What should I do with this?

Filly · Jan 17, 2011

Okay, here is my recipe:

Taken straight from Ken Schramm's The Compleat Meadmaker

15 lbs Orange blossom honey
4 gallons of water
2 tsp yeast energizer
2 tsp yeast nutrient
D-47 yeast
OG: 1.092
Fermentation temp: Right about 65 degrees f, consistently.

I pitched on 9/19/2010. I finally racked into secondary on 01/07/2011 after getting consistent hydrometer readings several days in a row. The FG is only 1.026, way higher than I (or the recipe) expected. It's a bit too sweet for me, and even though my wife likes it that way, I can't be satisfied with a product that didn't turn out I intended. Should I pitch another yeast to try to get that FG down, or... what? I'd like to get it to the goal of 1.010.

I did two other batches that turned out pretty much perfectly. I don't know what happened with this one.

Kun2112 · Jan 17, 2011

You have more experience at mead-making than I, but I just discovered this link last week http://home.comcast.net/~mzapx1/FAQ/StuckFerm.pdf
I printed off a copy and added to my brew journal.
I'm not sure how effective it is, but I have seen these instructions referenced a few times---that is if your fermentation is stuck--it may not be, I will let those wiser than me pipe in now...

skunkboy · Jan 17, 2011

You could just dilute it with some distilled water, but I'm not going to try and do the math as to what it might take to drop it down to 1.014 or so...been bottling...and sampling... ;-)

akueck · Jan 18, 2011

What were the successful batches? Also traditional meads or were they something with fruit, etc?

Can you check the pH of the mead?

YogiBearMead726 · Jan 18, 2011

Also, what temperature is the mead at? If it's too hot or cold, that could be stressing/stalling your yeast.

Medsen Fey · Jan 18, 2011

Filly said:
It's a bit too sweet for me, and even though my wife likes it that way, I can't be satisfied with a product that didn't turn out I intended. ...I'd like to get it to the goal of 1.010.

LOL!
Yeast rarely cooperate. They have a mind of their own.

As a new meadcrafter (I'm stealing that term, but hey, I like it) you'll discover that it is hard to have mead turn out exactly as planned and sometimes you just have to let it be what it will be. In your case, with a starting gravity of 1.092, the yeast shouldn't really stop at 1.010 but should take it fully dry. I wouldn't bottle it at 1.010 without stabilizing it or you may get an unpleasant surprise.

Did you aerate this batch after pitching the yeast? If not, that could account for the problem.

The pH is a likely culprit here. If you can check it and find it is below about 3.2, you may want to adjust it up to about 3.5 and that may get them going.

If you don't have any way to check the pH, if your yeast energizer looks like a tan colored powder, you can add another tsp or two. That will usually raise the pH up a bit as well as giving a bit more nutrient for the yeast and that may help them go on to dryness. If you have some potassium bicarbonate or calcium carbonate, adding a tsp may get things moving.

If none of those works, then pitching another yeast may be called for.

Endeavor to persevere!

Medsen

Filly · Jan 23, 2011

Thanks for all the responses. The temp is and has been right at about 65f. That's the temp of my basement anyway, and usually everything I brew takes on that temp. I haven't tested the pH yet but I do have some test strips somewhere...

The other two batches are also traditional meads. One is dry clover mead, and the other is a sweet mead made with thistle honey.

I'll have to take a pH reading sometime soon and let you know what it comes out to. I've been doing some work in my basement though and now I need to clear a path to my brew shop before I can do anything else.

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What should I do with this?

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