Hello everyone, I will go ahead and inform you all that this is my first batch of mead I have attempted. I have brewed many different types of beers before but I got a wild hair up the backside and thought I'd give this a try. Now I must admit I was probably a bit cocky with the procedure and just thought to myself "Hey its just like brewing Beer" but not quite as I have found out. Ofcourse it seems this whole process has been jinxed right from the get go or maybe its just a lack of preparation.
I suppose the trouble all began when I ordered my liquid yeast online and assumed it would arrive nice and chilled ready to be tossed in the fridge to wait till brew day. Now that I look back I should have ordered dry yeast and this wouldn't have been a problem but living in florida and when the package ends up sitting in my mail box for hours pretty much means the yeast is knocking on heaven's door by the time I am able to rescue from its hell. Now I did a little research and I do emphasize "little" when it came to making mead but I figured it was the same as making any wine or beer for that matter but I didn't realize that yeast needed a little extra shot when it came to making mead. Well to make a long story short, I made the batch 2 days ago, added 15 lbs. of honey to 3 gallons of water, about 3 lemons (I just let them steep while brewing), 1 1/2 tbsp. of cinnamon, and about 3 cups of strong green tea and an extra gallon of water added in the fermenter. I chilled it to about 70 degrees, pitched the yeast and I really haven't seen any indication of fermenting. I think it could be for a number of reasons: dead yeast, low nutrients, lack of experience, but I have bought a few packets of a dry yeast which is suppose to act as a good reviving strain for stuck fermentations, and a yeast energizer which hopefully should be here withing the next day or two.
Now I guess my question is whether I should continue on with my original plan to salvage this patch which is to bring the mixture back to a boil killing off any bacteria strains that may have decided to take root, add a non-perservative grape juice to hopefully balance out the nutrients, chill it back down, add the new yeast and hope for the best. But I will be honest and say it has been about 2 1/2 years since I brewed my last batch of beer so I'm a bit rusty and could really use some expert advice on how to bring this batch of mead back from the brink of death.
any advice, tips, and even insults are welcome
I suppose the trouble all began when I ordered my liquid yeast online and assumed it would arrive nice and chilled ready to be tossed in the fridge to wait till brew day. Now that I look back I should have ordered dry yeast and this wouldn't have been a problem but living in florida and when the package ends up sitting in my mail box for hours pretty much means the yeast is knocking on heaven's door by the time I am able to rescue from its hell. Now I did a little research and I do emphasize "little" when it came to making mead but I figured it was the same as making any wine or beer for that matter but I didn't realize that yeast needed a little extra shot when it came to making mead. Well to make a long story short, I made the batch 2 days ago, added 15 lbs. of honey to 3 gallons of water, about 3 lemons (I just let them steep while brewing), 1 1/2 tbsp. of cinnamon, and about 3 cups of strong green tea and an extra gallon of water added in the fermenter. I chilled it to about 70 degrees, pitched the yeast and I really haven't seen any indication of fermenting. I think it could be for a number of reasons: dead yeast, low nutrients, lack of experience, but I have bought a few packets of a dry yeast which is suppose to act as a good reviving strain for stuck fermentations, and a yeast energizer which hopefully should be here withing the next day or two.
Now I guess my question is whether I should continue on with my original plan to salvage this patch which is to bring the mixture back to a boil killing off any bacteria strains that may have decided to take root, add a non-perservative grape juice to hopefully balance out the nutrients, chill it back down, add the new yeast and hope for the best. But I will be honest and say it has been about 2 1/2 years since I brewed my last batch of beer so I'm a bit rusty and could really use some expert advice on how to bring this batch of mead back from the brink of death.
any advice, tips, and even insults are welcome