Mead Not Bubbling

[Fermentation FAQ]

I'm trying to make mead in the wild fermentation style, relying upon wild yeasts, but it hasn't started bubbling. What do I do?

[jbazuzi]

Cool: mead made this way often tastes amazing. And sometimes not... every time is different!

How much stirring have you done? One thing I didn't realize early on was how important stirring can be. Vigorous stirring, especially early on, will break up mold colonies, oxygenate the water, distribute cultures across the medium, and infuse it with your intention. All of that is good.

I try to stir at least 3 times a day, preferably more, for the first few days.

If you are fermenting with friends, pass the container around, and let each person stir. It helps the mead to know that you care.

If I have an especially good turnout on a ferment, I like to save some and use it as a starter in the next batch. I figure it gives me a good chance of having a similar result next time.

Even if you don't get bubbles, be sure to taste your mead anyway. I've had non-bubbly mead turn out very tasty.

[tomcampbell]

you may not consider this to be wild enough for you, or maybe just not local enough for you, but it works very well to add yeasty looking fruit into the batch- grapes or blueberries - or anything that has a faint white filmy coating on it. i've also had great results with things getting going quickly when I make dandelion mead.

any sweet thing that's been exposed to the air for a while will have wild yeast on it and will work to seed your mead.

that's what the stirring recommended prior does - increases contact with the air.

[nutritionistcharles]

I'm trying to make mead in the wild fermentation style, relying upon wild yeasts, but it hasn't started bubbling. What do I do?

The presence of wild yeast is dependent on your environment: where you live, the climate, etc.. I had the same problem you are having and finally gave up and added cote des blancs yeast that I got at a winemaking shop. The winemaking shop gave me some fancy directions on making mead using all kinds of additives but I didn't bother with anything other than the yeast and it was a success.
Charles

[slavigne]

I successfully made Honey Mead or tej but had bubbling issues too. I am in New England and even in the summer it is not always that warm. I found my brew was not staying warm enough so I bundled it in a blanket. I also added whole fruit plums. And it just took longer then expected.
good luck

[mormoola]

Just after Sandor's fantastic online seminar I also started making tej. For my first attempt I decided not to use fruit, because I had a wonderful raw honey with complex flavor. I got lots of bubbling and just a few days ago I had my first taste for immediate gratification after two and a half weeks of bubbly fermenting. I am drinking it now, as a matter of fact. Actually,we are not keen on alcoholic drinks. Even chilled it isn't thrilling my taste buds. BUT, this is just my first attempt, and, next time I will ferment it for less time, since it's hot here in FL, and I will use berries. Also, next time I promise to post a picture.

My long range goal is to get into making root beer soda. I've made ginger ale successfully in the past and I like the idea of the health benefits of the roots as well as the good taste.

As a side note, this past weekend I acquired a new source for jersey cow milk and cream, so I can get back to making kefirrrrr.

[Tim Hall]

Mead can sometimes be a tough brew to make. To some degree honey is antagonistic to yeast growth (as it should be or we’d have a lot of drunk bees buzzing around). One reason honey is tough to ferment is while it supplies plenty of carbs for the yeast to turn to alcohol and CO2, it supplies very little of the nitrogen, vitamins and minerals essential for healthy yeast growth. Raw honey may also contain enzymes and antibiotics that further inhibit yeast growth. But there are things you can do to encourage strong fermentation nevertheless…

1) Try using a lower honey-to-water ratio. Too much honey makes it very tough for yeasts to get started. Once the yeasts get started you can feed them more honey to make the brew stronger or sweeter. But too much honey will shut down even the most vigorous yeasts.

2) Add nutrients. You can add fruit, flowers or bee pollen to the mix to encourage yeast growth. This does two things: it adds nitrogen, vitamins and minerals, and it supplies wild yeasts that inhabit the surface of these additives. In the old days mead was probably made by tossing the whole comb in a boiling vat, including honey, pollen and bee larvae, which provided a complete source of nutrition for yeast.

3) Aerate. This has been mentioned before. Stir, stir, stir for the first 3-5 days, or until you see obvious signs of fermentation. As an alternative to stirring you can place the must in a sealed container and shake it vigorously for several minutes to dissolve oxygen into it. Yeasts need oxygen just like us.

4) Add tannin. It seems to me that adding some type of tannin helps the fermentation. Sources of tannin include tea, herbal teas, yaupon leaves (Ilex vomitoria), or store-bought tannin extracts. Brew up a strong cup and add it to the must. Herbal teas can also provide an interesting twist to the flavor of your mead.

5) Make a starter. Next time try making a small starter (around 10% of your total batch volume) using a diluted must. Use about half the honey called for in the recipe. Once this starts to ferment well, mix up your full recipe and add the starter. Again stir, stir, stir.

In my opinion if you don’t see signs of fermentation after 5 days, it’s time to take drastic measures. Try cutting the must with a little extra water (chlorine-free), aerate again and add some fruit (raisins are a good choice) to help the yeast get started. As a last resort don’t think you have to wait for wild yeasts to the do the job – go buy a packet of Pasteur’s best from your local wine-making shop.