Hi there! Im making lemon balm mead according to the directions for herbal elixir meads in the Art of Fermentation. I've made successful wild herbal ferments before, but usually with the addition of cane sugar and/or unwashed, ripe fruits.
This time I used a bunch of raw honey and unwashed lemon balm to get the whole thing going. It got quite bubbly, then settled down, and I bottled it into a clean airlocked jug. I noticed that some small pieces of beeswax had been missed by the strainer, floating at the top of the jug, but I paid it no mind.
I've left the brew in there for about 3 months. #1- is this too long? Should I have bottled by now? #2-my major question- can you help me figure out if this is mold or some type of friendly yeasty thing? It was just floating at the top but when agitated it sinks. The mead smells good and is bubbling very slightly.
tiny little string of yeasty stuff
the bigger "mother"/ mold?
Thanks so much! Excited to be part of this forum, hopefully get some answers here.