I have a melomel made with 4184 Wyeast. It bubbled along for 3 weeks and now has stopped. I racked it 30 minutes ago. Should I wait to see if I get more activity? If I don't, should I add more yeast and / or honey? First try at this so suggest away.
Is my yeast dead?
- Thread starter paddygsu
- Start date
Help Support Homebrew Talk - Beer, Wine, Mead, & Cider Brewing Discussion Forum:
fatbloke
Well-Known Member
Well I'm biased against that yeast. I've tried it three times and it's been a total PITA (actually, I don't particularly like anything advertised as "mead yeast" - HTF do they know what yeast was used, and was best ? Nothing was ever really written down, the 14th and 15th century archaic recipes suggested sources from beer making or bread - ergo, "mead" yeast is just marketing lies to sell more yeast).
Anyway, that aside, the sweet mead yeast has a published tolerance of 11% ABV. So if you have taken gravity readings, then it's easily measured to see if it's finished or not.
Also, a full ingredient list i.e. everything you've used, may help, as so called "show meads" of honey, water and yeast, can be very slow, long and protracted ferments, that often finish sweet.
Any nutrients used ? or energiser ?
My point being, that without having some idea of what's gone into your brew means it's hard to guess. It may have finished, it may have stuck, etc etc... if it was visibly fermenting for 3 weeks, then something sounds like it's gone right, or at least partially.......
fatbloke
Well-Known Member
sorry, double post (click happy).......
bernardsmith
Well-Known Member
what is the specific gravity when you pitched the yeast? What is the gravity today? a lack of activity may mean several things from the yeast having consumed all the sugar to the yeast dying of alcohol poisoning to the yeast being incapable of fermenting any more sugar because of the level of acidity in your mead. You used distilled water? Why? Distilled water has unlikely to contain any nutrients that yeast needs. Did you add nutrient?
There is a large amount of head room in that bottle. Is there a reason for so much space for air? Oxygen is likely to oxidize the mead. If there is no active fermentation then there is no blanket of CO2 protecting the mead.
There is a large amount of head room in that bottle. Is there a reason for so much space for air? Oxygen is likely to oxidize the mead. If there is no active fermentation then there is no blanket of CO2 protecting the mead.
If it showed fermentation activity for a week or more, it's probably simply finished. Grab an SG reading to make sure, but it sounds done.
OG was 1.11
Gravity now reads as 1.04.
I used distilled water because my local water tastes horrible. Again, first time so be gentle, lol.
Think I cleared the O2 before I sealed it. Should I pitch again to get it running?
Very open to any suggestions.
And if it is, what is your suggested next step?
If it is 1.040, it's not done. It needs nutrients, possibly degassing, and maybe some further attention. Have you added any nutrients, or stirred it?
I've not added any nutrients. Suggested nutrients?
I've not heard of degassing.
After racking, I put the stopper in. Put my thumb over it, shook it once to get some bubbles, and put the airlock on while there was still pressure behind my thumb.
bernardsmith
Well-Known Member
Your yeast has an expected ability to ferment to an alcohol by volume of 11 percent. If your starting gravity was 1.110 and your gravity today is 1.040 then the ABV of your mead is about 9 percent. Not sure if you said that you added nutrient. Honey has very little of its own. The addition of the fruit may have dropped the pH to a level that the yeast cannot handle. What I might do is
1. whip some air into the mead.
2. Add some nutrient. Your LHBS will have some or you can simply get some bread yeast, mix it in a little water, and boil the water in your microwave to kill the yeast.
3. Check the pH to make sure that it is about 3.5 or higher. If it is close to 3 I would add some potassium carbonate (your local HBS should have some)
I would not add more of the same yeast as pitching this yeast when there is so much alcohol in the liquor will distress the yeast (you rehydrate dry yeast in water and you don't provide alcohol as the first food that near dormant /comatose yeast have to transfer through their cell walls). But if none of these three actions seem to re-activate the yeast you have I would rehydrate a yeast called EC 1118 in a cup of apple juice and add 1 cup of your mead to the AJ after it is visibly very active. I would wait a couple of hours and then add 2 cups of the mead to the 2 cups with the EC 1118. If it is still clearly active , I would add 4 cups to the 4 cups, then repeat, doubling the volume. You could then pour the remainder of your mead into the now active fermentation. This technique - IMO - reduces the stress on the yeast and allows it to slowly acclimatize to the 9 percent ABV.
Others on this forum may disagree but distilled water will not have the minerals that yeast needs. If your tap water is bad I would use bottled water. You want the water to have trace elements of magnesium and potassium. You also want the water to be full of air. Yeast uses oxygen if it is available and I think requires oxygen to reproduce. Distilled water will contain virtually no oxygen. (Can goldfish survive in distilled water?)
1. whip some air into the mead.
2. Add some nutrient. Your LHBS will have some or you can simply get some bread yeast, mix it in a little water, and boil the water in your microwave to kill the yeast.
3. Check the pH to make sure that it is about 3.5 or higher. If it is close to 3 I would add some potassium carbonate (your local HBS should have some)
I would not add more of the same yeast as pitching this yeast when there is so much alcohol in the liquor will distress the yeast (you rehydrate dry yeast in water and you don't provide alcohol as the first food that near dormant /comatose yeast have to transfer through their cell walls). But if none of these three actions seem to re-activate the yeast you have I would rehydrate a yeast called EC 1118 in a cup of apple juice and add 1 cup of your mead to the AJ after it is visibly very active. I would wait a couple of hours and then add 2 cups of the mead to the 2 cups with the EC 1118. If it is still clearly active , I would add 4 cups to the 4 cups, then repeat, doubling the volume. You could then pour the remainder of your mead into the now active fermentation. This technique - IMO - reduces the stress on the yeast and allows it to slowly acclimatize to the 9 percent ABV.
Others on this forum may disagree but distilled water will not have the minerals that yeast needs. If your tap water is bad I would use bottled water. You want the water to have trace elements of magnesium and potassium. You also want the water to be full of air. Yeast uses oxygen if it is available and I think requires oxygen to reproduce. Distilled water will contain virtually no oxygen. (Can goldfish survive in distilled water?)
