Honey, water, yeast

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gashton

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This is my first time trying to home brew anything and my goal was to keep it simple and as few ingredients as possible.

Using lavlin d-47. I have not seen much activity (started on 9/26 today is 9/29) only a few surface bubbles and very little airlock activity. I am thinking this is because I did not use any yeast nutrients. Temp is 68-70f.

Im looking for suggestions to get the ferment going stronger, wondering if getting some yeast nutrients in there will help or any other recommendations?

Thanks!
 
Mead benefits greatly from nutrient as there aren't any in honey. Meads without nutrient can take extremely long times to ferment to completion.
 
Hi gashton - and welcome.
Since it is always possible that the seals between the bung and the lip of the carboy and or the grommet and or the airlock may not be airtight "activity" is never a very good indicator of anything. The only valid tool to use is an hydrometer and if it shows that the specific gravity is dropping then the yeast is doing its job.
Nutrient is always useful with mead as honey is notoriously nutrient poor as far as yeast is concerned, so that may be an issue but people have been fermenting honey and making mead for tens of thousands of years and they knew not a thing about the value of nutrients... That said, if you have some raisins (that are preservative and oil free) you could chop up a tablespoonful or so and add that. Alternatively, if you have some baker's yeast you could take a teaspoon and rehydrate it in a quarter cup of water and then boil that solution in your microwave - the live yeast in your wine will cannibalize the dead cells - which are a great source of the missing nutrient. If you can get your hands on DAP or Fermaid K or O then those are lab produced nutrients.
The other thing to do is make sure that the yeast have enough oxygen. If you, for example, boiled the water in which you dissolved the honey then you are asking that the yeast immediately work anaerobically. This they can do but they really need O2 to repair cells- which is why many of the best mead makers ferment their honey in buckets covered loosely with a towel rather than in a glass carboy sealed with a bung and airlock. They can then morning and evening remove the towel and whip air into the mead. It is only when the specific gravity drops close to 1.000 that they transfer the mead to a sealable carboy and ensure that air is no longer part of the equation. During the first few weeks the yeast need air, but air has no effect on the honey. After active fermentation is over the yeast may still want air but oxygen is not good for you - because it can create the conditions that make vinegar a likely outcome...
Good luck
 
Wanted to say thanks for replies. Im going to try the suggestions and I also used the hydrometer. I did test at the beginning and I think it is the same so Im going to add something
 
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