Cote des Blancs JAOM stalled.... What now?

I made a JAOM with the Cotes des Blancs dry yeast.

After approx a month (don't remember when made!), it is seems sort of stalled, no activity, yet it has not started to clear much.

Is my mead ruined :fro:?

What's your SG at?

I wouldn't worry about it, yet. I'm using Cotes Des Blancs and I feared it stuck too. After the first month, not a bubble did I spy in the airlock. Yet two months later and my gravity reading went from 1055 to 1027.

I've made many of the JOA meads and I've never had one clear in a month. In fact, I can't think of a single of my dozens of meads that has cleared within a month. Lack of visible activity isn't an indication of progress (or lack thereof). A hydrometer is the only tool you have that will reliable track fermentation progress.

summersolstice said:

...A hydrometer is the only tool you have that will reliable track fermentation progress.

Click to expand...

Actually, it is not the only "tool". A refractometer is also effective in providing reliable fermentation progress information...

Am I all done at 1012..?

(I seem to have lost my AOM notes somewhere... arrgh)

beergears said:

Am I all done at 1012..?(I seem to have lost my AOM notes somewhere... arrgh)

Click to expand...

Not with Cotes des Blancs dry yeast, your most likely end up with a FG of 1.000 or less if you used 3 lbs per gallon. Fermentation of the mead can take months if the temperatures change a lot, or lack of nutrients, PH off or poor aeration at the beginning of fermentation.

As I've said before, I've made a lot of these JAO meads in various configurations and have read hundreds of posts over the years regarding changes in the recipe, recipes made exactly as designed, and observations about the recipe from a lot of people. One thing that always comes up is that this recipe was designed a certain way with certain ingredients. If it was made as it was designed, it should come out the same way each time. If, however, one changes any part of the recipe all bets are off. If you screw with the recipe, you're going to get a different product than was originally designed. That may or may not be a good thing. Experimenting is fine but it's always risky.