help, i killed the yeast in 1week?

[ozinkent]

Hello, (writing this on my phone)
I made 1gallon batch of mead, 2little oranges and handful of raisins. And 1pack of sweet wine yeast. And around 3.8 lbs of honey, (1.75kg)

So i wrapped my demijohn in a blanket as i have a cold is flat, althou the temps been around 18-20dc. I came home to find my Demi by the window, the wife moved it!! The problem is, it was protected by the sun but i lifted the cover and felt the Demi was v warm! 24hrs after that, bubbling has slowed from 1 every 2sec to 1 every 15.
I don't have a hydometer nor a thermometer.... (i know Santa is bringing me alot of home brew equipment for Xmas, so don't really want to by much till then!)

Should i a) add another pack of yeast and nutrient to same batch... B) rack it off leving the dead yeast and fruit then add more yeast and nutrient (and aerate?). Or c)... Andy advice well come!
thank u all in advance!!
Regards

 

[Arpolis]

This looks like a JAOM inspired mead. Only thing is that that are no spices, you used a wine yeast instead if bread yeast and may have more orange than normally needed. If you left the peel on the oranges then my recommendation is to rack to a new carboy, but not off the lees but off the orange. Mix it all up real good and dump the yeast and all into the new jug. Then forget about it for the next 2-3 months. Put it in a closet out of sight and check back later. It should be fine by then. Rack off the lees and bottle if it is clear.

 

[Yooper]

It's probably just finished.

You shouldn't mix up the yeast and stuff into it- it sounds just about finished. At a warm temperature, fermentation will go fast and a week is more than enough time to ferment out.

Do NOT aerate or stir, but you can rack if you need to.

A hydrometer is about $5, and is a requirement for mead making. I wouldn't wait for Christmas to get one if you are making a batch now.

 

[ozinkent]

I think I will rack off in to another demi... leaving the fruit.... and then top up with water and more honey, and add some more yeast.
should I aerate again? can any1 say this is a bad idea?
(ill add little more nutrient too)

Thanks you both, but I really don't think its finished, not that quickly.
bubbles are down to 1/20-5sec

 

[Yooper]

I think I will rack off in to another demi... leaving the fruit.... and then top up with water and more honey, and add some more yeast.
should I aerate again? can any1 say this is a bad idea?
(ill add little more nutrient too)

Thanks you both, but I really don't think its finished, not that quickly.
bubbles are down to 1/20-5sec

No, don't add more yeast and don't aerate. You will ruin the mead if you aerate it now.

It's nearly finished. Adding more honey and water will restart fermentation, so you're starting a cycle of it, but you won't need more yeast.

 

[Roadie]

If you used Sweet White yeast from Wyeast I just used it for my first batch of cider. It went from 1.045 to 1.000 in 6 days at a steady 65F. As Yooper said the yeast are probably just done; do yourself a favor and listen to her advice...always listen/follow Yooper's advice. I don't know much but I know that!

 

[ozinkent]

ok thank you both.
I have order a hydrometer.. so I will be able to check in a few days. never used one, so don't know what ill be looking for, I belive just a low ish number, 1.015-1.005 I THINK!

Thanks again.

 

[Yooper]

ok thank you both.
I have order a hydrometer.. so I will be able to check in a few days. never used one, so don't know what ill be looking for, I belive just a low ish number, 1.015-1.005 I THINK!

Thanks again.

Maybe. But it could easily be below 1.000, and that's fine.

 

[ozinkent]

Ok so ill rack it off, and top it up with water/honey till i get 1.015 (ass I don't a too dry mead) assuming its below this, but no more yeast... And see what happens. Will let u all know.

thanks again for you help and advice!
Oh, i also bought a lcd stop thermometer to put on the Demi, turns out its happly sitting @20-22 at room temp, so must have been ALOT warmer when in the sun. :/
Anyway, cheers!

 

[Yooper]

Ok so ill rack it off, and top it up with water/honey till i get 1.015 (ass I don't a too dry mead) assuming its below this, but no more yeast... And see what happens. Will let u all know.

thanks again for you help and advice!
Oh, i also bought a lcd stop thermometer to put on the Demi, turns out its happly sitting @20-22 at room temp, so must have been ALOT warmer when in the sun. :/
Anyway, cheers!

If you water/honey until you get to 1.015, it will ferment out and make the mead "hotter" and higher alcohol. When you add more honey, the honey is fermentable and will ferment out.

If you want a not-dry mead, it must be finished and then stabilized (so that no further fermentation can occur), and after that it can be sweetened. You're a very long way from the stabilizing step.

 

[ozinkent]

thanks Yooper.... ill update with the hydro reads when it comes.
It will be coming with my 2nd demi... so will post my reading b4 I rack it off.

Bubbles are down to 1/32sec, and temp 18/20 dc (getting colder here in UK!)

 

[ozinkent]

OK, update.
Started on 27/10/14
I just racked off into my secondary on 10/11/14... and took a OG reading of 1.031 (after 13 days, don't know the starting OG)

I topped it up with water, honey and (as it was still bubbling 1/35sec) I added 1/2 tsp of nutrient too to keep the yeasties happy.
Took another reading, 1.052.
Yes I probably added to much honey...! but it is what it is now.

After 20min with the airlock back on, it was bubbling 1/45 sec...

so.. can I leave it now for a few weeks, or would little more yeast help at this point?
I use a sweet wine yeast (don't know the name)

starting to understand the hydrometer, and whys its important! sadly i didn't take a starting OG.


Thanks kindly.

BTW, tastes amazing! sweet, but amazing... honey, little citrus warm rasiny tones too

 

[Yooper]

You're going to end up with a sweet product once you reach the yeast strain's alcohol tolerance. Adding more fermentables, while the mead is still struggling to ferment, is a very bad idea. Mucking about in it will ruin it faster than just leaving it alone. I'd really strongly suggest (again!) to stop adding honey and overwhelming the yeast unless you want to drink syrup.

 

[ozinkent]

yes Yooper... I get it now! I almost cried when I took the 2nd OG reading and saw it was that high!... im sorry I didn't listen the first time

tTats why I was wondering if maybe 1/2 a packet of yeast would help bring it down?
If not, no worries and ill just leave it alone.

As this was my 'first' mead, thinking I could just muck about with it in a demijohn.
But now im more looking forward to starting my 2nd mead, when I can use the hydrometer and do I properly!

I did want a sweet/strong mead, this one may just be alittle sweeter then expected.

 

[Arpolis]

Adding extra yeast does not always help. Just leave it alone for now. Check back in a month or two and see where it is. Any luck and the yeast may push the gravity down to 1.030 which is about as sweet as I could stand a mead. If after a couple months the mead has cleared and there is no signs of fermentation continuing. Of you need for it to drop a few gravity points you can wait her make a second dry mead and blend into this one until you get the right taste. Or you can try using a strain finishing yeast like lalvin k1v-1116 by making a stepped starter. The first option is probably easier.

 

[ozinkent]

Ok last question I promise!!
It has stopped fermenting @ 1.050 (4 days the same)
now, I have a packet of EC-1118.. should I add 1/2 packet, whole packet, or just bottle the syrup as is? (after maturing for a few more weeks)

and/or should I aerate the must again? (I know Yooper said not too, and only asking because I read somewhere that the active yeast (the new ec-1118) will 'eat' the o2 and prevent oxidisation..?!?)


kind regards

 

[Arpolis]

As. I posted befor you can use a finishing yeast or make a new dry mead and blend the two. Ec-1118 can work as a finishing yeast. I prefer 1116 but 1118 is really good for stuck high gravity fermentations.

First rack off any lees you have. Then take about a cup of mead from your jar and blend it with a cup of water & add a 1/4 tsp of yeast nutrient. Sprinkle the whole package of yeast on that and leave it alone. Do not stir the yeast in. After about two hours the yeast should look active. Add a 1/4 cup of your mead to that and stir. Wait and hour. Then add another 1/4 cup and wait an hour. Repeat this till you have about 3 cups of total liquid. Now pour that into your carboy and it should ferment plenty more of that residual sugar. Just leave it alone for a good 30 days minimum.

 

[fuelish]

As. I posted befor you can use a finishing yeast or make a new dry mead and blend the two. Ec-1118 can work as a finishing yeast. I prefer 1116 but 1118 is really good for stuck high gravity fermentations.

First rack off any lees you have. Then take about a cup of mead from your jar and blend it with a cup of water & add a 1/4 tsp of yeast nutrient. Sprinkle the whole package of yeast on that and leave it alone. Do not stir the yeast in. After about two hours the yeast should look active. Add a 1/4 cup of your mead to that and stir. Wait and hour. Then add another 1/4 cup and wait an hour. Repeat this till you have about 3 cups of total liquid. Now pour that into your carboy and it should ferment plenty more of that residual sugar. Just leave it alone for a good 30 days minimum.

Sounds like sound advice I've gotten real good at not mucking around with my meads ....as little as possible, only as much as necessary....bulk aging, checking the airlocks every so often to make sure there's adequate level fluid of one's choice....it's such an incredibly easy "adult beverage" to make...I've found patience is gained by having several fermentors at various stages of "life" so as to not be preoccupied with a single batch. SWMBO isn't thrilled with carboys/buckets/jugs here and there (all out of sight of guests, mind you), but she (generally) enjoys the end results....still trying to convince her that my oaked ginger/habanero is to die for

 

[ozinkent]

done and done... thanks a bunch!

Ginger and habanero... yummy!! my sister made strawberry and habanero vodka... was AMAZING! (hmm, mead idea!!! DING!)

 

[ozinkent]

So, just to update... its been 1 month since adding the ec-1118, and has taken it down to 1.020... slower bubbles, about 1/17 sec.

thinking of racking it off soon, and stopping it, maybe next week to age.

 

[Yooper]

So, just to update... its been 1 month since adding the ec-1118, and has taken it down to 1.020... slower bubbles, about 1/17 sec.

thinking of racking it off soon, and stopping it, maybe next week to age.

Stopping an active fermentation is not all that easy. You may get a terrible flavor impact from the stressed yeast, if you do get lucky and happen to be able to arrest fermentation.

I know this has been said over and over, but this is a very young mead. It really is best to leave it alone right now. No racking, no adding chemicals, etc. It really will do better (and taste much better) if you simply leave it alone.

The mead is like a month old. It's not ready to be stabilized, as it may not even be finished and I'd be willing to bet it's not clear.

When it's clear, so that you can read a newspaper through it, then it may be ready to go to the next step. The only thing to do now is to wait, and then wait some more. Rack to a new vessel (but do not add anything!) when you have sediment more than 1/4" thick, or any lees at all after another 60 days in a new vessel. You are a very long time away from that, as it's not even 60 days old!

 

[ozinkent]

thank you....
I will listen, and not touch it as you said!

not clear, I guess I swas alittle worried about it sitting on the lees... but, another month, and will check again.

Merci

(guess im bitting my nails alittle, as when I rack it and age it, I can start another one )

 

[Yooper]

thank you....
I will listen, and not touch it as you said!

not clear, I guess I swas alittle worried about it sitting on the lees... but, another month, and will check again.

Merci

(guess im bitting my nails alittle, as when I rack it and age it, I can start another one )

You can rack it when it needs it- but I'd wait to make sure fermentation is nearly done.