Cyser won't ferment

[godsmulligan]

Cyser

10/28/15
Added yeast 103.1 gravity (typo) no idea original gravity

11/29/15
Added 18% yeast
(Activity in airlock was slow but steady. Left to take care of itself.)

3/4/16
Put in secondary
Gravity 1.085
Added yeast for third time.

3/12/16
Still no fermentation
Ph 3.9
Brix 27
Gravity 1.075 18.2 brix
Airated

1 gallon of water added
Gravity now 1.065 12.4 brix
Hydrated yeast starter with half cup water and half cup must
Repitched yeast k1-v1116

3/19/16
Gravity 1.050
TA level .7%

Still not fermenting
I mi
2 packs of k1-v1116 rehydrated and put in gallon jug with a couple pinches of sugar and slowly adding mead to it over the next week.

3/26/16
Fermentation stopped again. 3 lbs sugar added. Gravity brought back to 1.080

4/4/16
Gravity not taken. No new activity since adding sugar.

Added 2 packets ec-1118 to carboy and 1 pack safale us-05 and 1 pack red star champagne yeast to 1 gallon jug. Both moved from 65 degree to 75 degree atmosphere.

4/21/16
Gravity checked 1.080 in carboy. 1 gallon 1.110 due to carbonation most likely. Does taste sweeter than carboy.

Next step fortify with Vodka?

 

[SkeletorMob]

I don't have any knowledge or advice, just here to chat!
So the recipe never even started a good ferment even after k1v 1116? I had a stuck ferment too on my first and current 2 recipes. Beginners errors of course, but one I tried to make a dessert show mead and per recipe threw 6lb s of honey into a gallon of water lol needless to say I had to dilute by 2 gallons with a lb of honey. Bringing the ration down to just over 2 lbs per gallon. Hopefully will ferment out to a nice dry show mead. But I also had tried a wild ferment unsuccessfully so, when I diluted, I pitched k1v1116 with great results, am now getting consistent bubbles at 15-20 seconds.
the second recipe I also tried to kick with the same wild starter. That recipe was 4 lbs of honey to the gallon, took 3 days and then a ferment started but I still pitched k1v116 and diluted by a mason jar of water. That one started a little bit but now is incredibly slow with no major bubbles and the airlock burps just under 30 seconds. I didn't have any tools for tests, so I am acquiring them tomorrow so that this weekend I can check my Sgt and ph levels and adjust. I think the sg in that second recipe is to high, so if that's the case I'm going to do a new 2.5 gallon must and use the batch as a starter and mix in a 3 gallon carboy also pitched with a new packet. If the Sg is in range I think my problem with the slow ferment lies in the nutrient levels or the ph level.
What leads me to believe it's the Sg is that the k1v 1116 strain is said to be a great competitor in low nutrient environments. Idk troubleshoot troubleshoot!! Anyways wish you the best and hope you can find a solution soon!!

 

[Yooper]

Yeast strains vary, but some can be pushed to near 18% or so. It's hard to say where yours is right now, but adding more sugar to an overstressed fermentation was the death knell.

I don't think there is any saving this.

 

[fuelish]

Yeast strains vary, but some can be pushed to near 18% or so. It's hard to say where yours is right now, but adding more sugar to an overstressed fermentation was the death knell.

I don't think there is any saving this.

....gonna have to agree with Yooper, although....it's hard to ever disagree with Yooper, she does indeed know her stuff and willingly shares her knowledge here ...and yeah, your proccess was a hot mess, and only made worse...if I read correctly, you've added 10 packs of yeast to a single ferment ???!!!??? Since you have no idea of the actual OG, the rest of the info is basically useless.....can you not at least provide the original recipe to see where you've gone with this? FWIW, I always use dry yeasts, and have never needed more than one pack for a 5 gallon batch of anything, up to 18.5% abv...obviously ymmv unless you're omitting some important info (including the original recipe, for starters)

 

[Munster51]

A recipe would be a great starting point. Is it a Cyser with Apple juice, was there any potassium sorbate in what you used? That would slow down any yeast reproduction you may have had. And then the yeast you kept adding just fed off the simple sugars you added and not your original ingredients.

 

[godsmulligan]

View attachment ImageUploadedByHome Brew1461336424.504450.jpg

 

[godsmulligan]

I've made it before with great results. When i racked it into the secondary it still tasted way too sweet with very little alcohol in it. And very little lees in the bottom. Like a skim.

 

[godsmulligan]

The only thing i can think of, is that i added to much honey in the beginning. Overstressing the yeast. Which is why i tried bringing down the gravity by adding water. When that didn't work i brought the gravity back up to where it was with white sugar thinking the yeast might have an easier time converting it. Nope

Made with my own cider and honey.

 

[nitack]

That is a hell of a hot mess!

If you are even thinking of trying to save it I'd pull half a gallon, add a half gallon of water, and try to get a ferment going with that. Once you see it working, give it a couple days, split the rest of it in half and add water to double your original volume. Split your active gallon ferment between the two, and don't think of adding any more sugar until the thing gets to dry. Also, I didn't see any nutrient additions, did you add some?

 

[godsmulligan]

Not trying to save it, just trying to figure out what went wrong, more of a science experiment at this point.

I've added nutrient multiple times.

I can try splitting the gallon jug. I don't have high hopes for it working if it didn't work when i cut previously.

 

[godsmulligan]

*Problem solved. Issue was a faulty seal on the lid. Found out when I started a batch of cider.

 

[Dr_Floyd]

*Problem solved. Issue was a faulty seal on the lid. Found out when I started a batch of cider.

Holy Hell is this ever an example of Occam's Razor. I'm glad you figured it out!