The disappointment on your face siphoning 😢If you took the hose off. Put your finger over the bend in the siphon and draw the siphon up like a syringe into the body of the cylinder. It's like an extended master baster.
Derica & Brian, this is one of your best videos and instructional to date in my opinion. I very much enjoy viewing each stage and your interactions. Wishing you the best regarding the oncoming hurricane as it looks to be a very powerful storm. Really concerned for your health and safety!
Love to see more step feeds, maybe you could do an x-mas challenge were Brian makes a brew for Derica, and Derica makes a brew for Brian 😅😅😅 secret Santa style so neither knows what the other is making 😂
@@CitySteadingBrews solution, save all her video clips until after you exchange them with each other, then edit and upload after you get done with the holiday stuff with friends and family and you have free time
I was just thinking on doing a step feed with South Dakota honey and huckleberry. Great timing. 🎉 It's what I bought on vacation, anyone else buy mead making stuff instead of souvenirs??
Praying for your safety with the next hurricane heading your way! Be safe! If you need an evacuation place. I have a spare room, fully stocked n cats are ok. Southwest Nebraska. Doesn't get hurricanes. Be safe
I believe the noun Derica was bobbing for was oxygenidationizingness. It just rolls off the tongue. Best of luck to you. This was a great video - I learned a lot!
Ive enjoyed watching your videos over the years, and have learned a lot and been entertained along the way. I like to watch channels with few ads, and historically yall have been pretty good about it. I dont understand the ad placements or number of ads from a creator standpoint, so I dont know how much control yall have over them. 2 of your last 3 videos I've watched has had way more ads than normal, like this one for example had 12 ads in a 104 minute video. I was frustrated 10 minutes in by the first two. I know the world revolves around advertising, and its how yall get paid, but its not worth the frustration for me to see an ad every 5 minutes. I would like some clarity on how much yall actually control them, because if it keeps on like this, I'm done, and i really enjoy watching your videos and watch pretty much everything you have done for the last several years or more. In any case, I wish yall luck and success with the channel, and hope you make all the money you want to make, happy brewing. Not meaning to create drama, just wanted to let you know about the situation in case your views and/or your subscribers drop, ads may be the reason.
We have changed nothing. About add on our videos. We do not add extras or anything like that. UA-cam is a free service though and to be fair, has less ads than television used to have! A 60 minute TV show was about 40 minutes of tv and 20 minutes of ads. I don't like watching ads either so we just pay for YT premium and creators still get paid.
I've been watching a pretty steady flow of your videos for a while, now, and you all are awesome as hell. If you'd be down for making another beer, you should try to duplicate Guinness's Blonde Lager. That stuff is amazing, and I'd be interested to see what kind of spin you two put on it.
Front chemistry, whatever is in the juice along with the ascorbic acid there's probably a "buffer" essentially acid molecules that resist changes to the ph so it take a lot more bare or alkaline to make the pH change. 😊
Just to let you know your channel got me interested in mead making currently 1st in clarify with bread yeast second getting done in primary also bread yeast both i used mixed berry juice since my water is very hard didnt have alternate water and 3rd in primary with new fermenter a 2 gal widemouth so i used honey and cut up sumo mandarines
Please stay safe. I know you two are in the sights of Milton. I'm HOPING you've gotten yourselves out of there at least till it passes. Again, stay safe and I'll be praying for you.
I find my thirst is overpowering my offense. Guess that means I need to make this recipe. 😉 BTW, The BJCP defines a pyment thusly... A pyment is a standard mead made with the addition of grapes or grape juices. Alternatively, the pyment may be a homemade grape-based wine sweetened with honey. Sooo... any combination of grapes and honey is a pyment. All of the offense is invalid. 😁
I am fairly new to brewing and have watched and been inspired by you from the start. Question, have you used a juicer? I'm still a little leary of using whole fruit.
I've never used a juicer, but because I use a lot of my own fruit & "every drop is sacred", I got a stainless steel press to be able to squeeze the fruit dry.
Thank you for this innovative idea, I think I'll try a side by side experiment utilizing both concord and white grape juice and then possibly blend some of each to produce a blush beverage. Thanks for the hard work you put into your videos.
You guys should make a Vinobrew next! I saw it on a show called "how it's made". It's a mix between a beer and a wine. The particular Vinobrew I saw was a mix between beer, wine, and coffee. I can't remember what type of wine, beer, or coffee but this would be a great opportunity to experiment!
Hey guys, I think it's the first time I actually ask a question after watching your show for many years. I started a mead in July. I added 3lbs of honey, the peel of a half lemon, 2 oz of raisins and lalvin 71b. Ended up at 1.110 og. It fermented very slowly and weirdly... So in September (2 months after starting) I got a gravity of 1.030. I was a bit pissed so I added fermaid o, a bit of lalvin 71b. I took a ph test and it was between 4 and 5 (those strips suck) so I also added a bit of lime juice reducing the pH to between 3 and 4. My question is... WTH happened? Acidity shouldn't be the problem obviously. I added the lime to put the pH back where it should be... Lately, I often have stalls that never happened before.
Well, it seems like it stalled. Could be your temperature? Could be the yeast used. The strips are actually amazing, if you have the right ones. Stalls are often caused by temp, pH and lack of nutrition in that order as well as overpowering the yeast which... at 3 lbs to a gallon, you didn't do.
@@CitySteadingBrewsThanks for the reply ! the temperature was 23 Celsius which is pretty standard. I thought about the lack of nutrients which is why I added fermaid o and another batch of fresh yeast. Anyway, I'll let you know if I solve my problem, otherwise I'll drink it as is... I just thought I could bring it to my friend on the old continent but I think I'll have to forget about it since I leave tomorrow.
@@CitySteadingBrews well it's been just over two weeks (read our conversation for context)... And nothing happened. It cleared beautifully, looking like gold, but drinking it is like sipping honey (I'm not the sweet tooth at all). Ph is at 4ish, added fermaid-o, added yeasts... Didn't move one point of gravity. Sorry, wished I could have brought a miracle remedy for stalled brews. Keep on doing those videos, love them. Hope my next comment will be about a successful experiment.
What I found works is to pour the lees and leftover liquids and then you can use megamaid to pull the liquids after it settles for a week or so. I fine that I have VERY little waste this way
I'm enjoying a mug of instant hot chocolate that I made using *mint tea* (strong) instead of hot water/milk & it got me thinking.. This could/should be a mead or wine experiment.. Skål! P.S. 1) Carbon Dioxide dissolved in water creates Carbonic Acid. I'm not sure how the concentration is affected by ethanol or the other compounds present in a must though. 2) Calcium Carbonate can also be used to raise the pH of your must. Skål 🥂🍻🍷
Hello! I’ve got an idea on how to demonstrate the fact that alcoholic fermentation lowers the pH of a must! (34:40) You should start 2 identical mead at the same pH level. Same amount of sugars, but one ferments much more than the other. Let’s say starting OG 1.100, one goes dry and the other one down to 1.050. This way, one brew ferments about twice as much. Then you can measure the impact on final pH, knowing the initial pH was identical
hey guys loving the videos! Im from Australia and im getting ready to start making my first mead, 1 question i have should i pasteurize and check ph on every brew?
I do follow your recipes. But if I am doing step feeding, I will add yeast nutrition with it. At least up to two step feeding. It might help to push the ABV higher to achieve our goal.
Have you ever made or thought about making a concord and blackberry wine? I know by your videos how much you like concord wine and thought that combination would make a tasty wine. Any thoughts? Thanks really enjoy all of your videos.
I just used my last packet of cote de blanc for an apple-honey-habenero thing. What is another good recommendation for fruity things? I can't believe I've done my first 10 brews! It's been so much fun.
Hey Brian and Derica…great video! Quick question: Have you all brewed wine or pyment with “Red” Welch’s juice? The label states it contains a blend of concord, white and red grapes. I finished a batch last week following your sweet red wine recipe with this juice and it is great. Previous batches I used concord juice. The “Red” juice has a completely different flavor…it taste less like Manachivitz than that of the concord recipe. The down-side is the red juice can be hard to find unless you have a Food Lion store nearby.
Just wanted to say my wife and I are praying for y'all's safety. And everyone who is in the path of this hurricane. May God protect all of y'all and deliver you safely on the other side of this storm
i do step feeding when I use fruits and they take up volume. after 2 weeks, I mix in by swirling the lise and then rack it to a separate carboy without the floating pulp. then I step feed juice to fill in the carboy back to level. fermentation re-starts within a minute.
Have you done a top 10 for any particular year yet? I don't think so. I don't think another top ten video is completely necessary. Especially with how varied your brews are. Love the idea of starting a mead with basic cider strength. Means I could possibly take a 6 gallon batch, rack some, make a hydromel, rack some, make standard strength, and maybe a sack strength. I'm totally interested. I'm trying to follow the rule of having vessels of every size. Maybe this is how that Irish mead gets away with white wine with honey flavor?
Please can you put your calculation in a comment, I am too slow to follow this in my head :-) Thanks for sharing this step feeding adventure. Greetings from Sweden 😍
@@CitySteadingBrews Another question that you would be happy to answer now or at a Q and A is how a mead can become carbonated after pasteurization? This has happened to me and I don't understand how this could have happened. Any spontaneous idea - otherwise I'll wait for a Q and A in the future.
@@CitySteadingBrews Ok, I have to research this one further thou. Thanks for this really quick answear, really appreciated - greetings to both of you. Love this channel :-)
🤔 Since stiring in that type vessel is quite the challenging endeavor, what about removing a bit of the brew, gently stirring the honey in & carefully adding it back to the vessel? If done carefully- no stirring the bejeezus out of it, no dumping it back in all willy nilly- & then swirling it a bit to combine, you think that would work without too much oxidation? Also...a white grape pyment with a nice floral wildflower honey is phenomenal!
@CitySteadingBrews meh, you may be right. I was thinking less hassle & to get an accurate reading, as long as done carefully. Maybe I'll try my theory on my next batch & see what happens. Out of 100+ gallons I've only had 1 go to vinegar because my cap wasn't sealed properly. That one is almost gone so I need some new vinegar anyway!😂
I will be sooooo disappointed if you don’t do a top 10. Seriously - I’ve been waiting all year. That’s why I keep visiting the spreadsheet of doom just to tide me over.
just for your info at 1:06:13 you said cote de blanc perfectly you always ask in your video if you say it good and that time you said it good, i'm french from Quebec
Hi guys, your videos are amazing! I am doing my first brew, a mixed berry wine. It fermented in a 25L bucket and after 2 weeks i poured it into a 25L demijohn. I tasted it before I pored it and it was dry as a wall and quite gassy. My question is that i am planning to backsweeten it since it sits on 0.95 right now and I have no idea how to do that in a bucket or that big of a demijohn since i have no bathtub. Any suggestions ? =) I should add that i am planing to pasteurize it
@@CitySteadingBrews I see, i will keep that in mind, mb i will buy a bigger pot so i can have more bottles in at once and do a lower temp, I still have some time to think about it. Well now I know that the next brew i am doing will not be 25L i will go with 5L instead, I am hooked and can't sit around waiting. I want to BREW! =) thx guys!
Just want to confirm, the climate, the local environment...etc. most definitely affects the performance of the yeast. I live in northern Europe, have never tested anything for pH and the only issue I'd ever come across was - trying NOT to make meads too strong. The type of yeast hardly matters at all because if it ain't Kveik, they seem to prefer colder temps. I have plenty of older meads made with ordinary el cheapo universal wine yeast, that are at 17% - 18.5%. 😂 I have been taking care of not exceeding the initial gravity of 1.090 over the last couple of years tho. Ps. I have a question regarding clarity. I have 10L of fantastic fig mead. Even the color is beautiful pink but it's not clear - it's been 2 months now. What worries me is: can adding clearing agents strip it off of its flavor at all? I only have bentonite and then some stuff that comes in two separate saches, that are added separately.
Cloudy mead upsets me too. something about it being the product of your labor and you just want it to be as presentable as possible. Plus the goop makes it taste funny, this is known. :P
@@CitySteadingBrews Thank you! I thought about it after posting and looked into some of your cranberry recipes. Looking forward to it, ordered some of your recommended equipment!
Using FG to determine the 'sweetness' of the final product can be a bit misleading. The more alcohol content there is, the lower the final gravity will be when dry, which is the base level that sweetness is added to. As an example, a 10% abv might be dry at 0.996 where a 16% step feed has gone dry as low as 0.985 for me. Adding 10 points of sweetness to those two brews will have a similar sweetness, but the FG will be very different with the step feed still being below 1.0 and looking like it's dry. For those getting into higher abv via step feed, I would suggest instead recording 'sweetness points' on the label showing the amount of sugars added after final fermentation instead of a final gravity reading.
@@SuperLopezD I do this quite often as I brew 5 gallon batches and it works just fine. Just be sure to sanitize the stirrer, go slow, and whatever you do, don't use a drill that is all dirty. I have a cheap-o $15 drill that I use specifically for mixing my meads when adding to them.
Hey, as I watch your latest video. I thought I'd ask you a question. My mead has a dirty old sock smell, (it's not quite Candy!!!) and wondered if this is OK. There's no mould, og was 1.120 stalled out at 1.010. After 3 weeks of fermentation. We live in Queensland, so similar climate to you guys. I tasted it last week, and it was like gingery honey , yummy. But now, old smelly socks. Any ideas?
Depends on your yeast it may not have stalled but... that smell is likely stressed yeast or other ingredients added. Could also be brettanomyces which is what makes sours. Nothing harmful though.
Would be cool to have a short video about reading the hydrometer and the calculation math to have abv or avb, the sugar, etc it sound so complicated that I don't even bother to mess with it. When it stop fermenting 2-3 weeks in no more bubbles I start drinking it. I have no idea the alchool volume, other than I can smell it and taste it but I use the lalvin 1118 so I know i average between 10% and 18%.
You made a statement about PH and using the juice and not adjusting the PH. If I understand PH correctly, when you added the sugar, which has a PH somewhere between 6-7, you bumped up the PH at that time. But since you didn't add any sweetener coupled with vitamin c being in the juice, the PH was really low.
Possibly, but without taking a reading, it's hard to say how much it would really be affected due to the nature of pH and the relatively small amount of sugar added.
Ha! This must be my standard random question video! 😅 Do you guys have an affiliate link for Starsan I need more anyway, so I use your gas link but I can't seem to find one
I'm new to making mead. I've made two batches that are in their primary stage (one of those batches is your peach mead recipe, thanks in advance!) I have a question, I'd like to make an apple mead and I have a few apple pie filling jars that I canned in the summer. The jars contain apples, water and sugar. Do you think it would work to make a mead with them? Or would the added sugar throw it off?
Hey guys I’m new to this channel and still have to start my first ever brew but I like to start at the end of this month when I have enough prepared. (sanitisation, tools and a brew container still need to be bought). Anyways I like to start with just honey, water and yeast as a starting brew. I have found your beginner recipe with raisens. but is there one for a very very basic brew? I couldn’t find it.
ua-cam.com/video/bNW-ZsWL1DM/v-deo.htmlsi=GMru1qhtPAHzvLv6 but really, a bit of orange peel and raisin only makes it taste better as in our beginner meads.
@@CitySteadingBrews thank you so much. I just like to know the taste of the very plain mead before I like to add more flavours. The raisens and orange peels is on spot number 2 for brews I like to try semi soon. Thank you for being so informative and showing what is important for home brewing. I think this is the best channel from what I found on UA-cam regarding brewing.
This is crazy... I was just thinking about trying a step fed brew. Found part of our "contamination" issues make sure you get your supplies from a trusted source not all Amazon/ internet products are brewing friendly.. our hose from the auto siphon wasn't food grade (china product) our 3- piece airlocks back dripped into our brews.. We moved to the small form 2- piece airlocks and tossed ALL our tubing and we are planning to average our alcohol per volume to above 10%... we removed the bleaching as recommended* Our lasted brew is now in aging and it's the clearest brew yet...
@@CitySteadingBrews We purchased from a "local" supplier unfortunately we don't decide who they purchase from... We have informed them of the information on their products and we got refunded (not requested). So hopefully we both move forward appropriately... Thanks again for all the advice!
Hi! Question. I made a mead with 2.5 lbs honey ,raisens, 1 cup black tea , fliechmens ( sorry dk how to spell it) bread yeast. It is two months old and has been racked after 4 weeks. But now it has what looks like dust floating in the brew at the top but not on the top. You can only see if when you hold a light up to it. No mold or wierd smell. Could it be tiny pieces of the raisens?? Should I dump it?
I don't see why you would dump it. It's nothing. If a brew doesn't have mold, it's 99.9999999% likely to be totally safe. Does it smell ok? Have you tasted it?
I noticed you no longer have the Red Bucket of Sanitization listed in the equipment, and even when it was listed, it wasn't available from Amazon. What size "Bucket" do you recommend for efficiency of use?
Apologies in advance for the random question but; When adding fruits to a brew as you did in the cherry mead/melomel; when should the fruits be removed?
I was on the supermarket while shopping, I was looking for any ingredients to use on a mead and i saw the brand juice Naked the clain to have all natural ingredients and have many fruits convination, like might mango. You think is a good idea to make a mead out of a Naked juices?, I'm planning to start one in a couple of weeks
Hey guys, I have a question, I recently found a brew I did around 10 months ago that I forgot about. I could not see any growths or hairy substances in the must (it was a really dark must and I really couldn't see anything), but it smelled funny and there was no more liquid in the airlock. I played it safe and just threw it out. I cleaned the fermentation vessel and airlock with water and dish soap, and sanitized it in star san. However I did not sterilize it with boiling water. The thing is that I started a new brew in that same fermentation vessel, should I have boiled all the equipment to sterilize it? Should I throw out my brew and sterilize it now and just restart? Thank you in advance!
@ gotcha. Saw the tannin add right after I posted. I remembered that it was adjusted to be less acidic at the beginning so was thinking that could have been part of it
"You told them to remember, you didn't tell me to remember " CLASSIC!❤😂
The disappointment on your face siphoning 😢If you took the hose off. Put your finger over the bend in the siphon and draw the siphon up like a syringe into the body of the cylinder. It's like an extended master baster.
lol
Derica & Brian, this is one of your best videos and instructional to date in my opinion. I very much enjoy viewing each stage and your interactions. Wishing you the best regarding the oncoming hurricane as it looks to be a very powerful storm. Really concerned for your health and safety!
Thank you. We're preparing to get out soon.
Love to see more step feeds, maybe you could do an x-mas challenge were Brian makes a brew for Derica, and Derica makes a brew for Brian 😅😅😅 secret Santa style so neither knows what the other is making 😂
But.. I do all the editing. 😉. Not really feasible guys, but thank you for the idea!
@@CitySteadingBrews solution, save all her video clips until after you exchange them with each other, then edit and upload after you get done with the holiday stuff with friends and family and you have free time
I’ve been waiting for your Top Ten ‘24 since I watched your Top Ten ‘23! I’m glad I’m not the only one. 😊
Thank you for the smelling and tasting tips. Really helpful for someone who has no background whatsoever with this.
More tips on the tasting and what things to look for etc would also be great!
I was just thinking on doing a step feed with South Dakota honey and huckleberry. Great timing. 🎉 It's what I bought on vacation, anyone else buy mead making stuff instead of souvenirs??
I would love to see a mead where you add sherry off flavors. Love the channel! Keep it up!
Praying for your safety with the next hurricane heading your way! Be safe! If you need an evacuation place. I have a spare room, fully stocked n cats are ok. Southwest Nebraska. Doesn't get hurricanes. Be safe
I believe the noun Derica was bobbing for was oxygenidationizingness. It just rolls off the tongue. Best of luck to you.
This was a great video - I learned a lot!
LOLOL
Brian and Derica,
I’m praying that you and your sweet cats are safe and well. God bless and keep you! ❤
Ive enjoyed watching your videos over the years, and have learned a lot and been entertained along the way. I like to watch channels with few ads, and historically yall have been pretty good about it. I dont understand the ad placements or number of ads from a creator standpoint, so I dont know how much control yall have over them. 2 of your last 3 videos I've watched has had way more ads than normal, like this one for example had 12 ads in a 104 minute video. I was frustrated 10 minutes in by the first two. I know the world revolves around advertising, and its how yall get paid, but its not worth the frustration for me to see an ad every 5 minutes. I would like some clarity on how much yall actually control them, because if it keeps on like this, I'm done, and i really enjoy watching your videos and watch pretty much everything you have done for the last several years or more. In any case, I wish yall luck and success with the channel, and hope you make all the money you want to make, happy brewing.
Not meaning to create drama, just wanted to let you know about the situation in case your views and/or your subscribers drop, ads may be the reason.
We have changed nothing. About add on our videos. We do not add extras or anything like that. UA-cam is a free service though and to be fair, has less ads than television used to have! A 60 minute TV show was about 40 minutes of tv and 20 minutes of ads. I don't like watching ads either so we just pay for YT premium and creators still get paid.
I’m starting one tomorrow! Probably won’t do a step feed but I can’t wait to see how it goes!
This episode made me laugh many times for different reasons. Thank you for this! HEY SIRI
I have been following you for years. I have never seen a step feed mead. I Have to try this
Pretty sure we've had a couple so far.
I'm thinking about you guys😢!!!!
Hoping everyone stays safe and then hoping everything is intact 🙏❤
Thank you!
Hope u guys stay safe down south !!!!! Prayers going out from East Ky.
I've been watching a pretty steady flow of your videos for a while, now, and you all are awesome as hell. If you'd be down for making another beer, you should try to duplicate Guinness's Blonde Lager. That stuff is amazing, and I'd be interested to see what kind of spin you two put on it.
Front chemistry, whatever is in the juice along with the ascorbic acid there's probably a "buffer" essentially acid molecules that resist changes to the ph so it take a lot more bare or alkaline to make the pH change. 😊
Oxigizaiation 😂. Glad you guys are safe❤
Just to let you know your channel got me interested in mead making currently 1st in clarify with bread yeast second getting done in primary also bread yeast both i used mixed berry juice since my water is very hard didnt have alternate water and 3rd in primary with new fermenter a 2 gal widemouth so i used honey and cut up sumo mandarines
Please stay safe. I know you two are in the sights of Milton. I'm HOPING you've gotten yourselves out of there at least till it passes. Again, stay safe and I'll be praying for you.
I find my thirst is overpowering my offense. Guess that means I need to make this recipe. 😉
BTW, The BJCP defines a pyment thusly...
A pyment is a standard mead made with the addition of grapes or grape juices. Alternatively, the pyment may be a homemade grape-based wine sweetened with honey.
Sooo... any combination of grapes and honey is a pyment. All of the offense is invalid. 😁
Lol
When you use a narrow mouth for a step feed, pop a normal bung in the top to restrict (but not close) the air flow.
I am fairly new to brewing and have watched and been inspired by you from the start. Question, have you used a juicer? I'm still a little leary of using whole fruit.
No need to juice. Whole fruit is easy and can be removed better as well as provides yeast nutrition and tannins.
I've never used a juicer, but because I use a lot of my own fruit & "every drop is sacred", I got a stainless steel press to be able to squeeze the fruit dry.
i made a tea wine with the juice of 10 oranges and it was amazing.
Thank you for this innovative idea, I think I'll try a side by side experiment utilizing both concord and white grape juice and then possibly blend some of each to produce a blush beverage.
Thanks for the hard work you put into your videos.
You guys should make a Vinobrew next! I saw it on a show called "how it's made". It's a mix between a beer and a wine. The particular Vinobrew I saw was a mix between beer, wine, and coffee. I can't remember what type of wine, beer, or coffee but this would be a great opportunity to experiment!
Hey guys, I think it's the first time I actually ask a question after watching your show for many years. I started a mead in July. I added 3lbs of honey, the peel of a half lemon, 2 oz of raisins and lalvin 71b. Ended up at 1.110 og. It fermented very slowly and weirdly... So in September (2 months after starting) I got a gravity of 1.030. I was a bit pissed so I added fermaid o, a bit of lalvin 71b. I took a ph test and it was between 4 and 5 (those strips suck) so I also added a bit of lime juice reducing the pH to between 3 and 4. My question is... WTH happened? Acidity shouldn't be the problem obviously. I added the lime to put the pH back where it should be... Lately, I often have stalls that never happened before.
Well, it seems like it stalled. Could be your temperature? Could be the yeast used. The strips are actually amazing, if you have the right ones. Stalls are often caused by temp, pH and lack of nutrition in that order as well as overpowering the yeast which... at 3 lbs to a gallon, you didn't do.
@@CitySteadingBrewsThanks for the reply ! the temperature was 23 Celsius which is pretty standard. I thought about the lack of nutrients which is why I added fermaid o and another batch of fresh yeast. Anyway, I'll let you know if I solve my problem, otherwise I'll drink it as is... I just thought I could bring it to my friend on the old continent but I think I'll have to forget about it since I leave tomorrow.
@@CitySteadingBrews well it's been just over two weeks (read our conversation for context)... And nothing happened. It cleared beautifully, looking like gold, but drinking it is like sipping honey (I'm not the sweet tooth at all). Ph is at 4ish, added fermaid-o, added yeasts... Didn't move one point of gravity. Sorry, wished I could have brought a miracle remedy for stalled brews. Keep on doing those videos, love them. Hope my next comment will be about a successful experiment.
I think the t-shirt should be Brian in a lab coat and magnifying glass that says "Has your brew had it's hydrometer reading today?
What I found works is to pour the lees and leftover liquids and then you can use megamaid to pull the liquids after it settles for a week or so. I fine that I have VERY little waste this way
I'm enjoying a mug of instant hot chocolate that I made using *mint tea* (strong) instead of hot water/milk & it got me thinking.. This could/should be a mead or wine experiment.. Skål!
P.S. 1) Carbon Dioxide dissolved in water creates Carbonic Acid. I'm not sure how the concentration is affected by ethanol or the other compounds present in a must though.
2) Calcium Carbonate can also be used to raise the pH of your must.
Skål 🥂🍻🍷
my thoughts are with you and yours as Milton barrels in today. May you make it through this no worse for wear.
Hello! I’ve got an idea on how to demonstrate the fact that alcoholic fermentation lowers the pH of a must! (34:40)
You should start 2 identical mead at the same pH level. Same amount of sugars, but one ferments much more than the other. Let’s say starting OG 1.100, one goes dry and the other one down to 1.050. This way, one brew ferments about twice as much. Then you can measure the impact on final pH, knowing the initial pH was identical
It's not that clear cut of a result, suffice to know that fermentation increases pH.
hey guys loving the videos! Im from Australia and im getting ready to start making my first mead, 1 question i have should i pasteurize and check ph on every brew?
PH yes.
You only pasteurize if after fermenting is done there is a chance of can ferment more and you don't want it to, like after backsweetening.
I do follow your recipes. But if I am doing step feeding, I will add yeast nutrition with it. At least up to two step feeding. It might help to push the ABV higher to achieve our goal.
I'm in Largo and will be enjoying a newly bottled Welch's wine while riding out the hurricane.
Have you ever made or thought about making a concord and blackberry wine? I know by your videos how much you like concord wine and thought that combination would make a tasty wine. Any thoughts? Thanks really enjoy all of your videos.
Had not thought about it.
Hope you guys are doing alright over the next week. Stay safe from Milton
I hope you two are safe through this hurricane.
I just used my last packet of cote de blanc for an apple-honey-habenero thing. What is another good recommendation for fruity things? I can't believe I've done my first 10 brews! It's been so much fun.
71b is good for fruity brews as well.
Hey Brian and Derica…great video! Quick question: Have you all brewed wine or pyment with “Red” Welch’s juice? The label states it contains a blend of concord, white and red grapes. I finished a batch last week following your sweet red wine recipe with this juice and it is great. Previous batches I used concord juice. The “Red” juice has a completely different flavor…it taste less like Manachivitz than that of the concord recipe. The down-side is the red juice can be hard to find unless you have a Food Lion store nearby.
We haven't ever even seen it 😀
40:00 it actually gave me an idea to create some grassy, herbal mead. I just need to figure out a recipe somehow. There's so many options...
Just wanted to say my wife and I are praying for y'all's safety. And everyone who is in the path of this hurricane. May God protect all of y'all and deliver you safely on the other side of this storm
i do step feeding when I use fruits and they take up volume. after 2 weeks, I mix in by swirling the lise and then rack it to a separate carboy without the floating pulp. then I step feed juice to fill in the carboy back to level. fermentation re-starts within a minute.
I was really impressed by the autosiphon until I saw what happens when you break the flow! No tip and suck to get it going again!
I would never suck on it to get it going. With some practice the flow does not really break ever.
I wish you both the best. Good luck.
Good procedure
Hey Siri, what’s my ABV? Siri - “Quit being lazy, Kim, and do the math.” 😂
I love the Pyments! Great video. 🍷
Have you done a top 10 for any particular year yet? I don't think so. I don't think another top ten video is completely necessary. Especially with how varied your brews are. Love the idea of starting a mead with basic cider strength. Means I could possibly take a 6 gallon batch, rack some, make a hydromel, rack some, make standard strength, and maybe a sack strength. I'm totally interested. I'm trying to follow the rule of having vessels of every size.
Maybe this is how that Irish mead gets away with white wine with honey flavor?
You said dont loose measuring spoon in carboy put a big eyering at end so it doesnt fall in
Please can you put your calculation in a comment, I am too slow to follow this in my head :-) Thanks for sharing this step feeding adventure. Greetings from Sweden 😍
Not sure what you need. Add all the spent gravity together and multiply by 135z
@@CitySteadingBrews Thanks, I can watch it over and over again until i get it :-)
@@CitySteadingBrews Another question that you would be happy to answer now or at a Q and A is how a mead can become carbonated after pasteurization? This has happened to me and I don't understand how this could have happened. Any spontaneous idea - otherwise I'll wait for a Q and A in the future.
Generally it cannot. Either the temp or time was off.
@@CitySteadingBrews Ok, I have to research this one further thou. Thanks for this really quick answear, really appreciated - greetings to both of you. Love this channel :-)
I just picked 50ish lbs of concord grapes in my back yard. I might have to try this, But with Fresh grapes ( I have a juicer too). Ideas💡🍇🍷🍯
Never used fresh Concord grapes but probably 10-15 lbs in a gallon should do.
🤔 Since stiring in that type vessel is quite the challenging endeavor, what about removing a bit of the brew, gently stirring the honey in & carefully adding it back to the vessel? If done carefully- no stirring the bejeezus out of it, no dumping it back in all willy nilly- & then swirling it a bit to combine, you think that would work without too much oxidation?
Also...a white grape pyment with a nice floral wildflower honey is phenomenal!
Maybe? Seems like more chance for issues than just gentle stirring to me though.
@CitySteadingBrews meh, you may be right. I was thinking less hassle & to get an accurate reading, as long as done carefully. Maybe I'll try my theory on my next batch & see what happens. Out of 100+ gallons I've only had 1 go to vinegar because my cap wasn't sealed properly. That one is almost gone so I need some new vinegar anyway!😂
Yes, yes you do, do your favorite top 10 every year. Because we need it... and if thats not enough because science?
Because evidence complication?
We have only done 2.
I'll look for the other after I'm done with this vid. I only seen 1 top 10
We did our own top 5's which is kind of a top 10z
I will be sooooo disappointed if you don’t do a top 10. Seriously - I’ve been waiting all year. That’s why I keep visiting the spreadsheet of doom just to tide me over.
just for your info at 1:06:13 you said cote de blanc perfectly you always ask in your video if you say it good and that time you said it good, i'm french from Quebec
Hi guys, your videos are amazing! I am doing my first brew, a mixed berry wine. It fermented in a 25L bucket and after 2 weeks i poured it into a 25L demijohn. I tasted it before I pored it and it was dry as a wall and quite gassy. My question is that i am planning to backsweeten it since it sits on 0.95 right now and I have no idea how to do that in a bucket or that big of a demijohn since i have no bathtub. Any suggestions ? =) I should add that i am planing to pasteurize it
You can bottle it then pasteurize the bottles.
@@CitySteadingBrews Thank you for the reply, i will try that, mb i will do it in 70c @ 3 min since it will be around 30 - 33 bottles
If you want to, but that is a higher risk of bottle breakage due to higher pressure.
@@CitySteadingBrews I see, i will keep that in mind, mb i will buy a bigger pot so i can have more bottles in at once and do a lower temp, I still have some time to think about it. Well now I know that the next brew i am doing will not be 25L i will go with 5L instead, I am hooked and can't sit around waiting. I want to BREW! =)
thx guys!
Just want to confirm, the climate, the local environment...etc. most definitely affects the performance of the yeast. I live in northern Europe, have never tested anything for pH and the only issue I'd ever come across was - trying NOT to make meads too strong.
The type of yeast hardly matters at all because if it ain't Kveik, they seem to prefer colder temps. I have plenty of older meads made with ordinary el cheapo universal wine yeast, that are at 17% - 18.5%. 😂
I have been taking care of not exceeding the initial gravity of 1.090 over the last couple of years tho.
Ps. I have a question regarding clarity. I have 10L of fantastic fig mead. Even the color is beautiful pink but it's not clear - it's been 2 months now. What worries me is: can adding clearing agents strip it off of its flavor at all?
I only have bentonite and then some stuff that comes in two separate saches, that are added separately.
1.090 won't hit above 13-14 fyi. As for clearing agents... we have a test in that coming.
Cloudy mead upsets me too. something about it being the product of your labor and you just want it to be as presentable as possible.
Plus the goop makes it taste funny, this is known. :P
Slight cloudy doesn't bother me. Soupy does.
The only cocktail my wife likes is a vodka cranberry. What would be a good homebrew project to match that flavor profile?
Any cranberry wine or cider.
@@CitySteadingBrews Thank you! I thought about it after posting and looked into some of your cranberry recipes. Looking forward to it, ordered some of your recommended equipment!
Using FG to determine the 'sweetness' of the final product can be a bit misleading. The more alcohol content there is, the lower the final gravity will be when dry, which is the base level that sweetness is added to. As an example, a 10% abv might be dry at 0.996 where a 16% step feed has gone dry as low as 0.985 for me. Adding 10 points of sweetness to those two brews will have a similar sweetness, but the FG will be very different with the step feed still being below 1.0 and looking like it's dry.
For those getting into higher abv via step feed, I would suggest instead recording 'sweetness points' on the label showing the amount of sugars added after final fermentation instead of a final gravity reading.
That's why we always say it's a guide. But I still think a final sg reading is the way to go.
Hey, really nice video.
Got a question, couldn't you use the Drill Mixer Rod to mix the honey, instead of swirl it?
That would oxidize the mead.
@@CitySteadingBrews even at a low speed, right at the bottom?
If you think it's okay... do it. I don't use one so I don't want to press hard on this idea as I don't really experience it myself.
@@SuperLopezD I do this quite often as I brew 5 gallon batches and it works just fine. Just be sure to sanitize the stirrer, go slow, and whatever you do, don't use a drill that is all dirty. I have a cheap-o $15 drill that I use specifically for mixing my meads when adding to them.
“Hey Siri” also shuts down your video on my iPad-- lol
What does short say please!?
Short?
Hey, as I watch your latest video. I thought I'd ask you a question. My mead has a dirty old sock smell, (it's not quite Candy!!!) and wondered if this is OK. There's no mould, og was 1.120 stalled out at 1.010. After 3 weeks of fermentation. We live in Queensland, so similar climate to you guys. I tasted it last week, and it was like gingery honey , yummy. But now, old smelly socks. Any ideas?
Depends on your yeast it may not have stalled but... that smell is likely stressed yeast or other ingredients added. Could also be brettanomyces which is what makes sours. Nothing harmful though.
@@CitySteadingBrews thanks guys and glad to know you are both safe. The brew is improving with time.
Would be cool to have a short video about reading the hydrometer and the calculation math to have abv or avb, the sugar, etc it sound so complicated that I don't even bother to mess with it. When it stop fermenting 2-3 weeks in no more bubbles I start drinking it. I have no idea the alchool volume, other than I can smell it and taste it but I use the lalvin 1118 so I know i average between 10% and 18%.
ua-cam.com/video/Y0KP0WYreic/v-deo.htmlsi=s607QJmumKWawdOQ
ua-cam.com/video/pN368g-reE8/v-deo.htmlsi=yu_g_jtMXIQtKZju
ua-cam.com/video/e2Joc8L6yVQ/v-deo.htmlsi=6Yigks5hwdCca5jm
ua-cam.com/video/0SY-uk7iIuA/v-deo.htmlsi=VW4YJbzQB6Aw63_W
ua-cam.com/video/xNwNZgeTtIE/v-deo.htmlsi=d7a5wPBRRGfwilTu
How did yall weather the storm? Everything ok? Were in Tampa currently if you need any help
Still not back yet but safe.
Thanks for this one that I asked for. I'm sure I wasn't the only one as the wirkd doesn't revolve around me That would hurt.
Glad to help
On the bottle dept, remember there is 500ml and 375ml bottles too, for those pesky short ones
Yup.
You made a statement about PH and using the juice and not adjusting the PH. If I understand PH correctly, when you added the sugar, which has a PH somewhere between 6-7, you bumped up the PH at that time. But since you didn't add any sweetener coupled with vitamin c being in the juice, the PH was really low.
Possibly, but without taking a reading, it's hard to say how much it would really be affected due to the nature of pH and the relatively small amount of sugar added.
Does the co2 produce by the ph balancing could interfere with the oxygenation of the must and messed with the brew
I don't believe it could, no.
32:30 Yeast Can't Read.
Ha! This must be my standard random question video! 😅
Do you guys have an affiliate link for Starsan
I need more anyway, so I use your gas link but I can't seem to find one
amzn.to/4f7OEUX you can actually use any of our links. Anything purchased counts toward us.
I'm new to making mead. I've made two batches that are in their primary stage (one of those batches is your peach mead recipe, thanks in advance!)
I have a question, I'd like to make an apple mead and I have a few apple pie filling jars that I canned in the summer. The jars contain apples, water and sugar. Do you think it would work to make a mead with them? Or would the added sugar throw it off?
It should work, but make sure you take readings.
Hey guys I’m new to this channel and still have to start my first ever brew but I like to start at the end of this month when I have enough prepared. (sanitisation, tools and a brew container still need to be bought). Anyways I like to start with just honey, water and yeast as a starting brew. I have found your beginner recipe with raisens. but is there one for a very very basic brew? I couldn’t find it.
ua-cam.com/video/bNW-ZsWL1DM/v-deo.htmlsi=GMru1qhtPAHzvLv6 but really, a bit of orange peel and raisin only makes it taste better as in our beginner meads.
@@CitySteadingBrews thank you so much. I just like to know the taste of the very plain mead before I like to add more flavours. The raisens and orange peels is on spot number 2 for brews I like to try semi soon. Thank you for being so informative and showing what is important for home brewing. I think this is the best channel from what I found on UA-cam regarding brewing.
Doesn't adding honey add acidity also? Perhaps step feeding with sugar wouldn't increase the acidity.
Very minor amount.
Sober Derica vs. tipsy Derica is a vibe
This is crazy... I was just thinking about trying a step fed brew.
Found part of our "contamination" issues make sure you get your supplies from a trusted source not all Amazon/ internet products are brewing friendly.. our hose from the auto siphon wasn't food grade (china product) our 3- piece airlocks back dripped into our brews..
We moved to the small form 2- piece airlocks and tossed ALL our tubing and we are planning to average our alcohol per volume to above 10%... we removed the bleaching as recommended*
Our lasted brew is now in aging and it's the clearest brew yet...
We tend to buy name brands for that reason.
@@CitySteadingBrews
We purchased from a "local" supplier unfortunately we don't decide who they purchase from... We have informed them of the information on their products and we got refunded (not requested). So hopefully we both move forward appropriately...
Thanks again for all the advice!
Hi! Question. I made a mead with 2.5 lbs honey ,raisens, 1 cup black tea , fliechmens ( sorry dk how to spell it) bread yeast. It is two months old and has been racked after 4 weeks. But now it has what looks like dust floating in the brew at the top but not on the top. You can only see if when you hold a light up to it. No mold or wierd smell. Could it be tiny pieces of the raisens?? Should I dump it?
I don't see why you would dump it. It's nothing. If a brew doesn't have mold, it's 99.9999999% likely to be totally safe. Does it smell ok? Have you tasted it?
I noticed you no longer have the Red Bucket of Sanitization listed in the equipment, and even when it was listed, it wasn't available from Amazon. What size "Bucket" do you recommend for efficiency of use?
It's a 15 gallon bucket.
@@CitySteadingBrewsThanks
Apologies in advance for the random question but;
When adding fruits to a brew as you did in the cherry mead/melomel; when should the fruits be removed?
Normally keep it wet and remove at first racking.
@@CitySteadingBrews thank you!!
I was on the supermarket while shopping, I was looking for any ingredients to use on a mead and i saw the brand juice Naked the clain to have all natural ingredients and have many fruits convination, like might mango. You think is a good idea to make a mead out of a Naked juices?, I'm planning to start one in a couple of weeks
I haven't use them but if they don't contain preservatives it should be fine.
Hey guys, I have a question, I recently found a brew I did around 10 months ago that I forgot about. I could not see any growths or hairy substances in the must (it was a really dark must and I really couldn't see anything), but it smelled funny and there was no more liquid in the airlock. I played it safe and just threw it out. I cleaned the fermentation vessel and airlock with water and dish soap, and sanitized it in star san. However I did not sterilize it with boiling water. The thing is that I started a new brew in that same fermentation vessel, should I have boiled all the equipment to sterilize it? Should I throw out my brew and sterilize it now and just restart? Thank you in advance!
If you washed and sanitized, there should be nothing to worry about.
Do you think that it tastes further from a wine than you'd expect because of the lack of tannin and acid?
It tastes different from a wine due to the honey I would think. There was tannin and acid in it or we would have adjusted to make sure.
@ gotcha. Saw the tannin add right after I posted. I remembered that it was adjusted to be less acidic at the beginning so was thinking that could have been part of it
That's just for fermentation, but as it ferments, it becomes more acidic anyway.
😏Offensive...? Somehow I'm never offended by the brews you show us.
Just a play on how it may or may not really be a mead. Someone will be offended, lol.
What light did you use to check clarity?
Just a small LED we use for filming and photos.
When you say tastes like foot. Is that because it’s new or a bad batch? Or was a sanitizing issue?
It's youth.
My guess the lower ph is from the co2 creating carbonic acid?
Derika was thirsty today 😜
Shoulda topped the jug off with juice at the end, it woulda added a small amount of sugar from the grapes and gave you more product ;)
It would also have lowered the ABV enough it could have started fermenting again.
Have you ever used beet in mead for colour?
Nope. The flavor it adds isn't worth the color. I made a beet juice wine once. Not recommended. Though I actually love beets!
@@CitySteadingBrews Schrute farms wine ?! Nice
No idea what that is.
Im a big fan of "The Office" tv show
Call it a hydromel. I LOVE the mango hydromel i make,
This is not a hydromel, lol, unless you're in France.
@@CitySteadingBrews I thought a hydromel was where you use much less honey in a ferment than a traditional mead.
Usually it's lower abv like below 7ish due to less honey as well. Not seen a hydromel over that abv.
Could you have racked into a wide mouth fermentor
Sure?
Ok so it`s a nice fortified wine. Mm love a glass or two.
Hope you are safe with this hurricane approaching
I just noticed that Hurricane Milton is now category 5, good luck, I'll be thinking of you guys.
Also, I enjoyed watching your video yesterday
Does anyone know of a British/European equivalent of the Crio Bru
They don't have it available there?
I don’t care if the mead police think what they think either Brian 👍🏻
Got an 18% Cabernet franc pyment aging in my basement. Still burns the nose a bit…
Oh it's so offensive! I love it! Hahaha
Glad you like it!
Hey Siri - did not reach my iPhone because i use headphones so the family don't have to listen to all the stuff i hear ;-)