Just a compliment. You are so thorough and explain well, I keep coming back to your video to see certain things. I have a batch of cider going that is just about finished fermenting. I'm still pretty much a rookie at this.
That's great. I'm glad you find it helpful. I have a batch of black raspberry mead I started this week. First time I've had to use potassium bicarbonate. Found the ph was really low on it. I think it's good now though.
You all prolly dont care but does any of you know of a way to get back into an instagram account?? I was dumb lost my account password. I love any help you can give me!
@Martin Shane thanks for your reply. I got to the site thru google and Im in the hacking process now. Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
Thank you for this video! I love cysers. Quite often when I make a melomel that contains berries, I’ll use apple juice instead of water. Elderberries for example can taste pretty flat. Using apple juice adds acidity and crispness. And before you express concern: yes, I do heat the elderberries to get rid of the cyanogenic compounds. To eliminate pectic haze, I use pectic enzyme, it’s organic and safe. I also make sure the elderberries are ripe and that I don’t have any stems and leaves because those contain more cyanogenic compounds. I also always use organic yeast nutrients, it doesn’t just prevent stalling but allows for a cleaner fermentation and therefore less off-flavours to age out. Happy brewing!
That's a good tip. I would like to make an elderberry one at some point. Maybe I'll get enough berries this year to make one. I've only made elderflower but not with berries yet. I also use pectic enzyme in many of my meads.
@@gapey - One thing I do advise on the use of pectic enzyme: best stick to the recommended dosage (package instructions pre-fermentation, and never more than double post-fermentation) in order not to make “Château Migraine” or “Millésime Hangover” . If you’re not using fruit or fruit parts, leave it out as there won’t be pectin in your brew. And stick to ripe fruit, it typically contains less pectin than unripe fruit. Less pectin = less need for pectic enzyme. That means less pectin needs to be broken down. This’ll in turn mean less methanol (all alcoholic ferments contain methanol, it’s the main reason for hangovers) and therefore a more enjoyable end product. Granted, alcoholic beverages that haven’t been distilled or freeze concentrated (aka jacked) will not reach dangerous levels of methanol, but I prefer to stay as hangover-free as possible. It’s also the reason why I use yeast nutrient and observe general good practice for my ferments: yeast that gets stressed produces more ickies than happy, healthy yeast. I hope I didn’t freak you out by using the dreaded m-word (just had a convo about it with a newbie home brewer). I have a contact with a local university and he specialises in alcoholic fermentation. He reassured me on the methanol thing and advised me on how to ensure I made something that is as hangover-free and safe as possible. As said, simple common sense and good practice means you’re safe. 😊
It's an OXO gooseneck kettle. Unfortunately it appears to be out of stock on Amazon and everywhere else I looked. I don't even see it on OXO's website anymore so not sure if it will be back or not but it's this one: amzn.to/3o3X9bN
I took 2 gallons of apple juice, and 3 cups out of each jug. Then added them, plus another 4 to a pot, for 10 cups total. Boiled that down until it was 5 cups, then added 2LBs brown sugar. Boiled that down again until 5 cups, and added 2 1/2 cups of the mixture to each jug. It was super thick like a honey. I'm not sure what to call this, but if it goes dry, it's 14%, so pretty tough for a cider.
I would call it yummy! Technically I think it would be called an apple wine. A cyser is an apple mead which uses honey so it can't be that. I have made a few fruit wines before using sugar instead of honey.
I've learned from other videos to use the diluted star san in my airlock. I also keep a spay bottle of it and I'll use that to fill and airlock or top it off if it gets low.
Some use vodka in the airlock, usually if using a plastic fermenter. This is because is you mice the fermenter the airlock can suck in the fluid. If it is vodka it will still be clean, other stuff increases chance of contamination.
I just finished the first batch I ever made. I back sweetened it with a can of apple juice concentrate, full strength, undiluted. It sweetened it and gave it more apple taste. I learned it on another video for hard cider.
Nice! I know a lot of people like to back sweeten their meads but haven't tried it myself. I like my meads pretty dry though am thinking about trying it on a coffee mead I'm making now.
@@gapey Thanks for the reply. I also like dry wines. I am brand new at this and still learning. I probably should have been more patient. The batch was only 22 days old when I back sweetened it yesterday. The gravity was .99 so it was done. I racked it a week ago. It fermented quick. I used F1B yeast. I didn't care for the taste and thought back sweetening would help and it did. I probably should have been more patient and let it age but I am still too new at this. I have a few more batches going and I'll just leave them. Thanks!!
This stuff is pretty potent. I've been wanting to try making hard apple cider too. The process would be much quicker than making mead. I did make a ginger beer recently and want to try that again.
Very good video! I went tot your amazon site and I have ordered the bucket that you have on there and it is not the same as the one you are using. It doesn't have the lip on the lid like the one you are using. The ones I have don't seal well. Do you just have a different lid? Please help me find them. Thanks
Thanks. I have a few different buckets and lids that I use. I don't know for certain where I got the one with the lip. It may have been from a local brew store. I haven't had any problems with any of the ones I have though.
Bit confused that at the end you didn't want to add anything to stop the yeast and yet at the beginning you added quite a lot of different chemicals to make it start as well as make a clear finish ?
The only "chemicals" I used is Fermaid O and Go Ferm which are both certified organic. I can't say the same for sulfites people use to halt fermentation. It's just my choice not to use them. If you want to use them go for it.
I have started a hard cider i mean to tuem into apple jack. The reading was 68. Is that 6.8xxx? It's the first I was able to get an initial gravity reading on. My first hard cider bottmed out at 1.000 within 14 days. Red Star premier blanc
Mead may be the oldest alcoholic drink.Alot of people think it was only around starting from the medieval and Renaissance times in Europe,but in China,as well as far back as the neolithic period.
I may be an unusual type of person but strange as it may seem , I use a Mead yeast to make my Mead ? Not sure what the benefit of using a yeast bred for another type of alcohol but I suppose what ever floats your boat :)
Mead yeast isn't easy to find locally for me. I am sure mead yeast works great but most people I know that make meads, including commercial meads use wine and/or champagne yeasts with great success. Each type of yeast can bring out different flavors in the mead. Just depends what kind of mead you are going for.
The 1118 clarified much quicker than the 1116. I'm not noticing any big difference in taste between the two. I still have most of both batches aging for a little longer. The last time I did two batches with different yeasts it took about a year and a half to start seeing bigger differences in taste so a little more aging might make each stand out more.
@@gapey I use Red Star Premier Cuvee yeast for my wines. I haven't found a yeast that brews cleaner or faster, and it's alcohol tolerance is also quite high. I started out using the EC-1118, but I found it way too funky tasting for my liking. As a general rule, champagne yeasts are way to go for fast, hard fermentations. The EC-1118/6 strains are supposed to be more contaminant resistant, but I've never run into this problem. Nice point made in the video about nutrient, btw. Apple juice totally requires extra nutrition for the yeast.
@@chrishart7300 I used a Red Star Premier Classique for my very first mead and was pretty happy with how it came out. It was the yeast that came with the kit I purchased. I like experimenting with different yeasts though. Don't think I've even used the same one twice yet. :)
You can add it after the fermentation is complete but you'll need to be sure to stabilize/kill the yeast before you do or it will likely start fermenting again with the added sugars.
No it's not bad or dirty honey. I'm not boiling it, just warming it up to make it easier to mix into the water. It's definitely an optional step. I know some people do and some people don't. It's your choice. There's a million ways to make mead. I just shared how I made this batch.
ruclips.net/video/3zcL__kzolU/видео.html That is an auto-siphon, it has a racking cane as part of it, but it is MUCH easier to use than a racking cane. I highly suggest anyone watching this to get and use an auto-siphon to do this.
Oh my God. You are absolutely the cutest ever
Thank you so much! :) Hoping to get a wine making video up soon.
Thanks for the video! Going to try it myself
Awesome! Good luck. I hope it turns out well.
This is one of the best vids I've seen on this.
Thank you so much. I'm glad you found it helpful.
I'll definitely have to try this. Thank you
Nice I was just binge watching your tomato videos since i couldn't sleep and found this one while drinking one of my homemade ciders haha
Hah. I like to throw in a non gardening video every now and then. :)
Just a compliment. You are so thorough and explain well, I keep coming back to your video to see certain things. I have a batch of cider going that is just about finished fermenting. I'm still pretty much a rookie at this.
That's great. I'm glad you find it helpful. I have a batch of black raspberry mead I started this week. First time I've had to use potassium bicarbonate. Found the ph was really low on it. I think it's good now though.
You all prolly dont care but does any of you know of a way to get back into an instagram account??
I was dumb lost my account password. I love any help you can give me!
@Cash Colby Instablaster ;)
@Martin Shane thanks for your reply. I got to the site thru google and Im in the hacking process now.
Looks like it's gonna take a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@Martin Shane it worked and I finally got access to my account again. I'm so happy!
Thank you so much you saved my account !
Thank you for this video! I love cysers. Quite often when I make a melomel that contains berries, I’ll use apple juice instead of water. Elderberries for example can taste pretty flat. Using apple juice adds acidity and crispness. And before you express concern: yes, I do heat the elderberries to get rid of the cyanogenic compounds. To eliminate pectic haze, I use pectic enzyme, it’s organic and safe. I also make sure the elderberries are ripe and that I don’t have any stems and leaves because those contain more cyanogenic compounds. I also always use organic yeast nutrients, it doesn’t just prevent stalling but allows for a cleaner fermentation and therefore less off-flavours to age out.
Happy brewing!
That's a good tip. I would like to make an elderberry one at some point. Maybe I'll get enough berries this year to make one. I've only made elderflower but not with berries yet. I also use pectic enzyme in many of my meads.
@@gapey - One thing I do advise on the use of pectic enzyme: best stick to the recommended dosage (package instructions pre-fermentation, and never more than double post-fermentation) in order not to make “Château Migraine” or “Millésime Hangover” . If you’re not using fruit or fruit parts, leave it out as there won’t be pectin in your brew. And stick to ripe fruit, it typically contains less pectin than unripe fruit.
Less pectin = less need for pectic enzyme. That means less pectin needs to be broken down. This’ll in turn mean less methanol (all alcoholic ferments contain methanol, it’s the main reason for hangovers) and therefore a more enjoyable end product. Granted, alcoholic beverages that haven’t been distilled or freeze concentrated (aka jacked) will not reach dangerous levels of methanol, but I prefer to stay as hangover-free as possible. It’s also the reason why I use yeast nutrient and observe general good practice for my ferments: yeast that gets stressed produces more ickies than happy, healthy yeast.
I hope I didn’t freak you out by using the dreaded m-word (just had a convo about it with a newbie home brewer). I have a contact with a local university and he specialises in alcoholic fermentation. He reassured me on the methanol thing and advised me on how to ensure I made something that is as hangover-free and safe as possible. As said, simple common sense and good practice means you’re safe. 😊
What is the make/ model of your electric digital water kettle? It looks great and I'm not finding it online. Thank you. Great and very helpful video
It's an OXO gooseneck kettle. Unfortunately it appears to be out of stock on Amazon and everywhere else I looked. I don't even see it on OXO's website anymore so not sure if it will be back or not but it's this one: amzn.to/3o3X9bN
I took 2 gallons of apple juice, and 3 cups out of each jug. Then added them, plus another 4 to a pot, for 10 cups total. Boiled that down until it was 5 cups, then added 2LBs brown sugar. Boiled that down again until 5 cups, and added 2 1/2 cups of the mixture to each jug. It was super thick like a honey. I'm not sure what to call this, but if it goes dry, it's 14%, so pretty tough for a cider.
I would call it yummy! Technically I think it would be called an apple wine. A cyser is an apple mead which uses honey so it can't be that. I have made a few fruit wines before using sugar instead of honey.
Don't forget to adjust your start reading! For the temperature difference!
I think it is. .010 for every 10°!!! Just offering help. Great video.
Yep thanks. That is good to note!
What are you using as sanitizer?
Star San
Thank you for that video. Now time to try it. One question... Do you heat it as to pasteurize the apple cider?
not necessarily. It's more to make it easier for the honey to mix in.
thanks for the video. very instructive.
Thanks!
I've learned from other videos to use the diluted star san in my airlock. I also keep a spay bottle of it and I'll use that to fill and airlock or top it off if it gets low.
Yeah that's probably a good idea too. I've heard of some people using that in the air lock.
Some use vodka in the airlock, usually if using a plastic fermenter. This is because is you mice the fermenter the airlock can suck in the fluid. If it is vodka it will still be clean, other stuff increases chance of contamination.
You have to adjust the reading for temp! To get a accurate alcohol percentage.
I just finished the first batch I ever made. I back sweetened it with a can of apple juice concentrate, full strength, undiluted. It sweetened it and gave it more apple taste. I learned it on another video for hard cider.
Nice! I know a lot of people like to back sweeten their meads but haven't tried it myself. I like my meads pretty dry though am thinking about trying it on a coffee mead I'm making now.
@@gapey Thanks for the reply. I also like dry wines. I am brand new at this and still learning. I probably should have been more patient. The batch was only 22 days old when I back sweetened it yesterday. The gravity was .99 so it was done. I racked it a week ago. It fermented quick. I used F1B yeast. I didn't care for the taste and thought back sweetening would help and it did. I probably should have been more patient and let it age but I am still too new at this. I have a few more batches going and I'll just leave them. Thanks!!
Yummers ! i hate to admit i do drink the angry orchard apple beers, this would be a good substitute
This stuff is pretty potent. I've been wanting to try making hard apple cider too. The process would be much quicker than making mead. I did make a ginger beer recently and want to try that again.
Very good video! I went tot your amazon site and I have ordered the bucket that you have on there and it is not the same as the one you are using. It doesn't have the lip on the lid like the one you are using. The ones I have don't seal well. Do you just have a different lid? Please help me find them. Thanks
Thanks. I have a few different buckets and lids that I use. I don't know for certain where I got the one with the lip. It may have been from a local brew store. I haven't had any problems with any of the ones I have though.
Bit confused that at the end you didn't want to add anything to stop the yeast and yet at the beginning you added quite a lot of different chemicals to make it start as well as make a clear finish ?
The only "chemicals" I used is Fermaid O and Go Ferm which are both certified organic. I can't say the same for sulfites people use to halt fermentation. It's just my choice not to use them. If you want to use them go for it.
I have started a hard cider i mean to tuem into apple jack. The reading was 68. Is that 6.8xxx?
It's the first I was able to get an initial gravity reading on.
My first hard cider bottmed out at 1.000 within 14 days. Red Star premier blanc
If it was 68 then it must be 1.068
Mead may be the oldest alcoholic drink.Alot of people think it was only around starting from the medieval and Renaissance times in Europe,but in China,as well as far back as the neolithic period.
Wow it's not old it's ancient!
You are one smart woman.
haha thanks!
You could also just pasteurize the Mead at 150° for 20 minutes when it's in the bottles and it'll stop the fermentation
Yep that works too.
I may be an unusual type of person but strange as it may seem , I use a Mead yeast to make my Mead ?
Not sure what the benefit of using a yeast bred for another type of alcohol but I suppose what ever floats your boat :)
Mead yeast isn't easy to find locally for me. I am sure mead yeast works great but most people I know that make meads, including commercial meads use wine and/or champagne yeasts with great success. Each type of yeast can bring out different flavors in the mead. Just depends what kind of mead you are going for.
Any yeast preference between 1116 and 1118? Thank you for sharing the journey
The 1118 clarified much quicker than the 1116. I'm not noticing any big difference in taste between the two. I still have most of both batches aging for a little longer. The last time I did two batches with different yeasts it took about a year and a half to start seeing bigger differences in taste so a little more aging might make each stand out more.
@@gapey I use Red Star Premier Cuvee yeast for my wines. I haven't found a yeast that brews cleaner or faster, and it's alcohol tolerance is also quite high. I started out using the EC-1118, but I found it way too funky tasting for my liking. As a general rule, champagne yeasts are way to go for fast, hard fermentations. The EC-1118/6 strains are supposed to be more contaminant resistant, but I've never run into this problem. Nice point made in the video about nutrient, btw. Apple juice totally requires extra nutrition for the yeast.
@@chrishart7300 I used a Red Star Premier Classique for my very first mead and was pretty happy with how it came out. It was the yeast that came with the kit I purchased. I like experimenting with different yeasts though. Don't think I've even used the same one twice yet. :)
If it's not as sweet as you'd like it, at what point do you add the extra honey?
You can add it after the fermentation is complete but you'll need to be sure to stabilize/kill the yeast before you do or it will likely start fermenting again with the added sugars.
Why are you cooking the Honey ? Is it bad honey or from a dirty or infected seller ?
No it's not bad or dirty honey. I'm not boiling it, just warming it up to make it easier to mix into the water. It's definitely an optional step. I know some people do and some people don't. It's your choice. There's a million ways to make mead. I just shared how I made this batch.
You can just subtract nd gravity from starting gravity and multiply that by 135 and you will get your abv
true!
ruclips.net/video/3zcL__kzolU/видео.html
That is an auto-siphon, it has a racking cane as part of it, but it is MUCH easier to use than a racking cane.
I highly suggest anyone watching this to get and use an auto-siphon to do this.
Will check that out!