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first JOAM, think i totally F* up

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longshot38

NewBee
Registered Member
i followed the directions, but then i put the yeast in before shaking it. so i shook it after but the honey isnt blending. then i put the bung with the hole in and it fell in the mix. i had to use a stainless piece of wire that i cut from my whisk with pliers i bent it in a hook with the same pliers, i washed the steel "hook" in running tap water, i also used a stainless steel marlin spike from a 'bosins knife to get it out and "scratched up" the inside of the hole that the airlock goes into then my back up bung is too big to go in the bottle. so i have the original bung in a solution of sanitizer with the air lock and i am hoping it works. the questions i have are many. 1 did i just screw this up beyond hope? 2 am i going to poison myself with this? 3. should i pitch this and try later? more to follow.

thanks
 

longshot38

NewBee
Registered Member
does anyone else have a problem with the bung/airlock combo popping out of the carboy?


follow up; i pulled the bung and wiped the inside of the spout, on the bottle and the bung itself with a clean paper towel. they were wet, now it seems to be holding-fingers crossed.
 
Last edited:

McJeff

NewBee
Registered Member
May 17, 2013
1,095
1
0
Farmington, Maine
at this stage of the game the bung and air lock are only to keep bugs and other crap out of the fermenting liquid. Once its done fermenting is when you want to worry about oxidization from air contact. The bungs come in many sizes, if you don't have a local home brew shop you can either order one online or just find a big balloon and put that over the mouth of the carboy.
 

longshot38

NewBee
Registered Member
thanks McJeff i appreciate the quick replys. this is the first time i have ever even attempted to make anything like wine. i drink a fair bit haha, usually berry blends as grape based red wines are a trigger for migraines for me, so mead seemed like a good fit.
 

bernardsmith

Got Mead? Patron
GotMead Patron
Sep 1, 2013
1,611
32
48
Saratoga Springs , NY
2 am i going to poison myself with this?

thanks

Just a quick note. Despite the fact that mead makers and brewers and wine makers all talk about "infections" and "sanitization", and "bacteria" and the like nothing you are going to do in mead making (or wine making) is going to poison you (unless by poison we mean alcoholic poisoning). The plain and simple heart of the matter is that all other things being equal no disease bearing pathogen is going to survive in the alcohol you make and if - for some bizarre and totally unexpected reason something makes your mead putrid you won't be able to lift a glass to your mouth before the smell or taste makes you gag. The infections that are most likely to occur are caused by bacteria that will turn your mead sour - not putrid. But unless you are deliberately introducing such bacteria because that sourness is precisely what you are looking for (compare sourdough breads or yogurt, for example to fine pastry and ice-cream) then most mead /wine/brewers of beer work hard to control their processes to avoid such outcomes. The issue is not one of health but of good wine making. In short, don't worry. The very worst that can happen is that you will spoil the mead you are working to make.
 

JayH

Worker Bee
Registered Member
May 9, 2006
355
3
18
Corrales, NM
Also to help keep the bung in I take some tin foil, fold it over a couple of times so that I now have an strip the width of the tin foil and 1 1/2 - 2 inches wide. I then wrap this around the bung and the top of the carboy. It keeps the bung from popping out as easily, and if it does it still keeps it partially sealed and keeps it from falling on the floor.

Cheers
Jay
 

JayH

Worker Bee
Registered Member
May 9, 2006
355
3
18
Corrales, NM
I suspect that I would be tempted to shake it up go get the honey dissolved. However be very careful. At this point your must is full of CO2 and shaking it is the equivalent of shaking a warm can of beer, your mead will end up everywhere.

Your other option would be to find something metal or plastic that can be sterilized and stir it. Just go slow as it will start foaming and releasing CO2 as soon as you start.

But after that you worst enemy is yourself wanting to do something to fix it. Just put it in a cool dark place out of the way and forget about it for the next couple of months.

If you choose not to stir it, the honey should dissolve by itself and the yeast will happily eat it them. It may slow you fermentation a bit, but it should still be just fine.


Don't worry we have all been there.


Cheers
Jay
 

EJM3

Honey Master
Registered Member
Nov 21, 2013
1,015
3
38
50
The Boozevarian Village of Leavenworth WA
There is a method called BDCDYF = Bottom Dwelling Constant Diffusion Yeast Feeding, or some silly thing like that. Basically you mix part of the honey in, then let the yeast find the rest kind of thing. Works out well, I've just dumped an extra quart in and let the yeast get it themselves a few times with no problems. The biggest part in this all is DON'T PANIC & be sure you have a towel, er, umm, yeah they both work...
 

Crowing

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 12, 2014
127
0
0
Groton, Connecticut
The yeast will find as much honey as they can eat, I've left inches of honey sitting on the bottom, it really only matter for getting accurate gravity readings but you aren't doing that on JAOM
 

mannye

Administrator
Administrator
Moderator
Oct 10, 2012
4,167
25
38
57
Miami Beach, FL
Relax and have a homebrew. You're doing fine.

The only thing you're screwing up at this point is not leaving it alone AND you need to start a second batch right now.

Not because the first batch is bad but because in 100 days you are going to kick yourself for not having made more.


Sent from my TARDIS at the restaurant at the end of the universe while eating Phil.
 

kudapucat

NewBee
Registered Member
Dec 2, 2010
2,383
10
0
Bundoora, Melbourne, Australia
does anyone else have a problem with the bung/airlock combo popping out of the carboy?


follow up; i pulled the bung and wiped the inside of the spout, on the bottle and the bung itself with a clean paper towel. they were wet, now it seems to be holding-fingers crossed.

This is a really big problem with silicone bungs. It's an even bigger problem with silicone bungs and 23 litre (5 Gal) glass carboys, as these are not designed to take a bung.
The easiest way to fix this, is to dry the bung and neck of bottle.
Using a rubber bung (if you can find one to fit - hard for the 5Gal) will make this a non-issue.
Also Rubber bungs will not compress enough to go into the bottle like a silicone one will...
 
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