It's a gallon of Joes Ancient exact on the recipe. it's clear and 14.4% ABV and God it smells good! I racked straight into screw cap bottles. Need to know if it's ok to store the bottles at room temp? Will there be further fermentation to consider after racking? Risk of Explosion? Should I refrigerate a few days to lay the yeast dormant? Without sorbate or other poisons, how does it stop? What is the usual closing chapter after fermentation has virtually ceased?
Will fridge stop fermentation?
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fatbloke
Well-Known Member
JAO at 14.4% ABV ?
Not if the recipe was followed correctly i.e. bread yeast.........
For info, a low refrigerated temp, will stop any active ferment, but if there is any residual sugars, and wine yeast, can restart fermenting.
If you don't want to use "poisons" then you have to get it either fermented dry and leave it that way, or you have to step feed until the batch reaches or exceeds the yeasts alcohol tolerance. In other words, you let it finish or feed the yeast too death.
It's one of the reasons that JAO is made with bread yeast, to reach its tolerance and retain residual sugars, plus the pithy bitterness from the Orange helps balance the sweetness.
I had one I made with D47 that hit about 14 IIRC. Was pretty good too, if pretty clovey 
There's a couple of ways to stop yeast. One, you let it eat all the sugar, and it goes dormant. Two, you give it so much sugar that it drowns in its own poop (alcohol) and it goes dormant. Three, you chill it past its operating temp (edited to add: and keep it there) and it goes dormant. Four, you kill it with heat or chemicals.
JAOM is designed to have residual sugar left. The recipe says it's ready when the fruit falls out - if the mead is clear, you're probably past that already. The fruit falls out because 1) alcohol is less dense than water so stuff doesn't float as readily and 2) there's not enough yeast sticking to it, eating its sugars and farting out gas to keep it afloat. The yeast aren't doing so because they've hit their tolerance.
I assume your screw cap bottles are plastic? You oughta be fine. Give 'er a squeeze once every coupla weeks to make sure you haven't somehow made a bionic refermenting yeast through scientific mishap.. but if there are any yeast still floating about, they're likely very well asleep.
And if you must ask: the closing chapter is to mail a bottle to each of us on this list that has been so gracious as to lend to you from the bottomless wells of our wisdom
There's a couple of ways to stop yeast. One, you let it eat all the sugar, and it goes dormant. Two, you give it so much sugar that it drowns in its own poop (alcohol) and it goes dormant. Three, you chill it past its operating temp (edited to add: and keep it there) and it goes dormant. Four, you kill it with heat or chemicals.
JAOM is designed to have residual sugar left. The recipe says it's ready when the fruit falls out - if the mead is clear, you're probably past that already. The fruit falls out because 1) alcohol is less dense than water so stuff doesn't float as readily and 2) there's not enough yeast sticking to it, eating its sugars and farting out gas to keep it afloat. The yeast aren't doing so because they've hit their tolerance.
I assume your screw cap bottles are plastic? You oughta be fine. Give 'er a squeeze once every coupla weeks to make sure you haven't somehow made a bionic refermenting yeast through scientific mishap.. but if there are any yeast still floating about, they're likely very well asleep.
And if you must ask: the closing chapter is to mail a bottle to each of us on this list that has been so gracious as to lend to you from the bottomless wells of our wisdom
Joe's recipe said "If it's clear it's ready" and that's about it. I'm just keeping the 4x 750 bottles in the fridge. We'll drink them pretty fast. I hear no gasses when I unscrew them a couple of turns. Also I'm sure I followed the recipe exactly. 1/2 pkg fleishmans yeast. It was at 14.4 when I took it off the lees at 8 weeks, but was still fizzing up those tiny bubbles. Thank you Gentlemen for the help.
cgenebrewer
Well-Known Member
14.4 ABV may have been the potential for the must to get to, but as far as I am aware bakers yeast will not push beyond 8 percent.
I've seen a number of articles online stating that baker's yeast will get to 12-14%
