Me first mead
Posted: Sat Apr 19, 2014 11:53 am
Hey all,
Made my first mead a couple of days ago and I have some fermentation questions.
Here is my recipe
3.5lbs pumpkin honey
Lalvin 71B-1122
Go-ferm 1/8 tsp (for yeast starter)
Yeast nutrient (1 tsp after mead sanitized)
1 Campden tablet
Here is what I did.
Heated up 3.3L H2O to ~140F and removed from heat then stirred in the honey
Cooled down to 70F and crushed a campden tablet and covered for 24hrs for sanitization
After 12hrs made my yeast starter with 1 cup H2O and 3tsp of honey
Another 12hrs and the yeast starter was bubbling and pitched it into the must with 1tsp of yeast nutrient and aerated with a spoon.
Put in my ferm chamber at ~63F and after 48 hours still not any significant airlock activity.
Have given it a soft stir with a sanitized spoon and it shows some little signs on the top of the must of fermentation. I have not checked the gravity since before I pitched the yeast.
My OG was 1.126
This was working out of the first mead book I read and I have brewed quite a few beers both extract and all-grain and have seen very active fermentation's but this one is stumping me. I want to know what some others think about slower ferments. Should I raise the temp a little to get some airlock activity? Should I do a gravity check to see if it is dropping at all? I am new to this mead business and am very intrigued by the flavors.
Thanks guys!
Made my first mead a couple of days ago and I have some fermentation questions.
Here is my recipe
3.5lbs pumpkin honey
Lalvin 71B-1122
Go-ferm 1/8 tsp (for yeast starter)
Yeast nutrient (1 tsp after mead sanitized)
1 Campden tablet
Here is what I did.
Heated up 3.3L H2O to ~140F and removed from heat then stirred in the honey
Cooled down to 70F and crushed a campden tablet and covered for 24hrs for sanitization
After 12hrs made my yeast starter with 1 cup H2O and 3tsp of honey
Another 12hrs and the yeast starter was bubbling and pitched it into the must with 1tsp of yeast nutrient and aerated with a spoon.
Put in my ferm chamber at ~63F and after 48 hours still not any significant airlock activity.
Have given it a soft stir with a sanitized spoon and it shows some little signs on the top of the must of fermentation. I have not checked the gravity since before I pitched the yeast.
My OG was 1.126
This was working out of the first mead book I read and I have brewed quite a few beers both extract and all-grain and have seen very active fermentation's but this one is stumping me. I want to know what some others think about slower ferments. Should I raise the temp a little to get some airlock activity? Should I do a gravity check to see if it is dropping at all? I am new to this mead business and am very intrigued by the flavors.
Thanks guys!