Save my Mead

[lazer49]

Hey I started a batch of Tej in a 35 liter carboy, probably only filled it halfway up, it started bubbling very well and after about a week I put on the airlock and put it in my closet which is kinda cool. I check it one day and found the airlock off of it, it must have gotten knocked off and since then there arent very many bubles comming through the airlock and there is white scummy stuff forming on the sirface, what can I do?
Is it ok to put the airlock on a vessle that is only half full?
Please help

[olivesaxer]

in my experience, once you get to this stage, it isn't worth saving.

the white stuff on the top of your mead will likely impart some pretty aweful flavors. You could always try skimming it off the top and keep the mix fermenting, but the reason we use an airlock is to let the mixture breath out without letting any outside air in...
I accidently put down a demi-john (15 gal) too hard one time (it was in a basket), and didn't notice the leaking crack in the bottom of the container until a few days later. I was able to save about 2 gallons of the wine, but it wasn't the best quality. I assumed this was because of its exposure to air.

I have always liked to fill the carboy up to the point where the bubbles aren't going to bubble into my airlock, but high enough that the surface area is minimized (about 2 - 4 inches from the lip of the bottle). I have always looked at it as minimizing risk of oxidization, but am not sure if there is any science behind that - it just always works for me.

[ashl]

Sounds like you've got three separate issues going on.

First, the space--unless you're trying to deliberately make a port or sherry-like mead, it's best to use a carboy properly sized for the batch. Leaving more than a few inches of headspace in the carboy means both lots of oxidation and more risk of contamination, as well as making it more difficult for you to handle when racking. If you just can't fill the carboy up, pyrex marbles can be added as an inactive space filler--a lot of people use these to compensate for volume losses in racking--but that should be minimized as it will slow fermentation and aging.

Second, contamination--without seeing it, it may or may not be worth saving. Some mead forms a scum as a fermentation byproduct--it's composed of all the not-honey bits in the honey and dead yeasties. On the other hand, might be mold, which frequently tastes awful at best. I'd skim it off, and if it's mold, sterilize and re-culture with a known yeast. See above--honey will take care of itself much of the time, but all that extra air and surface doesn't.

Third, lack of bubbles--Mead does this. After the first stage of fermentation, it's usually going to slow down. I wouldn't worry unless it quits completely (no bubbles at all in a day).