Secondary fermentation.

[Craig Clark]

Shotgun Craig here, I just transferred my first batch of mead. It's been working for 1 week. It's a 5 gallon batch with 30 oz. Of raspberries (that I removed after 3 days).Beginning gravity was 1.088,I used a 12.6 lbs of honey and Wildflower and orange Blossom honey raspberries were covered with table sugar and a 5th of vodka. I had a reading of 0.20 today after a week, with over a inch of lease? Should I add more Energizer and nutrient, I did 1/2 teaspoon of Energizer and 1 teaspoon of nutrient for 3 days after I pitched the yeast?? I've added pectic enzyme for clearing. So what's next? Do I need to slow down and let it work? Advice please? Since I transferred it, there's been no activity from my airlock?is the fermentation stuck?

 

[IAmPistolPete]

OK let's pull this apart...

You're starting gravity with honey was 1.088. You added 30oz raspberries[fresh? frozen? puree?] and also table sugar[how much?] and 750ml vodka[why?]

What yeast did you use for this brew? and at what temp did it live at?

Most likely you are done fermenting. Adding vodka to an active ferment will likely kill the yeast unless you are using a very high alcohol-tolerant yeast. Unless this was on purpose to arrest the fermentation & end up with a fortified sweet mead. Gravity of 1.020 is on the med sweet- sweet side.

 

[Craig Clark]

I I'm sorry Pete I wasn't more explicit in what I said I read an article that if you put vodka on your frozen raspberries it would help break them down quicker if you put some sugar soap and vodka so I I put a half a cup a table sugar and a fifth of vodka in a bowl with my raspberries and soaked them and then added them to my must before I pitch the yeast it worked hot and heavy for a week but I had over an inch of leese in my fermentation bucket and my abv looked alright, so I thought I should transfer it to a secondary fermentation bucket. Now I have about almost an inch of leese in this bucket and it has stopped working all together. It's been about 70 to 80 degrees in my kitchen, it varies on day and night? The yeast I used is Red Star Premier blanc and has a high level of alcohol tolerance. But it isn't sweet? IDK if I'm reading my hydrometer wrong or what???

 

[IAmPistolPete]

Come to think of it, adding the vodka is going to throw off all your hydrometer readings. At this point I'd just let it sit for a week or 2 to see if you get any activity. In the future you don't rack it unless it's done. Lees are a good thing. Live yeast will feed on the dead yeast as nutrient. When you see no activity & the gravity doesn't move for a week, then you can rack & clear.