I'm not new to fermented foods (I make bread, yogurt, cultured cheese, etc all the time), but I am new to brewing. I brewed a gallon of beer this summer, using a kit that a friend gave me as a gift, and all went well. The result was a good-tasting pale ale. However, it seemed like a lot of work for a meager gallon of beer. Recently, I had some tej -- an Ethiopian honey wine -- and that led me to try to brew a simple mead. I got an extra gallon carboy and decided to make two gallons. Each gallon has the same ingredients: 1 quart of raw honey, a little less than three quarts of spring water, D47 yeast, and a teaspoon of yeast nutrient. The only difference is that I did not mix up the honey with the water too much in carboy #1. In carboy #2, I thoroughly mixed the honey with the water. I have noticed a difference in how they are fermenting. Carboy #1 seems to be "effervescing". Lots of little bubbles are rising from the bottom. There is very little in the way of foam on the top. Carboy #2, on the other hand, has more foam at the top, and there is not much in the way of effervescing, but a bubble of gas bloops out of the air lock every little bit. I'm just curious to know if anyone has any thoughts on this. Thanks.