illius

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hello, well I started a 5 gallon batch of mead about 2 and a half weeks ago. and I dont think anybody could have messed it up like I did. I started by boiling some water and adding about 2lbs of honey, and poured it into the bucket. I then added one pound of surger, a container of juice consentrate, about 5 apples and 5 plums. I had a sweet yeast that was liquid in the pakage when I got it, I didnt read the dir. right and didnt break the small pack inside the liquid. so I cut it open and stirred it with the liquid yeast.
I then pitched it into the musk, I think my musk was too hot. I had let it sit for about 2-4 days and no fermenting had started. I had read that yeast will die instantly at above 80ish. so I then reopend the bucket and pitched 3 dry packets of "baking" yeast (its all I had at the time) that I let sit in water 15 minutes prior to activate it.
I now have it in the closet its fermenting, but nothings coming out of the airlock.

my question is, is this normal? and will baking yeast work with this?
also its at at realativly lower heat, about 68-70 will this effect it in anyway?

thanks.

BigKahuna

Recipes 

I have successfully used baking yeast in mead...But I keep it above 70.
Did you take a OG Reading. It seems to me that it would be VERY low with 1 Pound of sugar and 2 Pounds of Honey in 5 gallons of water. I made a cyser with 1# honey, 1# Sugar and apple juice in 1 gallon and ended up with an OG of 1.098 Chances are, you missed your fermentation. It would not take very long to ferment that small of an amount of sugar.

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z987k

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yeast wont die above 80, maybe above 100, probably more though. You'll shock the hell out of them though and might get some off tastes.

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BigKahuna

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the more I think of it...The more I think you just missed it.
Take a gravity reading and post back.

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malkore

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temperature is ok. can you SEE it fermenting? (bubbles up the side of the carboy/jug?) sometimes the airlock won't bubble if you don't have a perfect seal on the cap.

Also, its called "must" not "musk". Musk is a smell from certain animals.

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Malkore
Primary: English Mild
On tap: Pale Ale, Lancelot's Wheat, English Brown Ale, Steam Beer, HoovNuts IPA
Bottled: MOAM, Braggot, Raspberry Melomel, Merlot, Apfelwein, Pyment, Sweet mead, Cabernet
Gal in 2009: 27, Gal in 2010: 34, Gal in 2011: 13, Gal in 2012: 10

BigKahuna

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and the REALLY cheap cologne I wore in High School.

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Boerderij_Kabouter

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I think everyone has fond memories of English Leather musk. It must be a funny joke for dads to give that to their sons, its like a right of passage. In a weird strange smelling kind of way.

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cheezydemon

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I was once gored ny a must ox

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Arneba28

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haha I have a small bottle of English Leather that my dad got me about 5 years ago...Its still sitting in my glove box in my truck...

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illius

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hey there, thanks for the replys. well I dont have anything to take an "og" reading, when I started it I didnt know what I know now about mead. also I noticed today that the small jugs of honey I used was = to 2 gallons each(I think). anyway its in a semi clear bucket, so I opened it up and there were no fermentation going on. it was kinda foamie, so I tried a glass. and I have to say its a bit surgery, but has a real fruity plum taste. I got a small buzz off a small glass of it. im not sure if this is from the yeast or what.
so I bottled half of it and will let it sit and age. and the rest I will leave in the bucket to see if it ferments anymore. Is this normal? I know I dont have readings for you guys ot go off of, but its only ben maybe 2 months at the most. I thought it was about 2 and a half weeks, but my buddy says its ben around 2 months.
also its got a real......yeasty taste I wana say, kinda an off taste.its also got a realy alchoholic/yeast smell. its hazy and yeast sets at the bottom of the bottles I bottled... Is there a proper way to take a gravity reading? Do I have to buy a device of some sort?

Thanks again for all the help!

I can only learn from this try, with help from you guys and lots of reading hopefully my next batch will be better..