Batch 32: Jim's Acerglyn

Batch Timeline

Batch #	Batch Type	Date in Primary	Date in Secondary	Date Racked	Date Racked	Date Filled
#32	Acerglyn (Maple Mead)	5/10/14	5/28/14	12/31/15	1/29/18	11/6/19

Yeast Type: Lalvin D47
Ingredients:  Approx 2 quarts of "known good" 2014 maple syrup plus rinsate
Approx 8 pounds of 2012 PHF Fall honey, crystallized
Approx 3 gallons boiled water to SG 1.110
Comments:

This batch was started after finishing maple sugar for 2014.  Took all the stuff with "sugar sand" (minerals) from the sap and all the rinse from the various jars and pots and funnels and combined it with 2012 honey remaining in a bucket, total volume 4 gallons.  Cooled overnight in a sanitized brew bucket, pitched the proofed yeast the following morning 5/10/14.

Actively fermenting on 5/11/14 and aerated vigorously with a spoon.  Vigorous fermentation slowing around 5/15/14, sooner than batch 32, which makes sense since that started at higher gravity.

5/28/14:  Signs of active fermentation as top surface "sparkled".  Racked from buck to carboy.  Very cloudy, still sweet but mellow.  Probably a bit early to rack but not concerned about foaming over due to >1 gallon headspace.  Compact lees and maple sugar sand.

12/31/15: Golden color, 1/2" dark brown sediment on the bottom, clear surface.  Tastes sweet, slightly astringent.  Should age out nicely.

1/29/18 Update:  A little over 2 years since I updated, but I still have this. If it was racked in this time I don't have a record of it, though I'm sure I topped off airlocks in this time.  No sediment on the bottom, very clear.  Very sweet tasting mead, tastes good but still has some astringency which is largely masked by the sweetness.  Should be good to bottle in another year if no more cloudiness shows up.

11/6/19:  Bottled a very clear, very sweet acerglyn.  Yield was 22 each 375 ml bottles and 2 each 750 ml bottles.  Added approx. 1 gallon to batch 36 cider to sweeten at bottling and 0.5 gallon dregs to batch 38.

Batch Data

Measurement	Pre-Ferm (PF)	Post-Primary (PP)	Post-Second (PS)	At Bottling (AB)
Specific gravity (hyd)	1.110	tbd	tbd	tbd
% Potential ABV (hyd)	14.2%	tbd	tbd	tbd
%mas sacc (refrac)	tbd	tbd	tbd	tbd
° Oechsle (°Oe) (refrac):	tbd	tbd	tbd	tbd
KMW (refrac)	tbd	tbd	tbd	tbd
pH (pH meter)	tbd	tbd	tbd	tbd
% alcohol (vin)	n/a	tbd	tbd	tbd

Batch 31: Desperation Maple (1 gallon)

Batch Timeline

Batch #	Batch Type	Date in Primary	Date in Secondary	Date Racked	Date Racked	Date Filled
#31	Maple Wine	5/10/14	5/28/14	Racked 1	Racked 2	Bottled

Yeast Type: Lalvin D47, proofed in batch 32
Ingredients:  1.5 quarts of really dark, slightly tart maple syrup
QS to 1 gallon in boiled water
Comments:

This batch was started with maple syrup that sat in a pan on top of the woodstove once the weather warmed up and it was used only infrequently.  It had lots of sugar, but also a tart taste.  Not sure if there was some slight spoilage between boiling events.  Some of the maple sap that went into it was later in the year.  So this was a desperate attempt to save this maple syrup and use it for wine.  It was kept separate from "known good" maple, which went into batch 32.

Active fermentation on 5/11/14, aerated vigorously.

Schmutzy airlock as of 5/15/14.  Vigorous fermentation lasting longer than batch 32, which makes sense with more sugar.

5/28/14:  Did not rack due to syrupy-sweet taste and no mini racking cane.  Visible signs of continued fermentation including bubbles running up along sides and suspended flotsom.  Lots more fermenting to go.  had a slight hint of tart, that may become overpowering later.  We'll see.  The airlock schmutz had totally gelled.

12/31/15:  Murky and opaque, did not rack due to small container size.  Tastes too much of everything, sweet, tart, astringent.  Diluted 50% with water and is drinkable!  Probably not worth diluting at batch size due to possible re-fermentation after dilution.  Back to storage for now.

Batch Data

Measurement	Pre-Ferm (PF)	Post-Primary (PP)	Post-Second (PS)	At Bottling (AB)
Specific gravity (hyd)	>>> 1.110 Probably 1.2	tbd	tbd	tbd
% Potential ABV (hyd)	tbd	tbd	tbd	tbd
%mas sacc (refrac)	tbd	tbd	tbd	tbd
° Oechsle (°Oe) (refrac):	tbd	tbd	tbd	tbd
KMW (refrac)	tbd	tbd	tbd	tbd
pH (pH meter)	tbd	tbd	tbd	tbd
% alcohol (vin)	n/a	tbd	tbd	tbd

Batch 30: Cam's big money concentrate batch

Batch Timeline

Batch #	Batch Type	Date in Primary	Date in Secondary	Date Racked	Date Racked	Date Filled
30	Cider	3/1/14	Secondary	Racked 1	Racked 2	Bottled

Yeast Type:  Montrachet
Ingredients: 8 gallons store-bought apple juice
20 each 12 oz cans apple concentrate
3 Tbsp yeast nutrient (12 tsp)
1 Tbsp yeast energizer (3 tsp)
3 packets of Montrachet yeast
2 lbs white sugar in 1 qt boiled water.

Comments:  Dumped it all in a sanitized big boy 14 gallon primary HDPE container.

Cam hooked it to a fish tank pump and dunked a tube in through the bung hole, covering remainder of opening with clear plastic wrap to aerate.  Jim thinks it's a bad idea, but hey, not my money.

Cam reported on 3/2/14 fermentation had not started.

3/5/14 Update:  Jim and Charles visited the batch and found a very cloudy batch with active fermentation, yeast smell prominent.  Aeration pump removed and bung hole capped.

3/14/14 Update:  Jim and Charles checked on the batch and found it to lacking a certain something, which was added.

4/12/14:  This tasted terrible and we scrapped it.  Too bad, so sad.

Batch Data

Measurement	Pre-Ferm (PF)	Post-Primary (PP)	Post-Second (PS)	At Bottling (AB)
Specific gravity (hyd)	1.070 (~1.105)	tbd	tbd	tbd
% Potential ABV (hyd)	9.5%   (~14%)	tbd	tbd	tbd
pH (pH meter)	tbd	tbd	tbd	tbd
% alcohol (vin)	N/A	18%	tbd	tbd

Batch 29: Ice Show Citrus Kicker Melomel

Batch Timeline

Batch #	Batch Type	Date in Primary	Date in Secondary	Date Racked	Date Racked	Date Filled
29	Melomel	1/17/14	1/30/14	5/9/14	Racked 2	Bottled

Yeast Type:  Red Star Pasteur Champagne
Ingredients:

1 medium navel orange, zested and juiced (poorly, since I didn't have a juicer)

1.6 lb Pioneer Hill spring honey

4.8 oz sugar

1 cinnamon stick

1 clove

~1/2 gal Brita filtered water.  

Comments:
Small scale batch (1 gallon) brewed in P-Heights by Charles.

Having cleared the primary of batch 28 and having all I needed to start a new batch and some free time since the family was at the ice show- why not?

Heated the mix to near boiling and held hot for 15 minutes.  

Cooled by adding another ~1/2 gal Brita filtered water to the bulk.  

Rehydrated 1/2 pkt Red Star Pasteur Champagne yeast in 100 F water. 

Cooled bulk further by putting pot in cool water in the sink.  Added bulk to primary at ~80 F.

Mixed in 1 tsp yeast nutrient. Pitched yeast.  Got a QC sample since I forgot to retain some prior to adding yeast and froze it.  Beat must with slotted spoon.  

1/18/14- beat must with egg beater mixer attachment on the electric mixer.  Krausen noted.

1/30/14:  Racked and collected sample for QC, then froze it.

2/1/14:  Gathered Pre-Fermentation and Post-Primary QC data on frozen samples.  pH of the must seems unusually high, especially with the juice of an orange.  Tasted light, mouthfeel lacking.  Not as much need for mellowing as earlier brews which were all honey higher ABV.

5/9/14:  Charles racked again.  Tasted tart, some small amount of residual sweetness, perhaps higher sugars from the honey that are more difficult to ferment and take longer, or unfermentable sugars.  Added 3 drops of cardamom extract.  

Batch Data

Measurement	Pre-Ferm (PF)	Post-Primary (PP)	Post-Second (PS)	At Bottling (AB)
Specific gravity (hyd)	tbd	tbd	tbd	tbd
% Potential ABV (hyd)	tbd	tbd	tbd	tbd
%mas sacc (refrac)	20	7.5	tbd	tbd
° Oechsle (°Oe) (refrac):	81	30	tbd	tbd
KMW (refrac)	19	6.5	tbd	tbd
pH (pH meter)	4.7	3.4	tbd	tbd
% alcohol (vin)	N/A	6.0	tbd	tbd

Batch 28: Charles' Winter Break Spiced Bochet

Batch Timeline

Batch #	Batch Type	Date in Primary	Date in Secondary	Date Racked	Date Racked	Date Filled
28	Bochet (mead)	12/28/13	1/17/14	5/9/14	Racked 2	Bottled

Yeast Type: Cotes de Blanc
Ingredients: 
1.5 lb Pioneer Hill Spring Honey
4.8 oz table sugar
QS to ~1 gallon with Brita filtered water
~1/2 oz chopped ginger
5 peppercorns
3 cloves
1 tsp yeast nutrient 
Comments:
12/28/13:  This is a small scale (1 gallon) solo batch produced by Charles:

    -Boiled 1.5 lb Pioneer Hill Spring Honey plus 4.8 oz table sugar for approx 20 minutes in a SS pan on the stovetop, stirring nearly continuously to caramelize the honey/sugar and invert the sugar. I think the sugar addition really sped up the process as I expected this process would take >1 hour.

    -This stuff was hot!  I made hard candy (and a second or third degree burn) on my index finger by stupidly trying to get a sample for tasting!  

    -Stopped by removing from heat and adding some Brita filtered water when honey/sugar mix was dark brown, and the spouse and children complained that the house stunk sufficiently like burnt honey.    

QS to ~1 gallon with Brita filtered water

Added ~1/2 oz chopped ginger, 5 peppercorns, 3 cloves and since I already boiled the honey, I decided to 'pasteurize' spices by heating to ~160 and holding to for 'a little while' to avoid initial chemical addition.  

After hold, removed ~ 1/2 of the chopped ginger. Cooled slightly

Put in 2 gallon primary, added and mixed 1 tsp yeast nutrient.  Cooled to 90 F.  

Beat the must.  Added 1/2 packet Cote de Blancs and beat must again (did not wait 24hrs due to pasteurizing everything instead of killing with Campden).  Put in kitchen cabinet.

Beatings are planned to continue for the next three days- or until morale improves.

Note:  Recipe initially generated for 3 lb Honey.  Decided to radically rework recipe after tasting Dad's bottle conditioned dry ginger-cherry mead on Christmas- which I judged to be more pleasing to my individual taste preferences than a semi-sweet or sack strength mead.

Beat must with slotted spoon 3x daily for first three days in primary.  Fizzing was noted while beating the must- no or minimal krausen was noted in the primary. 
Racked 1/17/14.  Very compact lees.  Mini racking cane worked great.  Left all spices and lees behind.  Dark amber color and spicy smell-a small sample tasted great-it was not totally dry.  Hopefully it gets better as it ages.  Sample collected from top of lees and frozen for QC testing (%ABV by vinometer).  

2/1/14:  Gathered Post-Primary QC data on frozen sample.  Tasted light, mouthfeel lacking.  Not as much need for mellowing as earlier brews which were all honey higher ABV.

5/9/14:  Charles racked again.  Tasted tart, some small amount of residual sweetness, perhaps higher sugars from the honey that are more difficult to ferment and take longer, or unfermentable sugars. 

10/18/14:  Some weeks ago Charles bottled this.  On 10/18/14 he brought a 22 to brew night and we all tried it.  He adjusted with cardamom extract and ginger extract due to an unpleasant nose.  The ginger could not be tasted and the cardamom was too heavy, leant a slightly bitter taste.  It was a beautiful caramel color, but lacked mouthfeel and could use a bit of residual sweetness to balance the cardamom bitter note.  The other three bottles will have glycerol added.   Overall this was a success.

Batch Data

Measurement	Pre-Ferm (PF)	Post-Primary (PP)	Post-Second (PS)	At Bottling (AB)
Specific gravity (hyd)	tbd	tbd	tbd	tbd
% Potential ABV (hyd)	tbd	tbd	tbd	tbd
%mas sacc (refrac)	tbd	9.5	tbd	tbd
° Oechsle (°Oe) (refrac):	tbd	39	tbd	tbd
KMW (refrac)	tbd	8	tbd	tbd
pH (pH meter)	tbd	3.6	tbd	tbd
% alcohol (vin)	tbd	6.0	tbd	tbd