Hi,
I have successfully made 5-6 batches of kit wine 15 years ago, but this is my first batch of mead.
I started with:
~1.2kg of honey (1 bottle plus a squeeze from a second)
water to bring it up to 4L
20-30 golden raisins
1 packet of EC-1118 Yeast
no nutrients or energizer
I don't know what my starting SG was. I think it calculates to 1.07
It's in a tall plastic water bottle that the spring water came in. it's had an air lock since day 1.
So it's been a week since I put the yeast in and it's still bulbing slowly at 20 second intervals. I was away for a few days so I was thinking that it may have went hard when I was not looking. Yesterday I got a hydrometer and the SG is 1.06 at 22C (hydrometer is calibrated to 20C). The must smells good and looks fine. I'm thinking that it's not fermenting very fast....
I was going to add some nutrients and energizer tonight (should I?). How should I do that? do I transfer to a big pot and stir it before putting back in the bottle? I tried to shake the bottle the other day and it's kind of like pop it gets fizzy fast and I don't want it to overflow.
Should I add more honey? unless I dump some of the existing must I have no room and may have to split the batch in 2 bottles. My carboy for the secondary is 1 gallon (4L) so I think I will have to add more watter when I rack it to the secondary anyway so it's not big deal to have to bottles, other that the work to make it happen.
I would appreciate any help I can get.
Steve
I have successfully made 5-6 batches of kit wine 15 years ago, but this is my first batch of mead.
I started with:
~1.2kg of honey (1 bottle plus a squeeze from a second)
water to bring it up to 4L
20-30 golden raisins
1 packet of EC-1118 Yeast
no nutrients or energizer
I don't know what my starting SG was. I think it calculates to 1.07
It's in a tall plastic water bottle that the spring water came in. it's had an air lock since day 1.
So it's been a week since I put the yeast in and it's still bulbing slowly at 20 second intervals. I was away for a few days so I was thinking that it may have went hard when I was not looking. Yesterday I got a hydrometer and the SG is 1.06 at 22C (hydrometer is calibrated to 20C). The must smells good and looks fine. I'm thinking that it's not fermenting very fast....
I was going to add some nutrients and energizer tonight (should I?). How should I do that? do I transfer to a big pot and stir it before putting back in the bottle? I tried to shake the bottle the other day and it's kind of like pop it gets fizzy fast and I don't want it to overflow.
Should I add more honey? unless I dump some of the existing must I have no room and may have to split the batch in 2 bottles. My carboy for the secondary is 1 gallon (4L) so I think I will have to add more watter when I rack it to the secondary anyway so it's not big deal to have to bottles, other that the work to make it happen.
I would appreciate any help I can get.
Steve