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Mead Journal: Chage of plans
Jul. 18th, 2011 09:20 amOk, So didn't de-label. Possibly next weekend. I found out that I had almost exactly what I needed to bottle the Lemon/Lime. The bulking up of it and thining down the ABV% has worked to no detriment of the flavor. I bottled it and got an impressive 2 1/2 cases, that's 10 six packs of 12 oz bottles. So NOW I am totally out of de-labeled bottles.
The flavor of the lemon lime was light, sweet and more lemon than lime but overall a pleasant citus flavor, with a good aroma, not strong but noticable close. I think that the ABV% is about 10% but unfortunately I couldn't calculate as my hydrometer was destoyed a few months ago. Need to get another one.
I also racked the Blueberry Lemon. It did just was I expected, fermented dry and sour. It will be back sweetened. I did sweeten it a little and sorbate/sulfate it to stop the yeast. I will be back sweetening it again. It totally filled the 6 gal glass carboy. I expect I will need to oak it as well as back sweeten it and hit it up with some Sparkloid. It is a very pretty opaque purple. I think that there are still a bunch of blueberry solids in it. Those will rack out. I don't expect to be able to bottle this one until January. Hmm maybe sooner.
So Currently: Blueberry Lemon, 2 primaries for chocolate mead are what I have in the carboy. For those keeping track that means that I have 4 free caroboys. 2 are 5 gal glass and 2 are brew buckets which will house the primaries when they are ready for cacao nibs, vanilla, and oaking. So that gives me 2 free until the primaries are done in about a month. On scedual is Strawberry, Mango, Pumpkin (something), and 3 rockbitters. The pumpkin and the 3 rock bitters should be in the fall. That's the 4 but when the blueberry is ready for the bottle, I can start the strawberry or mango. I need to wait for the pumpkin to be ready and in the stores, that should be in October, late. so the primary for that one should start Mid-September. The other 3 batches are rock bitters and need to be started all at once for the proper trinary toast test. I won't have the glass 5 gal free until I rack onto the chocolate. So I am in a holding pattern for about a month. Then I shall need yeast, nutrient, energizer, cacao nibs, honey. Primarily the Cacao Nibs and Honey are the hard part. I got about a month to get this going.
That is the update for now. Only thing I have planed over the next month is delabling, which I need amonia for as I do amonia/soap combo in a big tub and let sit for a while then take a scrubbie and shuck the lables. Long process and hands get pickled but need to be done. I need the clean bottles.
Dave
The flavor of the lemon lime was light, sweet and more lemon than lime but overall a pleasant citus flavor, with a good aroma, not strong but noticable close. I think that the ABV% is about 10% but unfortunately I couldn't calculate as my hydrometer was destoyed a few months ago. Need to get another one.
I also racked the Blueberry Lemon. It did just was I expected, fermented dry and sour. It will be back sweetened. I did sweeten it a little and sorbate/sulfate it to stop the yeast. I will be back sweetening it again. It totally filled the 6 gal glass carboy. I expect I will need to oak it as well as back sweeten it and hit it up with some Sparkloid. It is a very pretty opaque purple. I think that there are still a bunch of blueberry solids in it. Those will rack out. I don't expect to be able to bottle this one until January. Hmm maybe sooner.
So Currently: Blueberry Lemon, 2 primaries for chocolate mead are what I have in the carboy. For those keeping track that means that I have 4 free caroboys. 2 are 5 gal glass and 2 are brew buckets which will house the primaries when they are ready for cacao nibs, vanilla, and oaking. So that gives me 2 free until the primaries are done in about a month. On scedual is Strawberry, Mango, Pumpkin (something), and 3 rockbitters. The pumpkin and the 3 rock bitters should be in the fall. That's the 4 but when the blueberry is ready for the bottle, I can start the strawberry or mango. I need to wait for the pumpkin to be ready and in the stores, that should be in October, late. so the primary for that one should start Mid-September. The other 3 batches are rock bitters and need to be started all at once for the proper trinary toast test. I won't have the glass 5 gal free until I rack onto the chocolate. So I am in a holding pattern for about a month. Then I shall need yeast, nutrient, energizer, cacao nibs, honey. Primarily the Cacao Nibs and Honey are the hard part. I got about a month to get this going.
That is the update for now. Only thing I have planed over the next month is delabling, which I need amonia for as I do amonia/soap combo in a big tub and let sit for a while then take a scrubbie and shuck the lables. Long process and hands get pickled but need to be done. I need the clean bottles.
Dave