My JAO... Really slowing down..

[CyberPope]

Ok perhaps this is typical behavior but I am unsure.

I even went through the brewlogs a bit looking at JAO's for their bubble counts but my results seem to be quite a bit slower than what I was looking at.

Here's the deal.

I started my batch on 8-14-06 so it's been about 11 days and the fermentation has slowed to about 1 bubble every 42 seconds.

This seems a bit long for such a short period of time but since this is my first batch I have that newbee anxiety that I am sure you expect out of someone with a newborn batch of mead.

Any input as to this behavior (preferably that of the mead ;D ) would be much appreciated.

Peace

 

[Oskaar]

Exact recipe please. I know this is JAO, but you'd be surprised at how many people don't bother to read the recipe in it's entirety and do boneheaded things like substitute different yeasts and then expect it to adhere to the recipe description.

cheers,

Oskaar

 

[CyberPope]

Exact recipe please. I know this is JAO, but you'd be surprised at how many people don't bother to read the recipe in it's entirety and do boneheaded things like substitute different yeasts and then expect it to adhere to the recipe description.

cheers,

Oskaar

Sorry for being vague.
Pretty much the same as the listed recipe..

I had a problem on day two with the foam blowing through the airlock. I covered with a sanitized cloth for a day and went back to using an airlock (which was sanitized).

The batch is kept in my garage where it is nice and dark and between 75F-82F degrees.

Here are my notes on the batch:

Batch #1
_________________________________________________
Joes Ancient Orange
3.25lbs Buckwheat Honey
1 Medium Orange (cut into 8ths)
1 Box of Fun Size Raisins (30ish)
1 Cinnamon Stick
1 Whole Clove
1 Tablespoon Fleishman’s Yeast
_________________________________________________
8-14-06
• Sanitized all gear with EZ Clean.
• Filled 1 Gallon Glass Cider jug half way full with warm tap water
• Dissolved Honey into warm water shaking frequently to aerate and dissolve honey
• Added Orange slices, raisins, cinnamon stick, and clove and shook some more.
• Filled jug to where the jug first starts to get smaller with cold, filtered tap water.
• Waited about 15 minutes until the jug was about lukewarm and pitched the yeast in the mix. Put the airlock on and placed in the garage. 2:30PM

8-14-06
3:30 PM
• Must is bubbling away at 1 bubble every 1.5 seconds.
• Some foam is forming across the surface.
10:00 PM
• Still bubbling at 1 per 1.5 seconds
• Foam is now at the top of the neck of the jug.
8-15-06
8:00 AM
• Foam pushed through the airlock
• Cleaned up the mess, placed a sanitized cloth over the opening and secured it with a rubberband
8-16-06
10:00 PM
• Placed a new airlock on the batch.
• Now bubbling at 1 bubbler every 4 seconds
8-17-06
8:30 AM
• 1 bubble every 4 seconds
8-21-06
2:50 PM
• 1 bubble every 13 seconds
• Sediment is starting to show on the side and bottom of jug
• Cinnamon stick as dropped to bottom
8-22-06
9:15AM
• 1 bubble every 16.5 seconds
8-23-06
8:15 AM
• 1 bubble every 20 seconds
8-24-06
9:30 PM
• 1 bubble every 29.5 seconds
8-25-06
8:20 AM
• 1 bubble every 41 seconds

 

[Dan McFeeley]

It's hard to say just yet. The cardinal rule with JAO is follow the Ancient One's instructions to the letter, relax, once it starts don't mess with it until the fermentation ceases and the melomel drops clear. At that point you can rack/bottle, measure the gravity and see how it came out.

I like to make two one gallon batches of JAO at the same time (on my second batch, along with a couple of experimental Ancient melomels). That way I can rack the clear melomel from both carboys into a single carboy, filling it and allowing to bulk age.

 

[finburger]

Each batch will be different. The raisins will vary in sugar and acidity. Oranges are different, as witnessed by the varying degrees of "pithiness". If you've read much of the threads, some go completely dry, others are sweet. Like Dan says, follow the recipe to the letter and relax and let it be. Don't fret over it until the 8 weeks are up.

 

[Oskaar]

I noticed you opted to use buckwheat honey rather than clover. I think this might be the reason your fermentation seems to be slowing down. Buckwheat is a darker honey that has more nutrient/ash/mineral content and is likely to encourage a more vigorous and rapid fermentation than clover honey would. So in this case it would ferment to completion quicker than a batch of JAO with Clover Honey, and finish a bit earlier on (at least that's been my experience when using darker honeys in my meads).

If you're curious where the batch is I'd suggest that you draw off about 100 ml and spin a gravity to see where you are. If you're in the range you like, you're good to go!

Hope that helps,

Oskaar

 

[CyberPope]

Thanks for the advice and helping to quell my anxiousness about the batch. You guys rock!

I'll probably just let it sit for a while and see where we are at in a week or two... still needs to clear A LOT.

Peace