My first mead

[Taelend]

Okay so first mead. Going for a sweeter dessert mead. Only 1 gallon sized just to get used to it. 4lbs raw honey, and about 3/4 gallon water used. Also used a yeast nutrient and energizer, and dosed with campden 24 hours prior abd then shook very violently for 5 mins or so before pitching yeast. Used a starter of lavlin d47 yeast. It's been about 2 weeks now and discovered there's a rather large crack in the top of the cap, and not too sure how or why it's there but hoping it didn't **** up my batch (4 pounds of honey is a bit expensive). Here are a couple pictures. I notice a few bubbles on the surface but no other signs of any foreign contaminant, and hoping the white on the bottom is just settled yeast. Help please!

 

[bmwr75]

What do you mean the top of the cap? Was your 1 gallon jug sealed tightly since pitching the yeast?

 

[Taelend]

The cap is plastic rather than a rubber bung. I had to take it off at one point and clean it due to the mead bubbling up into the airlock and it was fine then. Just realizing it's cracked now. Near the hole were you put the airlock. Not a huge hole but it's a hole nonetheless

 

[ten80]

swap the top cap for a piece of saran-wrap sprayed with sanitizer and loosely affixed around the neck of the bottle with a rubber band (so that gas can still get out). Looks like your fermentation is still going, nothing odd.

If you have contamination, the mead will possibly develop a pellicle that looks different than yeast krausen... and/or it will taste like old socks.

 

[Taelend]

Thanks a lot! I appreciate it. So that white stuff on the bottom looks okay? Just yeast? I honestly don't know since it's my first mead. I've brewed beer and cider so I assumed yeast. Just looks different than what I've seen

 

[Taelend]

swap the top cap for a piece of saran-wrap sprayed with sanitizer and loosely affixed around the neck of the bottle with a rubber band (so that gas can still get out). Looks like your fermentation is still going, nothing odd.

If you have contamination, the mead will possibly develop a pellicle that looks different than yeast krausen... and/or it will taste like old socks.

Thanks I appreciate all the info and tips this weekend I'll get out to the brew supply shop and get a couple rubber bungs and another Carboy for replacements (not easy for me to go out that way during the week)

 

[ten80]

Looks the same as when my mead was going strong a few weeks ago. Wine yeast is pretty light in color because there is very little color imparted by the honey must.