So much gas!

[Sebrinak]

Started my second batch of mead on December 5th, 5 gallons. Used a brew bucket and stirred daily, the first day it even erupted over and made a mess. I didn't want it to sit in the air forever so I moved it to a carboy on December 12. In the process, at the half-full point, I used the wine degasser with a drill on it and beat the hell out of it, still pretty gassy. I thought that would knock it down, but I was wrong. It is still going like crazy. I know it's only 8 days in, and I plan to just let it be, but I wanted to check to make sure I am not doing something wrong. The recipe and SG are below.

18lbs wild honey (heated with water to dissolve)
3-4 gallons of water
5 tsp each- Pectic enzyme, yeast nutrient, Campden tabs, acid blend.
Lavlin 1118- pitched the following day.
OG- 1.110
12/12 SG- 1.040

Based on a recipe from Complete Guide to Making Your Own Wine at Home.

 

[DBhomebrew]

Fermentation's not done yet, still creating new CO2. Your degassing is like bailing an open boat in the rain. It'll keep gassing until fermentation stops, hopefully well south of 1.040. Big gravities can take a while to finish.

 

[Kyzaboy89]

Would you be able to explain how and when you used the nutrients/chemical? All up front or was it added in stages? If it's wild honey I assume you used campden to sterilize your must but why use the pectic enzyme?

To answer your question your yeast is active and creating Co² so it is fermenting and your gravity indicates about 2/3 sugars have been consumed. 1118 will finish that amount of honey without issue but be mindful of yeast stress, off odors. If you are stressing the yeast by low nutrients or Co² poisoning your fermentation could slow but it doesn't sound like an issue.

Degassing when your o.g./s.g. is above the 1.040 area just needs to go a bit slower, short whip/stir see how much foam rises, wait for it to go down etc. Foam overs happen, you either go slower or get a bigger primary, best of luck.

 

[bushpilot]

For future batches, I recommend you skip the campden tablet and acid blend at pitch. Add campden at racking into secondary, and acid blend to taste after it clears.

 

[Sebrinak]

Fermentation's not done yet, still creating new CO2. Your degassing is like bailing an open boat in the rain. It'll keep gassing until fermentation stops, hopefully well south of 1.040. Big gravities can take a while to finish.

down to 1.010 now, slowing down, thanks

 

[Sebrinak]

Would you be able to explain how and when you used the nutrients/chemical? All up front or was it added in stages? If it's wild honey I assume you used campden to sterilize your must but why use the pectic enzyme?

To answer your question your yeast is active and creating Co² so it is fermenting and your gravity indicates about 2/3 sugars have been consumed. 1118 will finish that amount of honey without issue but be mindful of yeast stress, off odors. If you are stressing the yeast by low nutrients or Co² poisoning your fermentation could slow but it doesn't sound like an issue.

Degassing when your o.g./s.g. is above the 1.040 area just needs to go a bit slower, short whip/stir see how much foam rises, wait for it to go down etc. Foam overs happen, you either go slower or get a bigger primary, best of luck.

It was all added at the same time, just following the recipe. seems to be doing good now, still gassy, but gravity is down. Thanks.