Blackberry mead stuck - HELP Please

[MelliK]

Hi I am new here and have a question regarding my stuck mead. I have successfully made both wine and mead before so I am a bit worried with this one.

So I've tried to make some blackberry mead. And I sort of made up my own recipe by taking bits from a blackberry wine and mead recipe insofar that I subst. half the honey for sugar. I mixed the fruit with the honey/sugar/water added nutrient, enzymes and yeast and all was going well. It bubbled and frothed happily for about a week. Both recipes stated to strain after a week so I did too. And that's where the trouble began.

I left it in a demijohn at room temp and noticed within only 2 days that not much was happening. So I moved it to the airing cupboard. But there was also not much going on. It did start to bubble a bit when the heat was on but when I checked in the morning it was dead. I actually saw a bubble go IN!!!

I have since added some more sugar and moved it out of the airing cupboard again cos someone told me I might have killed the yeast but there is NO movement inside the airlock.

Please help

 

[oldbloke]

Hydrometer reading?

Best guess: pitch fresh yeast

 

[tonyhibbett]

More nutrient always works for me

 

[MelliK]

Got a reading of 1.050 and its really sweet. But there is some movement now although not much. Read that too sweet is not good as it can inhibit the yeast from growing and can halt fermentation. Playing with the idea of diluting it a bit and see what happens - maybe patience really is the key.

 

[Mikeymu]

If you have the temperature too high you can get nasty flavours, because of higher alcohols I understand, called fusils. I wouldn't have the temperature above 22C for most yeast. Some manufacturers, lalvin for example, give info on the optimum temperature range.

One sure way with mead to slow the process is if the yeast becomes sluggish and that happens when the ph of the must is outside the tolerance of the yeast. I'm led to understand that the ph usually drops. If it gets below 3.4 ish then precipitated chalk (calcium carbonate) can be used to raise to a more suitable 3.8ish, but it has to be added bit by bit. I do a regular measurement of the ph using wine-making test strips and adjust gradually by adding only 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon per gallon at a time.

 

[alanywiseman.]

It sounds like you have lost most of the yeast colony when you strained. Add some more nutrient (and with a SG of 1.050 I would aerate the must to make the yeast multiple but many would advice against this). Once it is going stir the must to resuspend the yeast for a few days then just leave it to finish.

What was your OG?

 

[MelliK]

Thanks for all the tips. I have now added Nutrient and will see what happens.