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Something is not right. You usually won't get a gravity of 1.140 using 3.5 pounds of honey in a gallon. Usually that will get you 1.120-1.130. If it was bubbling and fermenting the gravity should be much lower than that. Can you double check the gravity reading (it isn't 1.014 is it?) Are...

Did you follow the recipe EXACTLY?

Also, 71B can have a very looooooonnnnng lag phase if the temperature is low.

To be clear, remember that the weight of honey does not determine sweetness alone. It is the weight of honey, and how much the yeast will ferment that determines sweetness. Using 3.5 pounds and a high-ABV Champagne yeast will leave you dry and hot. Using 3.5 pounds and a lager yeast that goes to...

I like the mango in the primary, with a cool fermentation temp.

Again, adding acid is NEVER the answer for restarting a stuck fermentation. Adding acid will make a very sweet batch more drinkable as it will provide some flavor to balance against the sugar With the high gravity you started with, D47 was never going to take it past about 1.030 even if you...

D47 is not real sensitive to pH. It is actually pretty good about fermenting to completion even with a pH of less than 3.0 (but it needs enough nitrogen and potassium to do it). Although it isn't considered a nutrient hog, it does perform better if you provide proper nutrients, and while that...

The problem with making a puree of blackberries is that it tends to crack the seeds and creates excessive bitterness and astringency from the seed tannins.

It won't really be needed unless you heated up the fruit. With berries you don't have to worry about it.

It would help to have more details. A high pH will not cause a stuck fermentation (at least not a pH that is below 7.0) And don't think for a minute that this is done and should be bottled. EC-1118 is a monster that is no where near the ABV tolerance. If these batches get bottled and warm up...

If you use enough mango, you don't need to brighten it with lemon zest. I've use as much as 10 pounds per final gallon of mead. Dry, it has a chardonnay-like character. Sweet, and the flavor of mango becomes more prominent. If you have really ripe mangos, once you've skinned them, you can...

If you can keep it to 22C or below, you'll be OK. If you are making a big berry melomel or something with a lot of flavors to cover the fusels you might be OK above that temp. If you are trying to make traditional mead with D47 above that level, you'll be making paint thinner that will take...

This technique works because you don't mix in all the honey at the beginning. This is a variation of an approach we sometimes refer to as Bottom Dwelling Continuous Diffusion Yeast Feeding (BDCDYF for short). If you mixed all the honey in at once, your gravity would be so high that the yeast...

You can reuse the old yeast, however, since meads are generally made with higher levels of alcohol than beers, there tends to be more selection/mutation pressure on the yeast and you may get drift that creates some difference in flavors if you reuse the same yeast multiple times. That could be...

That sounds like the Vino-lock product. I've not had the chance to see one myself, but they sound like a really neat closure. I suspect that they could be reused, but you might want to ask the manufacturer. I'd love to be able to buy these for home brew.

It will make a very fruit-forward melomel that will be more like a fruit wine. The honey character may be light depending on how it is done, and what honey is used, and how much honey is used. This is often done with apple juice when making cyser. I've done it with starfruit juice which turned...

Boiling definitely causes volatile aromatic elements to be lost. Even in Erroll's test, the boiled batch had less aroma. See also Boiling Mad Mead Test Some further testing needs to be done with lighter honey.

A fine yeast but one with high ABV tolerance (18%) Both. 70/30 ratio of Fermaid K to DAP Thaw them and pitch them in.

Although 71B is one of the least picky yeast when it comes to nutrients, it is still helpful to use a nutrient that provides all the vitamins and micronutrients to help the yeast. My preference is Fermaid K which is a combination of DAP and autolyzed yeast. Lallemand (the yeast manufacturer and...

That yeast happens to be particularly finicky and has probably frustrated more new mead crafter than any other strain. However, I'd suggest opening it and checking the gravity to see if it is dropping. Meads often produce little foam, and airlock are not a reliable indicator. Let us know what...