Stuck Fermentation... Help(?)

[b-rad.g]

Been brewing beer and making wine for years. Got the mead bug last year, and have completed one simple mead.

Trying to push myself, i decided to get creative on my second and third batches (brewed simultaneous like). Since i'm new, i'm starting with 1-gallon batches (didn't want to screw up 5 gallons of honey). I started both of these about 9 weeks ago. The first one is a basic cyser (3 lbs honey, 1 gal apple juice), that has done well so far (OG: 1.125; FG: 1.014; ABV: ~14.5%).

The other is (in an attempt to be fancy) an Acerglyn-Cyser-Bochet concoction.
3 lbs Trader Joe's Mesquite Honey (boiled for 15 minutes to caramelize)
1 gal Unfiltered Apple Juice
8 oz Maple Syrup

OG came out to 1.140 (which is higher than originally intended... didn't account for the syrup)
Pitched Lalvin D-47 yeast.
4 wks in: 1.068
5 wks in: 1.058
7 wks in: 1.049

It tastes good, but is too sweet. After measuring at Week 7, I pitched some EC 1118 w/nutrients, hoping I could get it to start back up. Now, at Week 9, the gravity has only droped to 1.042. Not hold out much hope that it will get down into the teens or twenties.

So... Couple of questions:
1) Is it OK to leave a cyser-hybrid at 1.042?
2) If not, what are the best steps forward:
2a) Blend with some dry simple mead to bring the gravity down?
2b) Do something else (not sure what) to ferment it down further?

Just hoping that someone has some good insight/experience that might be able to help me out. Thanks.

-B-Rad.

 

[CKuhns]

If still dropping let it go some take a lot of time.

But... here is what I would do:
1118 is a workhorse and usually will get a stuck ferment going. (Have used that yeast for a few slow or stuck ones.) Additional nutrients at this point wont likely help.

Couple of other things to check.

pH - if less than 3.0 adjust up to about 3.3 or so using sodium bicarbonate.

Temperature - 1118 can do a little better warmer. If you can warm it 5 deg F.

Agitate - gently swirl it or gently shake it to suspend the yeast. OR rack into another sanitized jug. Being careful to minimize the amount of time it is open Do not aerate at this point Mead is susceptible to oxidation.

 

[Maylar]

2a would be my choice

 

[Boden]

Have you degassed it? Too much CO2 in solution will slow it to a crawl.

 

[b-rad.g]

If still dropping let it go some take a lot of time.

But... here is what I would do:
1118 is a workhorse and usually will get a stuck ferment going. (Have used that yeast for a few slow or stuck ones.) Additional nutrients at this point wont likely help.

Couple of other things to check.

pH - if less than 3.0 adjust up to about 3.3 or so using sodium bicarbonate.

Temperature - 1118 can do a little better warmer. If you can warm it 5 deg F.

Agitate - gently swirl it or gently shake it to suspend the yeast. OR rack into another sanitized jug. Being careful to minimize the amount of time it is open Do not aerate at this point Mead is susceptible to oxidation.

I checked the ph, and it was ~3.6. I did shake a lot early on to help degas, but haven't done that recently (due to the oxidation concerns you mentioned).

Maybe it is impatience from my beer experience, and with wine, primary is done in a week. I know mead can take a long time, I was just expecting to see a little more steady progress.

I will try racking it, as you suggest, and work on my patience. It is still moving, so I will give it more time to see when it stops dropping, and then reassess (and then maybe strongly consider option 2a).

Thanks.

 

[madscientist451]

What nutrients have been added and how much?
Using the Brewer's friend calculator, you're now at 12.86% ABV,
but your alcohol was pretty high when you pitched that last packet of yeast, so its going probably going to take some more time to get finished up.
I wouldn't rack it now, I'd swirl the carboy twice daily to help keep the yeast going.

 

[Maylar]

What nutrients have been added and how much?
Using the Brewer's friend calculator, you're now at 12.86% ABV,
but your alcohol was pretty high when you pitched that last packet of yeast, so its going probably going to take some more time to get finished up.
I wouldn't rack it now, I swirl the carboy twice daily to help keep the yeast going.

This.

 

[NeverDie]

Is it too late for the OP to add Fermaid K? According to its datasheet, it's designed to prevent sluggish or stuck fermentations: https://catalogapp.lallemandwine.co.../1b340d1ae3fc0a693339355555cdfcfa4971a1e4.pdf

Also, I don't remember the OP mentioning the fermentation temperature. Maybe it's way too low.

@OP For sure, your results aren't normal: something is impairing the fermentation.

 

[b-rad.g]

Is it too late for the OP to add Fermaid K? According to its datasheet, it's designed to prevent sluggish or stuck fermentations: https://catalogapp.lallemandwine.co.../1b340d1ae3fc0a693339355555cdfcfa4971a1e4.pdf

Also, I don't remember the OP mentioning the fermentation temperature. Maybe it's way too low.

@OP For sure, your results aren't normal: something is impairing the fermentation.

I read somewhere that after about 50% fermentation to not add fermaid K. I did add Go Ferm with the 1118 when I pitched that.

 

[NeverDie]

I read somewhere that after about 50% fermentation to not add fermaid K. I did add Go Ferm with the 1118 when I pitched that.

I've noticed that adding potassium (e.g. potassium bicarbonate) can sometimes speed up fermentation quite a bit almost immediately. If your water is low in potassium and you haven't added any, it's worth a try.

It's old news really: http://www.jbc.org/content/171/2/653.full.pdf but for some reason it gets left out of many troubleshooting discussions.

 

[Boden]

Wasn’t kidding about the need to take a whipping rod and degass it.

As my wife said, “Mead likes it rough”. (Just about pissed myself laughing when she said that while I was whipping the must)

She’s a keeper