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No-Age Sweet Mead 3 Weeks wont stop fermenting/clear at end of 3rd week?

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ace

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 4, 2006
4
0
0
This is my first attempt at brewing anything, so pardon if I realy messed up, but I have been dieing for a good sweet mead to the point I am trying to make some myself. ;)

2 lbs 3 oz Unprocessed Clover honey (ok to substitute if you must)
7 oz Buckwheat honey (do not substitute)
(I used 3lbs wildflower honey)
.6t Grape Tannin (needed for taste and clearing)
(didn't have any so I used 2 tablespoons tea)
1/8t Fermax (more will not be better)
(Didn't have so i used 1.5 oz rasins)
1 5g K1V-1116 (must use this yeast)
(the brew supplier said lalvin d-47 was the same?)
Balance tap water to make 1 gallon (don't use distilled)
4 Liter Carboy if you have one otherwise use 1 gal

I used a 1 gal sun tea jar, and put an airlock in the top, after the first week i had quite a bit of leavings in the bottom and racked to second jar and removed raisins. End of second week and its still fermenting, about the same leavings as week one, so racked it again. Now at the end of week 3 it is still cloudy and still bubbling in the airlock and about 1/2 inch of leavings in the bottom.

Taste is a little sharp :eek: but not very sweet and it definitely smells of alcohol :angryfire:, starting gravity 1.09 but my tester is too long to get a reading now.

Any help :help: would be appreciated!
 

Yarmur

NewBee
Registered Member
Jun 3, 2006
58
0
0
49
Ace,

One thing about these quick recipes, follow the directions exactly. The reason is that these ingredients come together to yield the desired result. I noticed a few changes you had:
1) Tea instead of tannin
2) Didn't use Fermax
3) Used D47 instead K1V - they are not the same yeast
4) Didn't see where you sulfited and sorbated the must to stop fermentation - that is why it is still chugging along.

I know some simple changes in these recipes seem benign, but in fact, can result in a totally different product in the end. I would suggest sulfite and sorbate rack when clear and back sweeten with honey if needed for your personal taste.

Yarmur
 

Brewbear

NewBee
Registered Member
May 10, 2005
959
0
0
Ace,
Like mentioned before, these minor changes could/will have a great impact on the finished mead. In order for the fermentation to stop, you either supply enough sugar for the yeasties to munch till they poop out, or cold crash the mead (refrigerate for at least a couple of days) and then rack on top of sulfite and sorbate. If I remember, the recipe calls for cold crash and the sulfite/sorbate treatment. You were also supposed to leave the "leavings" in place until cold crashing.
All is not lost, just refrigerate it now, wait 3 days or so, rack it and wait a few more days. Give'er a taste and see where you're at. If it's not sweet enough, add some honey, just do it a little at a time with frequent tastings :cheers:

Hope this helps,
Brewbear
 

ace

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 4, 2006
4
0
0
When I started this, the website was down and I was missing the last page, and I thought that I had read till I blead, and knew what I was doing(wrong!). I am going out and picking up the sorbate and sulfite today and see where we go from here.

thanks again for everyones help!
 

Recluse

NewBee
Registered Member
Aug 24, 2006
128
0
0
68
I had a similar experience. I sulfited and sorbated at around the 1.02 SG. It kept chugging along, bubbling in secondary and I ended up racking and re-sulfiting/sorbating to stop it. Final SG was about 1.013 and I bottled at about 5-6 weeks.

My saga is documented in various places on this forum, often with much hand-wringing and worry over my first batch of mead.


Tastes pretty good. Much better actually than the one commercial sweet mead (Carrolls) that I have tried.

I'm glad it wasn't quite as sweet as 1.02. Still a bit gassy in the bottle, but after pouring and swirling/breathing it is quite drinkable.

Recluse
 
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