Emergency Mead Help Needed

[imaguitargod]

Ok, made my Apple Butter Cyser On Thursday, didn’t quite mix the ingredients well enough at the time now that I think about it. I go to really look at it today (added the Muscavado sugar today, forgot it on brew day… D’oH) and it seems there’s a definite separation of ingredients at the bottom (what looks like) 1 gallon. I threw in exactly 1 gallon of honey.



Do I need to rush out and get one of the mix stirrers that you attach to a drill to really mix the ingredients up, or should I relax and not worry about it?

 

[KenSchramm]

So, give us some data on fermentation. Have you stuck a racking cane in there and given it a swirl - does it move? If she's ripping right along, and we're talking about some minor stratification and not a solid pack of glom at the bottom, the fermentation will likely bore right through the honey.

If the honey is packed down tightly, OTOH, then yes, you will want to figure pout a way to get it in solution.

 

[imaguitargod]

So, give us some data on fermentation. If she's ripping right along, and we're talking about some minor stratification and not a solid pack of glom at the bottom, the fermentation will likely bore right through the honey.

HUGE krausen! Had to dump the blow off container twice or three times already. Although, now the krausen seems to be deminishing but tons of activity in the carboy....

 

[KenSchramm]

I'd give it a few days and see how it seems to be working. Have you aerated at all over these few days? Any nutrient?

 

[imaguitargod]

I'd give it a few days and see how it seems to be working. Have you aerated at all over these few days? Any nutrient?

Added some nutrients on the first day and at the start of the third day. Rocked it as best I could to get the nutrients desolved in there.

 

[imaguitargod]

So, give us some data on fermentation. Have you stuck a racking cane in there and given it a swirl - does it move? If she's ripping right along, and we're talking about some minor stratification and not a solid pack of glom at the bottom, the fermentation will likely bore right through the honey.

If the honey is packed down tightly, OTOH, then yes, you will want to figure pout a way to get it in solution.

Just stuck my racking cane down there....she's packed solid. ****. Going to have to spend my emergancy cash on a stirer...thanks for your help, Ken.

 

[KenSchramm]

OK. See if you can get it to stir up at all. I gather it's in a carboy. You can use the drill mounted lees stirrer if you get one, a raking cane, or I've even gone so far as to use a 3/4" hardwood dowel rod from the local building supply. I sanitized it in a keg and rinsed it a lot. It lets you get a little more leverage going than the racking cane and you can generally find someplace within a short drive that will have them. Yeah, yeah, yeah, contamination concerns, blah, blah. It's better than wasting the batch, and mine came out fine. N of 1 warning (person, not batch - I've used it a few times), though, and YMMV.

 

[imaguitargod]

OK. See if you can get it to stir up at all. I gather it's in a carboy. You can use the drill mounted lees stirrer if you get one, a raking cane, or I've even gone so far as to use a 3/4" hardwood dowel rod from the local building supply. I sanitized it in a keg and rinsed it a lot. It lets you get a little more leverage going than the racking cane and you can generally find someplace within a short drive that will have them. Yeah, yeah, yeah, contamination concerns, blah, blah. It's better than wasting the batch, and mine came out fine. N of 1 warning (person, not batch - I've used it a few times), though, and YMMV.

Ya, I went out and got the drill mounted one. Will use ti tonight when I get home from work.

 

[LightningInABottle]

Wow that's a high gravity mead there! I looked at the recipe and no wonder you have layers of stuff. I have been meaning to buy one of those drill bit stirers. I would get one before I tried this brew, which is now on my list of things to do...

What honey did you go with and did you use Wyeast 3347?

 

[imaguitargod]

Wow that's a high gravity mead there! I looked at the recipe and no wonder you have layers of stuff. I have been meaning to buy one of those drill bit stirers. I would get one before I tried this brew, which is now on my list of things to do...

What honey did you go with and did you use Wyeast 3347?

YEp, ithat recipy is high gravity...that's why I added more fermentables......mwahahahahaha!!!

Yep, I ended up using Wyeast 3347. A friend of mine is an amazing mead maker and that's what he uses for his ABC.

 

[imaguitargod]

Ha! Just did some quick calculations, this is going to be well over 24%abv!

 

[Poobah58]

What yeast are you using that will go to 24%?

 

[imaguitargod]

What yeast are you using that will go to 24%?

Wyeast's eau de vie yeast goes up to around 21%...but you can push it higher.