How Long Should Active Fermentation Last?

[tracyt1800]

I'm a noob mead maker (this is batch #2 and batch #1 was 15 years ago.) I've mostly done beer & cider.

I made a mead on Sunday, July 27, and it began bubbling by about 3pm that day. It's 15 days later and it's still bubbling. It's definitely slowed down. I'm only getting one bubble through the airlock every 5 seconds. I'm accustomed to the beer/cider world of 3 to 4 days and done.

Should I be worried? Should I do anything about it?

I should not that it does have a fair amount of honey (16.5 lbs) in it. And I added a pretty good amount of nutrient to help the yeast make it through all that. Yeast is Red Star champagne, which, I found out after the fact, won't actually make a carbonated champagne but I can live with that.

Thanks,
Tracy

 

[eadavis80]

How big is this batch?! If you have nearly 17 POUNDS of honey in it, I sure hope you have a TON of yeast in there! My last 5 gallon batch had 1 pound of honey at flameout and my active fermentation lasted about 5 days, but then when I racked to secondary it started forming a little krausen in there (about 1/2 inch). Three weeks in secondary and that beer turned out very well. I hope your beer turns out well. 16.5 pounds of honey is a heck of a lot!

 

[IslandLizard]

Since when is "beer" done in 3-4 days? Under controlled fermentation (regulated temps) it can, and should take 2 weeks or longer thus creating a better beer. Can't speak for cider or mead, have no brewing experience with them, but expect a similar scenario. The fusel alcohols and fermentation byproducts from high temps impact taste in very negative ways.

Isn't original gravity also a major determinant, not sheer mass of honey?

 

[Yooper]

Since when is "beer" done in 3-4 days? Under controlled fermentation (regulated temps) it can, and should take 2 weeks or longer thus creating a better beer. Can't speak for cider or mead, have no brewing experience with them, but expect a similar scenario. The fusel alcohols and fermentation byproducts from high temps impact taste in very negative ways.

Isn't original gravity also a major determinant, not sheer mass of honey?

This isn't beer. But often primary for my lower OG beers is done in 3-5 days.

Active fermentation generally is over more quickly than people think, but with mead pampering it a bit is usually required. Degassing by stirring until the SG is at a low enough point, staggered nutrient additions, etc, are techniques for a healthy mead fermentation.

Honey has little nutrient value, and especially with a high OG must, staggered nutrient additions and degassing would go a long way to a healthy fermentation. EC1118 has a wide temperature tolerance. You may have a sparkling mead when finished, depending on the OG. EC1118 can easily be pushed to 18% ABV.

 

[bernardsmith]

. I'm only getting one bubble through the airlock every 5 seconds. I'm accustomed to the beer/cider world of 3 to 4 days and done.

Should I be worried? Should I do anything about it?

Tracy, Rather than count bubbles in your airlock the most effective way to know where the yeast is at is to measure the gravity of your mead using your hydrometer. If you don't have one I would get one. Mead can take days and it can take months to finish fermentation. Very high initial SGs really stress the yeast and they respond accordingly.

 

[fuelish]

Tracy, Rather than count bubbles in your airlock the most effective way to know where the yeast is at is to measure the gravity of your mead using your hydrometer. If you don't have one I would get one. Mead can take days and it can take months to finish fermentation. Very high initial SGs really stress the yeast and they respond accordingly.

I'll add one thing to the above post - one more hydromemter, that is, buy two, as they're pretty fragile, absolutely necessary, and can be easily broken at inopportune moments. Always good to have a backup of something so fragile, and they're not that expensive, in the scheme of things...just a thought

 

[tracyt1800]

Thanks for all the info.

eadavis80 ... It's a mead, not a beer. So honey is the only fermentable. The batch is 6 gallons. SG 1.105.

IslandLizard ... I may have mispoken. I was referring to active fermentation when the airlock is popping enough that I can see it. After 3 or 4 days, the airlocks on most of my beers have settled down and stopped moving. As you said, fermentation goes on for a while longer, but it's just not as visible. No bubbles forming and bursting on the surface. At least none that my eyes can see.

Yooper ... thanks for the degassing & staggered tips. I'll read up on that. I have a whip. I just haven't degassed before except for one kit wine that I made.

bernardsmith & fuelish ... I'll take a reading and see where it is. I normally don't take a reading until after active fermentation is over. With beer, I just leave it alone until it's stopped bubbling for a few days. Then I rack it and take a reading.


When I take this reading, should I go ahead and rack it?

 

[IslandLizard]

It depends on the gravity of your must or wort, and with exceptions noted, many beer or mead fermenting out in 3-4 days was likely fermented at higher than optimal temps for the yeast in charge and bound to be harsh from fusel alcohols and fermentation byproducts.

For illustration, I currently have a wheat ale that's been slowly fermenting for 2 weeks at 64-65°F, only been raised gradually to 72°F the past 5 days. Current SG is 1.008 (from OG 1.056) and I expect it to go down to an FG of 1.006 by the end of this week. That's 3 weeks, and all of that is primary fermentation (sugar => alcohol + CO2) with part of it being in conditioning phase or "secondary" fermentation.

I've read about meads taking weeks to months to finish out. No?

 

[Yooper]

Thanks for all the info.

eadavis80 ... It's a mead, not a beer. So honey is the only fermentable. The batch is 6 gallons. SG 1.105.

IslandLizard ... I may have mispoken. I was referring to active fermentation when the airlock is popping enough that I can see it. After 3 or 4 days, the airlocks on most of my beers have settled down and stopped moving. As you said, fermentation goes on for a while longer, but it's just not as visible. No bubbles forming and bursting on the surface. At least none that my eyes can see.

Yooper ... thanks for the degassing & staggered tips. I'll read up on that. I have a whip. I just haven't degassed before except for one kit wine that I made.

bernardsmith & fuelish ... I'll take a reading and see where it is. I normally don't take a reading until after active fermentation is over. With beer, I just leave it alone until it's stopped bubbling for a few days. Then I rack it and take a reading.


When I take this reading, should I go ahead and rack it?

Get your wine whip ready, but you don't have to use a drill. You want to stir the mead like crazy, until it gets to about 1.040 or so, and do the staggered nutrient additions. It may (or may not) be ready to rack, but most likely not. Take a reading to see where you are, and if it's above 1.030, make sure you degas and then add nutrients. Heck, nutrients would be helpful anyway, if you haven't added any more since the beginning though!

 

[Yooper]

I've read about meads taking weeks to months to finish out. No?

No. If it takes weeks or months, it's due to low nutrients or improper fermentation techniques.

Primary can take as little as 3-5 days in a very active and healthy fermentation, and is commonly done by day 7.

 

[IslandLizard]

No. If it takes weeks or months, it's due to low nutrients or improper fermentation techniques.

Primary can take as little as 3-5 days in a very active and healthy fermentation, and is commonly done by day 7.

I understand the requirement for nutrient additions and even feeding more must over time not to stall the yeast in its early tracks. So slow and cool is not the proper way to making good meads, like it is with beer?

Not questioning you Yooper, but is the fast fermentation one of the reasons meads need to be aged for months or even years to be good?

 

[Yooper]

I understand the requirement for nutrient additions and even feeding more must over time not to stall the yeast in its early tracks. So slow and cool is not the proper way to making good meads, like it is with beer?

Not questioning you Yooper, but is the fast fermentation one of the reasons meads need to be aged for months or even years to be good?

Slow and cool? Well, cool is good. "Slow" isn't really good, as it means that there is an issue.

I have a friend (saccharomyces on this forum) who owns a meadery. He would laugh out loud at being told that meads take years to be good.

Just like with beer, a well made mead can be ready fairly quickly. The main difference is the alcohol level- it's easier for a 13% ABV mead to taste 'hot' than a 5% beer so the less stress created for the mead, the better. Degassing, staggered nutrient additions, proper temperature, etc, all play a role in making a great mead.

Sure, you can throw some honey and water and yeast in a bucket and get something out of it, but if you pay close addition to detail, you can get a great drinkable mead in a relatively short time.

Just like with beer, if you don't create off-flavors in the first place, they don't need time to age out.

 

[tracyt1800]

It depends on the gravity of your must or wort, and with exceptions noted, many beer or mead fermenting out in 3-4 days was likely fermented at higher than optimal temps for the yeast in charge and bound to be harsh from fusel alcohols and fermentation byproducts.

I'm sure that's true. It's been 105 degrees here most of the summer and it's hard to keep the house at even 75. My fermentation refrigerator became my kegerator once my wife decided we needed more food in the house than beer.

I haven't noticed a harshness in the beers, though.

 

[tracyt1800]

Get your wine whip ready, but you don't have to use a drill. You want to stir the mead like crazy, until it gets to about 1.040 or so, and do the staggered nutrient additions. It may (or may not) be ready to rack, but most likely not. Take a reading to see where you are, and if it's above 1.030, make sure you degas and then add nutrients. Heck, nutrients would be helpful anyway, if you haven't added any more since the beginning though!

Sounds good. I'll do that tonight.

I have not added nutrients since I put it together. Although I did double the nutrients that the recipe suggested because I was using more honey than the recipe suggested.

 

[tracyt1800]

Sure, you can throw some honey and water and yeast in a bucket and get something out of it, but if you pay close addition to detail, you can get a great drinkable mead in a relatively short time.

Just curious, what is a relatively short time? I'd been planning on sitting on this for a year.

I just read about the BOMM (Bray's One Month Mead) and thought I might give it a try.

 

[Yooper]

Just curious, what is a relatively short time? I'd been planning on sitting on this for a year.

I just read about the BOMM (Bray's One Month Mead) and thought I might give it a try.

ha- that's why I threw in a 'relatively'!

With proper technique (yeast pitching rate and health, staggered nutrient additions, degassing) and a fairly low ABV (say, 11-13%), three to six months may be doable. A year is more realistic for best flavor and great clarity. A higher ABV mead may be best even a little bit later.

With poor technique, a 13+% mead may taste like rocket fuel for 4-5 years. It might never get great, but it might be drinkable at that time.

 

[tracyt1800]

Thanks Yooper!

 

[progmac]

Here are my notes on a 5 gallon batch of mead with an OG of 1.105. I used two packs rehydrated S-05, which is quite a bit slower than the wine yeasts.

pitched yeast 2/16. pure o2
1/3 break (1.070) - 2/23
degassed daily first 8 days, degassed again at 1/2 sugar break
added 1/2 tsp dap & 1/4 tsp wyeast on days 0,1,2,4
1/2 sugar break (1.050) - 2/26 - added 1/2 tsp DAP
1.015 - 3/15
1.007 - 4/6
1.002 - 5/8 (FG)

note...fermentation temp was around 65.

this mead is still in secondary. a bit hot as of my last tasting on 6/26, but enjoyable & without notable fusels.

 

[tracyt1800]

Here are my notes on a 5 gallon batch of mead with an OG of 1.105.

Thanks progmac.

Just to make sure I'm not making a rookie mistake, I am guessing I should boil a small amount of water, add the nutrients to that, pour them in when cooled, and stir. Is that about right?

Or just sprinkle them on top?

 

[progmac]

Thanks progmac.

Just to make sure I'm not making a rookie mistake, I am guessing I should boil a small amount of water, add the nutrients to that, pour them in when cooled, and stir. Is that about right?

Or just sprinkle them on top?

I usually pull a couple ounces in a large measuring cup and sprinkle the nutrients in that. i feel like with all the degassing i do they get pretty thoroughly mixed. they tend to cause some foaming if added directly - which i've done - but it hasn't been that bad for me. dissolving in water is ok too.