Thanks again for the feedback and the insight...GREATLY appreciated!
This is only my 10th mead, and only one batch has really gotten to a "drinking it" stage. I started my first batch 6 July(with D47 yeast). The "drinking it" batch is a classic JAOM, started 2 Aug, and it was very well received by family at thanksgiving. :-D
I started this batch in a 2.5 gallon brew bucket, and the airlock was bubbling, but slowly...on the 4th day I was getting about 1 bubble in the airlock every 8 to 11 seconds. When I opened the bucket, attempting to keep it airtight, by not removing the tear strip, I ended up tearing a chunk out of the rim of the bucket - making it NOT airtight.
So, I've since moved the must to a "Little Big Mouth Bubbler". Now I can actually see the activity in the must, even if the airlock is not bubbling very rapidly(but it is bubbling). I guess I'm one of those that needs to see what's going on - at least for now anyway. Lol
I don't check the gravity very often while fermentation is in progress because, for me, it's not an ideal situation...
I can't drop the hydrometer in any of my 1 gallon fermenters because they are not deep enough for the hydrometer. So, I have to remove a sample ...blah ... blah ...sanitize everything (with Star San), you get the picture.
I'm going to take your advice, and not sweat it ;-). I'll check the gravity every few days or so. If it's ready to drink fast, cool...if it takes 2 months, that's cool too.
Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk