In which Ricky the Meadmaker answers questions about dealing with a yeasty taste in mead, how to make mead pink, washing yeast, hydrogen sulfide, and more!
I was going to make a joke about robust porters for the cold open in this episode. Then I realized the joke wasn't very good and also that cold opens existed so you knew what show you were watching before the first commercial break. I think these are only on YouTube.
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 Nick who has started making mead. Good for you. I make a lot of it myself. And he is worried because in one episode I mentioned that in addition to the CO2, there are some other gases, hydrogen sulfide, that come off from active fermentations and he's been keeping it in a closet. Is he accidentally to poison his family when they open the closet? He also told me something that's really important. Professionally, he transports hazardous gases. So, he admits that he might be overthinking it. Nick, you're not overthinking it. But no, you're not going to poison your family. It's microscopic amounts of hydrogen sulfide. You can kill a cat if it gets trapped into a broom closet. But even that, I would assume, is a fairly rare occurrence.
Calm Radical wants to know what my tip-slash-trick is for making my meads pink. I have two. One is to use pink fruits and the other is food coloring. Full disclosure, we do not use food coloring at Groennfell Meadery. [Though there's nothing wrong with a meadmaker doing so.]
Drew has just started making mead and he asked me a great question. He's been using baker's yeast and he wants to know how he can go about washing his yeast. I've said this before about other questions. The question is not "How?" The question might be "Why?" So, when you wash your yeast, it's because you're trying to build up a colony because liquid strains can be pretty expensive even on a commercial level. But when you're using baker's yeast, if you want more yeast, just put it in more, man. It's super cheap. You can buy it by the pound at Costco for like $5. So, before you learn how to wash yeast, you should ask, "Why?"
The Bull's meads have a yeasty taste during fermentation. Normal. After fermentation. And even after extended aging. Not good. The question is what to do about it? The answer might surprise you. More yeast. When you perceive as a yeast flavor is usually from an unhealthy fermentation. And a really good way to make a healthy fermentation is more yeast and more nutrient.
Our last question this week comes from Mike, who wants to know when adding sulfites to my must, what do I cover the carboy with? Do I use a regular airlock? Before we continue, yes. Does it need to be sealed with a cork for some reason? No. Should it just be covered with a paper towel? Never heard of that. Or some foil? You seem to spend a lot of time on the internet. “Anyway, thank you for all your help and giving us aspiring mead makers a hand.” So, I hope I answered that. An airlock should be fine. I don't know why the others would be good or bad. The cork might blow out and aluminum foil seems wasteful and a paper towel just straight up seems utterly pointless. So, there you go.
That was our last question this week. Keep sending them I'll get to them as soon as possible. Cheers.
