First batch - Fermentation Started - Stopped

Some questions I would ask up front to get a better sense of what's going on:

1. What kind of nutrient are you using?
2. Did the yeast packet really swell when you activated it? (I know you said not much; did it swell at all? Just wishful thinking, maybe?)
3. What was the purpose of the cup of pollen?
4. When you aerated, did you do so with oxygen, or just air?

Pending your answers, I think you may just be the victim of an old/weak yeast packet, and/or osmotic shock. Liquid yeast holds a significantly lower cell count than even a 5g dry active yeast packet. Like 10 billion cells instead of 100 billion. That's a big difference. Additionally, it does not look like you gave the yeast any opportunity to adjust gradually to the very high sugar content of your must. The more experienced mazers here would probably recommend pouring your yeast slurry into a sanitized mason jar with some pre-boiled, cooled water, and slowly adding a little of the must at a time to it, to raise the sugar content gradually. Otherwise you risk osmotic shock to the yeast (the sudden change of the presence of high concentrations of sugar outside the cell wall, as compared to inside the cell wall). This shock can cause the yeast to simply quit on you. And the Wyeast Sweet Mead yeast has a pretty well established reputation as a quitter.

Personally, I would strongly consider at this point (over two weeks in!) that you sterilize your must with sulfites, and after the sterilization period is over (24 hours), repitch using an established, reliable yeast like 71B-1122, using the GoFerm rehydration protocol, and the TOSNA nutrient schedule described at www.meadmaderight.com. Additionally, you should try to hold your must temperature in the low to mid 70s until fermentation starts, and then allow it to drop down into the low to mid 60s range for the remainder of the ferment.

Best of luck!

Your measured Original Gravity of 1.300 is nearly impossibly high for the amount of honey you added to a 5 gallon batch. You added ~3.42 lb of honey per gallon, that will give you a high O.G., but not 1.300 high. BUT, the O.G. was probably high enough to give your yeast a very rough time.......maybe leading to the stall.

Adding nutrient everyday until a fermentation starts is not a best practice. Rather the correct amount should be added up front so as to not stress your yeast in a high O.G. and nutrient deficient must for a number of days. You can then add nutrients again at the 1/3 and 2/3 sugar breaks.

Also, use your hydrometer more, don't depend on bubbles to indicate a healthy ferment.

There are a couple of articles on DenardBrewing.com that you should read. Would provide a link, but I can't reach the web site right now.

Here's the link: https://denardbrewing.com/blog/category/articles/

Read the last two articles on that web page. They really helped me when I was getting started.

My opinion, your really too far into the ferment at this point to (1) aerate any more or (2) gain any benefit from pitching more yeast. If your ferment is still going strong, as it must be if you've dropped 60 gravity points, continue to monitor, keep the temp in the mid sixties or so, degas regularly but don't aerate any more, and let the mead finish out. Other advice may vary but that's what I'd do.

Adding the same yeast will just have the must stun them into inaction as it has already done for the yeast in there (who at least had a chance to get used to it).

Can you check the pH? This strain requires pampering. If you can't check the pH, consider adding 2 tsp of a carbonate.

Try adding yeast hulls 10 grams or more. If you don't have yeast hulls, boiled bread yeast may help.

Aerating (gently, or you get a big clean up) it once more may not help, but it won't hurt and I'd try it.

Raise the temp back up to 70-73F.

Adding 1-2 grams of Epsom salts is an old meadcrafter trick that sometimes helps.

Recognize that the best you'll get to is about 1.045 in terms of gravity because this is a yeast that will max out at around 11% ABV.

If none of that gets it going, you'll need to pitch a different strain of yeast. 71B is not good for restarts. EC-1118, DV10, QA23, & Uvaferm 43 are among the best yeast for restarts. With a restart you will want to build an acclimated starter.

Endeavor to persevere!
Medsen

Glad your luck is improving! Most often the ingredient we neglect to add enough of is patience.

Not sure what you mean by "doing the secondary ferment". You mean racking to a secondary? That's not necessary unless your intent is to try to slow or stop your ferment where it is. Racking will leave the majority of your yeast cake behind. Have you tasted the mead as it is now? How is the sweetness level? When it's getting close to where you want it to stop, then racking will help keep it there, or close enough.

Absolutely no rush. If yours is where you like it, you can certainly rack it and let it clear. Only need for successive rackings is to separate the mead from any substantial precipitates.

For a first mead it sounds like you're doing fine. Keep up the reading and research! Knowledge is power!

The Wyeast Sweet Mead Yeast is inconsistent and published alcohol tolerances mean nothing. I had several batches go to 14.5% and this was back in the dark ages before I was really adding nutrients to my meads. Having said that, my meads won some medals with this yeast but in my experience it takes a year, usually two, of aging to be really good. Overall, the meads I made with this yeast are good but I use other yeasts now for better predictability.