Beer Forum

Well started my 1st batch, from below, on 20130626 everything appeared ok until 48hrs ago; no more bubbles observed in airlock. Suspect something is not going as hoped, suggestions appreciated.

Ingredients for 5.5 gallons:
15 pounds medium-bodied honey
9 pounds frozen red sweet cherries (pitted and thawed)
2 tsp yeast nutrient, preferably diammonium phosphate
1.5 tsp Fermaid K or other mead nutrient blend
Water to top up to 5.5 gallons
15 grams Lalvin 71B-1122 Narbonne package instructions

Directions
Place all ingredients in 7.5 gallon plastic fermenter, stir vigorously. Pitch rehydrated yeast.
After primary fermentation slows, generally 2-3 weeks, rack off fruit into glass secondary. It is helpful but not necessary to blanket your secondary fermenter with carbon dioxide before racking.
Bottle after 6-9 months, or when all signs of fermentation have ceased.
If sweetening is desired, add 2.5 tsp potassium sorbate to secondary fermenter. Wait 24 hours, rack into bottling container and add 1-3 lbs honey, one cup at a time until desired sweetness level is attained. Bottle and cap. This mead will continue to improve for 4-5 years.

Make sure you degas the mead every couple days. The co2 in solution will be toxic to the yeast.

You may want to consider a staggered nutrient addition, like a 1/3 at start, and a 1/3 every other day as you degas.

What temp are you fermenting at?

76 degrees. degas every couple days until apx 4wk then rack off of the cheeries?

Welcome to the forum, good luck on the mead! Brew some beer while you are waiting for the mead.

only way to tell about ferment is to take a gravity reading. No airlock activity doesnt mean that nothing is going on