An Update on the First Batch of Mead

Turns out our first batch was more of a trial run. We learned that the raisins should have been added earlier, as there was no need to ferment the mead once transferred into the carboy (it was supposed to be consumed at that time). Also, as of today, we now have a hydrometer to measure alcohol content (!!!), though measurements need to be taken at the beginning and end for accuracy. This means that we will only be able to accurately gauge alcohol content for the unpasteurized honey batch, but we still did the end reading for this one for a general comparison. For this reason, we will be adding in an additional experiment, specifically focusing on the effectiveness of raisins as an indicator of fermentation, and as an excuse to measure the start gravity reading of a pasteurized honey mixture. Check back next week for more on this experiment!

Anyway, back to the first batch of mead.

We let the mead ferment for several days since we could not meet during the week, though apparently it can be consumed as of day 4 or 5 according to our resource person. Here is how it looked over the course of the week:

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Day 8

As one of the group members has brewed wine in the past, she was surprised to note that a thick yeast cake did not form (a picture will be included in the post on the raisin experiment as a large one developed within hours!). We wonder whether or not something impacted the fermentation process. Perhaps the yeast was not rehydrated for long enough, or the temperature was too cold? It will be interesting to compare how our next batch of mead responds. While the mead did have an alcoholic taste (according to our resource person, short mead can reach 3% by day 4 or 5), we were unable to gauge the exact percentage. We did, however, try to get a rough reading.

Tester tube with a hydrometer, used to measure gravity/alcoholic content.

A hydrometer is used to measure gravity (by placing the device in the tester tube, spinning it to rid any air bubbles, and recording the number at surface level) before and after fermentation. While we were unable to measure the gravity before as we lacked this device, a group member began an additional batch of pasteurized honey mead and was able to measure the gravity of this mixture which was 1.080 and corresponds with the 10.8% alcohol mark. The end gravity reading of our first batch was 1.040, which corresponds with the 4.8% alcohol mark, on day 8. Alcoholic content is determined by subtracting the start and end readings: 10.8% - 4.8% = 6%. Thus, our batch is likely around 6%, but unfortunately this can not be confirmed. We also wonder how accurate our readings were, as the instructions for the device indicated that the hydrometer was most accurate if the mixture was 60°F and we were unable to check this.

Initially, we were going to siphon the mixture from the primary container to the carboy and this proved to be more difficult than expected. Instead, we strained it through folded cheesecloth, though we did not come across this step in any of the blogs that covered traditional mead making. As we soon learned, it was mostly unnecessary, as there was no yeast cake remains and the post-fermentation sediment was far too fine to effectively remove.

Straining sediment...unsuccessfully.

Sediment still present. However, it will mostly sink to the bottom if left sitting for long enough, allowing the mead to clear slightly.

Enough with the sediment, let's focus on the taste and colour. As you can see, the mead turned out a very pale yellow. A few group members indicated that they were used to mead that was darker in colour and dryer in taste. As we later learned through working with the honeycomb, this could have been due to the fact that it was made using pasteurized honey, but we'll discuss this in more detail in the post for that experiment. The fact that we choose to use a champagne yeast accounted for the fact that it had a light and sweet taste, with slight carbonation. We decided it would make an excellent dessert wine.

One of our group members made good use of the mead by bringing it to a Halloween party. As the gravity was above 1.006, we were unable to bottle it since it was likely to explode!

- B and Jo