Still a funky smell after pitching yeast.

[wonderjosh]

My last batch I used generic liquid white honey (as I just wanted to try out the mead making process and see how went) and EC-1118. The yeast ate up all the sugar in that honey! It was bone dry. I waited a while after backsweetening it before bottling, just in case it started up again.

Yeah, I researched up bottlebombs because I did NOT want that to happen to me, haha.

This time though, when the time comes, should I use a campden tablet or two? After backsweetening (if I backsweeten, that is)?

 

[wayneb]

To be as sure as you can be that the mead is stable, a one-two punch consisting of both potassium metabisulphite (campden) and potassium sorbate is the way to go. You can find a lot of information about the process, in earlier threads on the subject, if you search on the term stabilization using the search tool (on the click down menu near the top of this page).

 

[YogiBearMead726]

You'll want to treat with both campden tablets and sorbate. If you don't, you run the risk of the yeast re-budding and starting back up.

Also, treat the mead before you backsweeten, unless you want the yeast to be step-fed honey and continue to ferment. Treat the batch, wait a week or two to ensure SG is stable, then backsweeten. Hope this helps.

EDIT: What wayneb said...haha, I type too slowly.

 

[AToE]

Especially with a yeast like EC1118 - that yeast is a champagne yeast with a tolerance of 18% ABV - it is specifically intended to start back up fermenting even after the wine looks clear (even a mead/wine that has been clearing for over a year will still have millions of active yeast cells in it).

You might be fine if they stay cold, but I'd drink them sooner than later and store them in the fridge.

The fact that you waited to see if it restarted was a good idea, but refermentation can kick up at any time, even years later (though that would be rarer).

 

[wonderjosh]

Especially with a yeast like EC1118 - that yeast is a champagne yeast with a tolerance of 18% ABV - it is specifically intended to start back up fermenting even after the wine looks clear (even a mead/wine that has been clearing for over a year will still have millions of active yeast cells in it).

You might be fine if they stay cold, but I'd drink them sooner than later and store them in the fridge.

The fact that you waited to see if it restarted was a good idea, but refermentation can kick up at any time, even years later (though that would be rarer).

Oh man! Ok, good to know. Maybe I'll wrap the bottles in towels or something, just in case they ever do decide to go nuts. I did have half a bottle left which I didn't cork and took swigs of it here and there over the course of a week or two til it was gone. It didn't seem to restart in that time, so hopefully the bottled stuff will stay ok.

To be as sure as you can be that the mead is stable, a one-two punch consisting of both potassium metabisulphite (campden) and potassium sorbate is the way to go. You can find a lot of information about the process, in earlier threads on the subject, if you search on the term stabilization using the search tool (on the click down menu near the top of this page).

You'll want to treat with both campden tablets and sorbate. If you don't, you run the risk of the yeast re-budding and starting back up.

Also, treat the mead before you backsweeten, unless you want the yeast to be step-fed honey and continue to ferment. Treat the batch, wait a week or two to ensure SG is stable, then backsweeten. Hope this helps.

EDIT: What wayneb said...haha, I type too slowly.

Sweet deal, I'll search that up when the time comes then! Thanks!