Batch 9 - Star Thistle Mead w/ Maple

JimBo's batch

Batch Number: 9
Batch Type: Mead (star thistle honey) w/ Maple
Date into Primary: May 01, 2012
Yeast Type: Red Star - Côte des Blanc (green - lot # BB JAN 2014 0520)
Yeast Type (re-boot): Red Star - Côte des Blanc (green - lot # BB JAN 2014 0520)
Ingredients:
Water (4 gallons),
Star thistle honey (1 gallon),
Yeast nutrient (3 tsp),
Yeast energizer (2tsp),
Maple sugar, crystallized (about 1 cup)
Date into Secondary: 5/29/12
Date Racked: 1/12/13
Date Racked: N/A
Date Filled: N/A
Comments:
Batch mixed and campden tablets added May 01, 2012. The crystallized maple sugar came from the bottoms of several containers of maple syrup JimBo made in spring 2011.

Pre-Fermentation (PF) Results:
Specific gravity (via hydrometer): 1.095
Potential ABV (via hydrometer): 12.5%
% sugar (balling) (via hydrometer): 23.5
Brix (via refractometer): 111
% mas (sacc) (via refractometer): 27.6%

Yeast added May 02, 2012 (9:00pm). This lot is being continuously "degassed" with a stir-bar / stir-plate configuration. Carboy is capped with a paper towel to allow aerobic respiration to take place. Stir-plate is set at 6. Slight/shallow vortex cone is noted on batch surface.

May 03, 2012 update:
Upon first inspection of the carboy I noticed residual schumtz on the top and sides of the carboy in the form of foam bubbles that had popped and dried on the glass surface up to the paper towel that was acting as airlock/lid. I also noticed that the bottom of the paper towel was discolored from where the foam had apparently reached it. A small pocket of foam was slowly spinning on the surface at the center of the carboy from the vortex the stir bar was creating.

May 05, 2012 update (~8:00):
Strong vortex. Visible and active signs of fermentation in the form of tiny "micro" bubbles at the surface against the edge of the glass.

May 07, 2012 update (00:10):
Continued visible micro-bubbles at the surface/glass interface. Replaced the make-shift paper towel lid with a sanitized single-port stopper and air-lock. Bubbling of the air-lock was immediate.

May 07, 2012 update (06:15):
There was a decent amount of micro-bubbles at the glass/surface interface and I could see the formation and bubbling from the solution as it swirled along the outside. Vortex continues to be strong. Airlock is bubbling steady and regular (about 1-2 per second).

May 11, 2012 update:
Strong vortex still present. The airlock is bubbling at a slightly slower rate than batch 8 and the off gases were sweet smelling (no hint of sourness)

May 23, 2012 update:
Carboy is barely bubbling. Batch 9 is five degrees (F) warmer than batch 8 (70 F versus 65 F). I suspect that the temperature difference is from the transfer of heat produced from the stir plate motor. Turned off the stir plate and positioned the batch 9 carboy on shelf in preparation for racking on Tuesday. Several hours after turning off the stir plate and moving to the shelf foaming started to occur.

May 29, 2012 update: Racked into secondary and measured the following:

Post-Primary Fermentation (PPF) Results:
Specific gravity (via hydrometer): 1.000
Brix (via refractometer): 45
% mass (sacc) (via refractometer): 11.0
% Alcohol (via vinometer): 14.5%
pH (via pH meter): 2.9

June 5, 2012 update:
While checking on the carboys in the morning I noticed the unthinkable: contamination on the surface of the brew. This despite aseptic precautions during our last racking. At this point batch 8 seems to have escaped the scourge. Jimbo's theory is that the contamination was in the bottles from the time of purchase (as noted by the fungal covered corks). I agree with this supposition, even though we have done at least four distinct sanitization rinses on two different occasions prior to filling. As a result we will have to go back and re-sanitize all remaining carboys with a bleach solution, rinse with sanitizer, allow to air dry and then seal with foil.

A rescue attempt was performed by racking into a newly cleaned carboy using three gallons of a high concentration bleach solution (approximately 3 tablespoons bleach/gallon water) with a minimum five minute contact time on all surfaces. This was followed by a double rinse of tap water. A final rinse was performed using one gallon of sanitizer solution with a one minutes contact time on all surfaces. Finally five campden tabs were crushed and put into the carboy. Then batch 9 was racked into the newly cleaned carboy. A sanitized stir-bar was added to the carboy and then place on the stir-plate. The airlock was sanitized and reapplied. The batch was allowed to stir overnight. After a minimum 24 hour dwell time, yeast will be reintroduced.

June 7, 2012 update:
A sugar solution consisting of 1/2 teaspoon of sugar, 5g of yeast nutrients (as measure with the digital balance), and 100ml of water at 105F (as measured by the non-contact IR thermometer) was made and then one packet of yeast (Red Star - Côte des Blanc (green - lot # BB JAN 2014 0520)) was added. The yeast were allowed to bloom for over one hour. Yeast activity was confirmed with the 100x microscope (not to mention the bubbling and yeasty smell of the solution). Then the very active solution was added to batch 9. Prior to the addition of yeast, batch 9 showed no signs of activity or growth of any kind. Stir-plate was turned and allowed to run overnight.

1/12/13:
Racked and added sparkeloid.  Very dry and high alcohol, as with almost every mead.  No new data captured.

6/25/13:
Clearing nicely, decent residual sugar for a semi-sweet mead, has a slight funky fragrance.  Needs aging, maybe a future as a melomel. 

7/30/13:
This batch had good residual sweetness and was quite good.  Racked and stabilized the 5 gallon batch with 2 campden tabs and 1.5 tsp sorbate, shaking to dissolve.  Split the batch into 5 each 1 gallon jugs to experiment with melomel variety.  Blueberries were rinsed with sanitizer and skin was not pierced, cherries were not rinsed and were already split open.  Five sub-batches are:
      9A: to 1 gallon of mead added 1/2 cup fresh blueberries (light)
      9B: to 1 gallon of mead added 1 cup fresh blueberries (heavy)
      9C: to 1 gallon of mead added 1/2 cup previously frozen halved and pitted sour cherries (light)
      9D: to slightly less than 1 gallon of mead added 1/2 cup previously frozen halved and pitted sour cherries (heavy)
      9:  transferred 3/4 gallon mead to a 1 gallon jug and added nothing.  This is the "control" and may be used for blending.

8/13/13:
    9A: (Blue light) Racked off of fruit.
    9B: (Blue heavy)Racked off of fruit and tasted.  Blue tint at bottom of bottle only (cool gradient), swirled before decanting to distribute, resulting in a slight blue/pink tint overall.  Harshness overpowers any blueberry-ness, though the berries had lost their flavor and tasted like mead, so 2 weeks on fruit was definitely long enough.  Needs honey, try 1/2 cup/gallon to start.
    9C: (Cherry light) Racked off of fruit.  Lots of color from the cherries.
   9D: (Cherry heavy) Very red from lots of cherries, some cloudy sediment from cherry bits and juice, not as clear as 9A,B.  Cherry nose but ends sharp/harsh, a bit over acid at this level of dryness.
    9: (control) was transferred to a 1/2 gallon container to free up a 1 gallon for decanting other sub-batches.  The excess was used to top off sub-batches.

Next steps backsweeten and clarify.

11/7/13:
Added 1 oz honey to 9A, 9B, 9C, and 9D.  Did not sweeten 9 (control).

Tasted only 9C, which tasted oxidized.  The mixing and racking with 1 gallon jugs leads to lots of entrained air, which is not later displaced by CO2 since fermentation is long done.  So working with 3, 5, and 6 gallon carboys which can easily be racked is a much better idea.
 
Post-Secondary Fermentation (PSF) Results:
Specific gravity (via hydrometer): xx
Potential ABV (via hydrometer): xx
% sugar (balling) (via hydrometer): xx
Brix (via refractometer): xx
% mass (sacc) (via refractometer): xx
% Alcohol (via vinometer): xx
pH (via pH meter): xx

5/3/14:
Tasted 9 (control) and two others (one cherry, one blueberry) and all were terribly oxidized and undrinkable.  Decided to cut losses and will scrap.