Stuck Fermentation??

Hi,

I recently fermented a traditional mead as well as a Apple/Lime mead. I am worried that the traditional mead is stuck, and possibly infected. I have not yet taken a gravity reading since pitching yeast...I plan to do this soon.

The mead has been fermenting for ~ 2 months. Both are still in primary. The Apple & Lime mead is crystal clear, whereas the traditional mead is quite murky. Staggered Nutrient Addition was implemented for the traditional mead, but I ran out and therefore only added ~half the recommended amount of DAP/Fermaid-K. It should be noted that calcium carbonate wasn't added. Furthermore, it appears that a pellicle has formed on the surface of the traditional mead....Could this simply be bees wax, or is it likely to be an infection?...

I will take a gravity reading tonight and report the current attenuation...If the fermentation is stuck, would it be safe to assume that a combination of pH/nutrient deprivation may be responsible?

-If fermentation is stuck, would racking onto fruit be likely to provide sufficient nutrients for the yeast?

-If fermentation is stuck, should I pitch more yeast? yeast energizer? More Fermaid-K/Dap?

-If what I see is indeed a pellicle, what fruit might compliment a sour/funky mead?

Before you do anything, take a gravity reading. Also, we need to know what the OG was, what yeast you used, and other details. If it's still cloudy, chances are it's just still going. If you're above the 1/3 break point, you can add more nutrient. If you're below that, you might need to do something else.

BTW, I've never done anything to alter the PH of my traditional mead batches. The ONLY time I've needed to do something was with batches with high levels of something acidic. You want the PH to be above 3.2 in order for the yeast to be in a decent environment. More acidic (lower PH numbers) put additional stress on the yeast.

Golddiggie said:

Before you do anything, take a gravity reading. Also, we need to know what the OG was, what yeast you used, and other details. If it's still cloudy, chances are it's just still going. If you're above the 1/3 break point, you can add more nutrient. If you're below that, you might need to do something else.

BTW, I've never done anything to alter the PH of my traditional mead batches. The ONLY time I've needed to do something was with batches with high levels of something acidic. You want the PH to be above 3.2 in order for the yeast to be in a decent environment. More acidic (lower PH numbers) put additional stress on the yeast.

Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll take a reading shortly and take it from there...

Check out the forums on the Got Mead? site too.