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That geyser was unpleasant

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scbeec

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Jan 28, 2007
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I've been reading the posts and have gotten the impression that stirring the first few days is extremely important. Does that still apply if the must is bubbling like crazy within 24 hours of pitching? I saw only one post that said that if the fermentation is going, then leave it, it's fine. What's the consensus - because, man, I made a mess yesterday. Not looking forward to ant season. :icon_scratch:
 
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ucflumberjack

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Sep 4, 2006
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the main important part of stirring is really getting more oxygen into the mead. in the first few days the yeasties are making baby yeasties, the more oxygen they have the stronger they will be and the more babies they will make.
after 3 days or about the one third sugar break you dont want to get oxygen into it anymore. after that its kind of up to you if you want to stir it or not. some people do , some people dont. both have their reasons. try reading a few of oskaars recipes, specifically the ones that use fruit and youll understand it alot better.
 
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scbeec

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Jan 28, 2007
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Thanks, ucf....I totally get what you're saying...which is why I stirred it even though it was bubbling like crazy. Then I got a huge geyser and thought maybe I shouldn't have stirred, since it seemed ok. This line of thought, however, goes against what everyone, including you in your response, is saying. So - should I not have stirred? Or did I stir too hard? Perhaps just hand-mixing a bit when it's fermenting well is enough? Help!
 
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WRATHWILDE

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Mar 19, 2005
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This is why most of us choose to ferment in a bucket (instead of a carboy) for at least the first 3 days. Also the one thing we often fail to emphasize is that degassing is important before vigorous stirring, which basically means slow stirring back and forth until enough of the CO2 is removed that you can safely stir at higher speeds. I use a bucket for the first 3 days, my last aeration is a rough pour through a sanitized funnel into a glass carboy.

Cheers,
Wrathwilde
 
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