Ruined Mead?

[flack]

Sorry it's hard to tell.. but I'm not quite sure if this mead is infected or not.. or if it's just sticky bubbles of goodness, since this is my first mead...

I'm currently a week in.. and at day 4 added in the yeast nutrient and energizer

10 lbs Millers clover honey
3 lbs 365 wildflower amber honey
48 oz Topanga Quality Honey (Orange)
Witelabs seet mead/wine yeast (WLP720)
1 tsp brewcraft yeast nutrient
1 tsp brewcraft yeast energizer

My hydrometer reading just before inoculation was 1.110 (not sure if this is a correct reading or not)

... ok.. so I have a few questions besides the obvious..
1) Does it appear to be infected? if so, can I remove it/clean it?

2) Is there a proper timetable for adding nutrient and energizer?

3) Is there a better method for adding nutrient and energizer without getting blow out? (I pulled must out with a thief into a sanitized cup, mixed in nutrient and energizer then poured slowly back into carboy)

4) Does my original reading of 1.110 appear to be correct, or is there some math I'm missing to account for honey density?

 

[Kee]

Welcome to GotMead?!

Are there any smells coming off this? When did this first appear? Has it changed in size or shape? Can you provide a more exact recipe with all processes? Have you been aerating or swirling daily?

 

[osluder]

If you haven't had a chance to check it out, you may want to read through the NewBee Guide. The fine Mead Mentors will weigh in with specifics and likely requests for detailed additional info, but I'll take a stab at your questions ...

Does it appear to be infected? if so, can I remove it/clean it?

Impossible to tell from this photograph if there is an infection, but an active fermentation would make an infection hard to take hold. Do you have any off smells or flavors?

Is there a proper timetable for adding nutrient and energizer?

Yes, there is a certain consensus (but with variations) on "Staggered Nutrient Additions" (SNA) driven not so much by time as fermentation activity and specific gravity which consists of additions at the end of the lag phase and the 1/3 sugar break and sometimes later. Try the forum search engine to find posts with more specific information.

Is there a better method for adding nutrient and energizer without getting blow out? (I pulled must out with a thief into a sanitized cup, mixed in nutrient and energizer then poured slowly back into carboy)

Many on the forum prefer the use of plastic buckets rather than carboys for primary fermentation as it eases fermentation management and pretty much eliminates blow-off (except for the dreaded Mead Eruption Incident).

Does my original reading of 1.110 appear to be correct, or is there some math I'm missing to account for honey density?

Check out the mead calculator which is great for verifying specific gravities and playing "what-if". I come up with about 1.117 for a 5 gallon target volume (you didn't mention your target volume), so your 1.110 is probably pretty good.

-- Olen

 

[TheRabidKumquat]

Your 3rd point looks like it could be a source of contamination.

Most people frown upon the idea of removing must and then re-adding it.

The popular way of adding nutrients seems to be to dissolve it in some warm distilled water.
Usually adding them at certain intervals throughout fermentation. Search for staggered nutrient addition for more info on it. Generally nutrient is added after the lag phase ends, at the 1/3 sugar break, and the 2/3 sugar break. There are other variations depending on the yeast and a few other methods.



That glob looks nasty, no doubt. It looks thick and somewhat mucusey, almost like the yeast slurry can be, sometimes. When did it show up?

 

[flack]

Welcome to GotMead?!

Are there any smells coming off this? When did this first appear? Has it changed in size or shape? Can you provide a more exact recipe with all processes? Have you been aerating or swirling daily?

Hay there.. thanks for the response!

I'm getting typical honey + yeast off gassing smells i would expect to get. nothing overtly nasty smelling or stranger than normal. It does change in size/shape daily as I have been swirling on a daily basis. It dissipates quickly, so I'm not sure but is usually back after it's been sitting for about 24 hours. It first started to show after about 4 days.

This is a still sweet mead recipe.. all I did was heat and dilute the honey into water , pour into carboy.. cool, then add yeast.

 

[flack]

Thank you everyone for your quick, informative responses!

I hope i'm just over paranoid.. but time will tell I guess.

 

[akueck]

The picture is a little out of focus, but it sure looks just like yeasty bubbles to me.

 

[Kee]

The picture is a little out of focus, but it sure looks just like yeasty bubbles to me.

I agree. Without an off scent, I think you're okay. Just keep an eye on it. If you're still worried when it's time to rack, rack underneath and leave this behind and stabilize it.

Do a forum search on infections. Most talk about off scents and ropes/tangles. It may put your mind at ease.