So I am fairly new to the world of mead, and I am attempting a basic mead. Honey, water, yeast. I went with D-47. The packet says to rehydrate between 95 and 98.6 Fahrenheit. I went with about 96 degrees. I pitched in the must around 83 degrees. It is now day 2 and I still have no signs of fermentation. Did I kill the yeast? Or maybe it was bad from the start?
Are you sure your thermometer is accurate? Overheating your yeast will definitely kill a lot of cells.
Also, how are you determining whether you are seeing signs of fermentation? If you’re fermenting in a bucket and it isn’t properly sealed, then air may be going out of the lid instead of the airlock. Also, mead does not produce a large head of krausen the way beer does.
If you’re doing a staggered nutrient addition, then it should foam up considerably when you add the nutrients. That’s a telltale sign that fermentation is going on. If nothing happens then I’d pitch another pack of yeast. Rehydrate that one in room temperature water or just sprinkle it in to avoid cooking that one (in case that was the problem).
I’m confident in my thermometer. I’ve got it in a glass carboy with an airlock. No nutrients added. I guess I was looking for a little more action so to speak, but if mead is a bit more subtle, I’ll give it a little more time and use your advice on going room temp and do another pitch. Thank you so much.
I always use two packs of dry yeast for 5 gallons of mead. I tend to make fairly high gravity meads and I also add nutrients for the first couple of days. What was your OG? It may just be starting slowly and you’ll be fine. You could also add another pack of yeast if there still is no activity.
My OG was 1.110. I haven’t looked into nutrients yet. Any suggestions?