Mead has been fermenting for almost 2 months and is only at 6% ABV

[the_dangerous_duck]

Hello everyone! I am making mead for the first time and using a recipe I found online. The mead had an initial gravity of 1.116 when I started it in early December and now that it has been about 2 months the specific gravity has only gotten down to 1.07. It is being kept in the basement, so it is admittedly a little chilly (~65°F), so would that explain why it's taking so long? It is still actively fermenting, but it seems to have slowed slightly. I used 3lbs of honey, 3 quarts of water, 1 tsp of yeast nutrient, 3/4 tsp tartic acid, 5/4 tsp malic acid, 1 Hampden tablet, and 1/2 packet of EC-1118 yeast. Thank you for any help or advice!

 

[DBhomebrew]

With what tool are you measuring gravity?

 

[the_dangerous_duck]

With what tool are you measuring gravity?

I'm measure the gravity with a hydrometer.

 

[Barzahl]

You probably should have done the acid additions post fermentation, they mess with the PH levels which can cause fermentation problems, if your mead is on the floor and your basement has a cement/concrete floor it will keep it a little warmer if you put wood or blanket or towel underneath it

 

[Kyzaboy89]

Ec-1118 fermentation temps are 50°- 84° so you should be good there unless it had a colder period at some point. Acids could've hurt the yeast as well but I'm curious when and how you added the campden. If it's still fermenting, even if it's slow, just let it ride and keep checking on it, maybe give it a bit of warmth and check gravity after a few weeks again. I'm thinking you have stressed yeast that had most of the colony die off and the survivors are just trying to handle the load alone.

 

[MightyMosin]

For what I see, the amounts look pretty good. I'm not sure of the nutrients as I deal in weights and not volume for it. My guess is that the acid adjustments ahead of time might have dropped your pH too low... but that is unknown without a reading of that.

You could rehydrate the rest of that EC-1118 packet with some Go-Ferm (or not) and then after the yeast has started the colony, you can slowly inoculate the yeast with small amounts of the must to get it acclimated to the new environment. You would want the yeast to be within 10-15 degrees of the must before you add it into the already fermenting must. If the new colony can startup well in the must, then you should see a better fermentation rate.

@Kyzaboy89 might be right that the colony has mostly dies off. If so, I would try and get another one going to help out as your mead will finish better off and should need less aging time... and at an estimated 14%, you want every advantage you can get.

 

[Bobby_M]

3/4 tsp tartic acid, 5/4 tsp malic acid, 1 Hampden tablet, and 1/2 packet of EC-1118 yeast. Thank you for any help or advice!

You wrote "Hampden" but I think you mean Campden which is metabisulfite. When and why did you add it? If you put it in around the same time as adding the yeast, you killed some of the yeast off.

I'm not sure why all that acid got added but it also made it uncomfortable for the yeast that braved the SO2 from the campden. Rehydrate the rest of the yeast, then add a couple tablespoons of the must/mead to the yeast, then dump it all back into the fermenter.

 

[Johnny2]

Buy some pH papers made for wine and kombucha. Mine are 2.8 to 4.6, if it shows yellow, then the pH is too low.

 

[AirsickErmine]

You wrote "Hampden" but I think you mean Campden which is metabisulfite. When and why did you add it? If you put it in around the same time as adding the yeast, you killed some of the yeast off.

I'm not sure why all that acid got added but it also made it uncomfortable for the yeast that braved the SO2 from the campden. Rehydrate the rest of the yeast, then add a couple tablespoons of the must/mead to the yeast, then dump it all back into the fermenter.

This looks like the receipe that comes with the Home Brew Ohio mead making kit. I had the same problem as OP. Tried repitching without success. 2 months later had a gallon of quite smelly vinegar-esque liquid. Dumped it and started over with the basic semi sweet recipe from the Big Book of Mead Reciepes.