mead

[fenris]

hello,

i'm making some mead, it's been sat in a demijohn since sometime in july (i think, i'm not very organised with labels) and although there is no airlock activity it is still a bit fizzy tasting and very sweet, though definitely boozy. is this normal? what should i do with it next?

any suggestions appreciated!

[MKG]

It all rather depends on what you did and what you used - can you put up the recipe?

Mead's a funny animal and honey isn't the easiest thing to ferment (it's a natural antiseptic, which means that micro-organisms - including yeasts - are not at their happiest being surrounded by it). All that means that it is possible that it's still fermenting. Or that "fizzy" thing could just be dissolved carbon dioxide. The sweetness could be excess honey, or it could mean that you have only a partial fermentation.

So - more info needed.

Mike

[fenris]

thanks for the reply!

i cant remember the recipe, all i remember is putting lots of honey and water and yeast in a bucket and that's it! how do i know if the fizz is co2? give it lots of shakes and see if the fizz comes out?

if its not that should i just wait and see when it wants to stop fermenting, or add more yeast to hurry things along or something?

it's fairly clear btw, not crystal clear but certainly very see through.

[frozenthunderbolt]

You could try adding some water to dilute it slightly, lowering the amount of sugar and making it easier for the yeast to act on the sugars and turn them into alcohol. Adding 2 teaspoons of generic yeast nutrient (available online or at any brew-shop) per gallon (std. demi-john size) would also help it to ferment out to a less sweet end product.
OR
If you like it sweet as it is, try adding a crushed campden tablet or 1/4 tsp of sodium metabisulphate powder to shock the yeast into inactivity. Leave it 12-24 hours then carefully rack the mead off to a sterilized container, avoiding any trace of yeast sediment.

[roger ramjet]

Note for the future
When fermenting wine or mead using honey I have always added some sugar as well; it seems to get the process off to a more succesful start and as bonus it reduces the cost of the end product

[fenris]

thank you all. my mead seems to have woken up lately. i shook it a few times to see if getting rid of the co2 sorted things out, but somehow this seems to have got the yeast going again and it's been bubbling away quite vigorously since. can you get lazy yeast :P

[Minnesota]

Temperature can get slow/sluggish yeast back in the mood !
has it gotten warmer where you keep it ?

[fenris]

probably has actually, i dont heat my flat very much and it was a harsh winter maybe next winter i will knit jumpers for my demijohns.