Is it stuck? Second mead attempt.

[Bocochoco]

So my first mead I accidentally let get oxidized. That was 5 years ago. I've learned a lot since then but right now I have a mead I am making that with no bubble activity is sitting at 1.030 from 1.095.
Granted I did use a refractometer as I didn't feel like dealing with a hydrometer after a long work day. I'm not sure if mead messes with a refractometer reading more than wine or not.
I know when it gets down to the complex sugars it can struggle.
Here's my notes if anyone can assist. I intend to sweaten it with meadowfoam honey and have a spice list to add to secondary but not if the gravity is this high.

5 lbs Busy Bee Clover Honey
1 can grape juice concentrate (Great Value)
2 gallons distilled water
Lavlin 71b yeast starter
OG 1.095
Bring to full boil, stirring frequently, and skim off protein scum
Cool in cold water bath
Add acid blend to a PH of 3.6
Add 1/2 tsp yeast nutrient blend
Pour back and forth into pots
Pour into 2.5 gallon fermentation bucket with airlock and add 2 crushed camden tablets.
Wait 24 hours
Pitch yeast starter
Fermented at 70 degrees F

I didn't take an acid reading today. I'm not sure how much mead swings either. It's the only thing I can think of besides trying another yeast or racking and letting it slow ferment until next summer lol

 

[Bocochoco]

I just put it out in shed since it will be 90 outside tomorrow. Might kickstart activity I'm not sure.

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

I just put it out in shed since it will be 90 outside tomorrow. Might kickstart activity I'm not sure.

Oh, that might not be too good, unless you enjoy rocket fuel.
Is the gravity reading a corrected or actual reading? I’d give more nutrients to get it going, but keep in mind that if you haven’t corrected the refractometer reading it could be close to done.

 

[Bocochoco]

Well I found a correction factor calculator and it puts me at 12.84% ABV which actually would put me at less than 1.000 barely so I guess I'm good. When I did a taste test it didn't taste very sweet but it wasn't bad as is. Had a lot of suspended carbonation.
I guess I'll let it sit 2 weeks at 70F then rack

 

[Hoppy2bmerry]

Well I found a correction factor calculator and it puts me at 12.84% ABV which actually would put me at less than 1.000 barely so I guess I'm good. When I did a taste test it didn't taste very sweet but it wasn't bad as is. Had a lot of suspended carbonation.
I guess I'll let it sit 2 weeks at 70F then rack

If you want to sweeten you can stabilize then add more honey to taste. I’ve read that it is good to get it off the lees in 3 months or less with 71.

 

[Redeemer]

So my first mead I accidentally let get oxidized. That was 5 years ago. I've learned a lot since then but right now I have a mead I am making that with no bubble activity is sitting at 1.030 from 1.095.
Granted I did use a refractometer as I didn't feel like dealing with a hydrometer after a long work day. I'm not sure if mead messes with a refractometer reading more than wine or not.
I know when it gets down to the complex sugars it can struggle.
Here's my notes if anyone can assist. I intend to sweaten it with meadowfoam honey and have a spice list to add to secondary but not if the gravity is this high.

5 lbs Busy Bee Clover Honey
1 can grape juice concentrate (Great Value)
2 gallons distilled water
Lavlin 71b yeast starter
OG 1.095
Bring to full boil, stirring frequently, and skim off protein scum
Cool in cold water bath
Add acid blend to a PH of 3.6
Add 1/2 tsp yeast nutrient blend
Pour back and forth into pots
Pour into 2.5 gallon fermentation bucket with airlock and add 2 crushed camden tablets.
Wait 24 hours
Pitch yeast starter
Fermented at 70 degrees F

I didn't take an acid reading today. I'm not sure how much mead swings either. It's the only thing I can think of besides trying another yeast or racking and letting it slow ferment until next summer lol

You should wait and add the acid blend to the secondary or at bottling time. Keep in mind, the PH has likely dropped further on the journey from 1.095 to 1.030. This, along with the alcohol and unknown nutrient levels probably caused it to give up. Generally you would buffer the PH of the must on day 1 with potassium carbonate, or bicarbonate. This protects the yeast against wild PH fluctuations (particularly against going too low) and provides them with useful potassium to help their health and well being. I learned this from @loveofrose
Read the Bray's One month mead sticky and most of your questions will be answered, including some you haven't thought to ask yet.

Oh yeah and 71B will definitely give you alcohol at 90 degrees. You can use it to clean your paintbrushes lol.

 

[Bocochoco]

Lol yeah I was thinking jumpstarting it not leaving it outside the whole time lol.
So anyways, with the acidity acting like a blueberry wine you're saying not to add acid before pitching with mead? I worry about spoilage.

 

[Bocochoco]

If you want to sweeten you can stabilize then add more honey to taste. I’ve read that it is good to get it off the lees in 3 months or less with 71.

I leave nothing on lees 3 months. I always tertiary rack unless I'm distilling corn whisky. I intend to backsweeten with meadowfoam honey when its finished. I think it will go good with my spice blend

 

[Redeemer]

Lol yeah I was thinking jumpstarting it not leaving it outside the whole time lol.
So anyways, with the acidity acting like a blueberry wine you're saying not to add acid before pitching with mead? I worry about spoilage.

I wouldn't be concerned with spoilage if your lag time is less than 24 hours. It will be considerably less if you pitch with a healthy starter, or use a Kveik like Hothead. Other members are free to correct me if I am wrong but I suspect the consensus is to wait on any acid additions until at least the secondary. If you add a buffer, it ensures the yeast get off to a faster, healthier start. Since the yeast are able to defend against spoilage organisms, my thought process is to help them as much as I can to colonize and be happy. The rest generally seems to take care of itself.

 

[Bocochoco]

I'm just a winemaker trying to muscle my way in. Most wine yeasts I use prefer a ph of 3.4 - 3.8 and throw volitiles and oils outside of the range as the yeast struggle.

 

[Bocochoco]

So I had the day off and checked it with an hydrometer. It's reading .994 which is awesome.
PH is 3.2 so it dropped 0.4 by yeast activity.
Excuse my ignorance of mead but it still tastes quite sweet and flavorful even though it fermented dry. Is this a common thing with mead? I almost feel like there is no need to backsweeten

 

[videojunkie1208]

So I had the day off and checked it with a hydrometer. It's reading .994 which is awesome.
Excuse my ignorance of mead but it still tastes quite sweet and flavorful even though it fermented dry. Is this a common thing with mead? I almost feel like there is no need to backsweeten

I find most of my meads ferment dry (0.995) and many are sweet to the taste despite there being no sugar in them.

 

[Bocochoco]

Bench tested with the meadowfoam honey and I will indeed backsweeten it.

 

[videojunkie1208]

Depending on your yeast tolerance, you may want to stabilize before back sweetening. Otherwise, you'll set off a new fermentation.

 

[Bocochoco]

I intend to K-sorb it when I do. Gonna give it a couple of weeks in primary.
It's quite hazy. What fining agents work best without stripping much? Gelatin maybe? Egg whites? Time? I don't mind letting it rack for years if I have to

 

[videojunkie1208]

I use this for most of my meads, although time does wonders as well...

https://www.homebrewing.org/Sparkol...mTl9pLPvXVg4puoOJ1aut0UhUZaFcrKoaAld2EALw_wcB

 

[Bocochoco]

Bookmarked for buying tomorrow.

 

[Redeemer]

I use this for most of my meads, although time does wonders as well...

https://www.homebrewing.org/Sparkol...mTl9pLPvXVg4puoOJ1aut0UhUZaFcrKoaAld2EALw_wcB

I suspect this is identical to Sparkaloid (SP) and if so, will say it does an excellent job. Noticeable difference at 12, 24, 48 and 72 hours by which time for me everything has been crystal clear. The drawbacks I have noticed are boiling it up (it gets the pot kind of nasty and needs to g a little than the instructions state) and adding something hot to your brew (just doesn't feel right but hasn't produced issues that I can detect, and lastly, the finings are not compact. They are very easy to disturb so you tend to leave more behind when you rack it. Otherwise I like thi stuff a lot.

I used for the first time 3 days ago, something from my LHBS that I suspect is a generic of super kleer. It is Chitosan and Kiesosol (again spelling may be off) and it is looking good so far. Clearing at a slightly slower rate than the hot mix stuff but I don't plan on racking it for at least a month so it should get the job done. The later is definitely easier to use but neither are that difficult and both give pretty astonishing results.

Gelatin works well if you have the space to cold crash it.

 

[Bocochoco]

Typically I can only get a gallon in to cold crash unless its winter lol but I got a new fridge and might invest in a deep freezer to clear up more room.
Wife wont let me take up and more space with a mini fridge for my "alcohol crap" lol

 

[loveofrose]

When using a refractometer, you need to correct for alcohol content. A calculator such as this is used: Homebrew Refractometer Calculator

Plugging in 1.095 SG and 1.030 current gravity into the calculator gives 1.005 as the actual current gravity. To confirm, taste it. 1.005 would be off dry while 1.030 is stupid sweet. This will likely ferment completely dry if given time. Do not bottle without stabilizing!

There is no need to boil honey. In fact, it is detrimental. Adding acid blend upfront is also no longer advised. Add after fermentation only if needed.Camden tablets are also completely unnecessary.

 

[Bocochoco]

That's good to know. Is not adding cambden due to the anti-microbial properties of honey? What makes mead different from wine in that respect? I already racked and added yesterday.
I add cambden to prevent oxydation as well as using CO2 flooding. Oxydized wine is next to impossible to fix. Mead doesn't seem to be an exception to that. Nothing worse than drinking wet cardboard that smells like wet dog.

*Update
23AUG2020
I boiled 10 pitted cherries in a minimal amount of water just covering the cherries. I then siphon fruit out with a sanitized siphon. I poured the cherry juice in to primary and let it rest while I prepped the spice blend.

I then tied each of the below spices in to a filter bag with a sanitized fishing string for ease of removal.
3 Green Cardamon pods per gallon
A single 3" Cinnamon stick per gallon
1 1/4 tbsp Chamomile flower heads per gallon
1 clove bud per gallon
Two inches long lavender head per gallon

I boiled 1 cup of water and let the filter bag steep for 5 minutes along with 1/2 split Vanilla bean per gallon

I poured out the pot and added the filter bags, half a vanilla bean, and 1/2 cup Meadowfoam honey per gallon to secondary.

Added 1 crushed cambden tablet per gallon

I then boiled 1 cup of water, removed from the flame and mixed in 2 tbsps bentonite clay, 5 drops of liquid pectic enzyme, 1 tsp lysozyme powder, and 1 tsp of potassium sorbate. Poured half of the slurry in to both 1 gallon carboys.

Added sanitized marbles so that the head was in the neck of the carboys.

Added airlocks and set to rack at 70 degrees F.

Today I thieved a taste and the cinnamon is most prominant. Will test daily until desired taste.

 

[Bocochoco]

Well that was fast.
Day 3 on the spice bag and the cinnamon, clove, and cardamom were already pretty strong so I pulled the bags. I'm considering adding another bag with just lightly boiled chamomile. I've got a ton of flowers right now.

 

[Bocochoco]

This is turning out way better than I had hoped. I need to tertiary before this bentonite strips some of the fine flavors out.
Taste test it still needs time on vanilla so I'll prepare a fresh bean when I transfer.
It's also going to need by experience at least 4 months of aging to calm the ethanol down.

 

[CKuhns]

That looks pretty darned good.

"Day 3 on the spice bag and the cinnamon, clove, and cardamom were already pretty strong so I pulled the bags.

I have noticed that Cinnamon ages out over time. I tend to overshoot my desired flavor a little and in 9-12 months hits what I want pretty well.

 

[Bocochoco]

Yeah I noticed on taste test the cinnamon definitely chilled out but I'm worried it was from the bentonite. I'm going to rack it tomorrow and I might add the bag back after letting it sit a while.

 

[Bocochoco]

Well tomorrow is today and one of my brand new carboys, of which I only have 2 extra, bottom fell off. Yay.
Had to waste money to get it for $18 on Amazon for tomorrow.
$18 for a carboy lmao...whatever

 

[Bocochoco]

Boiled 10 more cherries with a split vanilla pod. Removed the solids and racked it on tertiary 1 gallon batches.
The other one I'm not gonna spice it up more.
2 totally different flavor profiles. Lets see what works