Yeast question.

[Baltic419]

I started a batch of mead at the end of May. The recipe is 3 lbs honey, 3 lbs of raspberries and a gallon of water. My question is that since I added the fruit should I have doubled up on the yeast, it doesn’t seemed to have stayed activated as long as the honey batch. Should I rack it and add new yeast or just rack it and add my vanilla bean and let it rest?

 

[someoneelse]

sounds like bit of lag to me, acidity will be quite different to just using honey - i'd wait a bit, and have a search through the forum for more info until someone more knowledgeable replies (mine is limited, but had slow starters before, i just waited)

 

[Dan O]

I started a batch of mead at the end of May. The recipe is 3 lbs honey, 3 lbs of raspberries and a gallon of water. My question is that since I added the fruit should I have doubled up on the yeast, it doesn’t seemed to have stayed activated as long as the honey batch. Should I rack it and add new yeast or just rack it and add my vanilla bean and let it rest?

Just a few questions to help get a better picture to give you the best answer possible, please.

Have you taken a gravity reading to verify whether it is done?
What yeast did you use?
Did you rehydrate with GoFerm?

A hydrometer is a vital piece of equipment that can tell you a lot about where your must is at in the ferment. End of May-end of June, it COULD be done, but, only way to truly tell is with a reading.
Depending on the yeast you used, it could've eaten through all the available sugars already, but again, a reading would tell you a lot.
If you didn't/ don't regularly rehydrate with GoFerm, I highly recommend you get some & use it every time you make a new mead. GoFerm has vital nutrients to give the yeast a head start in maximizing the colony, therefore producing a healthier ferment. If the yeast are happy, not always, but, generally, it is done a little faster & consumable a little sooner.

I hope this helps you.
Happy meading

 

[Baltic419]

Just a few questions to help get a better picture to give you the best answer possible, please.

Have you taken a gravity reading to verify whether it is done?
What yeast did you use?
Did you rehydrate with GoFerm?

A hydrometer is a vital piece of equipment that can tell you a lot about where your must is at in the ferment. End of May-end of June, it COULD be done, but, only way to truly tell is with a reading.
Depending on the yeast you used, it could've eaten through all the available sugars already, but again, a reading would tell you a lot.
If you didn't/ don't regularly rehydrate with GoFerm, I highly recommend you get some & use it every time you make a new mead. GoFerm has vital nutrients to give the yeast a head start in maximizing the colony, therefore producing a healthier ferment. If the yeast are happy, not always, but, generally, it is done a little faster & consumable a little sooner.

I hope this helps you.
Happy meading

I haven’t taken a reading yet, had to order more sanitizer. I use the fermax nutrient, which I used on brew day and then again on the 16th. I used Red Star Premier Classique wine yeast.

 

[Dan O]

I haven’t taken a reading yet, had to order more sanitizer. I use the fermax nutrient, which I used on brew day and then again on the 16th. I used Red Star Premier Classique wine yeast.

I wouldn't do anything until you take a reading. No rush to rack until you know if fermentation is done.

 

[Baltic419]

I wouldn't do anything until you take a reading. No rush to rack until you know if fermentation is done.

Now I am concerned, took a measurement, twice just to be sure and both times it came up 0%

 

[Dan O]

Now I am concerned, took a measurement, twice just to be sure and both times it came up 0%

What's the gravity reading? Not the estimated alcohol. Make sure you're looking at the right scale. If it's done, it will read around 1.000. This may explain it better than I.

https://www.youtobrew.com/mead-making-101/hydrometers-and-refractometers

 

[Baltic419]

What's the gravity reading? Not the estimated alcohol. Make sure you're looking at the right scale. If it's done, it will read around 1.000. This may explain it better than I.

https://www.youtobrew.com/mead-making-101/hydrometers-and-refractometers

Sorry, the gravity is 1.000

 

[Dan O]

Sorry, the gravity is 1.000

Then it's done
Now you can rack off of the fruit into a clean sanitized container and add your vanilla bean or extract, whichever you use. Check for flavor from the vanilla anytime after 10 days. Then stabilize & bulk age for a bit to let the flavors meld together.

 

[Baltic419]

Then it's done
Now you can rack off of the fruit into a clean sanitized container and add your vanilla bean or extract, whichever you use. Check for flavor from the vanilla anytime after 10 days. Then stabilize & bulk age for a bit to let the flavors meld together.

Should I keep an airlock on it for the vanilla phase? I plan on using vanilla bean, I hear extract can be tricky, if anyone has used bean before do you break it or just drop it in whole?

 

[Dan O]

You should leave the airlock in. As far as the bean goes, I just put it in split down the middle, but, still connected @ both ends. Some people scape all the seeds out, but, I never noticed a difference in flavor scraping the seeds vs not.

 

[Baltic419]

So just racked it out if the bucket, ended up being a lot more than I thought it would. Gonna let it sit a few days before I drop in the vanilla bean, plus I still have to go get some. It is super tart right now.