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Pedar.TheLostViking

NewBee
Registered Member
Help Please, I started a batch of mead on 3/21/2010 and it seemed to go fine. i brewed it in two 1 gal jugs and one pint size. i went to add the nutrient to one and it foamed over so i topped off with water to keep the amount of air in the jug down. that was bottle 1

bottle two (the second gal jug) i didn't add any nutrient to and bottle three (the pint) i brewed with clove. those two seem to have completed fermentation (with low alcohol levels)
but bottle one has a growth in it. after racking the bottle off the lease i noted strings floating a little off the bottom of the jug after about a month the amount has grown to appear almost as a yeast bed however there is no bubbling from the air trap. this is the bottle that had the foam over and was topped with water. is this dead or is there a possibility that it may recover?

all three bottles have a slight battery taste to them.. but other than that none taste off.
 

AToE

NewBee
Registered Member
Jun 8, 2009
4,066
3
0
Calgary AB Canada
Generally colonies of contamination organisms need O2, and thus tend to live at the top of the liquid, not the bottom. That said, it is possible this is contaminated.

Could you please post the exact recipe (including any additives at all) for the one having the problem? It's possible this is something other than a contamination.
 

Pedar.TheLostViking

NewBee
Registered Member
6 lb clover honey
2 lb orange honey
1.25 tsp grape tannin
1 pkg lalvin 1116
1 oz fermade k
1/4 tsp DAP

initial reading for bottles 1 and 2 were at 91.4F had a corrected specific gravity of 1.169 and a brix of 39

the readings for bottle 3 (1 quart not pint, sorry) was 90.3F corrected Spec. Grav. 1.165 and brix of 37

the only bottle i added anything to is the one i am having trouble with. at the lag (temp 72F brix@35.5 about 3 days after initial bottling the mix) i added about 1.2 grams of a mix of 2.6 grams of fermade k and 1.3 grams of DAP. i had a foam over so i ended up adding between 1 to 2 inches of warm water to the bottle to bring it back to where it was. (thinking back this is probably where it got the infection).

is this something that i could cure with sulfites? i was thinking about using some and wracking off the mead. if the growth persists i was going to pour it out.. not that i want to but i don't know if it is safe to consume.
 

Medsen Fey

Fuselier since 2007
Premium Patron
If it doesn't smell or taste bad (including bitter) I'd be surpised if it is a contaminant. It is high unlikely that pouring some water into an active fermentation created a problem. Are you certain that this isn't just more yeast/protein material dropping out of suspension? If it looks like yeast lees, it probably is.

A picture might be helpful.

By the way, what was your final gravity on these batches?
 
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