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[mikemccutch]

Started my mead on Oct. with 14 lbs of honey, to 4 gal of water. I added 4 oranges and a handful of raisins for flavor. I forget the brand of yeast I used, but it was recommended for sweet mead wine. Lastly I added LD Carlson yeast nutrient as recommended, The mead bubbled very slowly for two weeks then stopped. It never bubbled vigorously link many of the videos I saw. I'm original reading on the hydrometer was 18% sugar . I racked it today and removed the fruit. There was dead yeast, but not as much as many of the videos i have seen. Today's reading is 0 percent sugar. It is still cloudy, but I know that is expected.....I have two questions....my glass carbon is 6 gallons and my mead at this point is 5 gal. Should I add a gallon of water to fill the carbon or should I leave it alone? Second question, how am I doing so far? Thanks in advance for the feedback!

 

[mikemccutch]

By the way I am a newbie... I wrote it in the earlier post, but I nuts have erased it!

 

[mikemccutch]

Update. Here is a photo of my mead

 

[Golddiggie]

Need to know the actual OG and what the SG currently is. Also need to know WHAT yeast you used for the batch. Adding 14# of honey to 4 gallons of water should have given you just over 5 gallons into primary. The OG was probably around 1.100-1.097 (depending on the sugar level in the honey). That would give you a mead in the area of 12% ABV. Depending on the yeast used, it would could be of any speed to ferment. But, with the oranges you added, most likely the must was too acidic for the yeast to do what it needed to.

BTW, two weeks is FAR too short a time frame for a mead to be racked. The shortest amount of time mine has gone is a month in primary before it was finished fermenting (with a 14% batch). I've also had one take over three months before it was finished fermenting (21%).

I would highly recommend going over to the Got Mead? forums and look through the stickies there and then post up for advice.

Also, if this is your very first mead, I don't think you picked a good first mead recipe. IMO/IME, first batches should be as fool-proof as possible. You also need to follow best methods (as on the Got Mead forums) to get it to finish properly. IMO, you did none of that. Without knowing the actual OG, current SG, how much nutrient you used, how you aerated/degassed it (and how often), it's virtually impossible to say where you went [most] sideways.

I would also NOT recommend adding water to the batch. That will just cause more trouble for you.

 

[mikemccutch]

Specific gravity now is 1.0. Started at 1.075

 

[Golddiggie]

Specific gravity now is 1.0. Started at 1.075

Puts it to 10% ABV. I suspect it had issues with the acid content from the oranges you added. Without knowing WHAT yeast you used, no way to know what it could have done. Most of the strains I know will go to at least 12-14% unless you highly stress the yeast, or don't give it enough to eat.

Leave the batch along for 1-3 months and then see what the SG is and how it's clearing. Also, seriously, read up on the Got Mead? forums BEFORE you make another batch...

 

[mikemccutch]

goldiggie, it was three weeks before I racked it.....

 

[mikemccutch]

Thanks....

 

[Golddiggie]

goldiggie, it was three weeks before I racked it.....

Which is too soon for a first racking, IME... I never go less than a full month and even then it's ONLY when you actually need to get the batch off the yeast (for Lalvin 71B). Since you don't even know what yeast you used, there's no way to know what's going on. With it as cloudy as it is, I would leave it at least 2-4 months before doing anything with it.

BTW, it's not at all uncommon for a mead to ferment to .998 and below. Especially when it's formulated at a LOW OG (which yours was). Let it go 4-6 months then take a taste sample. Chances are the oranges you added will have very little contribution left. The majority of that went out the airlock. Add more orange back, or use orange zest/peel (I'd go for the sweet version) and let it go another 2-4 months. Be sure to take a gravity reading with each racking too.

WHEN it's actually clear, and ready for bottling, you'll need to stabilize the batch. Read up on doing that on the Got Mead? forums. Basically you use chemicals to kill the yeast and stop anything else from eating sugars later. Without that, you're risking bottle bombs since it's highly unlikely the yeast is at it's ABV tolerance level.

 

[mikemccutch]

Golden I think that yeast was the one I used....I will leave this alone, like you say...thanks...Mike

 

[Golddiggie]

Golden I think that yeast was the one I used....I will leave this alone, like you say...thanks...Mike

You need to KNOW for anything in the future.

IF you did actually use that yeast, what temperature was it fermenting at?? It has a listed range of 15-30C (59-86F). If you're at the lower end of that scale, it will take longer to ferment and be more prone to getting stuck. It also sounds like you didn't feed it enough nutrient to ferment properly. Had you done so, it would have easily gone below 1.000, especially with your OG.

I have a batch using RC-212 right now. I gave it 2-3x the amount of nutrients I would have used with other strains (it has a 'high' nutritional requirement) and gave it a good amount of O2 at the start. I degassed/aerated it for the first week. It was fermenting in the cooler side of things, so I wasn't surprised that it wasn't going fast. Since it's turning cooler where I am, I've secured a heating pad to the side of my fermenting keg. I'm monitoring the temperatures of the fermenting mead, to keep it in about the middle of it's temperature range (20-30C, or 68-86F).

The steps taken to ferment a mead is very different than those used to ferment beer. Knowing how they're different is what will allow you to make something great with either. You also need to take care to do things to give the batch every chance possible to be great. Among other things, that means selecting quality ingredients (that includes the honey and yeast) and then properly using them.

BTW, I seriously hope you didn't heat/boil the honey.

 

[mikemccutch]

Hey, I guess I did two things right. My temp was around 70 degrees and I DID NOT BOIL my honey!

 

[Golddiggie]

Hey, I guess I did two things right. My temp was around 70 degrees and I DID NOT BOIL my honey!

Just keep the things you did right and improve the others and you should be able to get a batch to fully ferment without issue. I read a LOT on the Got Mead? forums before I made my first batch. Very glad that I did, since I avoided so many issues that way.

IMO/IME, it's easier to do something right the first time, even if it takes a bit more effort. Otherwise, you're having to try and figure out where you went sideways and then put in more effort to correct it.

 

[mikemccutch]

I'm gonna leave this alone.....and hope for the best!

 

[Golddiggie]

I'm gonna leave this alone.....and hope for the best!

Check on it again in 3-4 months. Rack if it's clearing. Then check again in another 3-4 months and repeat.

 

[bconstant]

...and even then it's ONLY when you actually need to get the batch off the yeast (for Lalvin 71B).

Can you elaborate on this? I didn't know you were supposed to rack 71B early.

 

[Golddiggie]

Can you elaborate on this? I didn't know you were supposed to rack 71B early.

I've been told, by someone that's used the strain, to get the mead/wine off of the yeast cake once it's DONE fermenting. For me, that was about a month from pitching. It slowed down, then stopped, and stayed that way long enough for me to confirm it was ready. I transferred the batches off of the cake and let them start aging. Not sure if I'll use that strain again, but I'll at least know what it will give me.

Thinking about mixing up another maple mead/wine batch. This time I'll go to either 16% or 18% with it. I have enough grade B syrup in reserve to make it.