Mead batch dosent seem to have much activity

[Jorge12900]

I've brewed a couple mead batches before, but this one seems to be acting different and doesn't seem to have caught the fermentation. This recipe was for a 5 gallon batch with the following ingredients:
10lbs honey (from local brew shop)
1 gallon store bought apple juice (not from concentrate, natural, organic)

Home made apple cider using
-25lbs assorted apples
-3oz ground cinnamon
-1oz ground nutmeg
-3 gallons water
-4lbs brown sugar

First I made the cider, juicing the apples and bringing the juice to a slight boil, adding spices. Strained most of the excess apple particles (and making applesauce as a byproduct) when slight boil was reached, added sugar and honey until dissolved. Pitched yeast using a sample of the cider diluted in water. My yeast choice was EC-1118 champagne yeast.
My previous mead batches also used honey with some sort of fruit juice as an added sugar source, although this time I made the juice direct from the fruit. However this is the first time I used this type of yeast in my brew. I'm just curious does this type of yeast take longer to ferment or did I do something horribly wrong in the process

 

[HappiBrew]

Shouldn't have much different of a lag time. I didn't see yeast nutrient or energizer mentioned. Did you use any? What temp did you pitch at? What was the OG? There could be a few factors slowing things up.

 

[nate191]

friends don't let friends make mead without a nutrient schedule! Its a MUST!:cross:

If you do have a nutrient schedule you might want to try lalvin k1-v1116. It works like a charm to get a difficult fermentation really rollin.

 

[HappiBrew]

friends don't let friends make mead without a nutrient schedule! Its a MUST!:cross:

If you do have a nutrient schedule you might want to try lalvin k1-v1116. It works like a charm to get a difficult fermentation really rollin.

Yup, I like the 4 day method. 1/4 doses of each (nutrient/energizer) added once each day for the 1st 4 days and degassed at each addition.

 

[Jorge12900]

As far as pitching yeast I pitched it at 105 degrees using DAP as a yeast nutrient the initial gravity of the mead was 1.120