Batch 5 - Fall Methyglyn

Batch Number: 5
Batch Type: Fall Methyglyn
Date into Primary: 11/8/11
Yeast Type: Red Star Montrachet (lot # 2711)

Ingredients:
1 gal honey (Jim's fall honey)
1 Tbsp fresh lemon peel (fresh)
Juice of 1 lemon (from the above lemon)
2 Tbsp orange peel (fresh)
Juice of 2 oranges (From the above oranges)
2.5 cinnamon sticks
60 whole cloves
6 tsp fresh nutmeg
5 inches bruised ginger root (fresh)
35 allspice berries, crushed
1 handful of full leaf black tea
4 tsp mead yeast nutrient
Water to QS to 5 gal

Method:

Made a spice tea by boiling 3-4 cups water and pour over spices in a pan. Steeped for 20 minutes, over low heat.

Heated 1 gal. of water to boiling, allowed to cool and added the honey, stirring until all honey is dissolved.

Added spice tea to hot honey/water solution. Put 3 gal room temperature water in pail with 5 campden tablets. Added hot must to bucket and and let cool. Sealed pail with top and airlock. Stirred via stirbar gently over night.

Yeast to be pitched 11/9/11, target rack date is early December.

Date into Secondary: 12/6/11
Date Racked: 1/31/12
Date Racked: 1/12/13
Date Racked: 6/25/13
Date Racked: 7/30/13
Date Racked: 12/7/13
Date Racked: 2/2/14
Date Filled: 4/12/14

Comments:

11/09/2011 update:
Opened the bucket to add 1 packet of yeast (Red Star Montrachet-lot # 2711), 5 teaspoons of nutrient, and 2.5 teaspoon energizer to the bucket. I must note the fragrance of sweet honey and pleasant citrus/spiced aroma was wonderful (not at all overpowering like I was anticipating upon removal of the lid...although there was a slight plasticy Lipton after-effect...just kidding Jim). Placed the bucket on the stir plate and started continuous mixing at relatively high rate.

11/10/2011 update:
Checked on the bucket to find vigorous and active bubbling of the air lock and the tell-tale sign of excessive CO2 production: puddling of air-lock fluid on the bucket lid. The air-lock still had enough liquid and I probably won't add any until it gets very low.

12/03/2011 update:
Turned off stir-plate/stir-bar in anticipation of racking.

12/04/2011 update:
Brought the bucket up to the processing area (the kitchen island) to allow it a few days to settle prior to racking.

1/31/2012 update:
Tasted upon first racking carboy to carboy. Nice honey flavor, spices weaker than anticipated. Adding another spice tea during the next racking is recommended, maybe April?

07/23/12 update:

In preparation for our back-sweetening tutorial with Carl a 12oz. sample was drawn into a bottle, capped, and refrigerated. 

1/12/13:
Racked and added sparkeloid.  Very dry and high alcohol, as with almost every mead.  Not a significant spice profile, though perhaps some residual sweetness would bring that out.  No new data captured.

6/25/13:
Finally starting to clear, a bit acid.  Thin and insufficient mouthfeel.  Spice is finally there, citrus and nutmeg predominantly.  Fantastic bouquet.  Needs sweetness.  Perhaps glycerin and honey will help.   Probably need to stabilize and further adjust.  Spices have become more prominent, not sure if this will continue to develop or if more should be added.  This is finally showing some promise.

7/30/13:
Same taste as 6/25/13.  Racked and stabilized the 5 gallon batch with 3 campden tabs and 1.5tsp sorbate.  Added 4 tsp bentonite to 1/2 cup boiling water and added slurry to the batch.  Added 3 lbs JimBo's spring honey.  The bentonite was successful in clearing Hoder's batch 13, so trying on this batch which has been cloudy forever.  This is the first batch we are stabilizing, clearing and back-sweetening in a single step.  Next step: taste and determine whether or not to add another spice tea. 

8/13/13:
Still a bit cloudy, though much improved.  Very fragrant nose, bright crisp flavor, good acid and sweetness, if anything maybe a touch more honey.  Very pleased!  Still needs to age just a bit.  Will rack and try to clear with Bentonite again in case it will help clear more.  If it doesn't clear further with more bentonite, might try sparkeloid.  If nothing else works, will have to try to filter it. 

11/7/13:
Shockingly enough, this dropped completely clear without any more bentonite or sparkeloid. 

12/5/13:  
Tasted and was surprised to find how tart it was after clearing.  Citric acid from juice of 1 lemon and 2 oranges is really coming out now.  Racked and added 1.5 lb Jimbo's spring honey thinned with 2 cups boiled water to ease mixing.  Now it is cloudy again and the wait continues.

2/1/14:
Tasted and found it is now more balance, has a slightly bitter finish, though.  Racked and added bentonite to clear.  Possible mazer cup entry come March.

2/21/14:  A brief visit to the brew cellar found this batch has tiny bubbles rising through it, outgassing.  Did it restart fermentation after racking?  Probably kills a shot as a 2014 mazer entry.

3/1/14:  Sorbated with 2.5 tsp on 2/25/14 and shake-uh shake-uh to resuspend bentonite.  Cleared nicely, no signs of fermentation on 3/1/14.  Racked off of bentonite and filled 3 bottles for 2014 mazer cup.

4/12/14:  Bottled.  It's good.  Some think our best yet.  It only took 3 years.  Got about 7 each 750mL, 18 each  375mL, and 12 each 12 oz.  1 bottle to Steve, 1 to Charles, 1 to Cameron, 1 to Kelly, my neighbor.  I'll bring in a 12 to work, too.