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How Long to ferment to "Dry"

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ZelieMike

NewBee
Registered Member
Oct 12, 2013
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Zelienople, PA
Folks,

Long time beer guy, short time wine/mead guy. I've got a small batch going from a basic recipe with no additional sugars added beyond a nice clove honey from local hives. Used a Montrachet yeast and hoped to go to dry and then backsweeten or carbonate a bit. I've gone through primary fermentation, first secondary and now a second secondary to get the must off dead yeast. I tend to use an old school U cap to monitor fermentation with checks on SP. Must is clean, smells good and all but still seems to be fermenting at 2.5 months or so and sitting at 1.054 sp. Be patient, do something, or rack away, its the best you'll get at this point.

Thanks in advance,

Mike A. (ZelieMike)
 

TractorMan

NewBee
Registered Member
Mar 19, 2018
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What was OG? It sounds like you might have added more honey than the yeast can take to dry. If it's "sitting" at 1.054, I mean if it's not dropping, fermentation has stopped.
 

darigoni

Got Mead? Patron
GotMead Patron
Jun 4, 2016
945
63
28
Brookline, NH
Nutrients?

Daily degassing/aeration.?

Starting gravity?

Why would you rack before the fermentation is complete?

If it's sitting at 1.054 and not changing, then it's probably the best you are going to get. 1.054 is kind of on the sweet side, so you may want to make another batch, but plan it so that it ends up dry, then blend the two (after stabilizing).
 

Squatchy

Lifetime GotMead Patron
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Nov 3, 2014
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You can't take away your yeast biomass and expect it to continue to ferment very well. That's your problem
 

ZelieMike

NewBee
Registered Member
Oct 12, 2013
7
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0
Zelienople, PA
So, here is more info.

1. Don't want to rack if still fermenting. That is what I am trying to figure out. Offgas or fermenting.
2. I did not realize you need to keep stirring for months. I did so in primary stages but gradually backed off as time went on.
3. OG was 1.080-ish (again, my beer mind shrugging at details)
Recipe included:

3 lbs honey
7 pts water
3 tsp malic acid
1 1/2 tsp tararic acid
1/4 tsp tannin
3/4 tsp energizer
1 campden table and
the yeast I mentioned.

So, do you think I'm stalled or just be patient and keep stirring/measuring sg?

thanks in advance

Mike
 

darigoni

Got Mead? Patron
GotMead Patron
Jun 4, 2016
945
63
28
Brookline, NH
Did you really add a Campden tablet when you pitched the yeast?

You have stated that you've already racked it two times. You should not have racked until the fermentation was complete.

Adding acids and tannins upfront is an old practice that probably caused your stalling. Those are now added after fermentation and to taste. Your PH is probably to low (acidic).

How much yeast did you pitch? Hydration protocol?

As it's been 2.5 months and you are sitting at 1.054, then I think you can call it a stalled fermentation. You should have been completed in about 2 weeks.

Do you have any PH strips? If it's low, you could add some potassium carbonate or potassium bicarbonate and see if the fermentation takes off again. But as you have already removed most of your biomass (yeast) this might not work either.

I would either stabilize this batch and blend it with another batch that was properly made or you could try pitching a more aggressive yeast (EC-1118 or K1-v1116), after checking you PH.

To many unknowns and bad practices.
 

ZelieMike

NewBee
Registered Member
Oct 12, 2013
7
0
0
Zelienople, PA
Thank you. That's what you get with rookies. I was just following the recipe book I had. I'll check pH and see if the carbonate helps. If not, I'll blend it with my next batch. I have another 8 lbs. of clove honey to work with.

This ain't Charlie Papazian's world, eh?

Mike
 
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