Listen… Can you hear the yeasts celebrating?

At my computer

Frustrated and spread thin,

with thoughts spiraling out of control,

and realizing I’m trying to do too much with too little,

I retreat to the basement for some soul healing.

My self-prescription:

One dose of silence,

followed by another dose of listening.

 

In the basement

Sitting in front of me,

are two gallons of mead in the making…

The "+" received yeast energizer and yeast nutrient. The "NO" is a control.

If you listen carefully,

you can hear the effects of fermentation.

Bloop…

5 seconds later

Bloop…

It’s so quiet…

Like a small fly hitting a window.

1,2…

Bloop…

1,2,3,4…

Bloop…

 

Two weeks ago, when looking into making mead,

I was given conflicting recipes. (Some say to use yeast nutrient and energizer, while others don’t).

With the question hanging in my head,

“What would be the effect on taste?”

I created an experiment.

I’ve hypothesized, labeled, measured, and recorded,

 

but tonight, for the first time,

I’m appreciating the process…

 

Bloop…

If you listen close…

Bloop…

I mean REALLY close…

Bloop…

Even closer…

…you can hear the yeasts boisterously yell…

“Cheers!”

As their voices bubble forth,

you can get a sense of what is going on inside those gallons of liquid…

…The yeasts feast on sugars,

pooping out (or “gifting us with…”) alcohol,

burping out C02,

and reproducing over and over again…

Every time a bubble of air is released through the airlock,

the yeasts are expressing a microscopic celebration of life!

C02 is pushed up through the water in bubbles. Oxygen is unable to get in.

 

But, I’ve sat here long enough.

There is one important thing I have left to do tonight.

Design and create business cards…

For tomorrow night’s wine tasting event…

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