tiny bubbles

[MarsBars]

I made a 5 gallon batch of Tupelo mead that went well for months. #15 of honey, nut & Wyeast's Sweet Mead yeast. 6 wks primary & secondary then after 7 months in teriary it hadn't cleared. I used sparkoloid and it cleared up perfectly, then tiny bubbles starting rising from the sediment. I racked again and it's still bubbling from a small amount of the fluffy sediment. OG 1.110, secondary @ 1.030, tertiary @ 1.028 (three months old) 7 months later, long after any visible fermentation was long gone, added sparkoloid-sp 1.023....then poof...bubbles........infection? more fermenting? other? It does have a small amout of white foam like when it was fermenting originally....

 

[Dan McFeeley]

I made a 5 gallon batch of Tupelo mead that went well for months. #15 of honey, nut & Wyeast's Sweet Mead yeast. 6 wks primary & secondary then after 7 months in teriary it hadn't cleared. I used sparkoloid and it cleared up perfectly, then tiny bubbles starting rising from the sediment. I racked again and it's still bubbling from a small amount of the fluffy sediment. OG 1.110, secondary @ 1.030, tertiary @ 1.028 (three months old) 7 months later, long after any visible fermentation was long gone, added sparkoloid-sp 1.023....then poof...bubbles........infection? more fermenting? other? It does have a small amout of white foam like when it was fermenting originally....

With a final gravity of 1.028, it does sound likely that you're looking at a restart of the fermentation. That can happen, even with a crystal clear mead.

For now, it might be best to keep the airlock on, and monitor the secondary fermentation until it ceases. Be patient, sometimes these can take a long time.

Other possibilities, dissolved CO2 gas bubbling out, a secondary fermentation from an infection? Either way, it is probably best to be patient for now, and see if it finishes out on its own.

Keep posted for other input on this.
--

 

[MarsBars]

Thanks....I'll keep a watch on it....