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Why on earth do you want to add tea? The usual reason for adding tea to mead is to provide tannins. Cocoa is LOADED with tannins and you don't need to add more. It will likely be bitter enough. Also, acid makes tannins taste more bitter. Adding 3 TBsp of acid blend is a huge amount and it might...

It probably isn't mold. Mold requires air and if you have it fermenting under airlock, it won't have any. I'd suggest swirling in around some to dunk it into the acidic alcohol solution. By the way, boiling honey must is a good way to get rid of a lot the good volatile aromatic compounds that...

Yeah, 2.5 is a whole different story. Yeast don't like to ferment battery acid. :)

If the gravity is less than 1.000 and is remaining stable, you'll be safe to bottle it.

It looks like yeast. When the gravity gets down to 1.000 or below, rack it to another container and let it age.

The pH isn't the problem. Yeast will work fine at 3.5. If you give use the full recipe and process details (including temps) we may be able to zero in on the issue.

Usually aeration after the 1/2 fermentation point is not recommended, but with a stuck fermentation, I don't mind aerating more to try to get it going.

The experience of many of us is that lower end of the temperature range for the yeast is best in most cases, particularly with traditional meads. High temperature fermentation using many yeast produces burning alcohol character and Band-Aid aromas, and possibly sulfur odors due to yeast stress...

That temp didn't harm the yeast. You have to keep the temp sustained well above 100F to really do the little buggers in. I have many issues with this strain, but it usually starts without too much difficulty. Did you aerate it today?

Ftonz, DV10 is a beast of a yeast and is quite able to ferment 8% ABV in a week. It may not be completely done yet, as the gravity might still drop a couple of more points and end up below 1.000. It would be best to leave it under airlock and check the gravity again in a few weeks. You can...

Just aerate your batch today to help the yeast develop the maximum growth, but be careful to do it gently so you don't get a Mead Eruption Accident (MEA).

You can store mead at 25-30C, but these temps do increase the risk of spoilage organisms in sweet batches, and unplanned malolactic fermentation in other cases (making sulfiting and other protective steps worthwhile). Most of my stuff gets aged at 24C, and I'm pretty sure that aging won't be...

They can be quite refreshing, and they are usually ready to drink much faster than full strength batches, though they still benefit from aging. At 5% they can be quite thin-bodied unless you keep them a little sweet, or do some aging sur lies, or add something else that builds more body.

True, but this is a stuck fermentation. Imrook, there are several possible explanations for this. One, your yeast are probably starving. Meads done with no nutrient supplementation can take months to years to be finished fermenting. Your mead is beyond the 1/2 way point, so adding DAP won't...

As a general rule, I think lighter honeys have more pH drops. I find it happens quite frequently with FL OB, and Tupelo. There are several things you can do. Generally I check the pH during the first 24-48 hours of active fermentation as that is when the problem is most common and if I see...

Age and pray! :) I have some high temp batches I've been aging for 4 years waiting for the fusels to die down. I'm beginning to wonder if they ever will. Good luck.

The problem with that method is that it saturates the must only 1 time, which allows at maximum, about 8 mg/L of O2 to be dissolved into solution. That is typically a bit less than is required for maximal biomass, and especially with a high-gravity batch, could leave you with incomplete...

With the liquid yeast, it never hurts to make a starter. With the dry yeast, you don't have to. If you do pitch it without a starter, just remember you'll need to open it up and aerate during the first few days. I know this sounds like heresy to a brewer, but you need oxygen exposure to get the...

Actually this is exactly the amount of honey called for by Dwójniak style Polish meads. Generally you get there with step feeding because the starting gravity would choke the yeast.

I wouldn't use buckwheat for my first cyser. It can make a good cyser, but often takes a lot of aging and has a strong flavor that is definitely not for everyone's tastes. Something light in color with a flavor that is less phenolic might be a good idea. A good local wildflower might work...