Need advice on a pretty big mess up

[The_Psychotic_One]

Ok, so I had a momentary lapse in reason (or common sense). I decided to start several batches of mead at the same time. I wanted to try a variety of melomels. My first mistake (and greatest) was in the yeast. I only had bread yeast or Alcotec 48-hour Turbo Yeast as seen at http://www.midwestsupplies.com/alcotec-48-hour-turbo-yeast-135-grams.html. My 2nd mistake, was to use an airlock on all of these. I noticed just a moment ago, that the package (which I conveniently threw away several weeks ago) specifically states not to use an airlock. About the only redeeming factor in any of this is that I used 1/4 tsp dry yeast for each gallon. Thankfully, I have the majority of this yeast still unused.


Below are the recipes I used. I did not get specific gravities on any of these. That's not entirely true. I did, they're just completely off because I added the honey cold, so It was all at the bottom. Can we say 3rd mistake anyone??

Banana melomel (2 gallon batch)

7 pounds clover honey
7 pounds frozen banana, minus peel
bottled spring water to 2 gallons

Strawberry melomel (1 gallon batch)
2 pounds clover honey
2 pounds frozen strawberries
bottled spring water to 1 gallon

Blueberry melomel (1 gallon batch)
2 pounds clover honey
22 oz frozen blueberries
bottled spring water to 1 gallon

First the best news, the blueberry melomel never blew it's airlock at all. It *appears* to be progressing fine. Next, the banana melomel...what can I say. Wow! I put this in a 2.5 gallon container with an airlock. Woke up the next day to find the airlock on the ground, and a banana volcano going on. For the next 36 hours, I was unable to airlock this beastie, as I kept loosing banana. Most of it is gone now, and it's been 6 days, but I doubt there will be even a hint of banana.

And last, the strawberry melomel. WHAT WAS I THINKING!?!? I must have been mental. This crazy thing was foaming more than a rabid wolf. 4 days and 5 airlocks later, it's finally not overflowing. My question here is this..Can any of this be salvaged, or am I pouring out 4 gallons of rocket fuel/sludge?

 

[WVMJack]

physco, not sure what your problems are you are asking advice for as you seem to have anwered most of your own questions. You might want to spend a few minutes stiring everything up really well, make a starter of some good yeast like K1V116 to displace the bread yeast and, next time, check on your small stuff first like if you have any yeast before commiting. Good luck. WVMJ

 

[The_Psychotic_One]

Sorry

I'll try to be clear. I used basically a distiller's yeast capable of going to 20% ABV, not bread yeast (that's what I normally use for my strong hard apple cider). My questions were more along the lines of with all the spillage from the overflows, with the batches being exposed to air for a few days, is it possible to salvage these batches, and how would I do so.

My thinking is that since the brewing was so violent, they shouldn't have been contaminated. I am worried about the strawberry melomel and the banana one. I lost a full third of liquid volume to foam. As far as the banana melomel, since most of the fruit came right back out, am I better off just finishing it as is, or can I do something to replace the banana flavor I lost out the top?

 

[Medsen Fey]

For future batches, while antifoam drops can be helpful, for something like this, you should consider using a blowoff tube or ferment in a bucket.

These batches should be okay. Just keep them under airlock and treat them normally. You might consider adding more must/fruit to regain volume, but I'd do it gradually so there's not another MEA.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

 

[The_Psychotic_One]

Ok

Thank you. That's what I was trying to find out. Peace...

 

[Chevette Girl]

Even exposed to air, it's producing enough carbon dioxide that oxidation shouldn't be a problem.

And I'd wait till fermentation calms down a bit, then as Medsen suggests, stir it well to degas before adding anything to top off.

Leaving the honey at the bottom is not as huge a mistake as you might think, some people actually brew this way, it allows the yeast to chew through it at their own rate, there's even an acronym for it which I've mostly forgotten... aah right. Bottom Dwelling Continous Diffusion Yeast Feeding, or BDC DYF.

 

[The_Psychotic_One]

Huh...

and here I thought I was just being lazy. :laughing7:

 

[smertz001]

Leaving the honey at the bottom is not as huge a mistake as you might think, some people actually brew this way, it allows the yeast to chew through it at their own rate, there's even an acronym for it which I've mostly forgotten... aah right. Bottom Dwelling Continous Diffusion Yeast Feeding, or BDC DYF.

Great. One more thing to add to the experiment list to try!

Do up to identical ingredient lists, and then try one traditionally mix it all together and go. And then one BDC DYF. See if there is any flavour change between the two...

 

[mezmiro]

You know, I saw a youtube video of some guy making mead in the "bottom dwelling" sort of way and I wondered what the heck he was doing. Now I know!

Mead is a strange, strange creature..

 

[Maikiro]

TPO - I learnt like you did...
I brewed an Elderberry wine and it exploded 1/2 a gallon of Red wine all over the spare room.

The only thing that spared my life from the Mrs was we had the wine under the railway track and it took mosdt of the blast.

At time did not know could fill up and carry on.. I dumped the whole lot.

Still finding small Elderberries all over the room.