Hello everyone!
First, I apologize for not being able to provide all the details for my current wine, as in being a novice it never occured to document the exact amounts, times, or much else of that. I can and will provide what I do know, however.
I began a gallon sized batch of mead back in early october (5th-9th), using ~2 pounds of wildflower honey for a base, EC-118 Lalvin Champagne yeast (full packet) and a stick of cinnamon/4 cloves/dash of vanilla extract for spices. I racked it to a one gallon jug at the two week mark, on advice from another forum upon noting that the primary was performed in a spring water jug. During the racking, I added ~1 cup of honey mixed with 1 cup of strong Celestial Seasonings orange spice tea, and left the cloves and cinnamon in the primary fermenter. This resulted in maybe an inch of head room between the cork and the must.
So far things have been going well, but within the last week I have noticed that fermenting bubbles will get caught near the top in a sort of foam; disturbing the foam in any way moves the bubbles away, but they stay somewhat connected. It has also begun clearing a bit, enough to see the shadow of my hand on the other side of the jug.
So, if it weren't obvious already, I was wondering what the bubbles at teh top might be. They are tinted with the color of the must, but otherwise entirely white, so I dont think it is a mold or anything, and I was as thorough as I could manage, boiling everything for sterilization immediately before use (siphon tube, jug, racking cane, airlock and parts). Any ideas?
First, I apologize for not being able to provide all the details for my current wine, as in being a novice it never occured to document the exact amounts, times, or much else of that. I can and will provide what I do know, however.
I began a gallon sized batch of mead back in early october (5th-9th), using ~2 pounds of wildflower honey for a base, EC-118 Lalvin Champagne yeast (full packet) and a stick of cinnamon/4 cloves/dash of vanilla extract for spices. I racked it to a one gallon jug at the two week mark, on advice from another forum upon noting that the primary was performed in a spring water jug. During the racking, I added ~1 cup of honey mixed with 1 cup of strong Celestial Seasonings orange spice tea, and left the cloves and cinnamon in the primary fermenter. This resulted in maybe an inch of head room between the cork and the must.
So far things have been going well, but within the last week I have noticed that fermenting bubbles will get caught near the top in a sort of foam; disturbing the foam in any way moves the bubbles away, but they stay somewhat connected. It has also begun clearing a bit, enough to see the shadow of my hand on the other side of the jug.
So, if it weren't obvious already, I was wondering what the bubbles at teh top might be. They are tinted with the color of the must, but otherwise entirely white, so I dont think it is a mold or anything, and I was as thorough as I could manage, boiling everything for sterilization immediately before use (siphon tube, jug, racking cane, airlock and parts). Any ideas?