey, empty it (with hot water if necessary), weigh the empty jar, substract and ta daaa 😁
So, for once, temperature compensation for your hydrometer might have been a good idea for this one - with about 40F difference between your calibration and reading temps - that 1.078 was probably closer to 1.085 (per FermCalc), or about 1% ABV... Still watching the vid, maybe you address this later, and I know it's not really a big deal either 😊
40f difference? I don't remember the mist being 100f. Also... it would be less than that as we would have tested the second at 75ish, and... it's less than 1% abv so... as you said, doesn't matter really 😛
12:15 "it's 104° F"
Oh, well I stand corrected. It could make a small difference I suppose.
Great content! Thanks so much!
Would you be able to do one using a clarifier or fining? I used fining on my batch and it made an absolutely incredible difference to smell/taste in the direction of better. The smell of the stuff that came out wasn't very nice, and you could really get the floral notes. Keep up the great work!! :)
It's not always needed. You can if you like. We have used pectic enzyme, gelatin, and bentonite in other videos.
Its all in the " Honey Mummy"
So awesome going to try this. Me and the wife have made your meads many times now j while the cat juges us from the corner😊 I have a question about sediment. And colors are hybiscus has really dark almost black looking (contains everclear ! Realldark yellow gray looking in honey mead.
It happens. Nothing to worry about.
Cheap Scotch is still better than no Scotch..... Why you be hatin'? As Capt. Sparrow had said. "Why is rum gone". Keep stuff on the shelf. That's my motto. Never know when someone will drop in.
Hi Guys, I've really enjoyed your videos and the format is very relaxed and friendly. I often find myself laughing at your videos.
I've started my first mead 3 days ago. I have a quick question, I've seen you (nearly always) pitch the yeast as a last ingredient before putting an airlock on it. Does the order of ingredients matter a lot? Or could you throw in the dry material first and then add your liquids?
Probably best to add yeast last but otherwise, I guess it depends on the ingredient really. Most probably won't matter.
Love these Video's !
Glad you like them!
Nox.... nice... love that game
He is named for the equinox, when we found him.
From my understanding, which is based on your videos, you all do like 80% of the homebrewing process, which works if you subscribe to the 80/20 rule. Perhaps the remaining 20% is where your limits are. Not that this is a slight or anything, but maybe you need to push into that 20% to be able to push into the higher ABVs. Like better temp/environment control or aeration over the first few days and not just relying on the initial oxygenation. It only makes sense that if you want to get the most, you need to do the most. Not that it matters, I'm just thinking out loud. Don't go changing.
That's quite true. We normally don't bother with higher abv as it's problematic in it's own right.
I would have added a few grams of fermaidO with each addition just to make sure the yeast stay happy.
one gram of finishing tannins would also be very nice
Lol, i just started a pantry mead from 4 small jars of very old, very dark honey we had brought back from trips to italy, france, greece, and india. I used cranberry juice as a base and will spice it. It was so strongly flavored we just didnt enjoy it raw (very wild flowers). So off to meadville it goes....
Nice!
as mason jars are (vacuum sealing) it's pushing air out the same as co2 🤔
One of the best meads I did was a 11 Liter batch of 4 Liter apple juice and all the leftover honey i found. I never managed to do something AS tasty as that and i do Not have a single clue what was in it
Sanford and Son while making a mead, LOL
A heck of a process to use up leftovers! Could be interesting just for the variety of honeys however.
If you mentioned it, I didn't catch it. Was it unique from any traditional mead using just a single variety?
You could just put them all in at once and just keep the og to a reasonable number and it's easier.
Would it not be easier to just use a sanitized silicone spatula to get out the remaining honey? Especially in the jars with wider mouths.
Love your videos and have made some yummy mead thanks to your inspiration. Dumb question and maybe I missed it but why "rack" if you are transferring all the lees?
Normally you leave the lees behind, this time we needed a larger container and wanted fermentation to continue.
WHEN WILL THEN BE NOW!!!
With crystallized honey like that I just sit the jar inside of a hot pot of water and it will completely melt down
It's amazing how many weeks to ferment.
Hi, do you have a hint for me how to decrease acidity? My strawberry mead is very acidic right now. I've put it on cherry wood and sweetend to 1.040 and it is still very acid.
Abv is at 10% and i have 15L.
Thank you for the content🫶
Potassium bicarbonate is what we use.
Thanks a lot for saving my brew❤.
You guys should do the rice wine again!!
Why? :)
@@CitySteadingBrews I feel like you guys are the best Homebrew videos out there, and could perhaps make a couple variations of the rice wine.
Ahh... maybe at some point and thank you :)
When you are hydrating your yeast, could you put a drop or two of honey, or a tiny bit of sugar for the yeast to have something to start chewing on?
You can, but to wake them up, it's not absolutely necessary.
@@CitySteadingBrews oh my gosh! Then you do it in the video! Ugh. Watch the whole video…… then ask the question huh???? Ugh!
lol
It's also not a necessary step. I've done dozens of brews and don't rehydrated my yeast, I just dump it in. Never had a problem. If you're making a high-abv mead off the bat, then the yeast might have a harder time starting so I'd probably consider it then.
I was wondering if Brian was going to admit the grapefruit
What is that set of colorful books in the upper left hand corner during the first part of the video?
Either cooking or D&D likely.
"Lizbeth I'm coming" is from Sanford & Son
Yup!
Balancing? Acid, Sweet, and tannins; but I include many harsh flavors as part of tannins. Tart, Bitter etc.. Is this good practice?
Not exactly. Tannins are felt more than tasted. Tart would be acid to me, bitter could be unsweet...