help save my mead

[finetogether6969]

this is my first time brewing mead and it has stopped fermenting twice. my must is still in the primary my instuctions say not to rack it into the secondary until s.g. reads1.030. mine is stuck at1.060. i just now added more yeast for the second time trying to get it to start fermenting again. is this ok? i have read on this site where a few people have said acid is not good for mead must. my recipe called for marlic and tartaric acid. could this be my problem? and how can i fix it. i have put alot of time and money into this 5 gallon batch and dont want to have to thow it out and start anew. please help me save my brew.

 

[magno]

How did you aerate the must? Did you use any yeast nutrient? How long has it been fermenting? How much honey and what kind of yeast did you use?

I have never used acid in my meads, but I have heard that if used, it should be added after fermentation.

Honey does not have the nutrients that beer has, so it is important to supplement with store bought. Honey also ferments very slowly, you must be patient.

 

[homebrewer_99]

Give the primary a couple of swirls to get the yeast off the bottom.

 

[finetogether6969]

yes i did use yeast energizer. it has been fermenting for about three weeks. i uses 16 pounds of honey. i done used my last packet of yeast and cant remember what it was called i know it came in a grey packet and i think it started with a S. I know it was not red star.

I give it a light stir daily.

 

[mgayer]

Sorry to hear about the stuck fermentation. Please post the receipe so we can be more helpful. One of the issues with Mead is the acid levels. Honey is about 3.9 on the acid side, some less than others. When adding more acid this can jack the acid up high enough that the yeast just will not produce or convert sugar. This is not true for all honey but when you have a high concentrate at the begining it is tough for it to work its magic as it creates instability in the yeast cells.

Get some kind of PH tester, strips should work fine. Your PH should be between 3.7 and 4. If the PH is above 4 the you need to add either Calcium Carbonate or Potassium Carbonate. It should not be below 3.7 if you added Acid! Read the direction carefull and use them sparingly.

If the PH is fine then maybe you had something else create the problem like outdated yeast. Don't add any more energizer, you should stick with nutrients only at this point. If all else fails then I would a packet of Lalvin D-47 yeast. add yeast 1 cup of 84 degree water and let sit for 15 minutes. Stir after the 15 minutes and let it sit for 10 more minutes and add 1 cup of the must. watch this for 10 more minutes. It should be foamy and started. Add this to the must and cover with a towel. Do a little stiring the first few days and I believe you will see results.

The D-47 with overpower almost all other yeast and become the primary source. Just a tip! Make sure you Document everything. Make a notebook and keep track of everything! All my work is documented so I can make other batches. It is also invaluable if something like this happens.

Let us know how things are going!

 

[malkore]

you probably need to add more yeast nutrient (NOT just energizer). honey doesn't have the same nutrients, and especially the FAN levels as beer wort.

 

[finetogether6969]

Ok this is my recipe it was a recipe for one gallon i multiplied everything but the yeast by 5 and this is what i came up with. 16 1/2 lbs honey, 4 gallons 1 Quart 1pint water, 6 table and 1 1/2 teaspoon acid blend, 1 1/4 tsp. tannin, 10 campden crush, 1 packet yeast. like i said i added a second pack of yeast about a weak and ahalf after i started when i saw it was not bubblin or fermenting at that time i also moved it to a warmer room. it started to bubble and ferment then took a tast and it had good flavor. then it just stopped again. so i added more yeast and sense then nothing has happened. i have finaly found a place close enough to home to get more supplies and tested my ph. never done this before but beleive it is reading 4.6 on strips. ( if anyone thinks it is worth my investment to buy a electronic tester please let me Know.. because honestly i am not a high tech kind of gal but will do whatever is best for my brew). so i realy believed i had some carbonate but was wrong and had intended to add it tonight on your advice. but i was wrong but am going to get some tomarrow and add it. If somene could tell me about how much to add that would be greatly appreciated. the store i went to today did not have d 47, but i can tell by the package that it was lalvin i used before i bought some more it is ec 1118 is this good yeast. or should i try harder to track down some d47? anyway i am thankful for any advice i can get on how to get this mead going and will keep you all informed on the progress.

 

[NurseNan]

a 50gm package of Calcium Carbonate should work fine. Add it all, and shake it up to mix. Don't be surprised if it foams up a lot. Then let it sit a few days. If its not active at that time, add the Nutrient. It will foam up. I would re-pitch with the EC1118. This is champagne yeast, and a good workhorse for high gravity meads. Good luck.

 

[finetogether6969]

just an update. i did add some potasium carbonate and then a couple days later add some yeast nutrient it started to bubble lightly and i added just a little more nutient. then it realy got going and my s.g. dropped to 1.030 in a days time. so things are going good and i am going to syphon into the secondary tonight. i would like to say thank you to everyone for all your advice.

 

[mgayer]

just an update. i did add some potasium carbonate and then a couple days later add some yeast nutrient it started to bubble lightly and i added just a little more nutient. then it realy got going and my s.g. dropped to 1.030 in a days time. so things are going good and i am going to syphon into the secondary tonight. i would like to say thank you to everyone for all your advice.

Glad to hear it is going good now. On the next batch I would keep the acid out until later if you need it.