Dean
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This question is probably specifically for Masta. I've been sort of following the recipe for Tupelo Vanilla Mead. So, I've got the honey (Not tupelo, but my combo for full aroma and flavour), got the vanilla, and I started the recipe on Jan 8, 2006. I used for a 3 gallon batch: 4.5# Clover honey, 3# blueberry honey, and 2# buckwheat honey in a mix to add floral with the clover, medium body and flavour with the blueberry and color, body, and "malti-ness" with the buckwheat. SG was 1.114, and I added a raisin and date soup that I created with 3 oz chopped golden raisins, and 5 oz of chopped fresh dates. I added a little hot water to them as they were in the food processor to make a "soup" out of them. I added these, made a quick starter of D47, and pitched it. I had LOTS of activity to start. Good foaming, very active fermentation. However, it seems to have slowed down quite a bit.
So my numbers are:
1/8 SG 1.114
1/17 SG 1.056
1/19 SG 1.048
1/23 SG 1.036
So, in the recipe it says to wait 28 days in primary and then rack to secondary. So does this seem like a normal progression for mead? Does it really ferment this slow? My last batch of Cyser took off like a rocket and did not slow down until SG 1.000. I'm just a little concerned that I will have a stuck fermentation on my hands. I don't want to pitch something stronger since I wanted a little residual sweetness. I will probably still wait the 28 days and then rack to secondary and add 8 split vanilla beans. I got my hands on 25 beans of Planifolia (bourbon vanilla beans) that are very very nice, from www.vanillabeans4u.com
So, I guess the question after all this information is: Is this normal? Does it go this slow? The color is awesome, the smell is great, and I can't wait to actually taste this around hallowe'en.
So my numbers are:
1/8 SG 1.114
1/17 SG 1.056
1/19 SG 1.048
1/23 SG 1.036
So, in the recipe it says to wait 28 days in primary and then rack to secondary. So does this seem like a normal progression for mead? Does it really ferment this slow? My last batch of Cyser took off like a rocket and did not slow down until SG 1.000. I'm just a little concerned that I will have a stuck fermentation on my hands. I don't want to pitch something stronger since I wanted a little residual sweetness. I will probably still wait the 28 days and then rack to secondary and add 8 split vanilla beans. I got my hands on 25 beans of Planifolia (bourbon vanilla beans) that are very very nice, from www.vanillabeans4u.com
So, I guess the question after all this information is: Is this normal? Does it go this slow? The color is awesome, the smell is great, and I can't wait to actually taste this around hallowe'en.