Not sure where to go with this one . . .

[ACUBrewer]

Ok, so I started a sack sweet mead on 01/31/11. OG was 1.130. 18lbs of honey and topped up to 5 gals. Pitched White labs sweet mead yeast. Primary for about 30 days then rack to secondary. Now the SG seems stuck at 1.065 has been there for about a week. I stirred it up really good yesterday but there seems to be no action still. I wanted to get to 1.050. The guy at my LHB shop suggested that I throw some champange yeast in there and let it go dry and then back sweeten but I think that will create some really sweet rocket fuel that will take years to smooth out. I was thinking of aging for about a year.
Thoughts?

 

[shafferpilot]

taste it and report back.... or just leave it alone.

 

[MedsenFey]

This is a good example of why racking according to a schedule can be problematic. Ideally, you rack when it is done. Racking can leave a lot of active yeast behind, though I suspect this mead had other issues as well.

The yeast you used can be finicky (both the WL and Wyeast sweet mead strains have this issue).

Did you provide nutrients for the yeast?
Did you aerate it during the early fermentation?
Can you check the pH (low pH often causes problems)?
What temperature are you maintaining?

 

[ACUBrewer]

I followed a nutrient schedule for the first couple of days. I aerated before pitching with oxygen and a stone and then I shook it alot in primary. No way to check ph. Temp has staying constant between 66-68. After stirring and degassing a few days ago there is a little bit of airlock activity and I can see small bubbles coming up from the bottom.
Maybe I should just throw some champange in and then backsweeten

 

[MedsenFey]

Well, you can certainly try pitching a Champagne yeast (though Uvaferm 43 is the best restart yeast), but if you do, rehydrate it properly, and acclimate it to the must. If you just pitch it into an acidic alcoholic environment, it can kill even Champagne yeast. Aerate it again if you pitch more yeast, and you may also want to treat with yeast hulls at 1 g/gal.

If you have a really low pH the Champagne yeast may not work.

If you have a really low pH and your correct it, you may not need to pitch any other yeast as the ones you have in there may be able to finish the job. I would get some strips or a meter and check the pH. If I couldn't check it at all, I'd consider adding a couple of tsp of potassium bicarbonate (or calcium carbonate) to see if that is enough to get the yeast moving.

Warming it up to 72-73 F may also help the yeast become more active.

I'd also aerate it again with the stone even though racking probably provided some. Aerating prior to pitch is good, but wines and meads generally need at least 1 or 2 aerations after pitch to develop maximum biomass. That's even more true when using liquid yeast if you don't build up a starter.

I hope your are able to get it finished.

Medsen

 

[ACUBrewer]

well, no action. Killed with potassium meta and sorbate and tried some finnings.
I have realized that the yeast I used from more research isn't that great. But I do have to learn more about making mead.
Any links to good walk throughs?

 

[sielm]

BTW is sodium bicarbonate useful to lower pH? I think I read about this somewhere but I don't find the answer. Thanks!

 

[MedsenFey]

Sodium bicarbonate will raise the pH (remember, the more acidic it is the lower the pH). However, it is not necessarily the best choice, and if you add enough, it may leave you with salty tasting results.