For a 5 gallon (19 l) batch I will usually add a teaspoon of potassium bicarbonate powder and then wait a few hours until my next degassing session to check it again. When the pH drops too low I will add some potassium bicarbonate to raise the pH levels back to the 3.4 level. I use a calibrated pH meter to monitor the pH level of the must daily during active fermentation. The lower limit for me is a pH of 3.0, though I usually will make adjustments as the mead begins to drop into the 3.2-3.4 range. The pH will drop as fermentation progresses. Highly acidic fruits can drive the pH levels down as fermentation progresses, so I monitor the pH and make adjustments if needed. Managing Must pH Levelsįor meads made completely with honey, the pH level is rarely a concern, but I like to make big fruit meads using acidic fruits.

Also its a good idea to turn any fruit over once or twice a day as it can develop mold if its left floating on top of the must for too long.Ĭontinue degassing the mead twice a day until you hit roughly the 2/3 sugar break which is when 2/3 of the sugar has been fermented. If you are working with fresh fruit or puree in the mead its usually best to put it in a grain bag for easy removal and lift the bag while degassing so it is out of the way when whipping the must. The extra volume is needed to contain the foam. For example I use a 9 gallon (34 l) plastic bucket to make about 5 gallons (19 l) of mead. This generates a lot of foam, so the vast majority of mead makers use large oversize plastic buckets during primary fermentation. Some mead makers also use paint stirrers.ĭegassing the mead involves simply driving the wine whip or paint stirrer with a drill for 30 seconds or so until a large portion of the CO2 gas is freed. For those not familiar a wine whip is a long shaft with some plastic arms on it that is used by wine makers to degas wine at the very end of fermentation. Most mead makers use a wine whip and electric drill to degas their mead about twice a day. Also mead is not damaged by the addition of some oxygen in the early stages of fermentation. This carbonic acid can slow fermentation. Honey, being largely composed of sugar, can ferment very rapidly in the first stages of fermentation and build up a significant amount of CO2 in the form of carbonic acid. Mead, unlike beer, benefits from degassing during fermentation. I covered the first two steps in part 1, so today we will discuss the last three steps. Stabilization and Finishing – Since honey can sometimes continue to ferment as conditions change, most mead makers stabilize their mead.pH Management – While not a concern for low gravity and most pure honey meads, many acidic fruit meads (called Melomels) require monitoring of the pH which can drop significantly during fermentation.Degassing During Fermentation – Unlike beer, the mead is degassed with a wine whip twice a day during fermentation until you reach roughly the 2/3 sugar break (2/3 of the way through fermentation).Typically four additions are made at 24, 48, 72 hours and the last at about a week. Staggered Mead Nutrients – Nitrogen rich nutrients are added over the first week of fermentation.A No-Boil Method – where the ingredients are simply mixed together with properly hydrated dry yeast.This week I will cover the remaining steps.Īs I covered last week the key components of modern mead making are: Last week in part 1, I provided an overview of mead making and the first steps of making the must, pitching your yeast and adding nutrients. This week I cover mead making fermentation and finishing.

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