Infection?

Murika · Apr 15, 2018

5 gallon recipe:

18 pounds local unpasteurized honey
roughly 3 1/2 gallons water
2 packs D47
yeast energizer

There is this film on the top of the mead. We left it in the primary for 6 weeks. Last time we checked it, the gravity was 1.032. We pulled it out to put into a secondary and now there is this film.

Is this normal or is this an infection?

Thanks!

(The site will not let me upload my photo. I apologize if this is too little info to go off of)

Squatchy · Apr 16, 2018

It's pretty hard to tell. Even with pics. But I would bet you're fine

bernardsmith · Apr 16, 2018

On a separate note: you added energizer but not nutrients? Energizer is not the same thing. Nutrients are like square meals for the yeast. They use the materials to repair their cells and to enable the transfer of sugars through their cell walls. Energizer is more or less the equivalent of yeast's caffeinated drink.

Toxxyc · Apr 16, 2018

That's a lot of honey and a high ABV you're aiming for. I'm willing to bet that the "film" you're seeing is dissolved beeswax. A picture or two might be interesting to see!

caduseus · Apr 16, 2018

bernardsmith said:
On a separate note: you added energizer but not nutrients? Energizer is not the same thing. Nutrients are like square meals for the yeast. They use the materials to repair their cells and to enable the transfer of sugars through their cell walls. Energizer is more or less the equivalent of yeast's caffeinated drink.

It is most likely better than nutrients:
Generic “yeast nutrient”= DAP +_ urea
Generic “yeast energizer”= Yeast hulls + DAP

So while I don’t recommend either, the yeast energizer has less DAP and therefore usually better for the yeast

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Infection?

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