Bray Denard joins us in Episode 27 to discuss the development of the near mythical Bray’s One Month Mead (BOMM) recipe. The BOMM started as a simple beer yeast experiment, assuming that historically beer yeasts have been chosen for fast fermentations whereas wine yeasts were selected for long term viability. Whether you trust the initial assumption or not, the BOMM has become standard in the lexicon for the modern meadmaker. Bray’s here to tell us why.

Right click here to download the mp3 directly.

Drinks in this Episode

• Allen: Semi-Sweet Honey Wine (Sky River Meadery)
• Tysen: JazzBeri Buzz (Acoustic Draft Mead)
• Bray: Sorglyn BOMM

Bray’s One Month Mead (BOMM) Recipe

Link to the original recipe.

1. Start with 1 gallon Ozarka spring water.
2. Remove 1/2 cup water to compensate for smack pack volume.
3. Draw line on jug at this water level.
4. Remove an additional 3.2 cups of water from jug (757 ml).
5. Add Orange Blossom honey (or your favorite varietal honey) back to line.
   – About 2.5 lbs. SG 1.099ish.
   – Target SG 1.120 for higher ABV mead (finishes at 1.000).
   – Target SG 1.140 for an even bigger mead, finishing sweet. Stops at 1.02.
6. Add 1/4 tsp DAP and 1/2 tsp of Fermaid K.
   – Add these again at 2/3 (1.066) & 1/3 (1.033) sugar break.
   – These are nutrients you can get at homebrew shops or Amazon. Diammonium phosphate (DAP) is a free nitrogen source. Fermaid K contains vitamins, minerals, and trace nutrients. Honey is very deficient in nutrients so you need both to prevent fusel production.
7. Add 1/4 tsp K2CO3. One time addition.
   – Potassium carbonate (K2CO3) is preferred due to high K+ levels, but potassium bicarbonate (KHCO3) will work fine. This is for pH buffering and to provide K+ for the yeast.
8. Shake with the top on until honey is fully dissolved. It will require some effort! You’re earning your mead!
9. Activate Wyeast 1388 smack pack. Pitch directly to the must approximately 2 hours after “smack” activation.
   – No water in the airlock for the first 7 days or until the gravity falls below 1.033, whichever comes first. Add water or vodka to airlock. Ferments dry in 7-14 days.

NOTE: Wyeast 1388 temperature range is best in the 68-74 F range. Some people have reported issues with going above 74ºF, other people say it’s fine. I try to keep my fermentations at 68ºF.

A Modified BOMM Recipe

During prep for this interview, we analyzed the amount of nutrients added to create a BOMM and realized they exceed the USA Federal limits. Bray suggests using the TOSNA approach. For this variant, ensure a target of 245 ppm YAN to match the total provided in the original protocol.

Another option is to use DAP, Fermaid K, and Fermaid O. The original recipe provides 1.15 g/L Fermaid K and 0.62 g/L DAP. The legal limits for these two ingredients are 0.5 g/L and 0.96 g/L, respectively. So we need to reduce the amount of Fermaid K to bring in line with Federal limits (reduce by 0.65 g/L).

This amount (0.65 g/L) of Fermaid K provides 65 ppm YAN. Fermaid O provides approximately 50 ppm YAN per g per L. This points to adding 1.3 g/L Fermaid O, or 4.9 g Fermaid O for a 1 gallon batch.

Total nutrients for a modified, legal BOMM, using weight for better controlled additions and scaled to a 1 gallon recipe:
– 2.5 g DAP (0.83 g DAP per addition for 3 additions)
– 1.9 g Fermaid K (0.63 g Fermaid K per addition for 3 additions)
– 4.9 g Fermaid O (1.63 g Fermaid O per addition for 3 additions)

Follow the original BOMM protocol for the rest of the recipe.

Links in this Episode

• Stay up to date with Bray’s experiments and recipes at DenardBrewing.com
  • The BOMM Yeast Experiment Post
• Connect with Bray as LoveOfRose on the Forums:
  • GotMead?
  • HomeBrewTalk
• The BOMM Forum Posts:
  • GotMead?
  • HomeBrewTalk
• Recipe Ingredient Links:
  • Wyeast 1388
  • DAP
  • Fermaid K
  • Potassium Carbonate
• Sorghum Syrup
• Glencairn Whisky Glass
• Mountain Rose Herbs
  • Szechuan peppercorns
• Episode title inspired by Zero Wing All Your Base Are Belong to US