need mead help

[Dream Nectar]

So I was brewing a melomel with strawberries I put about 3 pounds of honey into it and 5 pounds of smashed strawberries it violently fermented for like 4 days
then it abruptly stopped, I had a move and didn't touch it for several months, there was a ton of mucky strawberry gunk settled to the bottom and it was really nice red color today I filtered out all the muck and squeezed the juice out of the muck, now i'm a brewing newb so I assumed it was too sugary and the yeast died and i would referment with a champagne yeast (I was using lalvin d-45)
after straining out the muck witch made the melomel turn brown till it settles =( i tested the gravity and it read 1.000 which i'm pretty sure means its done but i was wondering if anybody here could potentially give me some insight into this

 

[Seamonkey84]

Was it just strawberries or some water to make it at least a gallon? Do you have a hydrometer to take a reading with? It may have stalled to alcohol tolerance already. If it tastes ok, then let it age. if it’s too sweet, add some water or more strawberries to water down the alcohol without loosing flavor, and the ferment May kick back up. If it doesn’t restart in over a month, you can call it good, or add more yeast to get it to finish if you want it drier.

 

[Dream Nectar]

it was fermented in a gallon jug it was water honey and strawberries and i used a hydrometer to test the mead and its gravity was 1.000 i tasted it and it seemed off though its under a year old it has lots of the strawberry particles in it wich might have contributed to the off taste

 

[Dream Nectar]

i put 3lb of honey and 4 to 5 lb of frozen strawberries in ill try to find a picture of when i first put everything together

 

[Dream Nectar]

 

[Seamonkey84]

Well then it’s done! Congrats lol. Give it time, it can take a few months for the off flavors from fermentation to dissipate. Once it’s fully clear, rack it at least once again before bottling. For your next batch, I recommend getting a two gallon (Or bigger) pail. That way you can make a bit more than a gallon so you end up with a full carboy after you rack. Use a mess bag for the fruit. I’d recommending pulling the fruit in 10 days or the seeds can impart some bitterness.

 

[CKuhns]

Yep - Sounds like your almost done - +1 With what @Seamonkey84 said about strawberry seeds and using a mesh bag is a great practice if you have a small bucket.

I don't "squeeze" the fruit mush as it just adds additional pectin and causes haze that is hard to clear (some folks do - Just a personal preference.)