something keeps killing my yeast
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mmadmikes1
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I will say this again, do not add Campden to Mead must. PH may need to be lowered because honey is almost neutral and yeast like acid enviroments. Get it warm, make a starter that is fermenting before you add it to must. at least 24 hours in advance. Makes sure to add nutrients,
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fatbloke
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Further more, there's nothing actually wrong in using campden for hygiene purposes, but it has to be done in the right way i.e. freeze the fruit for about a week (with peaches, preferably after removing the pits/stones) to make sure that it's well frozen. Then remove from freezer and defrost well.
Only then, if you're really worried about possible wild yeast contamination, should you add a campden tablet to the fruit, making sure that it's crushed or you could use an equivalent amount of powdered sulphite.
Do not, under any circumstances, add it straight to the must. Put the "treated" fruit, into a container that has some sort of venting. I usually use a small bucket with either a cloth or cling wrap cover. Leave it like that for a minimum of 24 hours, 48 is better - if you use cling wrap for the cover, you can see what you're doing to gently swirl the defrosted fruit around so any of it that isn't entirely submerged in juice/liquid, doesn't dry out much (if at all) - a cloth cover needs removing so you can see whats happening when swirling it to keep the top moist.
The time is to allow the crushed campden/powdered sulphite to do it's thing, removing any possible wild yeast contamination, but also for the majority of the sulphite to disspate, so that when you do add the fruit to the batch, the little bit that is still dissolved, has little or no effect on the main part of the must/yeast......
I know, having read a number of Mikes (excellent and helpful) posts, while he doesn't like to use sulphites at the early stages of the making (and it certainly isn't necessary with honey musts anyway), it's not a complete no-no, just that needs to be done with care........
A good read for the new mead maker is the Gotmead NewBee Guide. It would probably help, as there's a sh1t load of excellent advice and guidance in it. Plus, as a first batch, it's often suggested, that the new mead maker, makes a batch of JAO (as per chapter 6 of the NewBee guide), exactly as the recipe suggests, as it's relatively quick to make. It's not perfect when young, despite what the recipe says. I just make a batch and then leave it until the fruit has sunk, and it's cleared. Only then transferring it to glass to age, for a minimum of months, often more.
Only then, if you're really worried about possible wild yeast contamination, should you add a campden tablet to the fruit, making sure that it's crushed or you could use an equivalent amount of powdered sulphite.
Do not, under any circumstances, add it straight to the must. Put the "treated" fruit, into a container that has some sort of venting. I usually use a small bucket with either a cloth or cling wrap cover. Leave it like that for a minimum of 24 hours, 48 is better - if you use cling wrap for the cover, you can see what you're doing to gently swirl the defrosted fruit around so any of it that isn't entirely submerged in juice/liquid, doesn't dry out much (if at all) - a cloth cover needs removing so you can see whats happening when swirling it to keep the top moist.
The time is to allow the crushed campden/powdered sulphite to do it's thing, removing any possible wild yeast contamination, but also for the majority of the sulphite to disspate, so that when you do add the fruit to the batch, the little bit that is still dissolved, has little or no effect on the main part of the must/yeast......
I know, having read a number of Mikes (excellent and helpful) posts, while he doesn't like to use sulphites at the early stages of the making (and it certainly isn't necessary with honey musts anyway), it's not a complete no-no, just that needs to be done with care........
A good read for the new mead maker is the Gotmead NewBee Guide. It would probably help, as there's a sh1t load of excellent advice and guidance in it. Plus, as a first batch, it's often suggested, that the new mead maker, makes a batch of JAO (as per chapter 6 of the NewBee guide), exactly as the recipe suggests, as it's relatively quick to make. It's not perfect when young, despite what the recipe says. I just make a batch and then leave it until the fruit has sunk, and it's cleared. Only then transferring it to glass to age, for a minimum of months, often more.
Just a thought from a relative newbie at mead making: Honey has antiseptic properties and does not ferment readily. As you are probably aware, potable honey has been found in 3000 year old Egyptian tombs: it just does not spoil or ferment. Even when watered down to make mead, honey needs a little help to keep fermentation in action., as I found with my first batch: I found my fermentation was greatly improved by the addition of some nutrient (in my case a handful of raisins for every gallon of must) and aeration (I made a point of vigourous stirring every day in the primary fermenter.
Hope this helps
Hope this helps
Deezil
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Glad to see you're still around, i've learned a lot through your insight over my time spent on this forum.
fatbloke
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Well I'm not perfect Deezil, and most of my info isn't original either. I just read a lot and am quite happy to pass on what I've learned, whether it's from someone else or trial and (mostly) error, on my part.
I've learned (and been guilty of it myself) that a lot of people will ask a question rather than just use the search facility - despite a lot of the info being out there (a "pet" phrase of mine comes from the Linux world - "google is your friend"
yet we often either fail to use it, or fail to use it correctly).Either way, the OP will have inadvertently caused a massive lag phase. I bought a chenin blanc kit, to use the concentrate for back sweetening - after one use only, a visit to the conctrate showed nice stringy wild yeast contamination - so in blind panic at the possibility of losing it, I filtered and sulphited it (the concentrate), saved about 4litres in pop/soda bottles (2 litres of which are still in the fridge, showing no ill effects, even after about 2 years) and then mixed up the rest as per the instructions for a topping off batch.
This meant that while I completed all the stages suggested in the instructions - and it used EC-1118 yeast, that the sulphites made it sit in lag phase for nearly a month (I was about to dump the lot, when I found it had started to ferment finally). The sulphites must have stunned the yeast big time.
So I suspect it's just the sulphites used at the wrong time - or if the OP does indeed feel the need to sulphite the fruit, then it should be done and then left covered (stirring it a couple of times a day to keep any floating fruit moist) for 24 to 48 hours to allow the sulphites to dissipate - only then pitching the yeast once it's done that. Then if the guidance from the NewBee guide is followed in respect of rehydratin of yeast and staggered nutrient additions etc, it should ferment fine.
Plus, if they then racked the finished ferment (sulphiting and sorbating it to stabilise) onto some more of the same fruit, it will give a nicer, more fruity, and probably earlier drinking mead.
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