[Raptoid780]

Hello everyone.  I'm an avid all grain homebrewer and started my first batch of mead recently.  Details are:

Goal: Medium sweet mead to be split into two small batches of Melomel and possibly a Cyser.
18 lbs wildflower/clover
4.5 gal bottled spring water
2 packs 71b (rehydrated @104*)
Yeast nutrient added at pitch, 24hr, 48hr,72hr.

Aggressive fermentation began less than 8 hours after pitch. Glass carboy in basement with temps around 75 (I know it's high).  Being my first batch, I didn't realize that the honey would separate and rest at the bottom even with the honey warmed up. Shook it up real good, but evidently not enough.  For about a day or so the honey stayed at the bottom. Did more research and at the 2nd day I ended up using a sanitized utensil to get the honey blended well. Problem is when I took the OG reading the honey was still at the bottom thus not giving an accurate reading.  It read 1.085.

Fast forward to today (2 weeks later ). Just took a gravity reading and it's only down to 1.050.  As of today, I am getting bubbles in airlock about every 5 seconds.  So I've got time left no doubt, but do those little guys still have enough life to take me down to around 1.010? I tasted it and it tastes nice.  It's pretty cloudy still since I haven't racked it yet. 

Couple questions:
Should I take action regarding the state of the yeast?
When would it be best to rack just to get it off the dead yeast cake?
When would I want to add potassium sulfate to kill the yeast since I do want a still product?
How much longer should I wait for the FG to drop down?

Thanks in advance for the help.  Any other input is welcomed also.

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[homoeccentricus]

I have only a bit of experience with mead, but:

- Did you do the complete staggered nutrients additions with both yeast nutrition and DAP?
- Did you thoroughly degas the mead the first week or so to get rid of CO2?

If you didn't do those, fermentation could be slower than expected.

SG is 1.138. I have no experience with such a high SG, so I can't say when the yeast will give up. But 1.050 is still very high. If you used a refractometer you did use software to correct I assume? (sorry, have to ask this)

I think that if you want to do something drastic to stop fermentation you have to use both potassium metabisulfite and potassium sorbate. The meta kills and the sorbate prevents the yeast from reproducing.

I would just sit it out, and leave the mead on the yeast, until fermentation has finished.

[kramerog]

Everything homoeccentricus said and asked is valid.

It looks like you are more than half way through fermentation based on estimated starting gravity and current gravity.  At this point, oxidation becomes a major concern so you should just sit this one out.    I suspect that the aging period will be quite long.

[erockrph]

A mead this big is probably going to take longer than 2 weeks to hit FG. A mead this size brewed with 71B should finish up in the 1.020's or 1.030's if you take care of it right. Just let it hang out in primary and be patient. There's no rush to get it off the yeast cake. I usually let mine sit in primary for 6 weeks or so before my first racking.

There should be no need for sulfites or sorbate to prevent carbonation in this mead. Once the yeast finishes up, it isn't going to go any further. The main reason you'd want to sulfite a mead is if you're going to backsweeten. A mead this size probably shouldn't need backsweetening, and even if it did I doubt the yeast would restart fermentation at this high of an ABV.

[morticaixavier]

The only thing I'll add is that I think a cyser is traditionally made by diluting the honey with sweet cider. If you want to backsweeten with cider then you will need to do something to the yeast.

[Raptoid780]

I appreciate the responses and advice.  I'll wait it out and see what happens.  Going forward, would there be anything that I should've done differently? I've read Schramm's book a few times and have a solid understanding of the processes.  But I'm always willing to hear advice from experience since I can only absorb so much from reading. Thanks again...

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