In which Ricky the Meadmaker answers questions about re-using yeast, racking between pitching different yeasts, the best way to carbonate, why commercial outfits can’t make braggots in the US, and more!
This week I'm not chopping wood while I shoot Ask the Meadmaker because I've already done half a cord today and a man has to draw the line somewhere.
Welcome to Ask the Meadmaker where I, Ricky the Meadmaker, answer your questions about mead making, mead drinking, mead brewing, and really any question you're willing to send to me.
Our first question this week comes from Aaron and it's a two-part question about reusing yeast. His first question is, do we reuse yeast? We've said it in the past. Yes, we do. But how do we store it? And the answer is: the easiest way imaginable. So, we brew a batch of mead. We can a batch of mead. At the bottom of the cone is the yeast from that batch. Then we take the mead that we want to brew next and put it in there with that yeast. So, basically the way you do this at home is you have your bucket. Make a batch of mead. Let the yeast fall out of solution. Then, you bottle your mead or put it in kegs, which is even better. Then you put more mead on top of the yeast. It's that easy. Don't make it any harder. Mead is its own starter. His second question is what do we do about mutations? When we have a batch that starts to taste a little different from how we like, we stop using that yeast.
Our next question comes from John Paul, presumably not the Pope, because if it is the Pope, then that's really impressive, because he would have submitted this question before we even started doing the show. Anyway, the question is, when pitching multiple yeast strains into a batch, do you rack between pitching each strain?” The answer is no.
Kieran wants to know how to carbonate his mead once he's made it and the answer is, there are a lot have different ways to do it. And that was the issue. You see, Kieran's been researching for about three months about mead, and wants to know how we recommend you carbonate, versus the 35 different ways that he found on the internet. We don't have a standard recommendation. If you can force carbonate in a keg, that's definitely the best way to do it, because then you have a keg of mead and you don't have to deal with bottling, which is terrible.
Niles wants to know why I say that no professional brewer can make a braggot. The answer is that a braggot is by definition a mead. Mead, meaning it's more than 50% honey. It also contains grain. US federal law says that meaderies may not use any grain at all, and breweries may never have more than 50% honey in a batch. Therefore, by definition, no one in the United States commercially can make a braggot.
Our last question this week comes from David. He's having a problem. His mead tastes like cough syrup. That definitely sounds like a problem to me, and he wants to know what he's doing wrong. Have I ever had this problem, and do I have any suggestions? Unfortunately, the answer is I think I need a brand. Like, I need to know what cough syrup tastes like, because if you have a batch that tastes like NyQuil, my cough medicine of choice, then I have a lot of advice along those lines, but if it tastes like those weird, like, honey ones in the all-natural section, then maybe you just didn't get a complete fermentation. If it tastes like the cherry stuff, guess don't put cherries in your mead. Anyway, David, if you write back to me, with a specific brand of cough syrup that your mead tastes like, I will, rather than delaying as I did for poor Pope John Paul, years and years, I will try to answer it on the next episode. What kind of cough syrup does your mead taste like?
That's our last question and unusually it comes from me and not from you. Keep sending your questions and I will get to them as soon as possible. Cheers.
