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very SLOW fermentation!

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jesse2205

NewBee
Registered Member
Jul 7, 2006
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i just made my first JOA mead. I followed the directions perfectly. I used red star bread yeast instead of the other kind tho. But i pitched the yeast when the must was at room temp, put an airlock on my 1 gallon glass carboy, and put it under my kitchen sink. I check it 1 hour later and i get 1 blip per minute!! isn't it supposed to be crazy the first few days? I waited 2 more hours and it is 1 blip every 50 secs. Is this normal? And also the raisins and the cinnamon stick are at the bottom, is that ok?
 
B

BrewStef

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Patience grasshopper. Give it 24 hours and report back.
 

Oskaar

Got Mead Partner
Administrator
Dec 26, 2004
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The OC
jesse2205 said:
i just made my first JOA mead. I followed the directions perfectly. I used red star bread yeast instead of the other kind tho...snip

Beeeeeeep, please play again! You altered one of the pivotal ingredients, even after being bidden not to do so here.

OK, can you tell us what type of Red Star you used? Is it the quick rise or the regular baking yeast? Here's a couple of things to do, let this sit for 24 hours and see what kind of activity you see in the airlock after that. If it is the same then I'd suggest heading out to the store and getting some real wine yeast, or even the Fleishmann's yeast that is called for in the Recipe and rehydrate the yeast in some bottled water at 104oF for fifteen minutes and then pitch and stir it in well with a sterilized stirring rod of some kind.

Odds are that letting it sit for a day will do the trick. Sometimes the yeast just comes out of the gate slowly, you as mentioned above patience is the watchword.

Also, I hope you'll take us seriously next time when we say that you shouldn't alter this recipe. It's put together this way for a reason, and that is that it has been tested by the guy who created the recipe, Ancient Joe Himself! Change any part of it and all bets are off.

Hope that helps,

Oskaar
 

Dwhite

NewBee
Registered Member
Aug 31, 2005
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I did the exact same thing with my first batch of JAO. It took a day or so but it finally did take off. Ended up with a pretty good batch when it was all over.

Relax. Don't worry.



All the Best,
Doug White
 

jesse2205

NewBee
Registered Member
Jul 7, 2006
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well as of right now (6 hours later) a few raisins have risen up to the top and there is a blip every 30 seconds. It is red star reg yeast. I have lalvin 116 yeast but i'll give it a day to see how it turns out. does the fermentation have to go crazy for the first few days? or can it be slow(every 30 seconds or so) to work out?
 

Angus

Lifetime Patron
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Aug 19, 2005
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Just be patient. Fermentation does not have to be crazy fast, with junk being pushed out of the airlock for example. Slow is sometimes better. As long as the yeast is actively converting the sugars to alcohol, you will end up with the product you are looking for.

Angus
 

jesse2205

NewBee
Registered Member
Jul 7, 2006
30
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yep, you guys were right. patience is the key! i waited 24 hours and now it is fermenting perfectly with 1 blip every 3 seconds and the raisins rose to the top. I'm happy with the way this JOA batch is going..thanks for the help guys! right now i'm working on a small mead batch http://www.ladybridget.com/m/smead.html i hope this goes ok :)
 
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