Is It Done Yet?

[BlackSundog]

I'm not quite sure what to do now.

It's been 8 weeks since I started. I sampled a little and it's good but maybe could use some back sweetening. I wanted to move my capsicumel to secondary except...

I actually don't know if it's really done or not.

My starting gravity was something like...1.5 but eh...nearly a week went by with no visible activity and I became the great Paranoiatician Concernicus.

ipe:

So I took my 1 gallon batch, dilluted it by adding maybe 1/5th or a 1/6th of a gallon of water. Then the next day I pitched half a packet of new yeast -rehydrated in tap water rather than distilled after hearing that helped some folks. And...things finally took off!



And then somewhere in the next 8 weeks I decided to add more honey. Maybe it was week 4.

And weeks later here I am wondering if it's time to rack things into secondary. Now......I know you take the difference between starting and final gravity but -would that be thrown off in any way by my dilution or not?

Prior to making this thread I was looking into Air Lock Bubbling discussions but it seems most people thing that's useless (depends they say on yeast, head space, batch size, neck size, and eleventy other things).

I kind of feel like maybe I'm a disoriented pilot, who's afraid to trust his instruments...

 

[HB_in_Subic]

Take a gravity reading, odds are it will be near 1.00 or lower. By adding the water it did dilute the gravity some but you also added an unknown amount of honey that could offset that or even add to the level above your original gravity.

If you have lees on the bottom it's good practice to rack off to secondary when you have a 1/4" or more on the bottom of your fermenter. When you rack to secondary, top up the fermenter to minimize headspace. Keep repeating the racking until no more sediment on the bottom. By then your mead should be crystal clear and can read a newspaper thru it.

 

[CKuhns]

Depending upon the yeast you used you likely were able to start the ferment by diluting as you brought it back to something the yeast could handle when re-pitching. (A starting Gravity of 1.5 - Not very likely if you used 3 to 4 pounds of honey.)

Adding honey later on is done by some for various reasons and not an issue when determining to rack other than you just extended the ferment and kicked up the ABV assuming the yeast could handle it...

I would suggest:
- Air lock bubble rate can be an indication of activity of how things are going but as you noted is fraught with problems in doing so.
- A hydrometer and Specific Gravity readings is your best bet at determining just what is going on.
- Observations such as amount of activity, bubbles on the surface, clarity etc. along with taste and smell is also a great way to determine if it is where you like it. Your experience from batch to batch will tell you a lot.

Recommendation - (But totally your call.) Taste it, take a gravity reading and if near your target Final Gravity or it tastes good then rack to secondary. Also - If a lot of lees you may want to get it off them as some do impart some off flavors. Some others actually add some wanted flavors.

 

[BlackSundog]

Take a gravity reading, odds are it will be near 1.00 or lower. By adding the water it did dilute the gravity some but you also added an unknown amount of honey that could offset that or even add to the level above your original gravity.

If you have lees on the bottom it's good practice to rack off to secondary when you have a 1/4" or more on the bottom of your fermenter. When you rack to secondary, top up the fermenter to minimize headspace. Keep repeating the racking until no more sediment on the bottom. By then your mead should be crystal clear and can read a newspaper thru it.

Alright -when I started my hydrometer red 14% , meaning there was a max potential alcohol content of that much.

I took a reading this afternoon and it is very near 1.00, showing 2%. The difference between those is 12%.