Hey guys and gals, first post here. I'm on my fifth and sixth batches of mead, the first four turned out great IMO, warts and all.
I'll get straight to the point here. On these last two batches, each 1 gallon in size, I've been having some fermenting issues and can't figure out the cause of them. I'm making a jasmine-hopped metheglin and a hazelnut/coffee/chocolate metheglin.
Here's the jasmine-hopped metheglin procedure:
Boiled half pound (out of 3 total) of honey in a pot of water for an hour, adding 1/5 packet of hops every 15 minutes. Saving last 1/5 for dry hopping.
Threw in 2 heaping tablespoons jasmine at end of boil to steep (prob not enough)
Cool down to low hundreds, added remainder of 3 pounds of honey, mixed thoroughly
Strained and added to primary fermenter along with a third of the recommended dosage of yeast energizer and nutrient, aerated by shaking vigorously
Pitched yeast (Lalvin 71b-1122) after rehydrating for 15 min and when must reached baby bath water temp
Airlocked
For the Hazelnut/Coffee/Chocolate :
Heated 1 tablespoon coffee along with tablespoon each cacao nibs and raw cacao powder for maybe 5 minutes
Added honey after water cooled to low 100s
Added to primary fermenter with remaining water and aerated
Added 1 teaspoon Hazelnut extract and a third of the recommended dosage of yeast energizer and nutrient
Pitched yeast (same Lalvin type) after rehydrating
Airlocked
Now, they both started fermenting within a few hours, and vigorously by the next day. Soon thereafter the chocolate mead became noticeably slower than the jasmine-hopped mead, but not enough to cause concern. The day after making my mead I degassed by stirring with a sanitized spoon. Following day another third of nutrient and energizer. After another two days I degassed, and the following day added the remainder of the nutrient and energizer.
As of yesterday the chocolate mead was going very slow, so I tasted both. Hopped mead coming along nicely if a bit rough around the edges, the chocolate mead.. well it tasted like watered down honey with a hint of coffee, chocolate and hazelnut. No where near where I though it'd be, though I looked into it and apparently the oils from the cacao can slow fermentation. I degassed both.
Now, today, the chocolate mead is still bubbling at the same slow pace, a bubble every 5-7 seconds. The hop mead? It's completely stopped bubbling! So now I'm quite worried.
Any advice on what to do? I've brought both up to the main floor (70 degree) from the basement (67), and am considering re-pitching for the hop mead if it stays still. Any advice would be so very appreciated.
I'll get straight to the point here. On these last two batches, each 1 gallon in size, I've been having some fermenting issues and can't figure out the cause of them. I'm making a jasmine-hopped metheglin and a hazelnut/coffee/chocolate metheglin.
Here's the jasmine-hopped metheglin procedure:
Boiled half pound (out of 3 total) of honey in a pot of water for an hour, adding 1/5 packet of hops every 15 minutes. Saving last 1/5 for dry hopping.
Threw in 2 heaping tablespoons jasmine at end of boil to steep (prob not enough)
Cool down to low hundreds, added remainder of 3 pounds of honey, mixed thoroughly
Strained and added to primary fermenter along with a third of the recommended dosage of yeast energizer and nutrient, aerated by shaking vigorously
Pitched yeast (Lalvin 71b-1122) after rehydrating for 15 min and when must reached baby bath water temp
Airlocked
For the Hazelnut/Coffee/Chocolate :
Heated 1 tablespoon coffee along with tablespoon each cacao nibs and raw cacao powder for maybe 5 minutes
Added honey after water cooled to low 100s
Added to primary fermenter with remaining water and aerated
Added 1 teaspoon Hazelnut extract and a third of the recommended dosage of yeast energizer and nutrient
Pitched yeast (same Lalvin type) after rehydrating
Airlocked
Now, they both started fermenting within a few hours, and vigorously by the next day. Soon thereafter the chocolate mead became noticeably slower than the jasmine-hopped mead, but not enough to cause concern. The day after making my mead I degassed by stirring with a sanitized spoon. Following day another third of nutrient and energizer. After another two days I degassed, and the following day added the remainder of the nutrient and energizer.
As of yesterday the chocolate mead was going very slow, so I tasted both. Hopped mead coming along nicely if a bit rough around the edges, the chocolate mead.. well it tasted like watered down honey with a hint of coffee, chocolate and hazelnut. No where near where I though it'd be, though I looked into it and apparently the oils from the cacao can slow fermentation. I degassed both.
Now, today, the chocolate mead is still bubbling at the same slow pace, a bubble every 5-7 seconds. The hop mead? It's completely stopped bubbling! So now I'm quite worried.
Any advice on what to do? I've brought both up to the main floor (70 degree) from the basement (67), and am considering re-pitching for the hop mead if it stays still. Any advice would be so very appreciated.
