Milk Mead

[kvothe]

Hey Y'all,

I've picked the brains of my local homebrewers with no solution/explanation for my problem. Simply stated, my problem is that fermentation is very slow, and my mead is fully carbonated (like champagne...not the amount to be expected).

Ingredients:
4.25 Gallons water
1 Gallon Honey
1lb lactose
5 campden tablets
Lalvin RC 212 (yeast)
Fermaid K (yeast energizer)

Original Gravity: 1.100
Current Gravity: 1.080
Pitching Date 2/28/15
Current Date 3/10/15

Directions:
1. Bring 2.25 gallons of water to 160 degrees F
2. Add 1 gallon honey and stir until diffused
3. Add lactose at flameout
4. Add 2 gallons cold water
5. Put in carboy
6. Crush campden tablets and dissolve in small amount of water, then add to must.
7. Wait 24 hours
8. Aerate (I shook the hell out of my carboy
9. Pitch yeast and fermaid k

The only explanation i've received is that its possible that the lactose traps the CO2 in the mead instead of letting it escape through the airlock...

Any ideas? Any questions?

Thank you for your time.

 

[loveofrose]

Read the article in my signature and come back with any questions.

Cheers!


Better brewing through science!

See my Current Mead Making Techniques article here:
https://www.homebrewtalk.com/current-mead-making-techniques.html

 

[ChrisVZ]

I noticed that you added yeast energizer but did not see yeast nutrient listed. Maybe this is the cause for the slow ferment?

 

[kvothe]

Sorry Chris, I meant nutrient bit typed energizer.

 

[kvothe]

But*

 

[buzzerj]

I personally have not used RC 212 yeast in a mead but I would think it would work alright. It's rated to ferment up to 16% ABV. It's a red wine yeast but OK. What was your expectation of a final gravity? Lactose doesn't ferment so your F.G. will end up higher than 1.000, I would guess it would end up about 1.020 with your ingredients. I'm not sure the lactose is necessarily causing the yeast give you a stuck fermentation (which is basically what you're seeing). You said your fermentation is slow. Is it bubbling at all? Your must might be a touch on the acidic side (as you say it's "carbonated"). That's CO2 and dissolved CO2 does depress pH. It would be interesting to know what the must's pH is.

I would suggest you 1) continue to swirl/aerate your must (it won't hurt at 1.080 and it liberates the CO2), 2) add some DAP (like 1 tablespoon) and watch for a reaction and 3) especially some more Fermaid K (like 2 tablespoons but very slowly) and prepare for a big reaction (volcano). If you get nothing (which I doubt), pitch another yeast again. Most of all, follow what loveofrose said in post #2. Read his article. That's your best bet.

 

[Arpolis]

RC 212 in my experience is a nutrient hog. It is very dependent on needing more nutrients compared to the other lalvin brothers 71b-1112, k1v-1116, ec-1118... In fruit musts it is not too much trouble, you just need to add nutrients. In mead musts it is more of a problem because your honey and lactose will add much less nutrients than any fruit would. So nutrient additions are usually double the recommended doses to get a full ferment. So IMO you need both yeast nutrient and energizer to be added now and some degassing would be perfect to reduce the carbonic acid levels.