Another mead solera, since we got so much good mead out of our first one. We're going to try better nutrient management this time, in hopes of avoiding yeast exhastion as more and more fermentation happens. This is a two-yeast solera: we're using a wine yeast, Lalvin K1V-1116, just as we did before, because we want that good strong fermentation and the neutral white wine esters that it produces; but we're also bringing in a saison yeast, Omega Yeast OMY-500, that we've cropped from a currently fermenting braggot, in the hopes that it adds some complexity and helps to bring out fruity aromas from the fruity honeys that are occasionally added to the soleras. We'll see.

So we're calling this batch The Second Mead Solera, since it seems that the name of the solera mead is never the same as the name of things that get bottled, anyway.

Ingredients in this batch

  • 2 lb. white wildflower honey from Honey Acres, Ashippun, Wisconsin.
  • 4 lb. gallberry honey from Bennett's Honey Farm.
  • 3 lb. avocado honey from Bennett's Honey Farm.
  • 2 lb. cactus honey from Bennett's Honey Farm.
  • 1 lb. Kirkland clover honey.
  • 1⅝ tsp. Fermaid O.
  • 1⅝ tsp. Fermaid K.
  • dechlorinated tap water to 4 gallons.
  • 1 packet (5 g) Lalvin K1V-1116 wine yeast, rehydrated in ½ c. tap water, heated to 95℉.
  • A one-gallon ale-yeast starter:
    • 3 lb. wildflower honey from Island of the Moon Apiaries.
    • ½ tsp. Fermaid O.
    • ½ tsp. Fermaid K.
    • dechlorinated tap water to one gallon.
    • one large scoop (using the large plastic brewing spoon with the very long handle) of OMY-500 (Saisonstein's Monster) from the bottom of batch 161, still actively brewing.
  • Nutrient addition of 5 May 2019:
    • 1½ tsp. Fermaid O (in main carboy).
    • ½ tsp. Fermaid O (in ale-yeast starter).
  • Nutrient addition of 9 May 2019:
    • 2 tsp. Fermaid O (in main carboy).
  • Volume-building addition of 13 October 2019:
    • 1¼ tsp. Fermaid K.
    • 2 tsp. Fermaid O.
    • 3 lb., 13.3 oz. Michigan wildflower honey from Oberlin's Honey Bees, Shelby, MI.
    • 1 lb., 13 oz. white wildflower honey from Honey Acres, Ashippun, WI.
    • 5.2 oz. Kirkland Colorado wildflower honey.
  • Addition of 27 October 2019:
    • 2 tsp. Fermaid O.
  • Volume-building addition of 19 February 2020:
    • ½ tsp. Fermaid O.
    • 3 lb., 0.0 oz. Kirkland wildflower honey.
    • tap water to one gallon total volume.
  • Yeast starter, begun 19 February 2020:
    • 3 lb. ZerGüt multi-flower honey.
    • ⅕ tsp. Wyeast beer nutrient.
    • 1 packet Lalvin K1V-1116 rehydrated in 1 c. tap water at 100℉.
    • dechlorinated tap water to 1 gallon total volume for today's addition.
  • Addition of 23 February 2020:
    • 1 tsp. Fermaid O, added to solera carboy.
    • poured starter into carboy.
  • Addition of 25 February 2020:
    • 1 tsp. Fermaid O.
  • Addition of 31 March 2020:

Procedure

Weighed honey into one-gallon carboys, then added water to one gallon, shaking to mix and aerate before pouring the must into the larger carboy, aerating again. Stirred vigorously to aerate more and ensure even mixing, pitched rehydrated wine yeast, and then covered the carboy neck with a clean old T-shirt and left it open for the first four days.

Made a one-gallon starter with the cropped yeast from the current saison braggot, agitated vigorously, and left it to ferment with an airlock in. Pitched the ale yeast into the fermenting carboy after four days, then closed the main carboy with an airlock.

Brew date: 5 May 2019.
Original gravity: Not measured (it's a solera and will drift), but presumably close to 1.094.

Yield: TBD; hopefully, a great deal more five gallons, what with the plans for continuing fermentation.

Planned Usage

The expectation is that we will replace any fermented (or still fermenting) mead drawn off with an equivalent-or-slightly-larger volume of unfermented must, which should be close to 1.094 in gravity (about 3 lb/gallon, or perhaps a little less, depending on the honey). Added must should also have enough Fermaid O for the volume being added.

Additions should be included in the ingredients list, above, and mentioned in the observations list, below. Tags for this post should be updated as necessary.

Actual Usage

  • 13 October 2019:
    • drew off a gallon and a half or so for batch 177.
    • drew off a gallon and a half or so for batch 181.
    • Added two gallons of must, containing just a hair over six pounds of honey, almost evenly divided between clover and a sweet wildflower honey.
  • 19 February 2020:
    • drew off a little less than two gallons for batch 195.
    • drew off ⅞ quart for batch 184.
    • added a gallon of must to the carboy, and began a one-gallon honey starter.
  • 29 March 2020:
    • drew off about a quart for batch 177.
    • added a gallon of must; all honey was Georgia wildflower honey.
  • 30 June 2020:

Observations

  • 2019-05-06: Added nutrients to main carboy and to ale yeast starter.
  • 2019-05-09: Added nutrients to main carboy. Pitched starter into main carboy. Closed off carboy with airlock.