This is my first batch of mead and I used the no-heat method and basic recipe from The Compleat Meadmaker. In the book, the author states to rack it off the primary yeast at 2 weeks, even if the gravity is not where it needs to be. He states that the yeast will continue to work on it and bring it down and does not mention the possibilities of stuck fermentation in these steps. His method does not involve staggering the nutrient additions.
The mead was fermenting very vigorously within 24 hours of pitching and kept chugging on for a little over a week. I thought everything was fine. I racked it into secondary before taking a gravity reading. Turns out the gravity was 1.050! OG was 1.100. Using Lalvin 71B. Fermented in my fermentation chamber at 70F.
I'm seeing some fermentation activity in secondary, so I'm pretty sure that it will eventually get down to my desired FG. But I'm also considering re-pitching another couple yeast packets to speed things up. I'm also wondering if more time on the yeast would have let it clean up off flavors like it does with beer. What do you think?
What do other experienced meadmakers think of this methodology of racking off yeast at 2 weeks? I know this author has a rep for making great mead...
The mead was fermenting very vigorously within 24 hours of pitching and kept chugging on for a little over a week. I thought everything was fine. I racked it into secondary before taking a gravity reading. Turns out the gravity was 1.050! OG was 1.100. Using Lalvin 71B. Fermented in my fermentation chamber at 70F.
I'm seeing some fermentation activity in secondary, so I'm pretty sure that it will eventually get down to my desired FG. But I'm also considering re-pitching another couple yeast packets to speed things up. I'm also wondering if more time on the yeast would have let it clean up off flavors like it does with beer. What do you think?
What do other experienced meadmakers think of this methodology of racking off yeast at 2 weeks? I know this author has a rep for making great mead...