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Yeast/wax mass at bottom of fermenter

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bailey

NewBee
Registered Member
Jul 10, 2013
2
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Hey guys, first time meader(?) here! I've looked around the internet a lot, and found information that seems to be pretty contradictory online. I assume that there are some cases where you want all the yeast to settle into a mass at the bottom and some where you don't?

In any case, I got started with this video. You may quickly surmise that scandinavian metal bands don't put a great deal of care into their work. In any case, it seemed simple enough so I tried it out.

Idle curiosity drove me to investigate the processes involved, so I came upon this website. The issue I'm dealing with now is that there is a mass of yeast (or maybe wax?) in the bottom of my "carboy". Recipe/equipment in yeast blob fermenter as follows:

Ingredients:
Fleischmann's active dry (activated with warm water 10 minutes)
5 oz grade a maple
12 oz RAW honey (suspect this is the problem, not sure if I skimmed all the wax)
16 oz distilled h2o
10 raisins

Equipment:
Balloon with needle hole for gas valve
33 oz plastic disposable water bottle

So the be-blobbed fermenter is not fermenting, although setups nearly identical are working (with different honey, no syrup) after 12 hours. Thoughts?
 
Last edited:
WVMJack

WVMJack

NewBee
Registered Member
Feb 12, 2013
1,219
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Karnage, WV
www.wvmjack.com
During the first part of fermentation you want to stir your yeast up into suspension a couple of times a day, the yeast are multiplying and increasing in mass. Eventually they get done fermenting and drop out to the bottom and accumulate in a whitish layer. Wax floats so it stays at the top when its in little pieces. If you have a blob you may not have stirred well enough to get all of it mixed together. Do you guys have wine and beer yeast available? WVMJ
 
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ScotRob

NewBee
Registered Member
Aug 31, 2012
53
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Perth, Scotland
wax mass

if you are using raw honey then you may have many things which are contributing to the settled mass at the bottom, including pollen, bits of insect, fragments of comb etc....i have seen it recommended in some old recipes that you should actually rack such a mead for the first time just 2 weeks after starting, since by then the wax, pollen etc. will have contributed any flavour and aroma that they are going to impart. However, it is also recommended that the mead NOT be sulphited at this first racking (or at the second racking either) since fermentation will almost certainly not have finished anf if you sulphite you might end up with a stuck fermentation.
 
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bailey

NewBee
Registered Member
Jul 10, 2013
2
0
0
I haven't got wine/beer mead. However, as I said, the yeast has worked (or is fermenting, at any rate) in other, processed-honey musts. Should I just try stirring whatever is in there to suspension?
 
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