Braggot stopped bubbling after 4 days

[benebob]

Mixed up on Saturday and it bubbled licely for 2 days (once ever 2-3 seconds) now it has slowed to no bubbling at all in a minute.
Used 6 lbs of malt, 1 oz of hops, boiled for 30 minutes, 6 lbs of wildflower honey for a total of 5 gallons. Added rehydrated d-47 and nutrients. Yesterday morning I added another rehydrated d-47 and still nothing. Stored at 68 degrees, I have stirred over the past two days Thoughts?

 

[bernardsmith]

Hi benebob. What is the gravity today? The yeast may have consumed (almost) all the fermentable sugar. Bubbles in the airlock don't tell you very much. Your hydrometer is the tool you need to use. Speaks volumes and tells you everything.

 

[benebob]

Sorry, forgot to post that. 1.022, doesn't have a taste of alcohol though.

 

[Dr_Floyd]

Probably need more information, did you oxygenate? What was your OG? Might need to add a little nutrient and energizer even though you used malt extract, might not be enough for the yeast.


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[benebob]

Didn't take a og kit claimed it would be 1.110, stirred it a bit to ox took another sg today 3 days later and it is the same at 1.022. Added the one tsp per gallon I was to initially and have since added 3 more. Is it junk at this point?

 

[Dr_Floyd]

You can try pitching a new strain of yeast too. When oxygenating by hand you basically can't overdo it. Literally stir the **** out of it and splash it around (without spilling the golden liquid!). I don't know if I'd do any stirring as of now as yeast can in fact operate in an anaerobic environment and it might end up ruining as it currently stands.


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[benebob]

You can try pitching a new strain of yeast too. When oxygenating by hand you basically can't overdo it. Literally stir the **** out of it and splash it around (without spilling the golden liquid!). I don't know if I'd do any stirring as of now as yeast can in fact operate in an anaerobic environment and it might end up ruining as it currently stands.


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what would adding a 3rd yeast do that the 2nd one didn't?

 

[bernardsmith]

what was the strain of yeast you used? If the starting gravity was 1.110 and the gravity today is about 1.020 then the difference is about 90 points. Ninety points is an ABV of about 12 percent. What was the tolerance of the yeast? Oops . I see: D47. That should have no trouble handling 12% or even 15 % ABV

That said, simply adding more yeast into a wine or mead with an ABV of 12% is not likely to do very much. The amount of alcohol in the mead will likely prevent the yeast from transporting sugar in through their cell walls. What you may want to do is a) check to see when you last fed the mead nutrients and b) when you last introduced air into the liquor. Adding both (or either) may restart the stalled fermentation.
What you might also try is add the mead to an active batch of fresh yeast. In other words, make a starter (say a pint of must - honey: water 1:4 plus nutrients) and when that is going gangbusters add a pint of the braggot to your starter. After a couple or three hours if that is going crazy, add TWO pints of your braggot and so on and so forth until all the braggot has been added to this starter. What that does is acclimatize the fresh yeast to the alcohol and acidity of the braggot...

 

[benebob]

Well the funniest thing happened after 5 days of very infrequent bubbling and no change in gravity, something happened and it started going crazy in the airlock. Once every 3 or 4 seconds for a couple days before slowing. Today I measured 1.01 and moved it into a cartboy so I could start my banana foster mead I've named Knuckledragger Knectar for all those snowboarders out there.

Should be interesting. 6 gallons, a Wyeast dry mead yeast, 12lbs of clover honey, 4lbs of wildflower honey 10lbs of bananas crushed and boiled for 2 hours with a cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of sugar, 4oz of maple syrup and a cup of apple cider then frozen and thawed. I'm expecting it to be in the primary for a good 3 weeks then will probably need to rack it every couple of months. Didn't add anything to break down the bananas as I didn't have anything but will probably grab something on Monday

 

[bernardsmith]

Well the funniest thing happened after 5 days of very infrequent bubbling and no change in gravity, something happened and it started going crazy in the airlock. Once every 3 or 4 seconds for a couple days before slowing. Today I measured 1.01 and moved it into a cartboy so I could start my banana foster mead I've named Knuckledragger Knectar for all those snowboarders out there.

Should be interesting. 6 gallons, a Wyeast dry mead yeast, 12lbs of clover honey, 4lbs of wildflower honey 10lbs of bananas crushed and boiled for 2 hours with a cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of sugar, 4oz of maple syrup and a cup of apple cider then frozen and thawed. I'm expecting it to be in the primary for a good 3 weeks then will probably need to rack it every couple of months. Didn't add anything to break down the bananas as I didn't have anything but will probably grab something on Monday

I guess my question about this recipe is why it includes brown sugar and white sugar. If this is really a mead and you are including fruit (bananas and apples ) and adding a hint of maple syrup OK, but what is the good sense of adding sugar to this? You want to up the ABV ? Not sure why but then add more honey.
I have made banana wine and the way to handle bananas for wine is to get the ripest - ripest bananas you can find and then freeze them. When you thaw the bananas they more easily break down and you can simply mash them with a potato masher. I don't know what the advantage is of boiling the bananas for hours... I would simply simmer them in boiling water for .. perhaps 20 -30 minutes- more to extract the flavor, rather than cook the bejesus out of them.

 

[benebob]

I guess my question about this recipe is why it includes brown sugar and white sugar. If this is really a mead and you are including fruit (bananas and apples ) and adding a hint of maple syrup OK, but what is the good sense of adding sugar to this? You want to up the ABV ? Not sure why but then add more honey.
I have made banana wine and the way to handle bananas for wine is to get the ripest - ripest bananas you can find and then freeze them. When you thaw the bananas they more easily break down and you can simply mash them with a potato masher. I don't know what the advantage is of boiling the bananas for hours... I would simply simmer them in boiling water for .. perhaps 20 -30 minutes- more to extract the flavor, rather than cook the bejesus out of them.

Banana Foster Mead hence the sugars and maple syrup. The cooking broke everything down nicely, don't have a potato masher. Looked at it this morning to give it a stir and there is a good inch of growth on top of it.

 

[noblesquirrel]

Banana Foster Mead hence the sugars and maple syrup. The cooking broke everything down nicely, don't have a potato masher. Looked at it this morning to give it a stir and there is a good inch of growth on top of it.

But why use white sugar at all? Brown sugar makes sense (sort of) but the white is just adding ethanol, not flavor. I'd have suggested using a darker honey like avocado or good buckwheat to get the caramel notes. Additionally, burning the honey, ala bochet, would have been a nice touch.

 

[benebob]

But why use white sugar at all? Brown sugar makes sense (sort of) but the white is just adding ethanol, not flavor. I'd have suggested using a darker honey like avocado or good buckwheat to get the caramel notes. Additionally, burning the honey, ala bochet, would have been a nice touch.

I'm not a fan of burnt anything (so that scares me) and I just didn't have enough brown sugar sitting around the house so I added a bit of white sugar. Smells fantastic and has slowed down fermenting in the past couple days. has about an inch of growth and banana solids on top. Will probably get some pectic when I move to a cartboy. Will probably take a s.g. reading in the next day or so as from the smell I'm thinking it is about 15% alcohol at the moment. My goal is something strong to drink by the fire after a day of skiing (hence the name Knuckledragger Knectar poking fun of the snowboard crowd). It will sit until next winter so it should have plenty of time to age.

 

[noblesquirrel]

I'm not a fan of burnt anything (so that scares me) and I just didn't have enough brown sugar sitting around the house so I added a bit of white sugar. Smells fantastic and has slowed down fermenting in the past couple days. has about an inch of growth and banana solids on top. Will probably get some pectic when I move to a cartboy. Will probably take a s.g. reading in the next day or so as from the smell I'm thinking it is about 15% alcohol at the moment. My goal is something strong to drink by the fire after a day of skiing (hence the name Knuckledragger Knectar poking fun of the snowboard crowd). It will sit until next winter so it should have plenty of time to age.

Burning should have been in quotes. I still don't really understand the role of the white sugar aside from adding alcohol. You won't get any flavor from it as it is so refined.

 

[benebob]

Burning should have been in quotes. I still don't really understand the role of the white sugar aside from adding alcohol. You won't get any flavor from it as it is so refined.

Not really expecting much, just wanted to get up close to 18% and was out of brown sugar at the house.