Honey falling out of solution

**Jedite83** · 08-05-2019, 10:18 AM

Recipie:
1 Galon store bought bottled water
3 Pounds honey
1/2 packet bread yeast
Baloon (as airlock)

This is the same recipie as my first batch. Ia m planning on giving it several more weeks and see if things go better then last time.

I started this on 8/3 and went to check up on it and found that a lot of the honey had settled to the bottom. I'm guessing that this meas that I dint mix it enough.
Am I still able to save it? Am I able to try to mix it again? I assume that anything i use to mix it will have to be sanatased before hand.

Thank you,
Jedite83

**Jedite83** · 08-05-2019, 11:16 AM

After doing some more googling, it looks like I didn't mix it well enough. Looking at what other people have said, it looks I can just leave it and it will be fine?
I would still like ot hear from others with more experence.

Thanks.

**bernardsmith** · 08-05-2019, 11:35 AM

Hi Jedite83, and welcome. I suspect that it will be OK as the yeast will eventually get to the honey although they will be forced to stay on what is the surface (where the water touches the honey) in order to locate the honey sufficiently diluted with water to allow them to transport the sugar solution through the walls of their cells. So it may take the yeast months rather than days to get through all the sugars.

If you can sanitize a spoon or other stirring tool I would try to stir the must to help dissolve the honey and as long as there is enough headroom in your fermenter you can shake the bejesus out of the vessel to mix the honey with the water. There is really no need to be anxious about "oxidation" at this point. You want to provide the yeast with air as that is what they yeast need to reproduce. It's later in the process that you want to inhibit your mead's access to air. That's when the yeast don't need it and the air you then provide will bind to the alcohol... But that said, why are you using balloons for airlocks. I am sure that they work much the same as using flints to light a fire work but these days we have access to plastic or glass airlocks that you fill with water or alcohol and those act as far better valves to allow gas to exit and prevent air and bugs from entering. Sure, there are folk on the interwebs that "use" balloons but it is a little hard for me (at least) to find the good sense of their ..um... preference. Anything that creates stress for the yeast you would want to avoid and when those balloons fill up that tells me that they are creating physical pressure on the yeast (the CO2 that is unable to leave the balloon) Stressed yeast always - ALWAYS - return that favor to the wine maker... Just sayin'...

**Jedite83** · 08-05-2019, 01:33 PM

Thanks for the reply. I'll see what I have that I can stir it with.

Originally Posted by bernardsmith

But that said, why are you using balloons for airlocks. I am sure that they work much the same as using flints to light a fire work but these days we have access to plastic or glass airlocks that you fill with water or alcohol and those act as far better valves to allow gas to exit and prevent air and bugs from entering. Sure, there are folk on the interwebs that "use" balloons but it is a little hard for me (at least) to find the good sense of their ..um... preference. Anything that creates stress for the yeast you would want to avoid and when those balloons fill up that tells me that they are creating physical pressure on the yeast (the CO2 that is unable to leave the balloon) Stressed yeast always - ALWAYS - return that favor to the wine maker... Just sayin'...

I'm using a balloon because it's what I had on hand. i want to make sure this is going to be a hobby I want to stick with before investing to much money. I have a tendency to pickup hobbies then abandon them later when I get bored so I want to make sure I'm in for the long haul.

**Squatchy** · 08-05-2019, 04:45 PM

You need to be rousing the mead a few times a week even if the honey is completely dissolved. This will keep you from getting undesirable off-flavors providing you do all the other things you should be doing. Which by the way. You are not. You need to feed your yeast and keep them at the proper temperature.