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Stuck Fermentation

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K

knowlesbrew

NewBee
Registered Member
Dec 8, 2008
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Hello I am making a Blueberry mead and I am pretty sure I have a stuck fermentation.

It has been in the primary for a month I havent added the blueberries yet.

My OG was 1.2, after a month I am only at .09. I used White Labs Champagin 715 in the vials. I thought maybe it was too cold (~165ish) so a week ago I pitched Red Star Champagn yeast because it had a lower temp rating. I took another hydro and it hasnt moved.

I added yeast nutrient when I first made the batch, then once later when it first lagged, and then again when I added the fresh yeast. I have ordered some Yeast energizer but I havent gotten it yet (Thursday). I dont have a PH kit but I think I need it on this batch.

I used 20 LBS of Clover Honey to start. It is a 5.5 gallon batch. There arnt any odd smells or taste. It taste pretty much like it did when I first mixed it, Honey water. I havent added any other addatives, I plan to stabilize it later though.

I plan to add a 96 oz can of Vintner's harvest fruit base when I move it to the secondary. Given the cost of the honey and fruit I would like to figure out what Is going on before I put the Blueberries in, (not to mention filling a corny keg for bulk aging for a year). I am thinking it might be better to wait and use the blueberries later because I dont know about this batch.
 
Hi,

Welcome to the Got Mead? forrum!

Please give us a detailed description of your recipe and all the steps you took in order. Include s.g., temps, pH, and any other details.

The more information you give us, the more likely it is that we can make useful suggestions.

All the best,
Leonora
 
K,

20 Lbs of Honey, Clover
Yeast Nutrient
715 White Labs (Red Star Champaign added later)
96 oz can of blueberries (Havent added yet)

My orginal gravity was 1.123 when I started with the white labs yeast. A couple of weeks later It got to .09, I added some Yeast Nutrient and checked it a few other times and it didnt move. At night in my basement it can get down to the mid sixties which made me think it was cauing problems with the White labs yeast, so I added the Red Star with more Nutrient.

Now a week later and it hasnt moved. Again I dont have a PH testing kit but I am going to get one after work today.
 
The pH could certainly be the problem, but be careful what you buy. You don't need an acid test kit which is what usually comes in a test kit. This measures titratable acid and not the pH, and that won't help you very much.

What you need for pH is either a pH meter (and calibration solutions) or pH test strips with a narrow range that go below 3.0. The pH meters are far easier to use. At a retail store they may sell them for $40-50, but online or on ebay, you may find them for half that.

If they sell potassium bicarbonate, you might want to get some of that as well. Even if this batch doesn't wind up needing it, if you plan to keep making mead, you'll need it sooner or later.

Endeavor to persevere!
Medsen
 
While I think that the pH is a part of the problem, I think it's a case of sugar shock. Four pounds of honey per gallon is pretty big.

Boil a tablespoon of citric acid in a cup of water and let it cool. Add to the batch and gently stir it up. Repeat this in another week.

And get some pH test strips.



Phil
 
dogglebe said:
While I think that the pH is a part of the problem, I think it's a case of sugar shock. Four pounds of honey per gallon is pretty big.

Boil a tablespoon of citric acid in a cup of water and let it cool. Add to the batch and gently stir it up. Repeat this in another week.

And get some pH test strips.



Phil
Click to expand...

Phil, I hate to be a contrarian, but I think adding citric acid is the wrong way to go. There is a pretty good chance that low pH is the problem here, as this is fairly common with traditional meads. Adding more acid will merely exacerbate the low pH. My advice is to add nothing without having the data (i.e. measuring the pH), but if I were to add anything blindly, it would be a little potassium bicarbonate rather than any acid. Even the revered Brother Adam used to add some cream of tartar to his meads (without measuring the pH I suspect) which would have the effect of raising the pH a bit by providing some buffering capacity.

As for osmotic issues from the sugar. A gravity of 1.123 should be manageable by a Champagne yeast. It isn't that high.

Medsen
 
Thanks, if the PH is too low what should I add to bring it up. I dont have any PH strips yet, there isnt any place in my town that sells them so I have to wait until the weekend.
 
knowlesbrew said:
Thanks, if the PH is too low what should I add to bring it up. I dont have any PH strips yet, there isnt any place in my town that sells them so I have to wait until the weekend.
Click to expand...

As Medsen mentioned, potassium bicarbonate, but I'd let it wait the few days until you get the pH test strips. -- Olen
 
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