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Spec Grav... First timer

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It may never get there.
When it stops, because it runs out of sugar (1.000 or below) or because the yeast get too drunk (somewhere else) you can stabilise with sorbate and sulphate and then with the yeast inhibited and sleeping, you can "safely" add sugar to sweeten without bottles exploding.
You can back sweeten with anything sweet, I'd suggest more fruit concentrate.
 
It is not seeming like it is slowing down.
Day 4 - 1.074
1/3 was calculated to be 1.085

Just let it run its course til the bubbles slowly bubble?
 
I would gently swirl the fermenter with the airlock in place at least every day until it gives out. This will help keep the amount of CO2 in solution down, since CO2 is actually toxic to the yeast (think swimming around in your own feces and you can understand why :p ). It will also help any yeast that has dropped out of solution get back up to digest more sugar. And if all that weren't enough reason to swirl it occasionally, the dead yeast act as a rudimentary fining helping the mead to clear quicker.

Just remember to leave the airlock in place, and not to swirl too vigorously. Oxygen at this point is also toxic (or at least detrimental) to the yeast, hence leaving the airlock on. And too vigorous a swirl will result in a veritable geyser of foam! :)
 
I am not sure how clear this is going to ever get with the cherry and pomegranate concentrate in it. The stuff I am looking at the last few days is some DARK stuff. I might change my tune after rack.
 
Alrighty, 3 weeks in and the bubbler on top is going every 3 minutes or so.

From all I have read I should just let it go until there is NONE, correct?
 
Began taking the weekly readings and as of today it was at 1.006 that puts it at 16.01% and the taste i took was not bad. Hairy Cherry Pom has some serious potential as my first go around and thanks to those helping me out here. Just going to wait it out. I guess around 1.000 finish
 
Yes, I am not going to assume that 1.000 is it. I will take a reading every week until I get a duplicate and then rack it. I ASSUME that I will not require an airlock when I rack it after two repeat readings on the spec Grav.

There was definate alcohol taste but the cherry really made it ALMOST drinkable. I believe that I will leave it be for a few months after rack and see how it is then.
 
Scarab1 said:
I ASSUME that I will not require an airlock when I rack it after two repeat readings on the spec Grav.
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Do not assume this, could lead to mess. Just because it's not moving perceptibly doesn't mean it's not moving at all (my show mead dropped from 1.040 to 1.010 over the first year after I racked it when it'd been 1.040 for a few weeks). So, the first danger is that fermentation could continue (racking can sometimes kick it up again too), there's also the fact that after fermentation, there's a lot of carbon dioxide trapped in the must and it'll need to come out... and then temperature fluctuations can cause the must level to rise enough to pop your stopper out.
 
Chevette Girl said:
Do not assume this, could lead to mess. Just because it's not moving perceptibly doesn't mean it's not moving at all (my show mead dropped from 1.040 to 1.010 over the first year after I racked it when it'd been 1.040 for a few weeks). So, the first danger is that fermentation could continue (racking can sometimes kick it up again too), there's also the fact that after fermentation, there's a lot of carbon dioxide trapped in the must and it'll need to come out... and then temperature fluctuations can cause the must level to rise enough to pop your stopper out.
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Thanks for the heads up. I will rack it in the glass gallon and put an air lock on it. I think I need to order a dozen or so for all of my future endeavors. I am so glad I got this for an Xmas present. I really enjoy it but the waiting is HARD.
 
If I put this into a wine bottle a month after rack do you think that would suffice?
As in would the wine bottle hold for any slight fermentation after the fact?
 
Wine bottles will not hold pressure safely. To hold pressure you need beer or Champagne bottles, but even then it is possible to explode them. You used EC-1118 which is a tough-to-stop yeast. It will try to go to 18%. If you are at 16% and bottle it, and it manages to get to 18% that is enough pressure to potentially blow Champagne bottles. Even if you stabilize with sorbate and sulfite this yeast might slowly continue so be careful and do not be in a hurry to bottle it.
 
Medsen Fey said:
Wine bottles will not hold pressure safely. To hold pressure you need beer or Champagne bottles, but even then it is possible to explode them. You used EC-1118 which is a tough-to-stop yeast. It will try to go to 18%. If you are at 16% and bottle it, and it manages to get to 18% that is enough pressure to potentially blow Champagne bottles. Even if you stabilize with sorbate and sulfite this yeast might slowly continue so be careful and do not be in a hurry to bottle it.
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I am not in a hurry to bottle it really. I am just trying to think ahead for how I can hold on to a bottle or two for a longer period of time and it not take up a lot of space. Going to give at least one bottle a year if I can.

It will be at least another few months before I think about bottling but I would like to free up that 1 gal ASAP. I am in a small apartment so I do not have the ability to store very many gallons at a time.
 
There are a number if "quick mead" recipes on the main site which can be bottled in a relatively short time, and anything you make that is dry can be cleared and bottled early. But batches using a yeast like EC-1118 with residual sugar need plenty of time to be certain they will be stable.
 
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