First Mead - Slow Ferment vs Stuck

This is my first homebrew/mead/anything...
I did a 3gal mead (wanted to start small): 9lbs Orange Blossom with a Sweet Mead yeast pitched.
Original Gravity was 1.120
Taking daily readings, It dropped pretty steadily (4-6/day).
It slowed for a bit (2/day) for a couple of days. And guy in the local homebrew club (their monthly meeting) said I could stir it up... and I did.. yeast got back on track.
now its back to 2/day and stirring isn't helping.
Is the slowing down part normal or is it getting stuck and I need to put something in it to get it going again?

Also, the yeast was a month past it's shelf life but the guy (same guy from the local club) said it was ok because I wa sonly doing 3gal and the yeast sold in the homebrew sdtore are geared for 5 gal musts.

What's your current SG?

Agreed, need that SG. We also need to know if you're aiming for a dry, semi-sweet, or sweet mead.

You could add some yeast energizer/nutrient (say, a half dose) and shake things up again to get it going, but without knowing where you are and where you want to end up (current SG and goal FG, respectively) we can't really help guide you.

I doubt that the yeast being a little old has anything to do with it. I once used a 25 year old yeast packet I found in my step dads garage. It had been subjected to who knows how many hot summers and cold winters but it made a great Welch's Red table wine.

I'd add some nutrients and see what happens, slowing down is normal but it depends on the current SG.

Oh, and "sweet mead yeast" isn't very descriptive, in the future try to get some yeast with a strain name on it like Lalvin D47, K1-V1116, 71B-1122 ect. It's confusing at first but you'll find a lot of talk about yeast types if you look through the forum.

Oops, double post.

Youll have to pardon me... this my first anything for homebrew.

Last reading was 1.070 taken Tuesday 8/21

I am going for a sweet mead.. I used the White Labs Sweet Mead WLP720 yeast. I dont have anything more descriptive than that. I attached the label to my record sheet for the readings and stuff; so I can get a lot number I think.

Your around 7% alcohol.
1.07 is probably sweeter than you want...
Is there any activity in your airlock? Has it stopped, or is it just slow?

Halbrust said:

Your around 7% alcohol.
1.07 is probably sweeter than you want...
Is there any activity in your airlock? Has it stopped, or is it just slow?

Click to expand...

I haven't seen any activity in the airlock except when I move it ( to take readings).
There are co2 bubbles in the mix when I take a reading. A gentle stir releases em.

Like I stated.. .Ive never done this before so I am unsure what to expect.
If its normal Ill leave it alone and try to be patient. If it isn't I need to know what steps I need to take.

I appreciate the responses.

Ya'll would recommend some yeast nutrient?

Honey doesn't have the nutrients that the yeast need. Lack of nutrient is one of the main causes of slow or stalled ferments. It is normally added during the first third of fermentation. You are beyond that point, but I would still add them if you haven't added any previously.

Illuveatar said:

I once used a 25 year old yeast packet I found in my step dads garage.

Click to expand...

Felt the need to point out that the OP is using white labs sweet mead yeast, which is liquid yeast. 25 year old liquid yeast would be no good, I think. So yeah, OP, understand he was talking about dry yeast and not the liquid yeast you're using.

OP - definitely throw in some nutrients and stir it around. If you didn't add any at the beginning, throw in a full dose (if you did, do like a half or 3/4 dose). I've had lots of success after the 1/3 mark people have mentioned. LD Carlson has a great yeast nutrient/energizer that I've specifically used in conjunction with WLP720 to get it going again once it started slowing down, but you could really use most any yeast nutrient. The sooner you get it in there and stir it around, the better.

EDIT - saw the OP had answered one of my questions earlier in the thread, so I deleted it.

Thank-you for the responses.

I partook of a mead event held locally by a homebrew club at a homebrew retailer. Newcomers to homebrewing could buy the bucket, airlock, honey and yeast... the club provided the little stuff.
I didnt write everything down from that first day. But from memory, I used:
Yeast Nutrient (no idea how much)
"Driller's Mud" (somebody explained what that really was but I am unable to remember)
Something else.
Honey
Yeast
Water

I had done some reading prior to this as this is something I had wanted to do for a while but had been reluctant to attempt.

I took another reading last night (1.060) so its still going.
I'm guessing that this yeast has that kinda of... character. Go fast for a bit... slow down... go fast again.

Imma pick up some nutrient. I need to hit the homebrew store anyway. I encountered another problem last night... my hydrometer bottoms out at 1.058-ish (this is a 3-gal batch in a 5gal bucket).
Thank-you for the help...

I bought a "thief" for those situations.
Prior to that I used a "baster".
Make sure they are clean though.

luda007 said:

I bought a "thief" for those situations.
Prior to that I used a "baster".
Make sure they are clean though.

Click to expand...

I got one of those. Definitely easier to read. I picked up some sanitizer as well as other things. Hit home depot for some buckets (cleaning) and spray bottles.

After I rack it to the carboy, Ill hit the store again to start a second batch; getting the little stuff this time: acid blend, nutrients,etc..

Hey, do y'all mind if I piggyback my version of that same question onto this thread?

I have a Caramel Apple Mead that I feel is "stuck." But it's my first mead, so it may just be my paranoia.

6lb honey
1.2lb DME
19.2lb (2.4gal) apple juice
2lb crystal 75

Yeast: Lalvin 71b-1122

OG: 1.138

Added nutrient at beginning (SG 1.138), and also on day 13 (SG 1.032)

In the third week, SG stabilized at 1.030 (14.18% ABV). We're now on Day 60 of SG being 1.030.

I know that's fairly high ABV for a mead, and fermentation is probably done, but I was wondering if I should try to push it down any further? It tastes cloyingly sweet right now, and at 1.030 I feel like I should have done something to get it lower. That's 86% attenuation, which is high for beer I know, but I was under the impression wine yeast os supposed to go to near 100% attenuation.

So, from that rambling, my questions are:

1) Does a cloying sweetness mellow with age, or am I pretty much stuck with a sweetie-sweet candy wine*?
2) Should I make a starter & pitch, add nutrients, or do anything else to nudge that 60-day-old 1.030 down a bit farther?

Thank you for your expertise! I'll tell you what, it sure smells good. If I can get this thing figured out, I will definitely be making it again.


*Yes, I know it's called "Caramel Apple Mead" so what did I expect it to taste like -- but believe me when I say it tastes like liquid sugar.

The alcohol tolerance of that particular yeast strand is 14%. Given that you've reached that, plus the fact that it's been sitting there for 60 days means you're not going to reactivate that yeast. Sweetness does not mellow with age, as sugar content will not change (it doesn't evaporate or anything like that). Given these facts, you need to pitch a yeast that has a higher tolerance than 14% if you want to dry it out a bit more. Champagne yeast is generally used in these situations; no starter needed.

Doh - I missed the alcohol tolerance info in the datasheet. I guess that one's not getting any drier. Hm, I wonder why the LHBS recommended that one, given the expected OG.

So, if I take no further action, I know the mead will not get any less sweet because this particular yeast is done working on the sugars. But in terms of flavor, should I expect the sweet taste to blend better with the other flavors over time? "Mellowing" kind of thing. I don't know, the winemaking timelines and conditioning phases are so different from beer, and my expectations are stuck in beer-world.

Wait a minute, I do believe I have some EC-1118 in the fridge (apfelwein experiment?). Tolerance up to 18%. I'll pitch directly into the mead and see what transpires. Thanks for the help!

Yes, the flavors will combine and blend, mellowing with age. This mellowing, however, is most usually associated with alcohol hotness (that is, some of the harshness of alcohol will mellow out into the sweetness). I'm not very sure about the sweetness mellowing out, but yes, you should get a more blended and smooth mead after aging. I will say that it'll be pretty hard for some flavor to conquer that sugar...I'm just not seeing how some flavor could get strong enough to compete/balance out the sweetness.

If you do pitch that other yeast, be sure you take daily readings and immediately Camden tab/sorbate it right when it's at the goal FG. If you do not, it will probably take it all the way down to .990 - this may or may not be a problem for you, but that's pretty damn dry.

Pitched the EC-1118 this morning. Will monitor & sorbate that sucker when it gets down below non-cloying levels of sweetness. I really hope this works. I want my caramel apple mead!

The larger question is, why was EC-1118 in my fridge in the first place? I don't remember buying it. Elves?

Proboscidea said:

Pitched the EC-1118 this morning. Will monitor & sorbate that sucker when it gets down below non-cloying levels of sweetness. I really hope this works. I want my caramel apple mead!

The larger question is, why was EC-1118 in my fridge in the first place? I don't remember buying it. Elves?

Click to expand...

How did this work out for you? stopping a yeast dead in its tracks is more than difficult, especially when it's a monster like 1118. You will more than likely have to go with sorbate, sulfites, cold crash, rack and hope....OR......let it finish and do it's thing when the sg stabilizes, rack it, stabilize with the sorbate and k-meta (campden/sulfites) and then backsweeten with a syrup made of honey and water, small amounts at a time until you reach the desired level of sweetness. When all is said and done it'll have to age a while to mellow out the higher alcohol content.

As far as why your LHBS recommended the 71-B, which is a great yeast in the right circumstances. They generally have a strong knowledge base in beer and working knowledge of wine...mead is still a bit of a mystery there so they give the best advice from what the know.

It looks like the yeast I pitched didn't "take." No change in SG yet. In a few days, if nothing has changed, I may just do the sorbate/sulfite kill-sweep, and bottle as-is. Next time, if the OG is that high, I'll know to add water to bring it down to a saner starting level.

You can always save in bulk to use to back sweeten or blend it to.get it to.the flavor you like.