Is my mead fermenting or lacto-fermenting?

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Is my mead fermenting or lacto-fermenting?

Postby Sohrob on Wed Oct 19, 2011 4:15 pm

Hi there, I am making my first batch of honey wine, mixed 3 gallons at a 4:1 water honey ratio. At first nothing was happening after 4 days. Then I read the post that recommended adding more water, tannins (used 10oz black tea), yeasty fruit, and stirring more frequently. I did all that, and stirred with passion for 2-3 more days. The odor and texture of the stuff changed. The odor became kind of strong and heady - I actually couldn't work in the same room as the stuff it smelled so strong. Not bad at all, just... strong. It didn't taste very alcoholic though. It did taste less sweet and more sour, however. There were some bubbles on the surface here and there, but it wasn't effervescent to the taste or to the eye. At this point I figured it smelled heady enough and had enough bubbles on the surface that it must be fermenting, and put it in a 3 gallon carboy with an airlock.

After about 12 hours, though, there is no activity in the airlock I can detect. There is a half inch or so of bubbly foam at the neck of the carboy, and I can see little bubbles rising up through the carboy glass. So something is happening.

My question is: did I somehow end up lacto-fermenting my batch by not stirring enough at first and then too much at the end? Should I expect my airlock to be bubbling vigorously (or at least perceptably) at first, or does that not necessarily indicate that it isn't fermenting properly?

Would very much appreciate any thoughts or advice. Many thanks!!
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Re: Is my mead fermenting or lacto-fermenting?

Postby Tim Hall on Thu Oct 20, 2011 12:40 pm

Nothing you're describing would necessarily indicate it's lacto fermenting...but this could be happening too. You won't really know until the ferment has gone for a little while. Keep in mind that if the ferment is active with yeast, the yeasts themselves often have a tangy flavor that is sometimes confused for contamination faults, but this goes away as the yeast settles down.

If you're seeing bubbles rise from the must, I'm a little surprised you're not seeing bubbles in the airlock. Three possibilities come to mind: 1) airlock/stopper is not properly sealed 2) you have a lot of head space and the fermenter hasn't built up enough pressure to start releasing through the airlock 3) pressure differential due to temperature swing.

Regarding #3: sometimes, if you have a BIG temperature swing, it can be enough to cause low or even negative pressure in the fermenter, in which case not CO2 comes out.

Is the must still bubbling, but the airlock is doing nothing?
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Re: Is my mead fermenting or lacto-fermenting?

Postby Sohrob on Thu Oct 20, 2011 4:27 pm

Well, I re-positioned the airlock last night, and by lunch today it is bubbling, around 1 bubble every 30 seconds on a 3-piece airlock. So maybe the seal was the problem - there was no temperature swing that would have caused that kind of pressure differential. I thought the bubbling would be a little more vigorous at first... but it is definitely bubbling. I guess I'll just have to wait and see. Thanks so much for the kind advice!
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Re: Is my mead fermenting or lacto-fermenting?

Postby FloweryTickles on Thu Dec 29, 2011 8:39 pm

Being someone who is a complete and utter n00b to the world of mead fermentation and wine "creating," I always appreciate stumbling upon advice such as this. I wasn't even entirely sure what lacto-fermenting was? Just wanted to chime in and thank you fine folks for the help. I'll let everyone know my good ol' mead production goes. . . .or doesn't go. O_O;

Speaking of mead, what sorts of other ingredients (besides the standard honey and fruit) do you folks put in? Also, do you guys utilize a refrigerator water filter to filter out the impurities in your water? What about a water softener? Thanks, folks! :)
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Re: Is my mead fermenting or lacto-fermenting?

Postby icanbenchurcat on Sun Feb 05, 2012 9:19 pm

I just made a braggot (50/50) honey/amber malt extract. Still waiting for that to finish. The hardest part of mead making is waiting!

I also wanted natural nutrients for my mead so I boiled some yeast and chopped raisins. The yeast need tannins, vitamins and yeast hulls that honey has none of.
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Re: Is my mead fermenting or lacto-fermenting?

Postby tdhd on Mon Apr 16, 2012 7:50 pm

When fermenting into alcohol I have found it quite common to have fermentations come to abrupt halts. Sometimes they need a stir, a shake, a move to a different temperature, more time...rarely I have needed to add some things as nutrients for the yeast. I've found that black tea and raisins (not sulphured) usually do the trick

I think I'll try a starter like you have described above, then will add lilacs as they come into bloom for a purple spring mead. mmmm
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