I was hoping you guys had some insights/advice on this situation... I am not sure how concerning it is. My mead, now 8 days old, has a light sulfur aroma. It started at 1.080, and is at 1.002 today... I did taste it (didn't drink it), and found it to be surprisingly pleasant, but there is a sulfur smell. I have read that red star cote des blancs is associated with some sulfur smells, but I am a little concerned because I put an air lock on it as soon as I pitched the yeast. I shook the hell out of it before hand (several times) and added plenty of nutrient... anyway, as a newb, I have some questions:
1) is it a bad idea to use an airlock in primary???... as I have read it seems like it needs the air during primary... is this correct???
2) what steps, if any, should I take to rectify this smell (should I rack it back and forth between 2 jugs a few times splashing it around as I do, to aerate it???
...or will that only work before the fermentation has slowed ... mine does not have far to go... 1.080 to 1.002 in 8 days). I noticed a slight sulfur odor a couple days in, but thought it was normal...
3) will h2s ruin a batch in the sense that is is unsafe to drink, or just unappealing???
4) also... when is it "safe" to start drinking the waste from hydrometer readings (as I understand, immature mead will make one sick)???
5) what to use in airlock... water, vodka, something else???
please tell me how to avoid this issue in the future, or point me in the right direction...
more info on batch:
1) is it a bad idea to use an airlock in primary???... as I have read it seems like it needs the air during primary... is this correct???
2) what steps, if any, should I take to rectify this smell (should I rack it back and forth between 2 jugs a few times splashing it around as I do, to aerate it???
...or will that only work before the fermentation has slowed ... mine does not have far to go... 1.080 to 1.002 in 8 days). I noticed a slight sulfur odor a couple days in, but thought it was normal...
3) will h2s ruin a batch in the sense that is is unsafe to drink, or just unappealing???
4) also... when is it "safe" to start drinking the waste from hydrometer readings (as I understand, immature mead will make one sick)???
5) what to use in airlock... water, vodka, something else???
please tell me how to avoid this issue in the future, or point me in the right direction...
more info on batch:
Good deal.. I was getting nervous... brewing my first batch of mead (1 gallon) and the air lock is going nuts, but no foam like all my beers... I had some unfiltered honey in this, but mostly filtered..., saving 12 nice pounds of unfiltered for a full size batch after I get the hang of mead... Don't guess that should take too long after 20 batches of brew!
Here's what I used... I kept it simple... correct me if wrong, I'm still learning..
3.5qts well water
2lb sourwood/wildflower/random local honey mix
1/8 palisade hops (left over from brew... I have some heather tips for a full size batch... any advice on herbal additives? I bought Stephen Buhner's book on sacred and healing beers, with the psychotropic ones too of course... looking forward to experimenting with beer, mead, and wine)
1pack (5g) Cote des Blancs (dry wine yeast)
1tbs yeast nutrient (accidentally added tbs, directions say tsp... oops. guess the extra will settle out.)
simmered but not fully boiled for maybe 30 minutes... only had to skim a little, skimmed most hops out between 5-15 minutes into the boil... then added yeast nutrient. racked, aerated, left overnight, gave it another good shake, pitched yeast @ 80 degrees F, swirled it in a little and left it. Got active pretty quick (just pitched yeast this morning and now the airlock is bubbling along like it would with any good brew).
OG 1.080 (11%)
hoping to age it to a slightly dry, but with a touch of sweetness... I went easy on the honey because I wanted a little quicker reward with my first batch... I have stockpiled quite a bit of homebrew to hold me over!