Hi guys
I'm in the middle of my first ever ferment. It's a wild mead with mulberries.
I'm really excited to see how this goes. I read over loads of recipes and eventually settled on:
3kg raw honey
1.5kg mulberries
9.3L water
The honey here in Australia isn't as sweet as in other countries. Something about our local flora. But I'm still thinking that the mead's going to turn out sweet.
I mixed everything up in 3 food grade buckets and covered them with cheesecloth. In less than 24 hours the ferment was powering along.
I read a lot of conflicting advice, but since it's quite hot and fruit flies are a big problem here, I decided to filter out the fruit and seeds and transfer it into a big 10L jug. I'm using a balloon to seal it off so it doesn't explode
It's still powering along. There's loads of bubbles and the balloon is blowing up.
I have a couple of questions (since I've read a lot of conflicting advice in the last week)
What's the ideal temperature for a wild ferment? And since the current ambient temp is between 25-30 degrees C what's the best way to cool everything down without cooling it too much?
If I'm not using an airlock (I'm using balloons) what's the best way I can assess where the ferment's at and where to stop it?
What will happen if I accidentally let the ferment go for too long? If it's sealed off from oxygen will that stop the production of ascetic acid?
If I accidentally bottle too early is there something I can do to kill any yeast that's left? I'll be keeping the bottled mead in the fridge but will eventually be taking it to an event where it will be left out for up to 12 hours. I don't want to cause any explosions
Any tips would be greatly appreciated. Especially if you can explain why (I'm really keen to learn and understanding why you do something will help me remember).
Thanks guys!