First time mead, airlock no bubbling after3 days - should i be worried

[TumorToast]

Hey all!

I have joined the horde of mead making.

So! first and foremost here is the recipe i am using;

1. 1 gallon springwater
2. 30 raisins
3. 1 cinnamon stick
4. 3.5 Lbs of raw unpasteurized wildflower honey.
5. 4184 Wyest Cider & mead yeast.

And these are the steps i took when i made the mead starting at Wednesday September 6th. around 8pm EST .

• "smacked" the yeast package and left for 3 hours (until it started to "puff" up)
• Sterilized EVERYTHING - this includes all tools used (using 2 tbp of non scented bleach in 2 gallons of water for 15 minutes)
• Rinsed everything for about 25 minutes
• mixed the honey and .5 gallons of water in a 2 gallon pale until honey was dissolved into water.
• added the rest of the water, raisins and the cinnamon stick.
• added the yeast, stirred it in a bit and sealed up the pale.
• Every 12 hours i stirred for aeration until 48 hours have passed.

As i am quite sick with a cold (first day), I do not want to open it up at this point, as 1. i cant smell anything anyway and 2. i do not want to contaminate it.

in short should i be worried?

[darigoni]

Do you have a hydrometer?

When you stir it, are you getting any foam (off gassing)?

Those 2 gallon pails are notorious for not sealing properly. So the CO2 may be escaping around the seal. No way to really know unless you are using a hydrometer.

If you GENTLY push down on the lid of the pail does the liquid the level of the air-lock change? If so, you probably don't have a gross leak, but it could still not be air tight.

I haven't heard vary many good things about 4184, but have never used it. If you are not getting any fermentation in another day or two you may want to go to your local home brew store and pick up a pack of EC1118 or K1V-1116, which are more aggressive yeasts, and re-pitch.

[Squatchy]

Raisins are not nutrients. You should feed your yeast once it gets started.

[TumorToast]

Raisins are not nutrients. You should feed your yeast once it gets started.

Any particular brand you would recommend?

[darigoni]

Fermaid O.

Fermaid K.

Wyeast Beer/ Wine nutrient.

Or, in a pinch, you can boil some bread yeast (not sure of the amount). Yeast are cannibalistic.

[TumorToast]

Fermaid O.

Fermaid K.

Wyeast Beer/ Wine nutrient.

Or, in a pinch, you can boil some bread yeast (not sure of the amount). Yeast are cannibalistic.

well i am leaving for the weekend in a hour, and i do have bread yeast, so i just boil water, throw in yeast stir and dump?

[darigoni]

From a previous post by Squatchy:

"Add two packs of bread yeast to 1/2 a cup of boiling water. Once it cools. Add to your must. Do this for the first 5 days."


A pack of bread yeast is 1/4 oz or 21 grams or 2.25 tsps.

[TumorToast]

From a previous post by Squatchy:

"Add two packs of bread yeast to 1/2 a cup of boiling water. Once it cools. Add to your must. Do this for the first 5 days."


A pack of bread yeast is 1/4 oz or 21 grams or 2.25 tsps.

Awesome!, and answers to your questions are currently in mod lock heaven

[TumorToast]

Hey All!

As a update, on Wednesday i put in 10g of Fermaid O, and A package of Red Star Permier Blanc, and as of this morning, shes bubbling like something i won't mention here!

I also did find out where the leak was on the pale, and rectified that today.

Thanks a ton for your help guys! Now for the 5 gallon batch

[Squatchy]

Hey All!

As a update, on Wednesday i put in 10g of Fermaid O, and A package of Red Star Permier Blanc, and as of this morning, shes bubbling like something i won't mention here!

I also did find out where the leak was on the pale, and rectified that today.

Thanks a ton for your help guys! Now for the 5 gallon batch

Hi

I would strongly suggest learning how to make a mead from front to back before you get started. It's not any harder to make good mead as it is to make crap. You just need to know more. Go check out the recent podcast I started a few weeks ago and listen to all the shows in order. Then make a plan and ask on here for verification.