I started my first batch of 2014 mead (my 16th overall) and may have made a critical error. I'm wondering how (or if) I can recover it or if I should even attempt to do so.
My recipe (7 gallon batch):
6 gallons water
21 lbs Pumpkin Blossom Honey (Initial SG: 1.128)
2 tsp Epernay Yeast (Lalvin DV10)
Nutrients (Fermaid at pitch, nutrient at lag phase, mixture of the two when aerating)
Pitched on 4-15-2014 (48 hours ago)
The problem was in the pH. In balancing the must's pH (which was about 2.9), I added Calcium Carbonate. I don't know how, but I apparently failed to mix it thoroughly enough between additions. It showed modest increases in pH until I got it up to about pH: 3.9
Then I mixed it aggressively to provide some initial aeration and , after pitching the yeast, I did a final re-check of the SG and pH and found, to my horror, that the pH was now 5.0!!
I couldn't login or get to the forums, due to the switch in servers, etc., (this was on the 15th) but I did some reading on other forums which seemed to indicate that the best thing you could do was to leave it alone and let the yeast reduce the pH as it worked, so that's what I've done. But I fear that this one may be blown.
For one, the activity of the yeast is clearly depressed. I made a batch last year with the same recipe; within 48 hours it was pushing 210 bubbles/minute through the airlock and had dropped 25 points of SG. By contrast, this batch, at 48 hours, is pushing 42 bubbles/minute. The sugar consumption is commensurately anemic; it has fallen a mere 13 points in 48 hours. The pH has fallen to pH: 4.50
The must also has a subtle but perceptible 'soda'-like flavour, rather reminiscent of baking soda, which is, I suspect, the presence of the carbonate.
I'm not sure how (or if) the pH can (or should) be adjusted downward or whether that would do any good at this point. Nor do I know whether this batch will be permanently stuck with the carbonate flavour.
What would you recommend? Any words of wisdom will be gratefully received and carefully considered. And in any case, thanks for the time and energy you spent reading this!
My recipe (7 gallon batch):
6 gallons water
21 lbs Pumpkin Blossom Honey (Initial SG: 1.128)
2 tsp Epernay Yeast (Lalvin DV10)
Nutrients (Fermaid at pitch, nutrient at lag phase, mixture of the two when aerating)
Pitched on 4-15-2014 (48 hours ago)
The problem was in the pH. In balancing the must's pH (which was about 2.9), I added Calcium Carbonate. I don't know how, but I apparently failed to mix it thoroughly enough between additions. It showed modest increases in pH until I got it up to about pH: 3.9
Then I mixed it aggressively to provide some initial aeration and , after pitching the yeast, I did a final re-check of the SG and pH and found, to my horror, that the pH was now 5.0!!
I couldn't login or get to the forums, due to the switch in servers, etc., (this was on the 15th) but I did some reading on other forums which seemed to indicate that the best thing you could do was to leave it alone and let the yeast reduce the pH as it worked, so that's what I've done. But I fear that this one may be blown.
For one, the activity of the yeast is clearly depressed. I made a batch last year with the same recipe; within 48 hours it was pushing 210 bubbles/minute through the airlock and had dropped 25 points of SG. By contrast, this batch, at 48 hours, is pushing 42 bubbles/minute. The sugar consumption is commensurately anemic; it has fallen a mere 13 points in 48 hours. The pH has fallen to pH: 4.50
The must also has a subtle but perceptible 'soda'-like flavour, rather reminiscent of baking soda, which is, I suspect, the presence of the carbonate.
I'm not sure how (or if) the pH can (or should) be adjusted downward or whether that would do any good at this point. Nor do I know whether this batch will be permanently stuck with the carbonate flavour.
What would you recommend? Any words of wisdom will be gratefully received and carefully considered. And in any case, thanks for the time and energy you spent reading this!
