Bray's One Month Mead (BOMM)

Prepare Water: Fill the jug with spring water, leaving enough room below the top for the honey and yeast pack, then mark the fill line.

2.5 lb of orange blossom honey

Add Honey: Add orange blossom honey back up to the marked line for a starting gravity of about 1.099 sg (~23 brix).

1.3 g of DAP

Add Nutrients: First staggered addition of DAP, converted from 1/4 tsp to grams, estimated conversion.

2.5 g of Fermaid K

Add Nutrients: First staggered addition of Fermaid K, converted from 1/2 tsp to grams, estimated conversion.

2 g of potassium carbonate

Add Buffering Salt: One-time addition of potassium carbonate for pH buffering and potassium supply, converted from 1/4 tsp to grams, estimated.

Aerate Must: Seal the jug with the top on and shake vigorously until the honey is fully dissolved; this also aerates the must for the yeast.

Check Original Gravity: Confirm the starting gravity before pitching yeast.

Set Fermentation Temperature: Bring the must and the activated yeast to the same temperature, targeting about 68 F (~20 C) for the first few days.

125 g of Wyeast 1388

Pitch Yeast: Pitch Wyeast 1388 Belgian Strong Ale after activating the smack pack for 1 to 2 hours; do not exceed 2 hours; pack weight estimated in grams for this field.

Airlock Note: Leave the airlock dry with no water for the first 7 days or until gravity falls below 1.033 sg (~8 brix), whichever comes first.

1.3 g of DAP

Add Nutrients: Second staggered addition of DAP at roughly the one-third sugar break, day estimated, converted from 1/4 tsp to grams.

2.5 g of Fermaid K

Add Nutrients: Second staggered addition of Fermaid K at roughly the one-third sugar break, converted from 1/2 tsp to grams.

Check Gravity: Confirm gravity is near 1.066 sg (~16 brix) before this nutrient addition.

1.3 g of DAP

Add Nutrients: Third and final staggered addition of DAP at roughly the two-thirds sugar break, converted from 1/4 tsp to grams.

2.5 g of Fermaid K

Add Nutrients: Third and final staggered addition of Fermaid K at roughly the two-thirds sugar break, converted from 1/2 tsp to grams.

Check Gravity: Confirm gravity is near 1.033 sg (~8 brix), the trigger point for adding liquid to the airlock.

Add Airlock Liquid: Add water or vodka to the airlock now that gravity has fallen below 1.033 sg (~8 brix) or 7 days have passed.

Check Gravity: Confirm the mead has fermented dry to about 1.000 sg (~0 brix), marking the end of primary fermentation; this day count is estimated since the source only gives a 7 to 14 day range.

Rack to Secondary: Siphon the mead off the yeast cake into a clean vessel for clearing, leaving the sediment behind.

3 pcs of american medium toast oak cubes

Optional Oak Addition: Optionally add oak cubes for 2 to 4 weeks of post-fermentation flavor; this step is optional in the source recipe.

2 pcs of french medium toast oak cubes

Optional Oak Addition: Optionally add oak cubes for 2 to 4 weeks of post-fermentation flavor; this step is optional in the source recipe.

1 pcs of vanilla bean

Optional Vanilla Addition: Optionally add a whole vanilla bean for 2 to 4 weeks of post-fermentation flavor; this step is optional in the source recipe.

Check Final Gravity: Confirm gravity has been stable for several weeks before bottling to avoid bottle bombs; added for safety, not detailed in original source.

Bottle Mead: Siphon the clarified mead into bottles and cap; this marks the end of secondary and the start of bottle conditioning.

Ready to Enjoy: This mead is traditionally ready to drink within about a month of starting, so this bottle conditioning window is a short estimated buffer since the source does not specify a strict post bottling wait.