Stuck with a must that won't take

Drone1973,

We'll need more info to help you out... Recipe, process followed, SG reading, Temp pitched, type of yeast used... you know, the usual suspects. pH would be helpful too if available.

Wrathwilde

My spiced used similar spices and had no problem. But I also did not add any acid or nutrient. It started slow due to no nutrient but otherwise it was fine. Maybe the acid? like wrath said, pH would be helpful.

What kind of yeast? How old is the yeast and where have you been storing it? What's the temperature like where you are brewing? What did you wash your primary in? Did you get it rinsed thoroughly?

Did you airate at all? Usually when you boil the must/water, you drive off the oxygen and as aresult you have to airate/mix the cool must very well.The yeasties need the oxygen for replication during the first 3 days.

Hope this helps,
Ted

My usual question in these cases: what kind of water did you use? Was it distilled?

-David

I don't think that adding any citrus acid will help.

What temperature was the must when you pitched your yeast?

How did you re-hydrate your yeast?

Flor Sherry yeast is a stronger and higher alcohol tolerant yeast than 71B (18-20% respectively) so adding the 71B won't be of any help unless your other yeast was dead out of the gate.

You mentioned that you added the yeast and nutrient this morning, how exactly did you do that, and are you saying that your must sat overnight before you pitched? If so was it covered?

Cheers,

Oskaar

I was following this thread along and a phrase caught my eye. The phrase being "added full plastic lemon to the carboy". You might want to double check on the ingrediants of the "plastic lemon". The ones around here come REALLY heavy in both K-sorbate and K-metasulfite. The combo will be really hard for any yeast to deal with much less one trying to get started. If this was added as an earlier ingrediant, it might have killed off the yeasts before they could start, hence the dead batch..
just my two cents,
hedgehog

Drone1973,

Number one tip for mead making... Patience! It's usually best not to start fiddling with things like the Acid balance... unless you have the equipment to determine if you are in or out of the pH range to start. I agree with hedgehog that adding the plastic lemon probably wasn't a wise decision. If nothing else it's probably going to dominate the flavor of your mead.

My questions at this point mirror Oskaar's, Brewbear's and Lostnbronx.

Aerating the heck out of the mead is vital in the 1st 3 days. Too little oxygen and your yeast don't have the ability to reproduce in quantities needed to compete with wild yeasts and provide you with a healthy active fermentation.

Yeast Hydration is also vital, it is ALWAYS best to follow the manufactures instructions for yeast rehydration. If your must is too hot you'll kill the yeast when you pitch it. If you don't rehydrate your yeast first, pitching it directly in the must could destroy the yeast as it tries to rehydrate, depending on conditions.

Some of the treated city water now uses a type of Chlorine that can't be boiled or easily filtered out. Probably best to use bottled spring water if you're unsure of your water supply.

These tips may not save this batch, but hopefully it helps narrow down where your problems lay, and you can avoid some of these common mistakes in the future.

I do suggest to all new comers, invest in a Hydrometer at minimum and a pH meter if you can afford it... they will help you, and us, isolate where your problems lay. Rehydrate as per directions, with goferm if using dry yeasts (lalvin), aerate the heck out of your mead the 1st 3 days. Fermaid K and DAP, or other nutrients are always a good Idea for straight meads as Honey must is nutrient & nitrogen deficient. And remember Patience!!! It's going to take 6 months for your mead to be drinkable... wait for some sound advice if you run into problems, the more you tinker with it, the harder it becomes for us to help you isolate the source of your troubles.

(I'm not picking on you Drone, it's a common problem... it's called Newcomers Panic, I suffered a mild form of it myself.)

Wrathwilde