Mead not fermenting

[juligod@hotmail.com]

Two weeks ago I made my first batches of mead, I used oranges and raisins for one and blueberries for the other. I couldn't find fermentation yeast so I used bread yeast. The batches began bubbling for the first 5-6 days and then stopped. I live in Costa Rica, so the temperature is about 26C. Can anyone help me?

[huntfishtrap]

Hi Juligod, Welcome to GotMead?!

Well, your fermentation may be done. It would be good to know a little more about your recipe and conditions. Do you have access to a hydrometer? That is really the only way to be sure if your fermentation is done. Your temp is on the warm side and that can speed things up greatly.

Please post your recipe and process in as much detail as possible and we may be able to give you more help. Also, I strongly recomend reading the New Bee Guide. You can find it in the yellow vertical bar on the left side of the screen.

Good Luck

Paul

[juligod@hotmail.com]

I made 3 batches, 1 was a one gallon batch with 3 lbs of honey, one orange, 25 raisins and a stick of cinnamon.

The second one was a 1.6 gallon batch with 6 lbs of honey, about 20 blueberries and one orange.

The last batch I made was a 1.3 gallon batch with 3 lbs of honey and about half a pound of blueberries.

Fermentation looked good for the first 6 days or so and now it's been about a week since it stopped bubbling. For each batch I used just a little bit more than a packet of yeast, but it was bread yeast.

[AToE]

It's very possible that these have just finished fermenting, but without a hydrometer it's tought to say for sure (also tough to say when it'll be safe to bottle.

A hydrometer is the single most important tool for any fermenting, and not at all expensive (I think 10 or 12 bucks?). It will let you know sweetness, alcohol level/potential alcohol level, rate of fermentation, when fermentation is finished, etc.

Definitely a good idea to grab one and take some measurements, and everyone here will be more than happy to help you out with interpreting your readings.

(Also yes, definitely check out the newbee guide in the menu on the left side of this site).

[juligod@hotmail.com]

Thank you very much! I'll try to get a hydrometer and ask some chemist guy I know to help me with the readings. I just have one doubt, is its really possible that the mead is already done fermenting after just a week or less? I thought I needed a few months for that.

[AToE]

Originally Posted by juligod@hotmail.com

Thank you very much! I'll try to get a hydrometer and ask some chemist guy I know to help me with the readings. I just have one doubt, is its really possible that the mead is already done fermenting after just a week or less? I thought I needed a few months for that.

Reading it is actually pretty easy once you get the hang of it. That mead needs really long aging periods is a misconception hanging around from the days when people were really just winging it - now it is uncommon to see a ferment last more than a couple weeks, and many last less that one week.

I had one ferment fully within 24 hours even.

[juligod@hotmail.com]

Does that mean that the mead is ready to drink if I get the desired measurements on my hydrometer? Or should I let it rest for some time?

[YogiBearMead726]

You could drink it, but it would be pretty alcoholic up front. I'd let it age for a few months at least. Try some now and try some later, and I think you'll be very surprised what the aging does for the flavors.

[AToE]

Mead is generally not a fast drink to make, not only will the alcohol heat be worse for the first while, but it takes many months for all the yeast suspended in the mead to drop out - generally you will have to rack off the sediment a couple times before it's ready to drink. That yeast in suspension will make it taste less than great, and even if it looks clear after one or two months, it ain't!

Some meads are able to be drunk at a few months old, but they will be mere shadows of what they should really taste like, given proper aging. I find most of my meads have a turning point around 3 or 4 months when they go from garbage to drinkable, then around 6-9 months they become half-decent, then after a year they start to turn into something you honestly wouldn't believe is the same thing you tasted months earlier.

[juligod@hotmail.com]

Thank you very much, I will keep that in mind.