Mead in the airlock!

kaldt · Jun 23, 2005

HI

I discovered your forum on my search for a little help in my brewing process...
I have a bucket full of mead (about 25 liters) fermenting as we speak, but it has started to develop in a very strange way, and I'm a little worried

I think I may have filled up the bucket a little too much, because foam has gathered in the airlock and mixed with the water. Sometimes it even blows out a little bit through the airlock and onto my wall.

I wonder if this is a huge problem, or if anyone could give a guy a helping hand?

A pre-thanks to anyone!

Pewter_of_Deodar · Jun 23, 2005

No need to panic... it happens to most of us at one time or another...

Pull off the airlock, rinse and sterilize it, refill it (maybe use cheap vodka this time instead of water), then re-install it...

Your batch should be just fine...

Dmntd · Jun 23, 2005

Or you could use a blow-off tube. I cut a piece from a racking cane about as long as my little finger, stuck one end in a piece of tubing used for racking the other in the rubber stopper and put the open end in the bottom of a gallon jug filled a third full with sanitizing solution.

Anthony

Oskaar · Jun 23, 2005

You can also "open ferment" for the first three days using either a sanitized wad of cotton in a jug, or a sanitized cloth over the top of a bucket. Doesn't sound to me like the cotton wad would be the best solution in your case. Seems like a blowoff tube would be just right, but at this point I'd guess that the violence of the primary had fallen off a bit.

Cheers,

Oskaar

Brewbear · Jun 24, 2005

Hi there,
First off, I would put the bucket in a BIG trash bag. I would roll the bag half-way down the height of the bucket ( it will catch the excess if you open ferment).
Second, Dmntd, how would the poor guy know how big is your little finger? [quote "I cut a piece from a racking cane about as long as my little finger"
In all seriousness, the blowoff is probably the best way.

Ted

kaldt · Jun 24, 2005

wow

thanks for all good advices! I think my batch has stabilized itself onto a level I can cope with

But when I woke up this morning, I checked on the bucket to find that all the liquid in the airlock had either been blown out or had vaporized, because the airlock was empty.
I don't know how long it had stood empty, but it quickly refilled with water.
Perhaps the cheap-vodka-trick can deal with this?

Dmntd · Jun 24, 2005

Heh heh heh! I wasn't suggesting he cat a piece of tubing as long as MY little finger (5" of tubing is a bit much)

He did ask for a helping hand, & I did figure he had at least on little finger to use as a meter.

Anthony

kaldt · Jun 24, 2005

Seems actally that the mead has started to listen to my complaints, and have been acting very nice since this morning

There seems to be no pollution in the water I added, but the bubbles are still there.

Thanks for all the good tips! I'll be sure to lock back, if things should take a different turn later!

kaldt · Jul 5, 2005

OK, now thing have been well for about two weeks, but problems seem to haunt me

My mead was doing fine until recently, when the fermenting process seemes to have halted. THe were bubbles in the airlock about every 3 or 4 seconds, until just recently, when it drastically dropped to about 2 or 3 per minute.

What has happened? Did I kill the yeast or is it just done fermenting?
I tried adding some sugar, but that didn't help, so for now its just standing in my bathroom.

What would you advise me to do?

JoeM · Jul 5, 2005

It could definately be done fermenting.

Oskaar · Jul 5, 2005

Check your gravity and taste it.

Cheers,

Oskaar

kaldt · Jul 6, 2005

thanks, was my thought as well.

NICE! Been waiting for this day

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