Hello I started my first batch of mead about 3 1/2 days ago. I decided to keep it simple used 15lb of honey for 5 gallons of water with a liquid yeast for Sweet Style mead. My gravity reading said 15% alcohol, I seemed to of had some trouble with the yeast. Its the slap kind that is suppose to puff up it didn't really puff up so i decided to rehydrate it with some warm water. Now this is where my noobieness probably screwed me over. I mixed the suggested amount of yeast nutrient and enegizer with about a cup of warm water and the liquid yeast. After about and hour of sitting the mixtured looked like it was cracking the manila color liquid had half a dozen jagged lines from the center of the bowl to the edges of the bowl. I was told by a fellow baker that it was little micro yeast bubbles developing. So I decided to pitch my yeast since all it seemed to do is have micro bubble lines. Over the last 3 days I've been feeling the lid of the bucket and it seemed a little puffy like a small amount of pressure was against it yet no bubble activity in my 3 piece air lock (unless I pressed down lightly on the lid).
I opened the lid today for a whole 3 seconds to make sure the yeast wasn't dead. It had a strong yeasty,honey and alcohol smell to it and all i could see from the liquid was half a dozen long yeast colored clouds reaching from the depths of the bucket staying around 4 inches from the surface. Best possible way to describe how the yeast clouds looked well it looked like eagle nebula. To sum it up is this normal for the yeast to cloud up in long skinny columns and to have no air lock activity but definite light pressure on my lid. Also did i kill my yeast or hurt it by mixing it with yeast nutrient and energizer in a bowl then pitch it? Its been almost four days I just hope my first batch is not a dud. Thank you all!
I opened the lid today for a whole 3 seconds to make sure the yeast wasn't dead. It had a strong yeasty,honey and alcohol smell to it and all i could see from the liquid was half a dozen long yeast colored clouds reaching from the depths of the bucket staying around 4 inches from the surface. Best possible way to describe how the yeast clouds looked well it looked like eagle nebula. To sum it up is this normal for the yeast to cloud up in long skinny columns and to have no air lock activity but definite light pressure on my lid. Also did i kill my yeast or hurt it by mixing it with yeast nutrient and energizer in a bowl then pitch it? Its been almost four days I just hope my first batch is not a dud. Thank you all!