My first no water mead attempt

[Stevie G]

My first no water attempt left me with some questions?? I used 2.5 lbs of buckwheat honey,knudsens tart cherry juice (112 oz.). I rehydrated my yeast (EC-1118) in go ferm and pitched my yeast. M starting gravity was really high (about 1.150) then I added a few grams of fermaid o. I just started it tonight so I don't want to jump the gun yet ,but still no bubbles or activity. Did I do something wrong ,or should I just be patient ? Thanks

 

[D the Catastrophist]

Patience. I usually have no noticeable activity for 24-36 hours or so. Meads take longer. Looks like that juice doesn't have any of the preservatives that inhibit fermentation which is good. That yeastvhas a high abv tolerance and wide temp tolerance which is also good.
How warm is the area you have it? I usually aim for near the bottom of the tolerance range as cooler=slower fermentation = fewer off flavors. I usually hit 21-28 days in primary to fully ferment when making high abv wines or meads.
I would stir morning and night for the first week, to ensure the yeast and nutrients are fully distributed and absorbed. Don't worry about oxygenation at the primary stage as offgasses.

 

[Stevie G]

Patience. I usually have no noticeable activity for 24-36 hours or so. Meads take longer. Looks like that juice doesn't have any of the preservatives that inhibit fermentation which is good. That yeastvhas a high abv tolerance and wide temp tolerance which is also good.
How warm is the area you have it? I usually aim for near the bottom of the tolerance range as cooler=slower fermentation = fewer off flavors. I usually hit 21-28 days in primary to fully ferment when making high abv wines or meads.
I would stir morning and night for the first week, to ensure the yeast and nutrients are fully distributed and absorbed. Don't worry about oxygenation at the primary stage as offgasses.

Thank you for the feedback. I'm in central Florida . My set up is inside the house which is usually between 74-76 degrees f. I was also curious, would this mead do well with step feeding nutrients ? Thanks

 

[D the Catastrophist]

Yes, mead generally does well with a staggered nutrient schedule. The fact that you used juice will help alleviate that somewhat as juice has more for the yeast to feed on then pure water.
https://www.homebrewersassociation.org/beyond-beer/improve-mead-staggered-nutrient-additions/

 

[Dan O]

Your yeast are probably just assessing to banquet you just laid out for them & are wondering where to start. After all, that's quite a bit of sugars. No matter, if you started with a healthy colony & you keep up with staggered nutrient feedings, it should be ok & the yeast shouldn't be too stressed.
If you have the ability to keep it a little cooler, (say mid to lower 60's), it will slow down the ferment, but as @D the Catastrophist noted, cooler ferment temps lead to fewer off flavors.
I hope this helps you.
Happy meading

 

[MightyMosin]

M starting gravity was really high (about 1.150) then I added a few grams of fermaid o

That is a very high SG... If the yeast can take it all the way dry, you are looking at 19.69% ABV.
That is a lot of osmatic pressure on the yeast cells. Yeast hydration with Go-Ferm was certainly a good thing to help these out.

With that high SG, I might have suggested some kind of yeast starter to build a very large colony prior to yeast pitch. If you have issues with the yeast starting up, you always have the option of diluting to bring that SG down.

 

[Stevie G]

That is a very high SG... If the yeast can take it all the way dry, you are looking at 19.69% ABV.
That is a lot of osmatic pressure on the yeast cells. Yeast hydration with Go-Ferm was certainly a good thing to help these out.

With that high SG, I might have suggested some kind of yeast starter to build a very large colony prior to yeast pitch. If you have issues with the yeast starting up, you always have the option of diluting to bring that SG down.

That's what I thought. I did make a starter slurry with go ferm for this batch and added the ec-1118 to it. Sorry I should've included that bit. I did use a starter.

 

[Stevie G]

Your yeast are probably just assessing to banquet you just laid out for them & are wondering where to start. After all, that's quite a bit of sugars. No matter, if you started with a healthy colony & you keep up with staggered nutrient feedings, it should be ok & the yeast shouldn't be too stressed.
If you have the ability to keep it a little cooler, (say mid to lower 60's), it will slow down the ferment, but as @D the Catastrophist noted, cooler ferment temps lead to fewer off flavors.
I hope this helps you.
Happy meading

Yes thanks Dan O. Here in Florida right now we go from 40° in the evening/morning and then 80° during the day. I was concerned with the temperature fluctuating it go stress my brew. Thank you for the advice I am taking notes

 

[D the Catastrophist]

Yes thanks Dan O. Here in Florida right now we go from 40° in the evening/morning and then 80° during the day. I was concerned with the temperature fluctuating it go stress my brew. Thank you for the advice I am taking notes

I have a flexible plant germination mat with a temperature probe. I wrap the mat around the primary bucket and drop the probe in. I have it shoved in a closet where it's cool, and set the temp at the desired temp, so it doesn't drop too low, so this just minimizes the fluctuation.

 

[Stevie G]

I have a flexible plant germination mat with a temperature probe. I wrap the mat around the primary bucket and drop the probe in. I have it shoved in a closet where it's cool, and set the temp at the desired temp, so it doesn't drop too low, so this just minimizes the fluctuation.

Nice!. Sounds like IL have to add something to my ever expanding shopping list lol

 

[Rish]

temperature fluctuating

You could set your fv in big container, fill the container with water to a depth that covers most of the fv without floating it. This will help minimize temperature swings. You can also add frozen water bottles to keep the temp down during the hot part of the day.

I have an aunt and uncle who live in Merritt Island that I visit a few times a year. Love it down there.