I've made fruit wines but here is my weird experiment with a mead.
Initial Ingredients:
9lbs honey
3 gallons water
2 oz ginger
3 squeezed oranges' juice
1 vanilla bean
4 balls of dragon pearl tea for some tannin
2 tsp yeast nutrient
Lalvin K1-v1116
SG of 1.100
I started it out with a yeast starter in a primary bucket and step fed it 2 more tsp of yest nutrient. After about 10 days it was down to an SG of 1.010. I decided it was time to siphon into a carboy. I keep three gallons cause those fit in my lower kitchen cabinets nicely but I always rack off into a couple of half gallons to top up when I rack the next time. Well, my mind decided that since the K1 could take a little more alcohol that I could add a little more honey, but I did this unconventionally. I had 3lb left over so I poured 2 lb into the 3 gallon carboy and a half lb into each half gallon carboy (yes, I later realised the math ratios weren't spot on). I also add about 2 oz more ginger to the 3 gallon cause apparently the ginger I used was weak. Thing is, I just added the honey and let the pressure from the siphon and must stir it. The 3 gallon it worked like a charm. The halfs not so much. Had some separation in them by the end of the day. I swirled them for a while to fix that.
As of now, about a week after transfer, the 3 gallon is a happy camper and bubbling away at about 1 pop every 3 seconds. My top up jugs are not moving unless I swirl a little and I think that might be just trapped CO2 as I have to do this once a day to get it moving again.
I have some theories for why it seems stuck:
Too much honey
The 3 gallon is benefitting from the added ginger nutrients
The half gallons are just fermenting much more slowly
Was thinking of some options:
Adding water
Adding yeast energizer
Repitiching yeast
Either way, it's not a big loss, just something in me wants them to succeed. Also, if they have stopped fermenting, should I even use them to top up the 3 gallon carboy?
Initial Ingredients:
9lbs honey
3 gallons water
2 oz ginger
3 squeezed oranges' juice
1 vanilla bean
4 balls of dragon pearl tea for some tannin
2 tsp yeast nutrient
Lalvin K1-v1116
SG of 1.100
I started it out with a yeast starter in a primary bucket and step fed it 2 more tsp of yest nutrient. After about 10 days it was down to an SG of 1.010. I decided it was time to siphon into a carboy. I keep three gallons cause those fit in my lower kitchen cabinets nicely but I always rack off into a couple of half gallons to top up when I rack the next time. Well, my mind decided that since the K1 could take a little more alcohol that I could add a little more honey, but I did this unconventionally. I had 3lb left over so I poured 2 lb into the 3 gallon carboy and a half lb into each half gallon carboy (yes, I later realised the math ratios weren't spot on). I also add about 2 oz more ginger to the 3 gallon cause apparently the ginger I used was weak. Thing is, I just added the honey and let the pressure from the siphon and must stir it. The 3 gallon it worked like a charm. The halfs not so much. Had some separation in them by the end of the day. I swirled them for a while to fix that.
As of now, about a week after transfer, the 3 gallon is a happy camper and bubbling away at about 1 pop every 3 seconds. My top up jugs are not moving unless I swirl a little and I think that might be just trapped CO2 as I have to do this once a day to get it moving again.
I have some theories for why it seems stuck:
Too much honey
The 3 gallon is benefitting from the added ginger nutrients
The half gallons are just fermenting much more slowly
Was thinking of some options:
Adding water
Adding yeast energizer
Repitiching yeast
Either way, it's not a big loss, just something in me wants them to succeed. Also, if they have stopped fermenting, should I even use them to top up the 3 gallon carboy?
