cyser issue

hello there i just started a 2 gallon batch of cyser mead and worried that i have to re pitch the yeast. I have 4 pounds of honey to two gallons of cider and got it to about what i thought was 60 degrees which felt a little warm and pitched the yeast and superfermt for nutrient. It had a little activity during 2am but theres no activity at all now and it doesn't look like the yeast is doing anything. Is it possible that the yeast is dead and i need to re pitch or am i overacting? The yeast i used was Lalvin d-47 i believe is the strain.

I am trying to have the mead ready for march for a trip out of state; have it done primary fermenting and bottling fermenting while im driving. But now that might not be possible if the yeast is dead or sleeping. I was wondering if someone can help me out thanks again. The last time i made mead it was a sweet mead at 6 gallons and it was a slow fermentor but always had activity this has none at all right now, the batch was started at 1am today.

I've heard that D-47 is often a suggish fermenter. If you started at 1am today, I wouldn't worry about it yet. Take a gravity reading, and check it again in a day or two.

i took the temp with a candy thermometer i had no readings and it was super cold so i put the batch in a 100 degree water bath for a few hrs and the temp read only 40 to 60 but felt like 70 degrees; the starting gravity was 1.200
if theres no sign of activity tomorrow or next day i need to get more yeast correct?

I'm pretty new at this myself, I am sure someone with more experience will be along shortly though. I can say, I had a melomel that I was convinced I had killed because it took 3 days to start showing signs of fermentation. D-47 is supposed to be good between 59-68 degrees farenheit, I'd imagine it is alright. If it is a bit too cold it could delay the ferment a touch, but again it is still really early. Probably a good time to just relax and have some homebrew.

K I'm.just worried because its almost two hrs one way to get a supply house for.more yeast

A starting gravity of 1.200 sounds nuts. That's a potential alcohol of over 20%, if you let it dry out.

It was 1.320 but that was bf the second gallon of cider went in which brought it down some potential 16 abv mead so I'm not sure if its to high alcohol or the yeast is not alive bc it was to cold or warm

D'47 is only "rated" to 14% alcohol. That will be one cloying sweet mead.

Ya if it ever starts fermenting it be great used 3 pounds of red bamboo honey n 1 pound of clover honey n 2 gallons of cider its the first time o ever made a cyser

Dilute it out with a little water. Your yeast is probably choking.

Okay I put some distilled water in there see if that helps I just have a feeling its a little to later but i might be wrong

Those gravity numbers sound way off to me!

most apple juice, whether it's filtered or not, usually only gets to about 1.050 or so, plus the 2lb per gallon of honey, would only take it to something like 1.120 or so.

Hell, pure honey is about 1.420, so it might be worth checking it again to see where it's at now......

I took another reading and its right at the 14abv mark so I would say 1.140 but before i pitched the yeast and had everything added the reading was 1.200 which is weird there's still no activity and haven't added water yet

I would make sure the must is completely integrated before taking a reading. A lot of yeasts will have a hell of a time getting going in such a concentrated musts.

I made sure it was stired very well for aeration but it just looks like thick Apple cider with now side of fermentation

insnekamkze86 said:

It was 1.320 but that was bf the second gallon of cider went in which brought it down some

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insnekamkze86 said:

before i pitched the yeast and had everything added the reading was 1.200

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How are you taking these readings? I think you might not be taking your readings correctly. First, I've never seen a hydrometer that goes that high. Second, those numbers are impossible given the recipe.

Two gallons of cider and 4 lbs honey is a batch size of 2.33 gallons. I'd guess OG is closer to 1.105.

Forgive me I just now saw it said 1.320 it never got that high I'm sorry. It only got to 1.200 that was when I first started the batch and now the last reading Is 1.140 its a tri hydrometer that reads brix abv n gravity. That was my fault forget about the 1.320 readings that's not real. There might be alot of sugar in the cider that made it so high or honey.

insnekamkze86 said:

I took another reading and its right at the 14abv mark so I would say 1.140

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I don't think you are reading your hydrometer correctly. 14 ABV is not the same as 1.140. 14 ABV is around 1.105.

Gravity is read on the scale that is labeled "10", "20", "30", etc.

Okay it was two notches past the 10 then after 1.100 what's that reading? But it was originally on the 20 mark I thought the dashs were in 2 reading

I think I see what you're doing. I think you are putting the decimal in the wrong place. The "20" below the "1.100" is 1.120, not 1.200.

The "10" below the "1.100" is 1.110. The notches are two points, so two notches below 1.110 is 1.114, not 1.140.

Make sense?

Thank you k then sorry at least we cleared up that issue with the reading but theres still no activity with the yeast

It sounds like this is less than 48 hours old. It's not uncommon to not have activity yet. I'd make sure the temp is good and not worry about it till tomorrow.

Okay then i guess i have to wait i report back in tomorrow

brewhouse was closed today so i have to go tomorrow to get yeast i took another reading and it read the same thing 1.114 and still no sign of activity from the yeast. i ve have attached a image of the batch and its been the same since day one

Did the cider contain any preservatives, such as potassium sorbate?

What temp is the room it's in?

65 degrees i believe i dont remember about the cider, all i remember is it said Pasteurize 100 percent cider it was in a gallon jug at walmart, i dont remember the items in the cider but i dont think it had preservatives in it.

Well first off... Don't move it around! Heating up cooling off all that....

Just let it ride for a while!! If it had preservatives in it, it might not work at all. Make sure and check your labels!!!

If it doesn't get kickin soon, go get more cider WITH NO PRESERVATIVES! Don't add as much honey and it will ferment out faster. Then you have have a slightly less alcoholic drink for your trip!!

after the searching the cider i used for the batch it is musselmans cider dont know the info on the label though

Musselmans only has Vitamin C added. I used some in a cider I made - good stuff.

i think i just pitched the yeast when it was to hot and killed it my mistake its what i get for not making mead in over 4 yrs
i think im going to pick up a couple packets of Lalvin EC-1118 or a vial of of white labs WLP720 Sweet Mead/Wine Yeast and since im out of nutrients i get that too.

I was able to grab some 118 yeast n super ferment when i get hm I pitch the yeast right now im at a smoke shop smoking a cigar

You could throw a few lemon slices in there to help with the PH and nutrients

I got home late so I havent pitched the yeast yet but i got a temp strip which is showing that the batch is at 69 degrees so i dont think the temp is the problem now; anyways it probably was at the start which i probably messed up by having it to hot since i was winging the temp reading. i have two packets of lavlin 118 yeast and a thing of super ferment as well. My question now is should i just use one of the packets or can i use both? I was thinking of using both but wanted to get a opinion first before i pitch it, its currently in the fridge as we speak. Also the d-47 strain wasnt in the fridge at all and had it for about a month or so in the pantry. Since it wasnt in the fridge would that of been the main reason why im having no activity? Reading is still 1.114 at 69 degrees, thanks for all the help.

It's best to keep yeast in the fridge, but a month in the pantry shouldn't have a huge impact on D-47. A friend of mine recently found a pack of dry yeast in a drawer. I believe the expiration date was 1996. He pitched it in a test batch and it fermented just fine.

How hot was your cyser when you pitched the D-47? I don't think the heat would kill the yeast unless it was at least 110 degrees.

Pitching two packets would be fine.

I don't know I had it in a 100 degree bath water the candy thermometer I was using said the mead was 60 but It felt like 80 or higher I didnt have a brew temp stick till today so i really couldnt tell what the temp was sorry I used 2 teaspoon of superferment as well when i pitched the yeast will do that again to help with the new yeast

If you read the directions on the yeast packet, it's says to rehydrate the yeast in water somewhere around 105 degrees, so a 100 degree bath shouldn't have had any ill effects on the yeast.

I just sprinkled the yeast in the batch I didn't rehydrate the yeast at all

insnekamkze86 said:

I just sprinkled the yeast in the batch I didn't rehydrate the yeast at all

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11.33pm est i re pitched the yeast i only did one packet increase crap happens again. The degree is now 68 that the batch is at. i re hydrated the ec-1118 yeast with 109 degree water as stated on back of pack, afterwards added to the batch and also added one teaspoon of super ferment for good measure; this time i followed everything to the letter pretty much. Hopefully it will start fermenting, it saids that its a fast fermenter but how long have you guys see this actually take before theres visible activity?

There's still no activity of fermentation I picked the carboy up and it looks like there's about 2 inch of sediment on the bottom of carboy from the yeast like its just floating there doing nothing I sinned the carboy to shake everything up now it looks like its mixed instead at thr bottom of the barrel i jave no clue what to do now. Is the batch ruined reading is the same n temp is the same