hey guys, long time; first time.
anyways so I made my first batch of mead the other day. for the most part I followed Joe's Ancient Orange Mead recipe but with a few tweaks. including the addition of a campden tablet 24 hours before pitching the yeast, I zested the oranges and threw out the rinds and i use a champagne yeast because thats what the guy at the store suggested.
anyway i think i should mention that this is for all intents and purposes my first batch of anything, other than the "Prison wine" phase when i was just trying to get drunk.
when i pitched the yeast i had seen very little signs that the yeast had been hydrated but i saw some and i thought it was just normal to the yeast. 24 hours later and I'm not really seeing any signs of fermentation either, except for the slightest pressure differential in my airlock. I went to check on it and i see that there is a layer of yeast, presumably dead, on the bottom. the raisins that had sunk before i pitched the yeast were now floating around the middle-ish area of the jug. and when i opened it there was definitely a scent of alcohol.
if i had to take a guess at what happened it would be this: i didnt store my yeast properly and some died but some still lived. the dead ones never hydrated and sank to the bottom, but the live ones made it and started fermentation. in that case, all the yeast need is time to grow and multiply or whatever they do and then fermentation will take off, and i would not have that big of a problem to worry about. Does that sound reasonable or like the thoughts of a madman trying to rationalize the huge investment it was for the honey.
keep in my i tried to sanitize as much as i could within my means but all that includes is a hap hazard soak in a campden tablet solution or a rinse in boiling water.
Anyway i appreciate any answers i receive in advance and i urge you to be gentle with me
thanks
Johannes
anyways so I made my first batch of mead the other day. for the most part I followed Joe's Ancient Orange Mead recipe but with a few tweaks. including the addition of a campden tablet 24 hours before pitching the yeast, I zested the oranges and threw out the rinds and i use a champagne yeast because thats what the guy at the store suggested.
anyway i think i should mention that this is for all intents and purposes my first batch of anything, other than the "Prison wine" phase when i was just trying to get drunk.
when i pitched the yeast i had seen very little signs that the yeast had been hydrated but i saw some and i thought it was just normal to the yeast. 24 hours later and I'm not really seeing any signs of fermentation either, except for the slightest pressure differential in my airlock. I went to check on it and i see that there is a layer of yeast, presumably dead, on the bottom. the raisins that had sunk before i pitched the yeast were now floating around the middle-ish area of the jug. and when i opened it there was definitely a scent of alcohol.
if i had to take a guess at what happened it would be this: i didnt store my yeast properly and some died but some still lived. the dead ones never hydrated and sank to the bottom, but the live ones made it and started fermentation. in that case, all the yeast need is time to grow and multiply or whatever they do and then fermentation will take off, and i would not have that big of a problem to worry about. Does that sound reasonable or like the thoughts of a madman trying to rationalize the huge investment it was for the honey.
keep in my i tried to sanitize as much as i could within my means but all that includes is a hap hazard soak in a campden tablet solution or a rinse in boiling water.
Anyway i appreciate any answers i receive in advance and i urge you to be gentle with me
thanks
Johannes
