Big batch of bochet

[Downwards]

This one is getting really close!
I did something with the melomel half though that has me puzzled. I was making a dried elderberry wine, and since my fruited bochet was elderberry/black cherry, I decided to use the elderberries to soak in that six gallons after I'd pulled them from the wine.
Now my bochet was finished and sorbated- yet it started fermenting again. Probably because I had quite a bit of live yeast in the elderberries. Should that have happened or should the yeast have been unable to ferment because of the sorbate?
It's a moot point now, that fermentation is long since done, but it just makes me wonder for the sake of my understanding. Also should I sorbate again or is it all still present?
The elderberry flavor is much more pronounced now, and that mead is sweeter than the regular batch of bochet, but it tastes great!

 

[seth8530]

If you pulled elderberries that were soaked with live active yeast it should not be all that surprising that it started to referent. Sorbate stops re fermentation, it does not really stop an active strong culture.

 

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I feel like it's ok then, am I right? I know (and can taste) that it needs more aging than its sibling without fruit, but should I add more sorbate or just watch it to make sure it is stable? Second fermentation seems to have totally stopped now.

 

[seth8530]

Just wait it out until it is stable. Not sure if you want to add in more sorbate.

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

You add sorbate to a clear wine to stabalize it, it has a very low yeast count when its cleared. Then you add a few billion more yeasts that are already active of course it going to keep going until they run out of sugar and start to drop out. You are going to have to start the stablization process all over again, more KM and more sorbate after it clears. There is a special little bottle of additives for mead makers in some very well stocked home brew supply stores, I think the brand name is patience brother. WVMJ

This one is getting really close!
I did something with the melomel half though that has me puzzled. I was making a dried elderberry wine, and since my fruited bochet was elderberry/black cherry, I decided to use the elderberries to soak in that six gallons after I'd pulled them from the wine.
Now my bochet was finished and sorbated- yet it started fermenting again. Probably because I had quite a bit of live yeast in the elderberries. Should that have happened or should the yeast have been unable to ferment because of the sorbate?
It's a moot point now, that fermentation is long since done, but it just makes me wonder for the sake of my understanding. Also should I sorbate again or is it all still present?
The elderberry flavor is much more pronounced now, and that mead is sweeter than the regular batch of bochet, but it tastes great!

 

[Downwards]

Yeah, I know it's screwy to put fermenting berries in a finished mead, BUT my recipe called for removing them after 3-4 days from the wine or it would be too tannic. Then when I removed them I thought, "Well, I don't wanna just throw them in the compost if they still have flavor!" Catch 22 in a way I suppose. Probably I should just start something new to catch the berries in that situation?