well, I think I killed my yeast.....

My hydrometer hasn't moved over the course of 3 days and I am still very early into ferm....a week.

I think I may have added too much DAP and killed my yeast. I guess there is nothing I can do huh. If I add more yeast they will likely also die?

bummer.....

What temp are you fermenting at?

What did you brew?

What yeast did you use ?

There are several things that can cause your fermentation to slow...

um...14# honey...5 gallon batch. 2 packs d-47, temp is around 68 degrees. I added way too much DAP and fermaid. I used high tests schedule at first, but then added more due to a sulfur smell.....

oh and something else really weird....my hydrometer reading has jumped up substantially....it read 1.105 shortly after pitching....but the temp was still around 80(i know I shouldnt have pitched at 80 degrees) I put the fermenter by an air bent a couple of days later to bring the temps down....now it is around 65-68 and the hydrometer says 1.201(2). Would the temp change have that much affect?

Check that hydrometer reading again. Most hydrometers don't go above about 1.170.

If that number is 1.020 then your fermentation may be stalling prematurely for other reasons. An overdose of DAP is not going to kill the yeast unless you dumped a truck load in there. It may have a negative impact on aroma and flavor if you overdose it, but it won't stall the fermentation.

It might help if you provide all the recipe details including the amounts of nutrients and everything else added. If this is a traditional mead, one of the most common reasons for a stalled fermentation is excessively low pH, especially if you recipe included addition of acid blend at the beginning.

ok I feel so dumb....yes it is reading 1.022. I was thinking it looked different in there...so much lower. But it happened so fast!!

OK, I am a bit embarrassed to repeat my process. Please keep in mind that this is the first thing I have brewed in over a year and I was rushed for time :blush:

-14lbs raw honey added to about 3 gallons tap temp water, warm water used to wash honey bowl out, added to bucket. Topped off to 5 gallons.

-2.5 teaspoons K metabisulfate added, 4.5 g DAP and fermaid added.

-mixed up and aerated with mortar mixing drill attachment in drill for about 5 minutes.

-2 packs D-47 yeast hydrated with 12.5 g go-ferm in 100 degree tap water for 8-10 minutes

-yeast pitched and stirred in well. water was 80 degrees at pitch.

Next Day:

-bubbling away but subtle sulfur smell emanates. 4g DAP and fermaid added 16 hours after yeast pitch

Day three: Sulfur smell worse. 1.8 g DAP and fermaid added. Fermenter set in front of A/C vent and temp drops dramtically...68 degrees now.

Day four: Sulfur smell lingers...same but not worse. 2 teaspoons of DAP added(hardly any bubbles come up) Gravity reading taken. 1.022.

Day seven: (today) gravity still 1.022.



My mishaps as I see them....(not saying much)

-I put in more than twice the recommended amount of meta and I didn't let the must sit for a day or two after putting it in before pitching yeast...

-I put in way too much DAP

-I pitched too hot and kept the must too warm for the first couple of days(mid-high 70s)

thanks yall.

Actually you didn't really overdose with DAP, You added somewhere around 20 grams in a 5 gallon batch which is about 200 ppm nitrogen - that's not an overdose, but in the future you may want to use some yeast energizer (such as Fermaid K) that also provides amino nitrogen as well as vitamins as minerals that are essential to prevent hydrogen sulfide production such as pyridoxine and pantothenate.

On the other hand, the metabisulphite was a large overdose. While it was clearly not enough to prevent the yeast from functioning, it may be enough to cause the yeast to stall early as the alcohol increases. The pH may also be a factor, and it you check it and find it low, it can be adjusted upward.

If the smell you were getting was that of a burnt match, you may just be be smelling SO2, and if it is blowing off, that is probably a good thing given the overdose. After racking, that smell will likely fade more.

If your yeast doesn't go any farther, you have a couple of choices - either enjoy it as a sweet mead that has around 10% ABV (which may be just fine), or try to pitch another yeast to restart this batch.

Thanks Medsen. I feel better now. I will put some more yeast in and if it doesn't go anywhere...well I'll do what you said and just let it age as is...

RDWHAHB.... letters to live by....starting now...

Thanks again.