Metheglin mead ferment

[Codfish]

Hello folks, I am having a problem trying to get my mead to ferment. This is the recipe I used.
120 oz. honey
1 cup black tea
3 cans of frozen apple juice concentrate
1.5 bananas
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 cap vanilla extract
15 allspice berries, 8 cloves
1.5 cups golden raisins
1 tsp nutmeg, 3 tbls orange zest,3 tsp yeast nutrient, 1 tsp pectic enzyme
6 tsp acid blend 1/8 tsp K-meta, 1 tsp fermaid K
water to equal 3 gallons


ph is 3.6, my sg is 1.100, I have made two yeast starters, one with 71B and then I tried again with EC1118, with no action, it's been 5 days with no ferment and I'm getting ready to dump it. I would appreciate any suggestions to get it going, maybe something I used is not good for yeast.

 

[Jovimaple]

I am not a mead maker, but ... are you fermenting in a bucket or under airlock?

Either way, I would probably stir it up to make sure the yeast has lots of O2.

I would also try another starter and do the method where you add a cup of must to the starter, let it get going, then add two more cups, let it get going, and keep doubling the amount that gets added. This gets the yeast acclimated to the must.

Good luck!

 

[winemaker81]

How long did you let the starters work, and how much sugar did you add to the starters?

Folks have commented that ginger can inhibit fermentation, but it doesn't appear you have enough to be a problem.

 

[Codfish]

I am not a mead maker, but ... are you fermenting in a bucket or under airlock?

Either way, I would probably stir it up to make sure the yeast has lots of O2.

I would also try another starter and do the method where you add a cup of must to the starter, let it get going, then add two more cups, let it get going, and keep doubling the amount that gets added. This gets the yeast acclimated to the must.

Good luck!

Thanx for the reply, I am fermenting in a bucket with a towel over it. I have also stirred the crap out of it. I will try adding must to the starter, I have one thats been going for about 2 hours.

 

[winemaker81]

Make another starter, using the method I do, and let it run overnight, e.g., 12-14 hours. That will produce a larger initial colony.

https://wine.bkfazekas.com/how-to-make-a-yeast-starter/

 

[Codfish]

Make another starter, using the method I do, and let it run overnight, e.g., 12-14 hours. That will produce a larger initial colony.

https://wine.bkfazekas.com/how-to-make-a-yeast-starter/

I will try that, I let the last 2 go for about 8 hours, maybe that wasn't long enough. Thanx for the advice.

 

[Raptor99]

Honey is fairly acidic, so 6 tsp. acid blend in 3 gallons sounds like too much. Most of the mead recipes that I find online do not include any acid blend.

Have you measured the pH? If the pH is too low, it could be difficult to get the yeast started.

 

[Codfish]

Yes, the PH is 3.6, it's been 8 days and 5 yeast applications, and I'm getting ready to dump it.

 

[David Violante]

How old is your yeast? Don’t dump it just yet. Keep swirling it around to ensure everything is mixed in. I’ve had a couple of ferments that just didn’t take off right away for some reason, even though it all appeared to be the right parameters of oxygenation, pH, SG, temperature, nutrients, starter, acclimating the starter… at one point I even just sprinkled yeast on the top.

Let it go a short while longer. Granted 8 days is pretty far. Do you have / did you use treated water? What is the temperature? Maybe warm it up a little? I see you put in K-meta up front, also was there any in the apple juice concentrate? These may take a moment to become less effective. However, since you’ve been ‘vigorously stirring it’ I would think after this time you should be ok.

Maybe it’s waiting for you to stop fiddling with it… LOL I’m sure that’s what my two were doing. Have you paid homage to Dionysus?

 

[Ohio Bob]

I’m not a mead maker.

The SG seems a little high. Maybe that’s one reason people step feed meads, too high an SG doesn’t work all the time. Given that honey has anti-bacterial properties, I wonder if the spices you added do as well? Are you actually fermenting the spices? I would probably have added them once the ferment completed to dry.

I know this doesn’t help you with today’s problem, but maybe it will help for the next batch.

 

[Codfish]

Hello Dave, I used bottled spring water and the only thing in the apple juice concentrate was ascorbic acid. I have also tried 3 different yeasts, 71b ec1118 QA 23, I also sprinkled some 1118 on top. Right now I have an overnight starter that I am slowly mixing the must with. I hope this works. Temp has been 78 to 82.

 

[Cedar Hill]

I have never made Metheglin, but I've made a fair amount of Cyser, Show mead, and Honey wine.
I'm with Raptor99 on this: 6 tsp of Acid Blend is way too much for a 3 gal blend. It's 3 times as much as I use, if I even use it at all.
I also agree with those that recommended fortifying the yeast blend with must. Honey can be an extremely slow starter, so it can use all the help it can get.
Did you mention how long you let each yeast trial run before you tried the next? I don't recall seeing that.

 

[David Violante]

Hello Dave, I used bottled spring water and the only thing in the apple juice concentrate was ascorbic acid. I have also tried 3 different yeasts, 71b ec1118 QA 23, I also sprinkled some 1118 on top. Right now I have an overnight starter that I am slowly mixing the must with. I hope this works. Temp has been 78 to 82.

That all looks good… check the pH again in case there were any normalizations over time and the SG too. Many folks here have found step feeding / acclimating the starter with the must very helpful, me included. Remember that honey doesn’t have the nutrients necessary for yeast like a wine must and so you need to add them in so as not to stress the yeast. Once it gets moving, I like to step feed to prevent temperature / activity spikes.

 

[Codfish]

I have never made Metheglin, but I've made a fair amount of Cyser, Show mead, and Honey wine.
I'm with Raptor99 on this: 6 tsp of Acid Blend is way too much for a 3 gal blend. It's 3 times as much as I use, if I even use it at all.
I also agree with those that recommended fortifying the yeast blend with must. Honey can be an extremely slow starter, so it can use all the help it can get.
Did you mention how long you let each yeast trial run before you tried the next? I don't recall seeing that.

I let each go overnight. still not a bubble or any sign of fermentation. I have high hopes for this starter fortified with the must!

 

[winemaker81]

I let each go overnight. still not a bubble or any sign of fermentation. I have high hopes for this starter fortified with the must!

How much sugar did you add to each starter? If you added insufficient sugar, the yeast ate what it had and stopped reproducing.

The amounts listed in my post are the result of conversations with @Ohio Bob and others, practical experience, and some calculations.

 

[David Violante]

Maybe instead of Dionysus, Kvasir…!

 

[winemaker81]

Maybe instead of Dionysus, Kvasir…!

By the time I start a third bottle, I always see Dionysus. Go with a known hallucination!

 

[Codfish]

How much sugar did you add to each starter? If you added insufficient sugar, the yeast ate what it had and stopped reproducing.

The amounts listed in my post are the result of conversations with @Ohio Bob and others, practical experience, and some calculations.

I used your recipe 4 tbls.

 

[Rice_Guy]

I have done cyser every year

1.100 is high sugar, ,,, a stress for the yeast. This also means it is a stress for bacterial infections. I would not toss the must. pH 3.6 is a bit higher than I like, I aim for 3.3 or 3.2. Low pH resists bacterial infections.
You are doing what I would, creating a starter as Bryan said. Chances are good that you have some slow yeast reproduction. You could speed this up with DAP but I favor slower yeast growth and Fermaid O followed by K. Raising the temp to 75 to 80 will also speed things up, I might with the starter but always try 60 to 70 once I see bubbles / foam.

From what you have described it will work.

 

[Ohio Bob]

I would not toss the must.

Totally agree. I would even dilute the must with water and try more yeast, before tossing it out altogether.