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Fermentation stopped (Lots of info)

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C

coniconi

NewBee
Registered Member
Jan 30, 2012
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I decided to make some mead after watching Stormthecastle's youtube. I made (3) 1 gallon glass jugs 1st being the exact recipe :

-2 handful of raisins ~ 20-30
-1 full orange
-3 lbs of honey (organic, local and unpasturized)
-1 galon of water
-yeast lalvin ec-118 (he calls for d47)

I started two of these one without cinnamon one with! Everything was steralized heated lightly to ensure the mixture was actually mixed and shaken without the yeast in to also ensure the mixture is well mixed! I used Potassium metabisulphate.

I started them on January 28/2012 and they fermented very well til about yesterday/today..Well the one with cinnamon basically stopped the one without is still bubbling lightly. SO WHAT I DID was siphoned it out into a new jug and let it sit.


So what should I do now??

PS: My third one is a blueberry camomile! Recipe is:
-2.4lbs of honey
-~500grams of wild blueberries!
-small small piece of lemon
-1 galon of spring water
-yeast lalvin ec-118
-20mls of camomile tea

Will this recipe do the same thing?
Thanks!

Chris
"I love the mead"
 
C

coniconi

NewBee
Registered Member
Jan 30, 2012
5
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0
Yes I bought one today with the test tube. I got a reading between 990-1000

I did it quickly cause I was afraid of it being exposed to air!
 
J

JohnS

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 11, 2011
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planet earth
sounds to me like its done.

At least your hydrometer says so. 1 or below 1.00 tells me its done. The EC having pitched about a week tells me that is should be done also. Its about the right time for this yeast to ferment?

How does it taste? If its a bit dry, you might want to back-sweeten to your desired taste.

I think JAO usally finishes off at about 1.035 or so. But then again that is with bread yeast. I am sure that the EC will take it to that hydrometer.
 
C

coniconi

NewBee
Registered Member
Jan 30, 2012
5
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tased it and its rough not drinkable lmao its bitter and tastes like it has a champange texture? i think!
 
J

JohnS

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 11, 2011
91
0
0
planet earth
It depends......JAO usually finishes sweet, around 1.035. However If you like dry, you may leave it as it is. Actually 1.035 is not that sweet. The point is that you may adjust the taste to suit your palate, by back sweetening.

I am new here so I am not the definitive authority on this site. I am sure someone else will come along and recommend something similar. Its just what I would do if I were in your position. EC is a champagne yeast and it will do that unless you want to hold off for a year or so and let it mellow. I think the point of a JAO is to make something drinkable ASAP.

Again, If you like the taste, leave it as is, if you want to make it a bit sweeter then add a bit of honey.

When you add honey, it might be helpful to gauge the amount of honey according to the gravity of the hydrometer. 1.035 is only an idea of where it could end up being close to a JAO. If you like it sweeter then 1.035 then its possible to add more honey still to make it sweeter. For myself 1.035 is about as high as I would like it to go.

Happy mead making and welcome to the board
 
C

coniconi

NewBee
Registered Member
Jan 30, 2012
5
0
0
okay so the yeast makes it like that but yeah it needs sugar easly. so i just add honey and shake it or? ad whats JAO?
 
Chevette Girl

Chevette Girl

All around BAD EXAMPLE
Moderator
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Apr 27, 2010
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Ottawa, ON
With only 2.4 lb honey and EC-1118, the chamomile one's going to go dry too.


The champagne texture you described is probably a prickle on the tongue from dissolved carbon dioxide, it takes a while for everything the yeasties make to come out of the mead, that will go away eventually. You get the same feeling when tasting meads that are still fermenting. When it's cleared and racked, a good stir (avoiding splashing) can help to dislodge the disolved gas.

The bread yeast we use in Joe's Ancient Orange doesn't have the kind of alcohol tolerance of EC-1118 and usually poops out at about 12%, whereas EC-1118 can hit 18%. Joe's is drinkable within about 2 months (although improves greatly if you can keep your hands off it for a few more months) because it's got relatively low alcohol and a good amount of residual sugar compared to what happens if you use the same recipe with a wine yeast.

Most of us around here find that dry meads either need 6-12 months of age before they're drinkable, or stabilizing and backsweetening (use chemicals to keep the yeast from eating any more honey you add so it stays sweet instead of becoming more alcoholic).

The higher the alcohol content in a mead, often we find the longer it takes to age out to be pleasant. And some of us (ooh ooh me) just don't really like dry wines no matter how long it's aged, and this extends to our taste in meads... so I'd recommend with your orange batches that you let them sit until they're both done and starting to look clear before you decide whether they need to be backsweetened, and rack them off any sediment before you disturb them (and check out the Newbee guide over to the left if you haven't already).

And you don't have to be too paranoid about air exposure, the amount of oxidation that can happen to a mead while you're checking the SG is negligible, and meads are relatively resistant to oxidation anyway.
 
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