Still bubblin'....

[Tex2Ten]

April 17, 2014, I made a simple one gallon batch of Honey Mead with only 4 lb of honey and water. I pasteurized it at 190° for 25 minutes (no hate mail...I've learned better and will never do it again! Put the guns down!). I used a smack pack of Wyeast 1056 (for 5 gal) because that's what my brewshop had.

Initial gravity reading:*
1.152 @ 73°

Put it in a 2 gal bucket to ferment and waited. It never really got going...just a bubble every 60-90 seconds. I asked about it and was told the the extra headspace in the bucket was probably giving it enough room so it wasn't gassing out. I wasn't satisfied but didn't know any better so I didn't argue.

April 26, I racked it to a 1 gal glass carboy. I took a reading and wasn't happy with my findings...1.124 (didn't check the temp).

When it was in the bucket, I couldn't see it, but since it's been in the glass, I've been able to see the bubbles coming up from the solution and they have never stopped!! Even though the airlock doesn't bubble often, the must, itself has been bubbling the whole time.

June 3, I got concerned and pulled a sample to taste...extremely sweet and honey flavored and imperceptible alcohol. So, I did what I thought was right...I...pitched what I had at hand...Fleischman's. HaHaHa!!

I mixed some honey and warm water in a quart measuring cup, pitched the yeast and waited. It started doing it's thing so I pitched it.

Since then, it's been going a bit better, but still not what I would like to see.

Today is 6/12/14...almost 2 months later and it's still going like it always has. I know I need to bottle this stuff at some point, but...when? If I bottle it now...KA-FRICKIN-BOOM.

Does anyone have any suggestions?

....anyone?

 

[loveofrose]

That SG is nearly impossible without lots of upfront care and a bit of luck. I would suggest the following:

1. Rack off the current yeast.
2. Dilute to 1.1 range.
3. Add K2CO3, DAP, & Fermaid K. I am assuming you did not add nutrients previously.
4. Make an acclimated starter of UvaFerm 43 (morebeer.com for all the supplies) and pitch.
5. Aerate the hell out of the must prior to pitching.
5. Pray the yeasties take hold. Restarting ferments like this is very difficult.


Better brewing through science!

 

[IJesusChrist]

Yes, your OG is the problem here. You'll need to dilute.

 

[Tex2Ten]

5. Pray the yeasties take hold. Restarting ferments like this is very difficult.

...that said, would I be better off dumping and starting from scratch? This is my first try at mead and only the second beverage I've fermented, so I am a beginner. I accept that failure is part of learning.

I don't want to keep throwing effort into something that may be a lost cause.

 

[Arpolis]

It is never a good idea to dump any mead. Honey is precious and it is to be cherished and eventually consumed. Think how hard it took the thousands of bees to make that honey. Let's not let hard work go to waste.

You can go the route that loveofrose mentioned and you may just get this mead to fully ferment dry.

If not still do not worry. Make another mead identical to this but start with only 2lb honey, read up on staggard nutrient additions and follow that. And also look up the BOMM recipe thread on here. It gives a lot of good practice to follow in making a good one gallon of mead. Once that mead ferments dry you can stabilize everything with crushed Camden and sorbate and after 24 hours blend the sweet stalled mead into dry mead until it is at the sweetness level you want. Let it sit another 30 days or so to see if sediment drops out or to make sure fermentation does not pick up and then feel free to bottle if all clear and good.

 

[fatbloke]

Ditto.....

errors in making are part of the learning curve.

worst case scenario would be to put a bottle of vodka into it, cold.crash it then stabilise and clear it.

Let it age and mellow.......