Yeast Rehydration

[Witch Doctor Dale]

Used the yeast hydration method that Larry did the tech topic last meeting. 1.5 hours after pitching, I'm getting a bubble every 45 seconds on an Apple Blossom Mead. This is a 4 gallon batch, half of which will meet strawberries in the secondary. Yum!!!!!!!!!!

[karst]

Lets see how thisfermentation proceeds, I am assuming your at ~70 F temp. What yeast did you settle on? Cooler part of the temp ranges seem to be the norm for a lot of meadmakers. Chicago/St. Paul basement temps.

Talked to the BOS mead maker at Drunk Monk, Ed Seaman as well as Joe Foremanek (former meadmaker of the year) and neither said they were using staggered nutrient addition methods. Just the rehydration, some rousting, good cap management for melomels and lots of patience.

The appleblossom varietal honey flavor was wonderful, lots of bouquet and a bit lighter flavor intensity than OB. I think a traditional mead would be interesting.

Hope we hear of similar quick starts from the other 3 that began using GO-ferm for rehydration. I was expecting 4 hrs at the meeting we would have seen a lot more CO2 activity.

I was thinking of bulk order of Fermaid K and DAP if I can find 5 or 6 folks interesting in using the recommended blend for staggered nutrient addition. Keep good data for the follow-up to the rehydration article in newsletter.

[karst]

Some additional info re just adding DAP alone and also sheads some light on why SNA ratios being used by award winning meadmakers are changing over the last 5 years.

DAP is a simple and non-organic source of nitrogen and it does not offer any additional nutrition. DAP shouldn't be thought of as any more than a supplement as a small part of a complete nutrient scheme when dealin with low nitrogen musts. It will makeyeast grow and reproduce more cells, but it does not really feed them.

"I've made this analogy before, but if you consider Fermaid-K to be a complete and balanced meal with high levels of vitamins, minerals and
natural sugars, then DAP would be like a glass of soda, offering quick energy but no nutritional value.

Fermentations that are sluggish and producing H2S due to a lack of nutrients will not benefit from a DAP addition. In fact, adding DAP will increase the number of starving cells and cause a population explosion in a nutrient void gradient. Fermaid K, which does contain a small amount of DAP is a balanced and complete nutrient and as such, there is little reason to dose with DAP as well."

quoted from Paul Bakulic (Got Mead partner and forum administrator - a true expert on meads according to Curt Stock)

[JE]

Larry, speaking of...

I want some DAP for my very own!! Please let me know how much I can get and how much it costs!!

Thanks!

[karst]

I got 1 kg of GO-Ferm and plan on getting both DAP and Fermaid in bulk amounts if there is enough demand for it.

I still have about 500 gms of GO-Ferm (rehydration of Active Dry Yeast)

My bulk cost will drop if i can locate a local vintner who buys in greater bulk amounts.

I would like to provide all 3 ingredients being used by Minn. meadmakers and see if St. Louis meadmakers find their meads are improving.

Also interested in helping Dale form a mead study group. I have began collecting information on Honey, Yeast selection, and various other topics related to meadmaking.

BJCP website has some useful resources at

http://www.bjcp.org/mead.php

[JE]

Sorry, I meant Go-Ferm! I don't know what I was thinking when I typed that!!

[StLBeer]

The missus and I plan on visiting Ste Genevieve on the 28th and will probably be going to Crown Valley Winery. As I recall from last years visit, I saw GO-Ferm on the shelf there.

You might want to check that out. I'd be happy to bring it back.

Paul Murphy

[blksabbath]

paul, gotta check out the CV brewery and say what's up to Mark the brewmaster for me. It's the most high tech system I've ever seen.

[StLBeer]

paul, gotta check out the CV brewery and say what's up to Mark the brewmaster for me. It's the most high tech system I've ever seen.

Roger, roger.