Huge Newbie Needs your Help

[CheapBrew]

Hi All,

Decided to make my first brew today, and it's been about 3 hours and I haven't seen any sign of fermentation let alone any froth or bubbling start in my brew.

I decided to make a Lemon melomel/mead. I first sanitized a half gallon jug. Then I made an airlock (rubber glove with a small hole poked in the tip of the middle finger).

Then I started to make the brew. I warmed up slightly less than a half gallon of water on the oven and added about 0.13 gallons of honey. Then I added some lemon juice. I poured this into the jug and added about a teaspoon and a half of baking yeast and some pieces of the lemon I used. I then attached the glove on with an elastic.

The mix inside was fairly warm (I never made any temp measurements) for an hour or so. It's now cooled down. I come to check on it every few hours and I see white powder at the bottom, which I think is the yeast, so every time I shake it up.

I've seen not the slightest sign at all of fermentation. It looks identical to when I put it in. And I know the yeast is good because it doesn't expire till 2013.

I don't know what I should do with this. I feel it's such a waste of honey. And there's probably no turning back if I've made errors.

Help anyone?

 

[shutupjojo]

It will take off. Relax and leave it alone.

 

[Stauffbier]

It can take up to 1 to 3 days for fermentation to show any signs of activity. You say the mix was fairly warm, if it was too warm it could have killed or stunted the yeast.. Making hooch is a fun way to learn about the process of fermentation, but it's not the tastiest thing to drink. I tried it before I started brewing beer. I used a balloon instead of a glove.. Same difference! Save a few dollars and get yourself some equipment to brew beer or make wine. You'll be glad you did!

 

[tektonjp]

Did you make a sacrifice to Ninkasi?

This game is all about patience. If you can't wait, you can't make alcohol. Bottom line. This isn't McDonalds. Yeasty beasties take their own sweet time. Learn to live on their schedule.

 

[Clann]

I think you probabily cooked your yeast but I am not sure without a temp reading. 80* feels cool to the touch, 100* will be slightly warm. 140* will kill the yeast. How warm was quite warm?

But like others said, 3 hours is way too early to be wondering if you have fermentation. leave it alone for a couple days and see what happens

 

[CheapBrew]

Alright. It's been 3 days and I came home today and there was finally quite a lot of frothy foam action at the surface. But the glove still has not inflated whatsoever. The seal on the glove is really good. Is this a problem?

 

[JoshuaW]

The hole you punched may have been to large, or you may not be generating enough pressure and it is just leaking out. A rubber glove is not really an air lock. Go to a homebrew store and buy a 1 gallon carboy and a matching bung/airlock. While you are there, pick up some brewers yeast, nothing that tastes good comes from baking yeast (a little exaggeration, I mean, bread tastes good).

It can be a fun experiment, but if you want something that you will actually enjoy drinking, you need to spend the $20 (if that) to get started.

 

[Stauffbier]

In my experience this type of hooch doesn't make a big krausen and it can take days for it to build up any substantial carbon dioxide. It ferments a lot like apfelwein. So be patient. I'm guessing the glove will start to inflate in a day or two (if you didn't make the hole too large or make too many holes)..

 

[Stauffbier]

It can be a fun experiment, but if you want something that you will actually enjoy drinking

I actually made a great batch of cherry wine just like this (but with a ballon instead of a glove). I also used baking yeast. It was racked over 4 times to remove as much yeast as possible and aged for 3 months. My family and I all toasted with it this past New Years Eve. They were all surprised how good it tasted. BUT............. with that said, I would use wine yeast if I made it again, because I'm sure it would make it that much better!

 

[CPFITNESS]

cant believe nobody has yelled at this dude to read some of the friggin stickies and search!

 

[tektonjp]

That's cause we be civilized round here.
No yelling at newbies allowed on the beginners forum it seems. I've had my knuckles rapped before. But it makes sense.
Basically, if you can't bit your tongue and help someone out in this sub-forum, you don't have to come here. When I don't feel like helping out, I just read and giggle. But yell? Naw, never works.

 

[CheapBrew]

Its the fifth day of fermentation now and the glove hasn't inflated. The hole may be too big. Also the bubbling has subsided and isn't bubbling as vigorously as yesterday. Is this normal?