Need some pointer on my first batch

[sonicphi]

First of all hello every one, im just starting out and i have a few questions so here it goes.



I am on my third try trying to make mead, and this one looks like it is going to be the one, but i am a bit worried that my mead is bubbling kinda slow.

I have pitched the yeast 72 hours ago, and it is only bubbling every 10 seconds or so, is this normal?

Should it be bubbling more?

How long after the secondary fermentation should i rack?



The recipe is 1 part honey to 2.5 parts of water (from an artesian hole) to a total of 23 litters (around 6 galons)/ juice from 2 lemons / 1 packet of Lalvin 71B-1122.

Temperature here is around 15 to 23 degrees ( 50f to 70f)



Thank you.

 

[Maylar]

Honey is notoriously low in nutrients that the yeast needs - did you add any?

 

[bernardsmith]

Hi Sonicphi - and welcome.
Bubbles and time are not really what you should be counting. You need an hydrometer. That tells you with some accuracy how much sugar still remains and how much sugar the yeast have converted to CO2 and alcohol. When the specific gravity drops to about 1.005 then you can rack to the secondary. Racking too soon means that you are likely to remove the yeasts you need to continue fermenting, and racking too late can mean that you are exposing your wines and meads to the possibility of oxidation. How frequently an airlock bubbles has no real significance as that may be as much related to how well your bung and airlock in fact seal the carboy, what chemicals - precisely - are in the liquid (even water) that you are using as your filter, the smoothness of the inside of the airlock, the ambient temperature of the room etc etc etc

 

[mredge73]

Honey is notoriously low in nutrients that the yeast needs - did you add any?

+1
Electrolytes are what yeast crave!
Seriously, lemon and honey isn't enough to to keep the yeast happy. You need to give them a nitrogen source. Staggered additions of Diammonium phosphate (DAP) is often used. There are also yeast nutrient blends that add other minerals mixed in with the DAP.

And get yourself a hydrometer, they are not very expensive. Bubbles are poor indicator of yeast activity.

 

[sonicphi]

I haven't added any nutrients, nor do i have a way to get them quickly... anything else besides more lemon juice that i can use?

Is my batch gonna go bad? or is there a chance it is going to work out?

 

[mredge73]

It may work fine but you will need to give it some time.
It may also get stressed out, finish early, and make some nasty sulfur compounds.
Some people use chopped raisins, grape nuts, rolled oats, and brewers yeast (dead yeast) as a natural nutrient addition.

Some reading material for you:
https://byo.com/mead/item/1908-yeast-nutrients-techniques

 

[Sourz4life]

As others have mentioned honey is low on nutrients and nitrates. I would look into SNA (Staggered Nutrient Schedule) or a TONSA which is just a Tailored Organic SNA which means all organic nitrates. It makes for a much healthier fermentation which in turn makes a cleaner tasting mead. Don't worry about how much something bubbles, it of course tells you activity is happening but it doesn't give you a solid indication on where something is. That being said mead can be a little slower, although some fermentations are just as vigorous as beers. Welcome to the craft!

 

[sonicphi]

So should i add more lemon juice to compensate?

Water from an artesian hole has quite a bit of the stuff present in yeast nutrient(magnesium, iron,nickel, potassium, manganese), probably not enough though.
Maybe adding a bit more water and lemon juice could help?

Any thoughts?

 

[Maylar]

More lemon could make it worse by lowering the pH (more acid). If you don't have access to commercial yeast nutrient, then get a packet of regular bread yeast from the grocery store and boil it in a small amount of water in your microwave. When it cools off add it to your mead. The dead yeast will provide nutrients.

Do it again in a week.

 

[sonicphi]

More lemon could make it worse by lowering the pH (more acid). If you don't have access to commercial yeast nutrient, then get a packet of regular bread yeast from the grocery store and boil it in a small amount of water in your microwave. When it cools off add it to your mead. The dead yeast will provide nutrients.

Do it again in a week.

Should i wait to see how fermentation goes or do that right now? is there any kind of flavor during fermentation that tells me that things are going wrong?

 

[Maylar]

Do it now.

First sign of stressed yeast is hydrogen sulfide gas - aka rhino farts. It stinks. Adding nutrients will head that off.

 

[Sourz4life]

If you can get ahold of bee pollen its also a natural way to add nutrients and small amounts of organic nitrates.

 

[sonicphi]

I think i have bee pollen actually as odd as that may seem...

Do it now.

First sign of stressed yeast is hydrogen sulfide gas - aka rhino farts. It stinks. Adding nutrients will head that off.

I do not smell anything bad so far, only a faint honey aroma.



EDIT: It seems to be bubbling faster now, maybe i just needed to give it some time...

 

[Maylar]

A packet of bread yeast will cost you almost nothing. Do your yeast a favor and feed them before they get stressed out.

 

[sonicphi]

Yes i know, but i am a bit afraid it will affect taste.

My first try brewing was with bread yeast and the final taste was so yeasty that i had to throw everything in the trash.


I think i will try the bee pollen first, should i stirr the must when adding the pollen? my recipient has quite a bit of head space, wont the new air make vinegar?

 

[Sourz4life]

Well the boiled yeast addition would be good as well. That is what they use for organic nitrate in commercial grade nutrient mixes just dehydrated, and when its boiled it just kills them and make them food for your live yeast. It's always best to top up as high as possible, but that being said during fermentation enough c02 is being created that the oxygen at this stage won't hurt it as it'll be pushed out, but of course still limit it. Its more of an issue after fermentation. You can give it a swirl but it should dissolve into the must on its own over time.

 

[sonicphi]

Well the boiled yeast addition would be good as well. That is what they use for organic nitrate in commercial grade nutrient mixes just dehydrated, and when its boiled it just kills them and make them food for your live yeast. It's always best to top up as high as possible, but that being said during fermentation enough c02 is being created that the oxygen at this stage won't hurt it as it'll be pushed out, but of course still limit it. Its more of an issue after fermentation. You can give it a swirl but it should dissolve into the must on its own over time.

How much pollen should i put in for 23 liters (6 galons)?

 

[fossilcat]

Yes i know, but i am a bit afraid it will affect taste.

My first try brewing was with bread yeast and the final taste was so yeasty that i had to throw everything in the trash.

That batch you brewed with bread yeast probably tasted yeasty because that fermentation process and it's resultant product were reflective of that yeast's character and that batch's environment. By boiling and killing the bread yeast as Maylar has suggested, you are creating food that will be used up and processed - it can not multiply, eat, and produce by-product. It can not impart the same off-tastes you experienced before because now it's roll is different, it's food for another yeast that will impart it's own character.

It's a good in-a-pinch nutrient source since it used to BE yeast. I would guess that it's better than bee pollen.

 

[sonicphi]

I went ahead an added the pollen, still afraid of screwing up the taste with bread yeast.

Added like 70 grams of pollen and stirred it a bit, bubbling decreased significantly, is this normal?

I also tasted the the must and i couldn't feel any alcohol but i did feel some gas.