@@paulm7402 Didn't know it could last that long, is there something special in the mead or the way of bottling or storage so it can last that long? I would love to know.
"I am not ‘chugging beer’ I’m SAMPLING a flight of various meads I created using different yeasts. It’s called a SMORGASHONIGWEIN and it’s elegantly cultural!!!"
Red Star Yeast Premier Blanc (yellow pack) is > 16% (can hit 18%). Difference in Lavin and Red Star is Redstart likes higher temps than Lavin, so if your room is colder, that may explain why the Lavin products fermented faster. I live in AZ so the Blanc works well with 75 degree room temp.
Fellow Arizonan here, and I concur. Find Red Star works pretty well for summer room-temp ferments, compared to Lavin. My favorite Red Star variety, at the moment, is Cuvee. Really clean for ciders and cysers, but I have not tried it in a mead, yet.
I hope you keep them in the mason jars and come back to them in a few months and retry once they all have cleared. My last bunch of yeast I got were Redstar cotes des blancs and 71B. I tried the cotes in a cranberry wine... made the juice from scratch... amazing stuff. It took a good 2.5 months to clear. I also brewed at cooler temps. I have a bunch of stuff to try in one gallons now.
You are right. Everything needs time. Cooler temp much better but longer. I wouldn't drink anything cloudy and yeasty unless I'm not going too far from the loo lol
I've tried a lot of yeasts and I really get great results with EC-1118 It will tolerate high gravity, it does produce up to 20% ABV it also tends to ferment dry and requires back sweetening, but it never stalls and does not require a lot of nutrients. I also like the K1V-1116, it also has the killer gene so it will eat native yeasts which is great if you use a lot of fruits in your mead. BTW If you mix those all together the K1V will kill off the other yeasts. Red Star Premier Cuvee is very similar to EC1118 and gives great results as well
This video is just for what makes the best young meads/wines (3 weeks). Sometimes yeasts can smell or taste bad when young, but taste amazing when aged. Don't count out "the worst" yet. I'll be looking forward to a "part 2" and possibly "part 3".
@ except after fermentation it is fully cooked. The only difference here is how long it ages. using your analogy it would be like the same meat only 1 is marinated longer than another. its still the same meal
I bought lalvin 71D, B47, and 1118, went with 1118. Thank you for posting these videos. I'm a late bloomer. I couldn't have made Mead without you buddy!!! ¡¡¡SKOL!!!
@@cliftonyates6979, Red Star will get the job done and I would use it, for sure. However, Lalvin has some of the best yeasts, without a single doubt in my mind.
I love D47 but it takes some time. I rack it twice with three weeks between, then bottle. It doesn't taste right for a year. At that point it will blow you away. When you rack the second time, toss in corn sugar/water to desired sweetness and to top off the vessel. It is incredible.
Does the corn sugar/water give it fizz? Is that corn syrup or something else? Do you put in the corn sugar/water just before bottling or while it's just in the second phase?
Nice work MMM!! I have always wondered why nobody had a vid with yeast comparisons. I can appreciate all the time and thought that went in to this test. One of the most helpful mead vids I’ve ever watched!! Took lots of notes, and I’m going to try the rogue and 1118. Please don’t mix them!!! Give us an update on taste in 6 or 12 months. So many questions answered, but many more created. Cheers! Will send another donation for you effort!
I just started my first batch of traditional mead a week ago. I used D-47 that came with my mead brewing kit I got at Christmas. Between your channel and Doin' the Most's I've been binge watching and trying to learn. Thank you for your dedication to the craft and teaching us newbies
I know I was a little harsh with my comment on the grape mead but I want you to know that you do great work. This is a video I have been waiting for. Such a great video idea and execution. I use Lalvin for everything but now will try RedStar. Thank you so much for all your hard work.
With Fleischmann's active dry bread yeast you never want to make a completely dry brew, it just kills the flavor, I usually shoot for about 12ish percent so that it has some character and flavor left, it also takes MUCH longer to fall out of suspension and needs more time.
Excellent and great info. Normally I skip forward on many videos but on this one if you skipped even a second you were likely to miss something important. Great Job.
We have three batches going right now, one with Safale US-05, and the other two are with Red Star yeasts. The Rouge blew right through its fermentation (1.10 to 1.00 in 8 days). The Blanc has gone from 1.12 to 1.027 in 8 days. I am not sure if it is due to our temps being slightly higher in our house (70-73 degrees) or another variable, but I am a big fan of both yeasts dio far as they have left amazing flavors so far! However, I know they have low flocculation so I dread how long it may take to clear. This is an excellent mead video!! Love the channel!
I had done a cilantro wine with Azteca bread yeast and it got up to 13.6% and I had the same reaction as you did! It was like rocket fuel. But I also done an Apple wine with the same bread yeast that come out around 6.6% and was just fine.
Of these, I've only used 71b and D47. In my experience, 71b is very easy to work with and makes a good mead that's drinkable early on. D47 has worked really well for me, but it seems to need a much longer time to age to really develop, and if it fermented to warm, even longer. I've found that even with great nutrition and low fermentation temps, it still isn't great young.
My first batch going rn is redstar premier rouge and it's been about 3 weeks, still fermenting. I'm gonna start a cyser with lalvin k1-v1116 tomorrow so I'm glad to see it go so much faster than the redstar
Really helpful! I’m researching what to start with, and it seems like everyone defaults to D-47, but you’ve really got me looking at the Red Star Premiere Rogue now. I definitely like a smoother, sweeter mead, and am not a fan of really hot meads. I couldn’t care less about clarity.
Dude, you're awesome. I have spent HOURS looking for the BEST CHOICE yeast for my melomels coming up (a pyment, viking blod, and a blueberry one; I may even do a loganberry mead in honor of where I grew up in Buffalo, since Loganberry is HUGE there). You did all the work so I didn't have to, and I loved watching your feedback! Keep the awesome material coming man!
@@ManMadeMead based on what I've read and what you showed I'm thinking of using Lalvin 71B-1122 for a Vikings Blod, a Pyment, and a blueberry mead. Seems like the best yeast for melomels from reviews of many mead brewers.
I use EC-1118 for my mead. It's for Sparkling Wine. My family and my neighbor LOVED it straight out of fermentation, as I was transitioning into aging. At 6 months, my mead should be delicious
It would be interesting to see a similar test using many yeasts but with different starting gravity points. Then another using various yeasts at different temp ferments. I guess that would require a fermenting fridge though or many of you did more than two temps. I think you would have had better results with the D47 if fermented at a lower temp. Cool experiment! Thanks.
Very good test!! I think what also effects the overall flavor is what honey you choose as well as the ideal temperature each yeast can tolerate. Some will ferment slower or faster at the extreme ends of their temperature range as well so maybe another test is in order to see if temperature makes a big difference. Perhaps use 3 yeasts. 2 mason jars per yeast. Place them in temperatures at the extreme ends of their tolerance (+ or - 5 degrees so they don't die) . So lets say you used the K1-V1116 in 2 separate jars, one stored at 60 degrees and the other at 80+ degrees. Come back when they level out and see what the time difference is as well as the gravity, flavor and aroma.
This has to be the best mead yeast test and review video ever!!! A real guy, in real world situation, testing using simple methods. Nice Job. I have been using the Red Star Blanc, but I may chose another based on this test.
After finishing the video, I said hey, I want to know more! I'm sure you skip a lot of topics you want to share with us! Subscribed. Brother, you are awesome.
I use the Red star Classique, and it clears up when it's finished fermenting, all the old dead yeast sinks to the bottom of the jar. Takes around 2 weeks to ferment.
Thanks! Beer homebrewer just discovering meads. This is EXACTLY the type of test I was thinking about doing but you’ve already done the heavy lifting. Think I’ll try the top three to taste test on my own but now I know where to start. Cheers!
These are the kind of experiments I love! Hope you do a similar experiment with a cyser! Last year I did two batches of cyser using two different yeasts (1116 and 1118). However, I didn't use the same honey in the two batches so it wasn't a controlled experiment like yours. I did find the 1118 clarified much quicker than the 1116 though. I'll stay away from bread yeast I think. I did try it on a ginger beer and was not impressed.
So excited to watch this video! I'm just 1minute in. Can't wait to see the results. Getting back into mead making and yeast variety is a big question in my mind
Only ever used the ec1118. Was sold to me as a beginner. Told me it was the hardiest for temp fluctuations and different honey/fruits. Out of maybe ten batches. Only one stalled. Which is 100% my fault. The ginger in the must had potassium sorbate.
Was waiting for u to slur ur words by the end of the video 😀 I found this video very useful. I am yet to make my first batch in the research phase. Thank u
I recently racked my first bach. Since I like the sweet stuff and I didn't had hidrometer, and also wanted something lighter, I did about 1kg honey to a 5ish litter bach and used ale yeast. It is not over but so far it has floral smell and some grassy taste notes reminds me of some french ales or those IPA's that does not have pine taste. Took a good 4 weeks to ferment (It was indoors sweater season) and I am still not sure It is done, but i am looking forward to spring when it will be finished aging.
(I feel like my mother in telling you) but I still feel compelled to say the yeast is Premiere Rouge (red) as in the french word not rogue. Also it would be cool to see the time it takes the yeast to fall out of suspension for each individual jar. I know that each of those yeast have an optimal temperature range. Do you feel the ones with the poorer performances were well outside these temps?
I definitely think that temperature could have changed the results. If I had the ability to do 8 different fermentation temperatures at the same time I definitely would have!
@@ManMadeMead I think that would be difficult to do but I wanted to make sure you thought about how those yeasts all had different optimal temps that they like. So they all couldn't get what they needed on that shelf so that could make for the different flavor profiles when they are in the best conditions for that particular yeast and also some of those issues do take care of themselves with aging.
If City Steading Brews is any inclination, if you want the bread yeast to be sweeter, add about 2oz of raisins to it. If you leave the raisins out, it will be dry.
I have traditionally used the Red Star yeasts in my fruit wines. They are slow fermenting although I didn’t feed them as much as I should have. I have had some batches go three months before they stop fermenting.
Yeah 2 of my red stars are over 2 weeks primary fermentation and still bubbling strong, i added nutrients in the beginning both have 3lbs of honey in a gallon carboy, 1 plain mead(which is slowly settling down) and the other is a chamomile mead(which is still in a really strong ferment). I live in norcal and temps have been on the high end. I feel the meads in the video was a really short-term fermentation. Ive heard some meads even after the first racking can still ferment unless you kill it some potassium sorbate but some folks just let it run through all available sugars and nutrients while having it age after primary and first racking. Anyways, hope ur mead turns out delicious bro! 🍻
Great video! I kept thinking that it would've made a good high school science fair project, except for, you know, the alcohol. As others have commented, I am also interested in an update. It's six months out now...
A little late to the video but I would like to say that K1V1116 is a fermenting animal! It does tend to produce more of a flowery dry white wine mead and tends to have very little honey character. I also add it to slow starting ferments because I lack patience mainly. Really appreciate your videos.
I haven't made a mead yet but I have one planned soon. I have made about 13 gallons of wine and out of that 2 gallons was bread yeast. I've already been able to drink all of that and I'm still waiting on the lalvin products to age enough to taste good. Perhaps the fruit in wine makes bread yeast ok for that use. Also, I'd love to see a 6 month retaste
Noticed you didnt use the QA23 you like so much now! This would be a really great video to remake and very educational. This takes alot of time, effort, thanks for the quality content!
I know it's not something you can do now but it would be interesting if you brought in someone to taste them blindly and rate them. You could even use this same batch just after a couple more months of aging or something :)
I’ve used the d47 for the first time in a cyser. I’m hoping it will turn out better then the taste you had here! Also just bought some ec1118 gonna try that with a traditional. Thanks for your experiment learned a lot!
In my experience red star likes to sit in the fridge to help the yeast drop out and clear up. It will do it over time in secondary too but much faster in the fridge
I love this! It is really interesting how different it all is. I just made a 32L with bread yeast, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and sultanas are not much of the flavour has come through but okay overall. Same recipe with 1118 and it was amazing.
Hey nice experience! I was searching on washing yeast and came across your channel. Some yeast require more nutrients when fermenting. You could add DAP which is diammonium phosphate. This is really used in wineries products. Great out come!
You could also do something similar trying beer yeasts to see how they turn out. I remember an article in Zymurgy that said they showed promise and I've had some excellent success with honey heavy beers (hopefully including the 5 gallons of honey saison finishing its fermentation behind me) with a variety of yeasts.
@@peterolsson8857 I made a hefe with honey once and it actually kicked off distinctly Orval-link funk. It was actually commented on at a competition and, apparently, hefe yeast is known to do that with honey.
I completely agree with you on D47, the look on your face when you tasted the D47 funk said it all of why do they say its a go to for traditional other then its hardy yeast. The first batch and so far only batch ive made has been with D47 cause thats what was tossed into the kit i bought from mid-evil craft fair guy had bees and made mead and sold kits. followed everything from their instructions to yours and others. But in the end the basic traditional ended up with a weird tartness to it. Decided to comment what i could do to augment the flavor but after siting a good year in the fridge it rounding off, still has hints of the funk tho but its manageable.
Well done. Informative. Nice delivery. I am starting to do meads. I have been using EC1118 for wine. I’ll start my first mead on it but will consider the Rouge for my second batch.
Thx dude. Used the d47 on some ginger beer which turned out decent. I think ill do my first Honey mead with either the Premier Rogue or EC1118. Maybe both.
i think blending of the Lalvin's together would be good, likewise a blend of the red stars. perhaps the bread yeast with some added rum with a splash of fresh apple juice could be for a drunken night . hah
Have a batch going with fleischmanns bread yeast currently, started about 4 weeks ago. Took a gravity reading today and it's at nearly 13.5 percent ABV, which I wasn't quite expecting
I highly recommend it 🙂 I've loved making mead on and off for quite a long time now, whilst I'm enjoying discovering that you can indeed make a tasty young mead it never fails to amaze me just how much ageing can change and improve a brew. Pulling something out of the cellar you made even several years ago and sharing it is a wonderful feeling!
Thats kind of weird, ive had red star premier blanc chew through to 14 percent in about 15 days or so before, may be a difference in their situation, or they could have some inconsistency issues.
I'm getting 14% with my bread yeast. Consistently That's crazy that the bread yeast perform like that. I've been doing Joe's ancient orange and do 3 lbs to every gallon and it came out a little bit closer to dry but was still sweet and had all kinds of flavor. Go figure, I guess it's just the amount of honey that you've got in it. And like I said I'm pulling about 14% ABV according to the refractor calculations.
Might be interesting if you pasteurized all those to turn any remaining yeast into nutrient, then re-sweetened and fermented with say the EC-1118 or other pick ? Just thinking it might show a different, perhaps more complex, character to the initial EC-1118 (or whichever) again. If matches the original would be interesting, but also if totally different or new could show a way to stage brew something entirely new.
I am very impressed by how you explain your nose and mouth feel...I can almost smell and taste them with you. Thanks for the video, very informative. I am working on a few different melomels, Including a rhubarb mead...it is very tart after first rack, however, the mouthfeel and aftertaste is amazing and engulfs the pallet. Try it!
I did this with plums and 6 yeasts(all Lalvin) a few years ago, unfortunately life happened shortly after the first racking from fermentors to carboys and they never got tasted. I was able to see the flocculation though, at least one never settled below half of the carboy(checked over a year later) while another packed down to about 1/12th of the carboy height, the others were various levels between. This was also 1.070OG, all fresh "italian prune" plums no sugar or water, some citric-tannic-malic acid mix to hit a target pH typical for wines and a touch of grape tannin for body; pectic enzyme was used to extract more juice. I don't recall for sure if I added yeast nutrient, I vaguely recall giving them a little.
Awesome, thanks for trying this. I love dry stuff so now I know which yeast to try (haven't used Lalvin before). Can you try this with an Ale yeast and Brettanomyces?
So I want to do an Irish coffee bochet. My plan is a gallon of cold brew, with 2.5lbs of wild flower bochet honey and 1/2lbs none bochet. To get a whiskey/ Carmel flavor. Then adding vanilla beans, cacao nibs and almond extract for the Baileys Irish cream flavor after primary fermentation. I was thinking of adding lactose to make it more creamy but I don’t know if lactose would work well with mead. For my yeast I was thinking Lalvan D-47 or k1-1116 What would be the best yeast for a coffee bochet?
I HAVE AN EVEN BETTER VIDEO FEATURING 20 YEASTS! CHECK IT OUT HERE: ua-cam.com/video/-_shVjrZIO4/v-deo.html
I'd also like to see you come back to these at a 6 month and one year from now. To see how some have mellowed and cleared with age.
Yes! This please!
Chase this up!!!!!
Probably long gone by now!!!
It's for Science! *Burp
@@paulm7402 Didn't know it could last that long, is there something special in the mead or the way of bottling or storage so it can last that long? I would love to know.
@@paulm7402 thank you so much! I'll try doing the same as you. Thank you for the info and the idea.
"I am not ‘chugging beer’ I’m SAMPLING a flight of various meads I created using different yeasts. It’s called a SMORGASHONIGWEIN and it’s elegantly cultural!!!"
😂😂
Red Star Yeast Premier Blanc (yellow pack) is > 16% (can hit 18%).
Difference in Lavin and Red Star is Redstart likes higher temps than Lavin, so if your room is colder, that may explain why the Lavin products fermented faster.
I live in AZ so the Blanc works well with 75 degree room temp.
Fellow Arizonan here, and I concur. Find Red Star works pretty well for summer room-temp ferments, compared to Lavin. My favorite Red Star variety, at the moment, is Cuvee. Really clean for ciders and cysers, but I have not tried it in a mead, yet.
I hope you keep them in the mason jars and come back to them in a few months and retry once they all have cleared. My last bunch of yeast I got were Redstar cotes des blancs and 71B. I tried the cotes in a cranberry wine... made the juice from scratch... amazing stuff. It took a good 2.5 months to clear. I also brewed at cooler temps. I have a bunch of stuff to try in one gallons now.
I’d also like to see a comparison after a few months. I think that would be a better representation of each.
You are right. Everything needs time. Cooler temp much better but longer. I wouldn't drink anything cloudy and yeasty unless I'm not going too far from the loo lol
I've tried a lot of yeasts and I really get great results with EC-1118
It will tolerate high gravity, it does produce up to 20% ABV it also tends to ferment dry and requires back sweetening, but it never stalls and does not require a lot of nutrients.
I also like the K1V-1116, it also has the killer gene so it will eat native yeasts which is great if you use a lot of fruits in your mead.
BTW If you mix those all together the K1V will kill off the other yeasts.
Red Star Premier Cuvee is very similar to EC1118 and gives great results as well
This video is just for what makes the best young meads/wines (3 weeks).
Sometimes yeasts can smell or taste bad when young, but taste amazing when aged.
Don't count out "the worst" yet. I'll be looking forward to a "part 2" and possibly "part 3".
You cant make mead in 3 weeks lol
@ you very much can with the right yeast it will technically finish. However it just wont taste amazing
@ its alcohol made from honey yes it is mead
@ what exactly changes the definition of mead for you? same process but it has to age over a year to be called mead for you?
@ except after fermentation it is fully cooked. The only difference here is how long it ages. using your analogy it would be like the same meat only 1 is marinated longer than another. its still the same meal
I bought lalvin 71D, B47, and 1118, went with 1118.
Thank you for posting these videos. I'm a late bloomer.
I couldn't have made Mead without you buddy!!!
¡¡¡SKOL!!!
I'm so happy I can help!
When I first started out, I was using Red Star. At some point, I got some Lalvin yeast and never looked back.
I'm just starting out, and I'm also using red star
@@cliftonyates6979, Red Star will get the job done and I would use it, for sure. However, Lalvin has some of the best yeasts, without a single doubt in my mind.
I love D47 but it takes some time. I rack it twice with three weeks between, then bottle. It doesn't taste right for a year. At that point it will blow you away. When you rack the second time, toss in corn sugar/water to desired sweetness and to top off the vessel. It is incredible.
Does the corn sugar/water give it fizz? Is that corn syrup or something else? Do you put in the corn sugar/water just before bottling or while it's just in the second phase?
Thank you for putting all of this into one video. It's so much easier to see and understand results this way
For the sake of science I miss the jar with wild fermentation. Thanks for the good work! Cheers!
Nice work MMM!! I have always wondered why nobody had a vid with yeast comparisons. I can appreciate all the time and thought that went in to this test. One of the most helpful mead vids I’ve ever watched!! Took lots of notes, and I’m going to try the rogue and 1118. Please don’t mix them!!! Give us an update on taste in 6 or 12 months. So many questions answered, but many more created. Cheers! Will send another donation for you effort!
I just started my first batch of traditional mead a week ago. I used D-47 that came with my mead brewing kit I got at Christmas. Between your channel and Doin' the Most's I've been binge watching and trying to learn. Thank you for your dedication to the craft and teaching us newbies
I'm happy to help!
I know I was a little harsh with my comment on the grape mead but I want you to know that you do great work. This is a video I have been waiting for. Such a great video idea and execution. I use Lalvin for everything but now will try RedStar. Thank you so much for all your hard work.
With Fleischmann's active dry bread yeast you never want to make a completely dry brew, it just kills the flavor, I usually shoot for about 12ish percent so that it has some character and flavor left, it also takes MUCH longer to fall out of suspension and needs more time.
Interesting! I’ll have to remember that for next time!
Good to know! I like both sweet mead and bone-dry, spiced mead. Good to know I can tinker for both varieties this early in learning to make wine!
Great video concept! I'd love a series of these, exploring more yeast options. It's a great resource.
Great video! You had me chuckling every time you said Rogue instead of Rouge :D
🤦🏼♂️
I thought it was rogue as well
He's an X-Men fan, like me. Excuse the guy for Xavier's sake! 😂😍😂😍
Sorry French speakers, but I am a big fan of the rogue. Detect traps, pick locks, cantrip deception, not just stealing. Rogue
Wonderful video. I use EC-1118 for everything but melomels, and for that I use K1-V1116.
I'm definitely going to try them both out after this. Have you done anything with florals?
Really like this experiment! If you could also kind of mark the flocculation of these yeasts that would be really helpful too.
Aggressive yeast will bubble more. So far what I have tried. What does everyone else think. I'm new. 2 batches going so far. Not done yet.
Excellent and great info. Normally I skip forward on many videos but on this one if you skipped even a second you were likely to miss something important. Great Job.
Thank you very much!
You should try this same experiment with ale yeasts. I’ve had good results from ale yeasts in the past
THAT sounds like a GREAT idea!! St least I sure will. Thanks for a good Idea!!!
He needs to do at least 2 batches of each at the same time to go firm consistency. A sample size of 1 means little.
Thanks for doing this! Never thought 71B would go that dry. Great info with yeast. Always wanted to experiment with them.
We have three batches going right now, one with Safale US-05, and the other two are with Red Star yeasts. The Rouge blew right through its fermentation (1.10 to 1.00 in 8 days). The Blanc has gone from 1.12 to 1.027 in 8 days. I am not sure if it is due to our temps being slightly higher in our house (70-73 degrees) or another variable, but I am a big fan of both yeasts dio far as they have left amazing flavors so far! However, I know they have low flocculation so I dread how long it may take to clear. This is an excellent mead video!! Love the channel!
I need to try the Safale yeasts at some point!
I had done a cilantro wine with Azteca bread yeast and it got up to 13.6% and I had the same reaction as you did! It was like rocket fuel. But I also done an Apple wine with the same bread yeast that come out around 6.6% and was just fine.
Does the bread yeast really go that high? I thought it would be knocked down once the ABV reaches 10-12%.
Of these, I've only used 71b and D47. In my experience, 71b is very easy to work with and makes a good mead that's drinkable early on. D47 has worked really well for me, but it seems to need a much longer time to age to really develop, and if it fermented to warm, even longer. I've found that even with great nutrition and low fermentation temps, it still isn't great young.
Ive been using red star premier blanc and mine is a 17 abv with high carbonation.
My first batch going rn is redstar premier rouge and it's been about 3 weeks, still fermenting. I'm gonna start a cyser with lalvin k1-v1116 tomorrow so I'm glad to see it go so much faster than the redstar
Really helpful! I’m researching what to start with, and it seems like everyone defaults to D-47, but you’ve really got me looking at the Red Star Premiere Rogue now. I definitely like a smoother, sweeter mead, and am not a fan of really hot meads. I couldn’t care less about clarity.
Dude, you're awesome. I have spent HOURS looking for the BEST CHOICE yeast for my melomels coming up (a pyment, viking blod, and a blueberry one; I may even do a loganberry mead in honor of where I grew up in Buffalo, since Loganberry is HUGE there). You did all the work so I didn't have to, and I loved watching your feedback! Keep the awesome material coming man!
I'm so happy I could help!
@@ManMadeMead based on what I've read and what you showed I'm thinking of using Lalvin 71B-1122 for a Vikings Blod, a Pyment, and a blueberry mead. Seems like the best yeast for melomels from reviews of many mead brewers.
I use EC-1118 for my mead. It's for Sparkling Wine. My family and my neighbor LOVED it straight out of fermentation, as I was transitioning into aging. At 6 months, my mead should be delicious
Thats really nice.
I already use Red Star...
I'm trying that Mangrove yeast, and I'm liking. :)
I have never made mead before. More of a beer guy. Think i will give it a try. Thank You
Did you give it a try?
It would be interesting to see a similar test using many yeasts but with different starting gravity points. Then another using various yeasts at different temp ferments. I guess that would require a fermenting fridge though or many of you did more than two temps. I think you would have had better results with the D47 if fermented at a lower temp. Cool experiment! Thanks.
Very good test!!
I think what also effects the overall flavor is what honey you choose as well as the ideal temperature each yeast can tolerate. Some will ferment slower or faster at the extreme ends of their temperature range as well so maybe another test is in order to see if temperature makes a big difference.
Perhaps use 3 yeasts. 2 mason jars per yeast. Place them in temperatures at the extreme ends of their tolerance (+ or - 5 degrees so they don't die) . So lets say you used the K1-V1116 in 2 separate jars, one stored at 60 degrees and the other at 80+ degrees. Come back when they level out and see what the time difference is as well as the gravity, flavor and aroma.
Do it!
This has to be the best mead yeast test and review video ever!!! A real guy, in real world situation, testing using simple methods. Nice Job. I have been using the Red Star Blanc, but I may chose another based on this test.
Thank you!
After finishing the video, I said hey, I want to know more! I'm sure you skip a lot of topics you want to share with us! Subscribed. Brother, you are awesome.
I use the Red star Classique, and it clears up when it's finished fermenting, all the old dead yeast sinks to the bottom of the jar. Takes around 2 weeks to ferment.
Thanks! Beer homebrewer just discovering meads. This is EXACTLY the type of test I was thinking about doing but you’ve already done the heavy lifting. Think I’ll try the top three to taste test on my own but now I know where to start. Cheers!
I've got an even bigger one coming up! Thank you so much for the donation!!
@@ManMadeMead I’ll keep an eye out for it for sure!
These are the kind of experiments I love! Hope you do a similar experiment with a cyser! Last year I did two batches of cyser using two different yeasts (1116 and 1118). However, I didn't use the same honey in the two batches so it wasn't a controlled experiment like yours. I did find the 1118 clarified much quicker than the 1116 though. I'll stay away from bread yeast I think. I did try it on a ginger beer and was not impressed.
So excited to watch this video! I'm just 1minute in. Can't wait to see the results. Getting back into mead making and yeast variety is a big question in my mind
Only ever used the ec1118. Was sold to me as a beginner. Told me it was the hardiest for temp fluctuations and different honey/fruits. Out of maybe ten batches. Only one stalled. Which is 100% my fault. The ginger in the must had potassium sorbate.
Was waiting for u to slur ur words by the end of the video 😀
I found this video very useful. I am yet to make my first batch in the research phase.
Thank u
I recently racked my first bach. Since I like the sweet stuff and I didn't had hidrometer, and also wanted something lighter, I did about 1kg honey to a 5ish litter bach and used ale yeast. It is not over but so far it has floral smell and some grassy taste notes reminds me of some french ales or those IPA's that does not have pine taste. Took a good 4 weeks to ferment (It was indoors sweater season) and I am still not sure It is done, but i am looking forward to spring when it will be finished aging.
(I feel like my mother in telling you) but I still feel compelled to say the yeast is Premiere Rouge (red) as in the french word not rogue. Also it would be cool to see the time it takes the yeast to fall out of suspension for each individual jar. I know that each of those yeast have an optimal temperature range. Do you feel the ones with the poorer performances were well outside these temps?
I definitely think that temperature could have changed the results. If I had the ability to do 8 different fermentation temperatures at the same time I definitely would have!
@@ManMadeMead I think that would be difficult to do but I wanted to make sure you thought about how those yeasts all had different optimal temps that they like. So they all couldn't get what they needed on that shelf so that could make for the different flavor profiles when they are in the best conditions for that particular yeast and also some of those issues do take care of themselves with aging.
Most of us home brewers don’t have the ability to brew at different temperatures. It all comes out in the wash as they say.
If City Steading Brews is any inclination, if you want the bread yeast to be sweeter, add about 2oz of raisins to it. If you leave the raisins out, it will be dry.
I have traditionally used the Red Star yeasts in my fruit wines. They are slow fermenting although I didn’t feed them as much as I should have. I have had some batches go three months before they stop fermenting.
Yeah 2 of my red stars are over 2 weeks primary fermentation and still bubbling strong, i added nutrients in the beginning both have 3lbs of honey in a gallon carboy, 1 plain mead(which is slowly settling down) and the other is a chamomile mead(which is still in a really strong ferment).
I live in norcal and temps have been on the high end. I feel the meads in the video was a really short-term fermentation. Ive heard some meads even after the first racking can still ferment unless you kill it some potassium sorbate but some folks just let it run through all available sugars and nutrients while having it age after primary and first racking.
Anyways, hope ur mead turns out delicious bro! 🍻
Great video! I kept thinking that it would've made a good high school science fair project, except for, you know, the alcohol.
As others have commented, I am also interested in an update. It's six months out now...
A little late to the video but I would like to say that K1V1116 is a fermenting animal! It does tend to produce more of a flowery dry white wine mead and tends to have very little honey character. I also add it to slow starting ferments because I lack patience mainly. Really appreciate your videos.
this is a REALLY cool test to get an idea of how different things can really be just based on the yeast you use. very awesome, thank you!
I haven't made a mead yet but I have one planned soon. I have made about 13 gallons of wine and out of that 2 gallons was bread yeast. I've already been able to drink all of that and I'm still waiting on the lalvin products to age enough to taste good. Perhaps the fruit in wine makes bread yeast ok for that use. Also, I'd love to see a 6 month retaste
Noticed you didnt use the QA23 you like so much now! This would be a really great video to remake and very educational. This takes alot of time, effort, thanks for the quality content!
I'm working on a large version of this again!
I know it's not something you can do now but it would be interesting if you brought in someone to taste them blindly and rate them. You could even use this same batch just after a couple more months of aging or something :)
I’ve used the d47 for the first time in a cyser. I’m hoping it will turn out better then the taste you had here! Also just bought some ec1118 gonna try that with a traditional. Thanks for your experiment learned a lot!
I'm glad I could help!
Matt, I know it’s a year later but what was your experience with the d47 versus the ec118? Would love to hear your experience.
In my experience red star likes to sit in the fridge to help the yeast drop out and clear up. It will do it over time in secondary too but much faster in the fridge
Would have liked to have seen some Madgrove Jack products like the M05, as well. Great review, overall.
Great video. Thanks. Did make me laugh a bit with Rogue vs Rouge.
I love this! It is really interesting how different it all is. I just made a 32L with bread yeast, cinnamon sticks, whole cloves and sultanas are not much of the flavour has come through but okay overall. Same recipe with 1118 and it was amazing.
Great test, what one would you say made the sweetest of the 8 tested?
Hey nice experience! I was searching on washing yeast and came across your channel. Some yeast require more nutrients when fermenting. You could add DAP which is diammonium phosphate. This is really used in wineries products. Great out come!
Great video. I wish you had one for cider. Thanks for making this.
Very cool video. Thank you for doing this!
Of course! I’m glad I can help!
Taking notes, excellent comparisons MMM...!
I like the premier classique! Been using it for years. I was just hoping to see the premier cuv'ee as well.
HI, Excellent review! @ManMadeMead Have you had a chance to re-taste all recently to see the difference with couple months of aging?
I haven’t yet but I plan on doing so soon!
Very informative video, thank you. I can't imagine the amount of work that went into making this.
This is so helpful to see all these samples. Thank you for doing this!
I was wonder what all these jars were doing in your other videos. In past videos these were all on the shelve behind you.
You could also do something similar trying beer yeasts to see how they turn out. I remember an article in Zymurgy that said they showed promise and I've had some excellent success with honey heavy beers (hopefully including the 5 gallons of honey saison finishing its fermentation behind me) with a variety of yeasts.
I made a mead with Belgian ale yeast once that turned out decently.
I would like to see a wheatbeer yeast used for mead. Will there be banana and clove esters in the final product?
@@peterolsson8857 I made a hefe with honey once and it actually kicked off distinctly Orval-link funk. It was actually commented on at a competition and, apparently, hefe yeast is known to do that with honey.
Paul Gibney Fascinating! I might have to give it a try with my leftover honey.
I completely agree with you on D47, the look on your face when you tasted the D47 funk said it all of why do they say its a go to for traditional other then its hardy yeast. The first batch and so far only batch ive made has been with D47 cause thats what was tossed into the kit i bought from mid-evil craft fair guy had bees and made mead and sold kits. followed everything from their instructions to yours and others. But in the end the basic traditional ended up with a weird tartness to it. Decided to comment what i could do to augment the flavor but after siting a good year in the fridge it rounding off, still has hints of the funk tho but its manageable.
D47 really needs to be fermented in the mid 50s
What is the best budget yeast?
Well done. Informative. Nice delivery. I am starting to do meads. I have been using EC1118 for wine. I’ll start my first mead on it but will consider the Rouge for my second batch.
Thank you! Best of luck with your brewing!
Thx dude. Used the d47 on some ginger beer which turned out decent. I think ill do my first Honey mead with either the Premier Rogue or EC1118. Maybe both.
i think blending of the Lalvin's together would be good, likewise a blend of the red stars. perhaps the bread yeast with some added rum with a splash of fresh apple juice could be for a drunken night . hah
Excellent test! Enjoy the fruits of your labor!
Thank you!
Have a batch going with fleischmanns bread yeast currently, started about 4 weeks ago. Took a gravity reading today and it's at nearly 13.5 percent ABV, which I wasn't quite expecting
Bread yeast can be surprisingly good!
I love a good bench test. Nice work
Thank you!
Super cool and informative vid! :D Would be interesting to see what a naturally fermented mead would be like compared to using these factory yeasts.
Awesome! Any idea if they will age differently as well?
That is a great point. I was hoping he would keep them going also to see how long the yeasts take to drop out of solution.
I'm not sure!
Any plans to bottle any of it? I'd be really interested to see how they age after six, 12, 18 months, etc.
I’m not sure yet!
I highly recommend it 🙂 I've loved making mead on and off for quite a long time now, whilst I'm enjoying discovering that you can indeed make a tasty young mead it never fails to amaze me just how much ageing can change and improve a brew. Pulling something out of the cellar you made even several years ago and sharing it is a wonderful feeling!
Thanks! I’m about to get started and this is so helpful
I saw another video where Fleishmans bread yeast was used for mead. Finished out at about 18%.
Wow!
Great video! I'd like to see a test like this with same yeast and different types of honey.
Thats kind of weird, ive had red star premier blanc chew through to 14 percent in about 15 days or so before, may be a difference in their situation, or they could have some inconsistency issues.
I'm getting 14% with my bread yeast. Consistently
That's crazy that the bread yeast perform like that. I've been doing Joe's ancient orange and do 3 lbs to every gallon and it came out a little bit closer to dry but was still sweet and had all kinds of flavor. Go figure, I guess it's just the amount of honey that you've got in it. And like I said I'm pulling about 14% ABV according to the refractor calculations.
I greatly appreciate your efforts here sir!
Another great and valuable mead video.
Have you ever tried to cultivate, store, dehydrate, or otherwise reuse yeast?
I haven’t but I know people who do and it works well for them!
Might be interesting if you pasteurized all those to turn any remaining yeast into nutrient, then re-sweetened and fermented with say the EC-1118 or other pick ? Just thinking it might show a different, perhaps more complex, character to the initial EC-1118 (or whichever) again. If matches the original would be interesting, but also if totally different or new could show a way to stage brew something entirely new.
I am very impressed by how you explain your nose and mouth feel...I can almost smell and taste them with you. Thanks for the video, very informative. I am working on a few different melomels, Including a rhubarb mead...it is very tart after first rack, however, the mouthfeel and aftertaste is amazing and engulfs the pallet. Try it!
I'm happy to share! Rhubarb sounds great!
You’re very thorough and good explanations, and I’m not exactly a newbie either. Thanks for doing the groundwork :) cheers
Thank you!!
I did this with plums and 6 yeasts(all Lalvin) a few years ago, unfortunately life happened shortly after the first racking from fermentors to carboys and they never got tasted. I was able to see the flocculation though, at least one never settled below half of the carboy(checked over a year later) while another packed down to about 1/12th of the carboy height, the others were various levels between. This was also 1.070OG, all fresh "italian prune" plums no sugar or water, some citric-tannic-malic acid mix to hit a target pH typical for wines and a touch of grape tannin for body; pectic enzyme was used to extract more juice. I don't recall for sure if I added yeast nutrient, I vaguely recall giving them a little.
Awesome, thanks for trying this. I love dry stuff so now I know which yeast to try (haven't used Lalvin before). Can you try this with an Ale yeast and Brettanomyces?
I dont do mead but since I make neutrals, channels like yours let me know which yeasts blow certain flavors out of the air lock. Thanks.
Nice job on this video. Very informative, thank you.
So I want to do an Irish coffee bochet. My plan is a gallon of cold brew, with 2.5lbs of wild flower bochet honey and 1/2lbs none bochet. To get a whiskey/ Carmel flavor. Then adding vanilla beans, cacao nibs and almond extract for the Baileys Irish cream flavor after primary fermentation. I was thinking of adding lactose to make it more creamy but I don’t know if lactose would work well with mead. For my yeast I was thinking Lalvan D-47 or k1-1116 What would be the best yeast for a coffee bochet?
Great video, Very informative, Kudos on the Guest Room Records glass.
Thank you!
Great video and information one question did you drink all your test subjects yet by yourself or did you just share it with some friends😁🍺
Have you tried a distillers yeast to see how it stacks against the wine/mead yeasts
Have you ever thought about wild yeast approach like traditional wine making. Take the natural yeast from the surroundings?
I’ve made a couple wild yeast meads and they have turned out great!
i love your channel very easy to follow