I had to go through and inventory and sterilize my equipment. I've lost some of my gear over the years so I ordered some missing supplies and yeast from Midwest Supplies, a home brew store that sells online.
So with supplies in hand, I was ready to go yesterday!
I started by carefully sterilizing all my equipment and my entire kitchen. Sanitation is VERY important. I only want my chosen yeast to grow in my mead, not something bad instead. Much scrubbing with hot soapy water, bleaching, rinsing, and hand washing was involved. I am very particular about keeping everything completely sterile.
I filtered about 5 gallons of water through my Brita pitcher. I boiled about 1.5 gallons of water on my stovetop and added 15 POUNDS of honey. Yes, a lot of honey. The honey I used was produced by a local apiary (beekeeper) so I am very proud to say that this is a local production.
I also pureed a whole head of ginger and added that as well.
I wanted to boil my honey, water and ginger mix (called a "wort") for 15 minutes to sterilize, pasteurize, and clarify it. As it boils, a foamy scum floats to the top.
This scum is impurities in the honey and must be skimmed off. After pasteurizing and skimming, the honey water looks clear.
I added 1 tbsp of gypsum (minerals that assist fermentation), 4 tsp of yeast nutrient, and .5 oz of Irish Moss (assists in clarifying the wort), all available at brewing supply stores. I let the clarified, pasteurized honey water (now called a wort) mix cool off.
I throw the wort into my fermentation container, along with enough filtered water to measure 5 gallons.
Now it's time to take some measurements. I need to know the specific gravity of my solution. Sugar water has a higher specific gravity than water, and alcohol has a lower specific gravity than water, so I can watch my fermentation progress by taking these measurements when I want to know how things are progressing.
I have a nifty little hydrometer that also has a thermometer built in. So I can check my temperature and my specific gravity at the same time.
My original specific gravity is 1.1160 @ 90 degrees Fahrenheit. This tells me that I could end up with about 16% alcohol, if all goes well, by the time my fermentation is complete. I doubt this mead will get that far, as the alcohol tends to kill the yeast. The yeast I am using usually goes to about 15% and it will leave a bit of residual sugar. I am happy with that.
So once I cool my wort off to about 80F degrees, I throw my yeast into my wort. Here I have my yeast packet (says "ACTIVATOR" on it) prepared and ready to pitch in.
I close up my container with a lid that will completely seal the container. As yeast consumes the sugar, it produces alcohol and belches out carbon dioxide. I need a way to let the carbon dioxide out without letting any external air (and potential contaminants) in. My fermentation lock allows the carbon dioxide gas to escape, and it looks cool while it's working. It bubbles and jiggles around and is fun to watch.
I have filled my fermentation lock with vodka, but water would work fine. I just want to be certain that there is no external contamination. Like I said, I'm very particular about sterilization.
And it's done, for now! I let the yeast do it's thing. In 24 hours, I should start to hear bubbling sounds from within the container, and the fermentation lock should be jiggling like crazy. That will reassure me that all is going well.
After the initial fermentation is complete, when I no longer hear noises and see any jiggling/bubbling out of the fermentation lock, it will be time to transfer my mead to another container where it will sit for a few months.
No comments:
Post a Comment