Apple Cider Melomel - Not Fermenting

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kserey

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Hello all,
I appreciate any help that anyone can give me. I have been homebrewing beer for 5 years, meads and wines for almost 2 years. However, my latest batch has got me stumped. I am making an apple cider melomel (roughly from a recipe out of Making wild wines and meads). It includes 3 gallons of apple cider, 9 lbs. of clover honey, and yeast. I added the honey to the 3 gallons of unpasteurized apple cider and aerated. It had a starting gravity of 1.112. I then added champagne yeast. After two days of nothing happening, I got nervous and took another hydrometer reading. No difference. I then pitched in some Lavlin D-47. The champagne yeast was pitched after making a starter. the D-47 was pitched after hydrating in warm water. 2 days later...no signs of fermentation. The temperature is where it needs to be, and I have never had a problem in the past. Not sure what my next step is.

Question 1- I assume it is possible that the cider WAS pasteurized, however, I bought it at a farmers market and was assured that it was unpasteurized. If it is pasteurized, can I still use it, or did I just waste a batch?:mad:

Question 2 - Any other advice of what to do is appreciated. How do I start this batch fermenting?

Thanks,
 
If I am not mistaken, pasturization won't stop fermentation. It is just a matter of killing of bacteria and wild yeast etc. What you need to worry about is preservitives. I am under the understanding that two days isn't necisarilly enough time to expect fermentation. Maybe it is just a slow start.
 
Hello,
I thought it may be a slow start as well, but I've always seen activity after at least a day. At the minimum, I've always seen some 'krausen' forming. Maybe I should just wait a few more days and not panic. I'm just like a kid on Christmas morning though. The day after I make a batch of something, I always have to sneak a few peeks in.
 
Can you call the cider mill and ask if they add anything to preserve the cider? Some cider places add sorbate or benzoate if they don't pasteurize.
 
Disregard any visual activity and rely only upon your hydrometer. Did you hydrate the D-47 for the proper time and temperature and hopefully with an addition of Go-Ferm? Was the yeast properly stored and still within the expiry date? I made wine and mead for five years without every doing anything other than sprinkling dry yeast on the surface and never had a problem with starting fermentation. You could always try that.
 
I did hydrate the D-47 in warm water. The amount of time may not have been long enough though. As far as the hydrometer goes...after 2 days with no visual signs of fermentation, I did take a reading and it had not changed at all. I am going to let it go for a few more days, and take another reading. I will keep you all posted. thank you for the replies. I have only signed up to be a member today, but I have been reading these posts for months. very informative.
 
I am also a new member fermenting my first batch of melomel (1 gal) using the same recipe. I re-hydrated a half package D-47 in 100 deg water than used the orange juice (pasturized) starter. Being a newbie I have no idea what a finished starter would look like so I pitched it after 2hrs with some minimal activity 1.089 sg. Like a kid on xmas morning with out presents nothing.

I know it's early, just 12 hrs, but I am leaving for 3 days and just have a general bad feel (hench finding this site).

How long can the must sit w/o fermentation before it is a loss?
 
I've got a small mill in the area that doesn't pasturize, but if you look at the jugs closely, in very small letters "Potassium Sorbate added". And yes, I noticed that after I mixed up a batch and it wasn't going anywhere after a week.
 
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