Batch 14: The Ramadizzle

Batch Timeline

Batch #	Batch Type	Date in Primary	Date in Secondary	Date Racked	Date Racked	Date Filled
14	cyser (ayser?)	8/14/12	9/18/12	1/12/13	6/25/13, 10/18/14	Bottled

Yeast Type: Cotes de Blanc 
Ingredients:
10 lbs Jim's 2012 spring honey
3.5 gallons apple juice
5 campden tabs
5 tsp yeast nutrient
Comments:
Named by Eric Samera in honor of Mohammad breaking his Ramadan fast. Made with Giant Eagle store bought apple juice which per the label contains only apple juice concentrate and filtered water which is then pasteurized.

Batch Data

Measurement	Pre-Ferm (PF)	Post-Primary (PP)	Post-Second (PS)	At Bottling (AB)
Specific gravity (hyd)	1.120	1.000	not determined	tbd
% Potential ABV (hyd)	16.1	not determined	not determined	tbd
%mas sacc (refrac)	28	12	12	tbd
° Oechsle (°Oe) (refrac):	118	50	49	tbd
KMW (refrac)	23.5	10.5	10.5	tbd
pH (pH meter)	3.5	3.4	not determined	tbd
% alcohol (vin)	N/A	17.5	17	tbd

8/15/2012:
Added 0.7 grams of Epsom salt (MgSO4 + 7 H2O), 3 gtt of olive oil, and yeast (lot number BB JAN 2014 0520) to batch. Stir plate still spinning. Foil cap removed and replaced with aeration rig connected to aquarium pump. Originally a 0.45 um filter was added but the pump could not create enough pressure to overcome the filter's resistance so it was removed.

08/18/2012:
After realizing that we were short on both stoppers and air locks (only one stopper and no air locks) I went into the "reserve" box of used stoppers and airlocks (acquired from a previous purchase of carboys) and selected three of the best looking "S"-style air locks and two stoppers (with the least amount of yellowing and schmutz) and wash them in warm water. In the course of separating the air locks from the stoppers to clean and sanitize them one of the airlocks (the one that was most yellow) disintegrated and split down the seam. I replaced that airlock with a vinty style air lock that looked almost brand new. All the stoppers and airlocks were first sterilized in a 20% v/v bleach solution for three minutes then triple rinsed in potable water and finally sanitized and maintained in sanitizer solution until used. The air lock/stoppers were taken to the "brew cellar" and the aeration rig was removed and replace with an air lock. Batch 14 received an "S"-style air lock. Vigorous bubbling of the air lock was seen immediately and a vortex was noted after the addition of the air lock. One disconcerting observation that was made was the presence of fruit flies surrounding batch 14. The hope is they were attracted to the aroma of the the fruit juice, honey, and yeast but were unable to get into the batches. No fruit flies were actually seen in the batch 14 carboy.

08/28/2012:
Turned off stir-plate.

9/18/12:
Racked to secondary and tested.  So much for the yeast crapping out at 12-13% ABV and 3% residual sugar.  It was dry with a hint of sweetness, 17% ABV.

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

6/25/13:

Racked again, but still very cloudy.  Tastes early, much aging needed.  Dry to semi-sweet.  Dark amber color.  Has potential.

10/18/14:
Tasted flat, young.  Similar to 12.  Transferred to Philly, PA.

Batch 13: The Parmageddon

Batch Timeline

Batch #	Batch Type	Date in Primary	Date in Secondary	Date Racked	Date Racked	Date Filled
13	mead (melomel?)	8/14/12	9/18/12	1/12/13	6/25/13, 7/30/13	12/7/13

Yeast Type: cotes de blanc
Ingredients: 12 lbs Jimbo's spring honey
6 campden tabs
5 tsp yeast nutrient
Water to approx 4.5 gal
Comments:
Charles's first batch, perhaps a cherry melomel? He's thinking about backsweetening with cherry juice.

Batch Data

Measurement	Pre-Ferm (PF)	Post-Primary (PP)	Post-Second (PS)	At Bottling (AB)
Specific gravity (hyd)	1.111	1.000	tbd	tbd
% Potential ABV (hyd)	15.5	tbd	tbd	tbd
%mas sacc (refrac)	26.5	11	tbd	tbd
° Oechsle (°Oe) (refrac):	111	41	tbd	tbd
KMW (refrac)	22.5	9	tbd	tbd
pH (pH meter)	5.0	3.4	tbd	tbd
% alcohol (vin)	N/A	15	tbd	tbd

08/15/2012:
Added yeast (lot number BB JAN 2014 0520) to batch. Sadly the stir plate seems to have overheated and is spinning intermittently through heating and cooling cycles. Foil cap removed and replaced with paper towel.

08/16/2012:
As Manager of Laboratory Equipment and after much though and concern about the fact the stir plate was not functioning properly on Hoder's first batch I removed the carboy from the stir plate and performed a rapid maintenance plan which included a cursory cleaning and lubrication. Once returned to service the stir plate appears to be functioning properly and producing a vortex larger than either batches 12 or 14.

08/18/2012:
After realizing that we were short on both stoppers and air locks (only one stopper and no air locks) I went into the "reserve" box of used stoppers and airlocks (acquired from a previous purchase of carboys) and selected three of the best looking "S"-style air locks and two stoppers (with the least amount of yellowing and schmutz) and wash them in warm water. In the course of separating the air locks from the stoppers to clean and sanitize them one of the airlocks (the one that was most yellow) disintegrated and split down the seam. I replaced that airlock with a vinty style air lock that looked almost brand new. All the stoppers and airlocks were first sterilized in a 20% v/v bleach solution for three minutes then triple rinsed in potable water and finally sanitized and maintained in sanitizer solution until used. The air lock/stoppers were taken to the "brew cellar" and the paper towels replaced with the air lock. Batch 13 received an vinty-style air lock. Vigorous bubbling of the air lock was seen immediately and a strong vortex was noted before and after the addition of the air lock. One disconcerting observation that was made was the presence of fruit flies surrounding batch 14. The hope is they were attracted to the aroma of the the fruit juice, honey, and yeast but were unable to get into the batches. No fruit flies were actually seen on the batch 13 carboy.

9/18/12:
Racked to secondary and tested.  Slight yield loss due to rookie mistake while racking.  I think this had a slower primary fermentation than batch 12 or 14, perhaps due to less stirring and heat output from the stir plate.  This could be very tasty once it ages out.  Nice work, 'Hoders!

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

6/25/13:

Pre-racking appearance was funky, lots of cloudy protuberences, grey color.  Airlock integrity issue noted, the vinty-style airlock had black growth in it, probably mold, and did not cover the “teeth” of the riser.  Initially concerned about contamination, but tasted fine so it is probably just protein.  Replaced with S-type airlock.  Added 4 tsp bentonite in 1 1/3 cup boiling water added mixture to an empty carboy prior to racking and “sure as shit it looks like clay water” (Hoders).   Taste is lacking honey character and sweetness, but acid and mouthfeel are good.  Needs to age.  Possible future as a melomel, maybe sour cherry concentrate and honey.

7/30/13:
Racked off the bentonite.  Taste was ok, still needs to age out, but dry enough to know it needed sweetening.  The 4 gallon batch was then stabilized with 1 tsp sorbate and 2 campden tabs.  Added 2.5 lbs of JimBo's spring honey, then shook the batch until homogeneous.  May need to bentonite again due to protein in the honey.

11/2/13:

Tasted prior to adjustment- sweet honey flavor, with very little off flavors.

Piloted adjustments and determined to add the following:

-Added approx ¼ gallon Patterson Farms cider (filtered, pasteurized, sorbated)

-Added 32 oz R.W. Knudsen Organic Just Tart Cherry Juice (pasteurized)

Mixed by agitation.  Sampled after adjustment, a noticeable off flavor was noted (started with sharp/harsh note, finished clean), this is believed to possibly have been re-introduced by mixing as this was not noted in the pre adjustment or pilot samples.   Plan to rack off sediment and filter prior to carbonation and filling.  Should be approx 12.5% ABV.  Post primary was 14.6% based on SG change and 15% based on vinometer.  To the initial volume of 4 gallons was added approximately 3 quarts of volume (2 lbs honey and 1 quart each of apple cider and cherry juice).

11/7/13: 
Looks dark and delicious in the carboy, a deep amber brown.  No signs of new fermentation.

12/5/13:
Transferred to corny keg, held in cold garage under 20psi of CO2

12/7/13:
Filled with beer gun at 12-12 psi into dry-ice chilled bottles.  Yield was 11 22oz and 19 12oz.  Never filtered.  Tastes good, not much carbonation in final product.

 

Batch 12: Jim's Miscellaneous Dregs Batch.... became Nutmeg Peppercorn Mead

Batch Timeline

Batch #	Batch Type	Date in Primary	Date in Secondary	Date Racked	Date Racked	Date Filled
12	mead	8/14/12	9/18/12	1/12/13	6/25/13, 5/3/14, 10/18/14, 12/31/15	6/8/17

Yeast Type: cotes de blanc
Ingredients:
Jim's honey (see Comments)
5 campden tabs
Maple dregs/crystal sugar from 8 tiny cabins
5tsp yeast nutrient
Water to 5gal
Comments:
Made from dregs of honey bottling buckets, maple, crystallized 2011 honey, and 2012 spring honey to SG 1.111. I want to achieve about 3.0 to 3.5% residual sugar without stabilizing. I may need to add more honey at some point, depending on yeast performance. Cotes de blanc is supposed to go up to about 12%, but if it goes higher I will need more honey. The calculated % potential ABV is quite different based on hydrometer (15%) vs. refractometer conversion (16.5%).

Batch Data

Measurement	Pre-Ferm (PF)	Post-Primary (PP)	Post-Second (PS)	At Bottling (AB)
Specific gravity (hyd)	1.111	0.997	not determined	tbd
% Potential ABV (hyd)	15	not determined	not determined	tbd
%mas sacc (refrac)	28.4	11.5	13	tbd
° Oechsle (°Oe) (refrac):	120.5	48	51	tbd
KMW (refrac)	24	not determined	11	tbd
pH (pH meter)	4.2	3.5	not determined	tbd
% alcohol (vin)	N/A	16.0	16	tbd

08/15/2012:
Added yeast (lot number BB JAN 2014 0520) to batch. Stir plate still created vortex. Foil cap removed and replaced with paper towel.

08/18/2012:
After realizing that we were short on both stoppers and air locks (only one stopper and no air locks) I went into the "reserve" box of used stoppers and airlocks (acquired from a previous purchase of carboys) and selected three of the best looking "S"-style air locks and two stoppers (with the least amount of yellowing and schmutz) and wash them in warm water. In the course of separating the air locks from the stoppers to clean and sanitize them one of the airlocks (the one that was most yellow) disintegrated and split down the seam. I replaced that airlock with a vinty style air lock that looked almost brand new. All the stoppers and airlocks were first sterilized in a 20% v/v bleach solution for three minutes then triple rinsed in potable water and finally sanitized and maintained in sanitizer solution until used. The air lock/stoppers were taken to the "brew cellar" and the paper towels replaced with the air lock. Batch 12 received an S-style air lock. Vigorous bubbling of the air lock was seen immediately and a strong vortex was noted before and after the addition of the air lock. One disconcerting observation that was made was the presence of fruit flies surrounding batch 14. The hope is they were attracted to the aroma of the the fruit juice, honey, and yeast but were unable to get into the batches. No fruit flies were actually seen on the batch 12 carboy.

08/28/2012:
Turned off stir-plate.

9/18/12:
Racked to secondary and tested.  So much for the yeast crapping out at 12-13% ABV and 3% residual sugar.  It was dry with a hint of sweetness, 16% ABV.  I'll add some more honey to see if I can balance sweetness.

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

6/25/13:
Tasted pretty good, good legs, smooth, still cloudy and need of clarification though sparkeloid was previously added.  Next step stabilize and sweeten, then bentonite.

5/3/14:
Racked off of bentonite.  We didn't even pull a sample for tasting.  Next time.

There appears to be a gap in the record for this batch as the prior entry doesn't record bentonite addition.  I therefore don't know if it is stabilized and backsweetened.  Hopefully we can determine by tasting for residual sweetness that it is stabilized and sweetened.  It would not have made sense to bentonite without sweetening... so hopefully we did something that makes sense.

10/18/14:  Racked off of sediment and transferred to Jim's house.  Tastes flabby, young.  Unable to tell if this has been stabilized.  It does not have significant residual sweetness, though the %mas sach increased since the prior reading.  Will consider pulling a sample and adding honey to see if fermentation restarts or not, which would indicate stabilized vs. not.

12/31/15:  Racked of tiny bit of sediment.  Nice mead, ready to bottle.  Probably not going to test if stabilized since I don't plan to add more sweetness and fermentation appears done.

3/23/17:  Tasted to see if I should bottle.  A little bit phenolic, will probably do some adjusting.  I'd like to try a vanilla fruit or ginger fruit blend.  No adjustments made.

6/8/17:  Tasted to make adjustments before bottling.  Pretty well balanced, with pronounced astringency that is not overwhelming.  Adjusted by adding 5 tsp nutmeg extract and 1 tsp black pepper extract to 4 gallon batch immediately prior to bottling.  It did cloud up a little bit upon addition, wondering if anything will settle in the bottles.  A decent mead after 5 years, but not astounding.

Field Trip: Adjusting Batches for Bottling (w/ Carl)

On July 31 Carl graciously hosted us for a second time in his meadery (basement) for a master class on mead adjustment after secondary fermentation and prior to bottling.  Bullet point summary of what we learned:

1) Cam wants an analytical balance in the worst way
2) Various acids plus sweetness covers a multitude of sins
3) A little bit of tannic acid added to a "flabby" batch can make magic and even add smoothness
4) Cider is a great sweetener for appley batches
5) This takes a lot of time, but is very much worth it.
6) We need a case of tasting glasses
7) Carl recommends a three step process
     a. Prove Concept - figure out which ingredients a batch needs by overadding and seeing if the effect is the desired one (go or no go)
     b. Determine Concentration -  Set up varying samples of known volume and add varying amounts of the acid, sweetener, and or conditioner from the prior step to achieve different concentration.  This can be done one at a time per ingredient or in concert.  See item 1) above.
     c.  Scale up - Based on known ideal concentration of specific ingredients, Carl adds 80% of target and tastes, then adds more and more up to 100% based on taste.  If more than the theoretical is needed, that is added over 100% in small increments.  DON'T OVERDO IT!
8) Glycerin or Maltodextran can add viscosity to improve "mouth feel" if it just feels watery.  Glycerin also adds non-fermentable sugars, so sweetens the batch as well.
9) Carl makes some really good mead
10) We will be much more happy drinking and sharing adjusted batches than our prior stuff.

During the tasting/adjusting, we determined rough recipes for the following batches:

Prehistoric Cider
Batch 1 - hard cider
Batch 1Z - hard cider
Cam's Adkins Cyser

Cider adjustment notes (July 31st, 2012):

Drier then need less acid
5 glasses
Glycerine USP for mouth feel

Measure out-add 80%-add rest in increments

Malto-dextrine - used for added mouth feel

Start with a 30% sweet cider to dilute. too sweet
10% next stop -just right. (Batch 1)
closer to 12-15% when measured with syringe

Measured 20% with 1-Z
0.1g citric acid - clean finish not as appley
0.1g malic acid -tart apple flavor

Prehistoric batch
10% sweet cider - better taste, tart finish. 15% might be better.
Wine Tannin - made it a lot better. Smoothed the taste out.
15% tasted (12.5ml in 50ml)
0.02g wine tannin

Adkins
20% sweet cider
Add glycerine and add malic acid
60mg malic and approx 0.5 ml glycerin to 30ml of Adkins.

Add 2-3 drop olive oil and 1.5g epsom salts to all batches

Also experimented with Methyglyn Batch 5 but did not come up with a suitable approach due to lack of time.  I think it needs to age a bit more before we know exactly how to bring out the spices.  I'd also like to sweeten with honey since it is straight mead and spices, no apple.