Slowed fermentation 1.046 3 months out

KLAAYHAUS · 07-20-2010, 10:58 AM

I am working on my first batch of mead and wondered if you could give me some advice? I am in my third month of fermentation and have just hit the half-way point in my gravity drop. I must not have added enough yeast nutrient, or aerated my must enough when I pitched my yeast. I was also afraid to start with an open fermentation. Below is my recipe and gravity readings, and this is supposed to be a sweet mead since my wife doesn't like dry mead/wine.

1.) Should I add some Sweet Mead Yeast, and if so, do I aerate vigorously or do I risk oxidation at this point?

2.) Should I add some DAP and Fermaid K, and forget about the yeast energizer?

3.) Any other advice is greatly appreciated.

__________________________________________________ _______________
11 lbs 9.9 oz Colorado Wildflower Honey

4 gallons of water

Gypsum

Irish moss

Wyeast Yeast Nutrient

Boiled at/up to 180 degrees for 15 minutes

Chilled to 75 degrees and pitched Wyeast Bohemian Lager Yeast at 4:30 p.m. on 4/18/10

Original Gravity: 1.092

4/20/10-airlock activity by 6 p.m.

4/30/10-racked to secondary at 1.064 during active fermentation

5/7/10- 1.060

5/21/10- 1.056

6/12/10- 1.048 racked again

MedsenFey · 07-20-2010, 01:39 PM

DAP won't be much help at this point. Adding a little Fermaid K (organic yeast nutrient, or Fermaid 2133 might be even better) and aerating might be useful. One big question is what is the pH? (adding gypsum can cause the usual pH drops in mead to be accentuated and stall the yeast). If you are fermenting at 75F, moving it to an area that is a couple of degrees warmer might also help.

Also for future batches, you may not want to rack until it is done, when you rack, you leave a lot of active yeast behind.

Medsen

malkore · 07-20-2010, 10:55 PM

1. no mead should take 3 months to finish, let alone hit the halfway point. the fact that yours is stuck here makes me think your yeast is completely done. I'm not sure how far that lager strain will go, but I think you're stuck at this gravity unless you pitched a starter of wine yeast.

2. never rack until primary has ended and you're no more than a few points from terminal gravity. doing otherwise can stall the whole fermentation.

3. how did you manage to boil at 180 degrees? don't boil your honey, ever. that just destroys the delicate compounds.

I would try to pitch some wine yeast that you've already got going...some strain that'll get 16% abv or so. if you end up too dry you can always backsweeten. but 1.040 is going to be like drinking syrup.

KLAAYHAUS · 07-20-2010, 11:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MedsenFey

DAP won't be much help at this point. Adding a little Fermaid K (organic yeast nutrient, or Fermaid 2133 might be even better) and aerating might be useful. One big question is what is the pH? (adding gypsum can cause the usual pH drops in mead to be accentuated and stall the yeast). If you are fermenting at 75F, moving it to an area that is a couple of degrees warmer might also help.

Also for future batches, you may not want to rack until it is done, when you rack, you leave a lot of active yeast behind.

Medsen

Thanks for the advice! I am not sure what the ph is, but I do need to get some test strips to find out. I also realize that I racked it too early, but that was do to some bad advice I received.

KLAAYHAUS · 07-21-2010, 12:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by malkore

1. no mead should take 3 months to finish, let alone hit the halfway point. the fact that yours is stuck here makes me think your yeast is completely done. I'm not sure how far that lager strain will go, but I think you're stuck at this gravity unless you pitched a starter of wine yeast.

2. never rack until primary has ended and you're no more than a few points from terminal gravity. doing otherwise can stall the whole fermentation.

3. how did you manage to boil at 180 degrees? don't boil your honey, ever. that just destroys the delicate compounds.

I would try to pitch some wine yeast that you've already got going...some strain that'll get 16% abv or so. if you end up too dry you can always backsweeten. but 1.040 is going to be like drinking syrup.

I got this recipe from Papazian's book and the other advice I received was from a fellow brewer & online. I tasted his mead and it was delicious so I used the same yeast he used and followed his advice. Papazian is sort of brief on the specifics about making mead in THE CJOHB, so I should have bought a mead making book and referenced it (currently awaiting Ken Schramms Compleat Meadmaker).

1.) The lager yeast is supposedly good to 9% ABV (for beer) according to Wyeast.

2.) Totally agree and I have learned my lesson on this one (again I am passing the buck and blaming this on poor advice).

3.) I phrased this wrong, I lightly pasteurized the must for 15 minutes and the hottest it got was 180 before I killed the flame. I don't plan on "pasteurizing" my next batch at all.

I may go ahead and do the champagne yeast or let this on go as a learning experience, make a dry mead, and then backsweeten the dry with this one (once I research how to do that without screwing it up).

Thanks for the advice, I guess you have to start somewhere. At least I won't make these mistakes next time!