How long to stir Mead during primart fermatation?

[andee5460]

I just completed a stirring of my latest batch. It foamed up good so i know I achieved the results I was looking for.
My question is,
I've read where they say you can stir up to the point where 1/3 of the sugar has been consumed. If my SG was 1.075 and now it's 1.040 would that mean about 50% of the sugar has been consumed? Also using the information for 1/3 of the sugar I should not introduce any more oxygen into the must.

 

[Squatchy]

That doesn't mean you stop stirring. You will want to keep your yeast in suspension the entire time your must is in your vessel. What you don't want to do is stir so vigorously that you create a vortex and suck O2 down inside the must.

So the latter is to add O2 to the must for the yeast. The other is just to keep your yeast from piling up on the bottom.

 

[mannye]

It's the difference between aeration and de-gassing.

Both usually require stirring, but the reason for stirring is different and the way you stir is different.

On the day you start your mead, you are going to put all of your ingredients in the bucket and vigorously stir to get as much air (oxygen) into the must as possible. In my case, I do that for the first three days, basically stirring the crap out of it to make sure the must has plenty of oxygen. This can also be accomplished by using a specialized air stone and an oxygen tank. The beer guys get all excited by the airstones. I just stir it up "real good" with a sanitized slotted stainless steel spoon. THIS IS AERATION.

Now that you've got your ferment going, your going to want to keep that yeast in suspension and at the same time, get some excess Co2 out of the must, so you go in there on day 5 (by now you're probably at 1/3 sugar break anyway...so it's time to add nutrients) and stir with less enthusiasm. I use a big balloon whisk that gets the bubbles rising without causing a big vortex. This gets the excess Co2 out so you don't have a big explosion when you add nutrients and so the pH stays stable (among other things it does). THIS IS DE-GASSING.

Essentially the two kinds of stirring.

There are endless debates on weather stirring makes a difference or not. In my experience, regular stirring during primary as detailed above makes for a cleaner ferment and I think it results in a better mead.

 

[caduseus]

It's the difference between aeration and de-gassing.

Both usually require stirring, but the reason for stirring is different and the way you stir is different.

On the day you start your mead, you are going to put all of your ingredients in the bucket and vigorously stir to get as much air (oxygen) into the must as possible. In my case, I do that for the first three days, basically stirring the crap out of it to make sure the must has plenty of oxygen. This can also be accomplished by using a specialized air stone and an oxygen tank. The beer guys get all excited by the airstones. I just stir it up "real good" with a sanitized slotted stainless steel spoon. THIS IS AERATION.

Now that you've got your ferment going, your going to want to keep that yeast in suspension and at the same time, get some excess Co2 out of the must, so you go in there on day 5 (by now you're probably at 1/3 sugar break anyway...so it's time to add nutrients) and stir with less enthusiasm. I use a big balloon whisk that gets the bubbles rising without causing a big vortex. This gets the excess Co2 out so you don't have a big explosion when you add nutrients and so the pH stays stable (among other things it does). THIS IS DE-GASSING.

Essentially the two kinds of stirring.

There are endless debates on weather stirring makes a difference or not. In my experience, regular stirring during primary as detailed above makes for a cleaner ferment and I think it results in a better mead.

Ditto well said. I would only add the following:
1) stirring for 30 days AFTER fermentation is over allows the yeast to clean up the mead for you- only once daily needed
2) Stirring for 4-9 months after fermentation (2x/week after first 30 days) helps build the body of the mead. This is called Sur-Lie Ageing. It is borrowed from the french wine making practice. It is essentially a way to add body by using the yeast itself- no excess sugar from high residual sugar, no acid, no oak, no tannin needs to be added although you certainly can