Tupelo and Sage Mead

If it's good for ancient Druids, runnin' nekkid through the wuids, Drinkin' strange fermented fluids, it's good enough for me! - Pete Seeger

Mission

Create a batch of premium quality traditional sweet mead using Tupelo and Sage honey.

Ingredients
General Assembly

Clean and prep the primary fermentation bucket
  • Scrub and rinse the plastic primary bucket/lid/airlock using Five Star PBW®.
Prepare the must (no heat method)
  • Add 2 gallons of room temperature water to primary fermentation bucket.
  • Add 20 lbs of honey to the primary fermentation bucket.
  • Mix like crazy - do not skimp on this step
  • Add water while taking SG readings until 1.130 is reached.
  • Add the fully inflated package of yeast.
Staggered Nutrient Additions:

End of lag phase (about 10 hours): 2/3 tsp Fermaid-K®, and 1/3 tsp DAP
1/3 sugar break SG 1.090 (about day 4): 1 tsp Fermaid-K®
2/3 sugar break SG 1.050 (about day 8): 1 tsp Fermaid-K®

Aeration:

Aerate the mead by stirring vigorously twice a day for the first three days.

Journal

Nov 24, 2008 - Ordered honey and equipment.
Dec 1, 2008 - The sage honey from Miller's came today.
Dec 3, 2008 - The equipment from Northern Brewer came today.
Dec 5, 2008 - The tupelo honey from Smiley's came today.
Dec 6, 2008 - 6:30 a.m. - broke and mixed in the internal yeast packet.
Dec 6, 2008 - 2:30 p.m. - assembled the must.
Dec 6, 2008 - 11:40 p.m. - added the first set of nutrients.
Dec 7, 2008 - Aerating this evening created a thick foam.
Dec 8, 2008 - 3:00 a.m. - the airlock is bubbling nicely.
Dec 9, 2008 - On the last day of aeration it still foams when stirred, and the smell is nicely "beery".
Dec 10, 2008 - I was alarmed to find the SG only down to 1.120. Added 1 tsp Fermaid-K® and 1/2 tsp K2CO3.
Dec 11, 2008 - The airlock is now very active. I'll plan on adding the final nutrients on Dec 13th.
Dec 12, 2008 - Bubbling away every 1-2 seconds.
Dec 13, 2008 - SG is now 1.108. Added 1 tsp Fermaid-K® and 1/2 tsp K2CO3.
Dec 16, 2008 - SG is now 1.090 (about 5.0% ABV). It's sweet and yeasty with a vague mineral undertone.
Dec 22, 2008 - SG is now 1.072.
Dec 26, 2008 - SG is now 1.065 (about 8.4% ABV).
Dec 27, 2008 - Big spidery krausen today - decided to stir in 2/3 tsp Fermaid-K®.
Dec 29, 2008 - SG is now 1.060.
Jan 3, 2009 - SG is now 1.053 (about 10.0% ABV).
Jan 10, 2009 - SG is now 1.045. Citrus-like notes are appearing.
Jan 17, 2009 - SG is now 1.038 (about 12.1% ABV).
Jan 24, 2009 - SG is now 1.032.
Jan 31, 2009 - SG is now 1.026 (about 13.9% ABV). I moved the primary downstairs and I'll rack this week.
Feb 7, 2009 - Racked.
Feb 20, 2009 - About two inches of yeast is now laying on the bottom. Still quite hazy. The taste is wonderful. This is going to be a very nice mead.
Mar 21, 2009 - Still big lacy bubbles on top, but it has begun to clear slightly. The taste is clean and fine and sweet. Tupelo honey is very much its pedigree. The alcohol is integrating nicely. I need to get it off its current layer of sediment soon.
May 2, 2009 - Racked and added 1/4 tsp sulphite. The depth of the sediment was misleading - it was actually less than an inch.
May 5, 2009 - The lacy bubbles are gone and the clarity is improving slightly (a light sediment is visible again). Now it's about waiting... perhaps May 2010.
Nov 6, 2009 - Our mead is moving out of adolesence. Though not mature, the flavors are melding nicely into a smooth sweet-riesling territory. The smell is juicy-fruit and citrus.
Dec 19, 2009 - Perhaps because my basement temps are now dipping into the high 50's, our mead is beginning to clear. 'Makes me wonder if a spare fridge might be a nice investment one of these days.
Jan 18, 2010 - The final gravity is 1.021 (about 14.7% ABV), which is at the border of sweet-mead and dessert mead.