Greetings.
I make my mead at home and sell it in a farmers market. I've been making mead since 2012 producing an average of 400 bottles per batchand have never had the following problem.
Originally, I had mixed 70 gallons of water, 20 gallons of honey and White Lab's Sweet Mead Yeast WLP720. I racked the mead three times, intending on bottling and added Potassium Metabisulfite and Potassium Sorbate.
The instructions on the labels of a container of Potassium Metabisulfite and in a container of Potassium Sorbate were: 1/16 teaspoon per gallon of Potassium Metabisulfite and ½ teaspoon per gallon of Potassium Sorbate.
I added 6 teaspoons of Potassium Metabisulfite and 45 teaspoons of Potassium Sorbate in 86 gallons of plain mead when I noticed that the fermentation gas escape valve had stopped jumping for a period of two weeks. 48 hours later, I thought the fermentation had completely stopped and I racked the mead into another fermenter because I wanted to bottle the mead.
That was last Saturday and the fermentation, instead of ceasing completely making it safe to bottle to prevent bottle bombs, is now jumping at the rate of once every 24 hours, therefore, I don't want to bottle until the fermentation has TOTALLY stopped.
What should I do? How more Potassium Metabisulfite and Potassium Sorbate should I add to the remaining 76 or so gallons I have left after the racking having left several gallons with the sediment as a result of my having added Bentonite to clarify?
Greatly appreciate advice.
I make my mead at home and sell it in a farmers market. I've been making mead since 2012 producing an average of 400 bottles per batchand have never had the following problem.
Originally, I had mixed 70 gallons of water, 20 gallons of honey and White Lab's Sweet Mead Yeast WLP720. I racked the mead three times, intending on bottling and added Potassium Metabisulfite and Potassium Sorbate.
The instructions on the labels of a container of Potassium Metabisulfite and in a container of Potassium Sorbate were: 1/16 teaspoon per gallon of Potassium Metabisulfite and ½ teaspoon per gallon of Potassium Sorbate.
I added 6 teaspoons of Potassium Metabisulfite and 45 teaspoons of Potassium Sorbate in 86 gallons of plain mead when I noticed that the fermentation gas escape valve had stopped jumping for a period of two weeks. 48 hours later, I thought the fermentation had completely stopped and I racked the mead into another fermenter because I wanted to bottle the mead.
That was last Saturday and the fermentation, instead of ceasing completely making it safe to bottle to prevent bottle bombs, is now jumping at the rate of once every 24 hours, therefore, I don't want to bottle until the fermentation has TOTALLY stopped.
What should I do? How more Potassium Metabisulfite and Potassium Sorbate should I add to the remaining 76 or so gallons I have left after the racking having left several gallons with the sediment as a result of my having added Bentonite to clarify?
Greatly appreciate advice.