JAOM and fermentation questions
 

So, I have two 1 gallon batches of JAOM going right now, one I started on new years day, the other, last saturday, and they both seem to be doing well, and smell really good. My question is about the bubbles, I've seen others here reference "churning" or "violent" fermentation, and neither of mine have done that, just continuous small bubbles, similar to the carbonation in a soda. Is this normal for this recipe? I used Flieschmanns yeast, as was called for.

Second, when I added all of my ingredients, there was a thick layer of honey settled in the bottom of the jug, but after 2 or 3 days, the honey was gone. Was this the honey being consumed by the yeast, or simply being dissolved into the rest of the liquid? Now, there is just a light colored layer at the very bottom of the jug.

Mine just had steady bubbles as well, no violent fermentation like some of my other batches. 5 weeks along and still bubbling.

I think the yeast activity helps to mix the honey that has settled out back into the brew.

The stuff your seeing in the bottom now is probably sediment. Normal.

Yea sounds normal to me. My JAOM was not that crazy. But if you ever make a melomel with fruit puree and appropriate yeast nutrient/energizer.....watch out because they will get super violent.

Okay, I wasn't too worried because, as I said, they both smell great. This is the first attempt at anything other than beer for me, so I guess I need to stop worrying so much.:rolleyes:

Yea in general beer is much crazier than mead. Most mead recipes get no real krausen to speak of.

Below is probably the most foam my JAOM ever had.

http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n.../IMG_3899a.jpg

I'm coming up on 3 months with it and debating on whether to bottle now or later (2nd picture). This is how newsprint looks through the gallon jug as of yesterday...
http://i111.photobucket.com/albums/n.../IMG_4397a.jpg

Ed

If it were me? Mead that clear? Bottling time.

I'm thinking about getting it into bottles this weekend. I wouldn't mind bulk aging it but the jug isn't topped off and I'm concerned about some oxidation. Considering putting most of it in 12oz beer bottles and capping. Maybe two 750ml bottles corked for long term aging.

When ya'll get past two months and the fruit hasn't fallen try to find somewhere a few degrees cooler for the JAOM. My JAOM fermented at an average of probably 68 degrees but wasn't showing much inclination to drop the fruit after two months...a drop of 4-5 degrees F into the low 60's really helped the fruit to drop and the mead to start nicely clearing. If nothing else, you could cold crash it in the refrigerator.

Ed