D47 vs Cote De Blancs

[jezter6]

Normally I use Cote de Blancs, just because my LHBS guy said it was good (and I think Shramm talks about it a lot). I bought some D47 last time I was at the shop just because of recommendations here. On Friday, I made 2 meads, and put the D47 in one and CdB in the other.

The CdB mead actually blew off (first time for a mead blowoff for me) and the initial "krausen" is long gone, but is bubbling steadily with big bubbles of air coming out of the airlock. (Is it called a krausen in mead musts??)


The D47 mead is showing no activity in the airlock, but you can see on the surface THOUSANDS of little bubbles rising from deep in the mead and popping on the surface. It looks absolutely amazing.

Now, since this is my first D47 batch - can you pros tell me that this kind of thing is normal?

If so -- why are they so different?

 

[hightest]

It sounds as if your fermenting vessel is not air-tight. Take a gravity reading and compare to the OG, then you'll know for sure.

This simply underscores my position that attempting to assess fermentation status based on visual aspects is highly unreliable. Use a hydrometer they're not that expensive, or a refractometer if you're concerned about sanitation or must volume loss... [Soapbox mode off]

 

[jezter6]

Oh, I wasn't really thinking there was any sort of issue here, I just wondered if there was that big of a difference in yeast types between D47 and Cote de Blancs.

I've just never ever seen all the light "fizzy" style bubbling in the fermenter before.
I did notice that the bung was not perfectly tight (damn Starsan makes a bung slippery) and I jammed it back down in, but it didn't really see a difference).



Then...just as i was mid-typing, I went and checked it again, and my idiocy is confirmed!!!!!!!!!


My 3 piece airlock was missing a piece. And it wasn't the lid....

 

[hightest]

Oh, I wasn't really thinking there was any sort of issue here, I just wondered if there was that big of a difference in yeast types between D47 and Cote de Blancs...

Similar alcohol tolerances, but D47 is not tolerant of low nitrogen levels and meads take somewhat longer to age. This is but a few thoughts.

My 3 piece airlock was missing a piece. And it wasn't the lid....

Ta-da.... [somewhat less impressive without the trumpet...]

 

[jezter6]

Missing piece aside - I still think the small fizzy bubbling is AMAZINGLY odd compared to the other batch, but I can't wait for both of them to be ready.

Just need to get up the urge to make the Green Tea Chai mead today...

 

[homebrewer_99]

(Assuming you're using a carboy as a primary for mead/cider), if you think you have a leak take a strip of paper towel about 2 inch wide by 6 inches long and wrap it around your bung (sounds way too dirty) for a better seal.

 

[Torg]

Ive experienced the same blow off in secondary with cotes des blancs. It is slower then D47 but I would have to put them side by side to tell the difference in the fermentation. One of the things I love about cotes des blancs is its flocculation. You can actually see golf ball size flocks dancing around a carboy.