Drylock now and wait. It takes a few days for it to kick in. No need to top it off yet. It might take as much as a week to fully implement the yeast, depending on what type you use, the temperature required to activate it, the temp of the wort when you pitched the yeast, etc.
I've not personally used a drylock, nor heard of one. I use airlocks with a sodium metabisulfite solution in them. It kills pretty much everything that isn't yeast, and in high enough concentrations will kill yeast. I wouldn't mess with your mead for at least a week, maybe two. Mead kind of does its own thing, when it comes to the fermenting process. You could put the same wort in two different casks, add the same yeast at the same time and the same amounts and keep them in the same temperatures and they'll stop fermenting at different times. They might even taste a little bit different. The guy who taught me told me 'mead goes on its own schedule'.
FYI, I don't have it just open, I have it in set up with a blow hose, a tube going into a jug of water. Didn't want it foaming up and getting in to the DryTrap air lock.
Okay, update. This doesn't show up too well in the picture, but here's what I'm looking at right now: I'm not really getting any activity on my air lock at all, no clickity clicking like I'm supposed to hear. BUT, I looked closer, down at the bottom of the carboy where a lot of the honey settled, and there's this lighter foamy area above it. And, if you watch the bottle, these tiny little bubbles are rolling up the sides of it, from that foam. I assume that's the yeast going to town on all that sugar? You can just barely make out the bubbles in that picture too, on the 45 degree indent in the bottle above the honey layer.
That looks good to me. It seems to me that you used a higher ratio of honey to water than when I made mead, but I was making a traditional mead. Is it possible to start a thread where anyone that is logged in could edit the first post, say for adding links to mead related websites, and others could add to the thread their favorite recipe?
The honey/water was supposed to be even higher, 3.5 lbs to a gallon. I did 3 1/3 lbs per, not much different, but still less. Unfortunately, I have no clue how to do that, and Chris is out camping. In the mean time, post what you'd like me to put in the first post, and I'll pop it in there! Hmm, I guess we could start a google doc that you guys all have access to.
An enthusiast site I do like this site. It has more information on it than you can shake a stick at. Homebrew Digest I like this page: An Analysis of Mead, Mead Making and the Role of its Primary Constituents
It would be a pain, but I think the best method for that would be to create a new usergroup just for the HomeBrew Contributors and create the thread with permissions for that usergroup being able to edit it. Only the people who are already full members could have access and would have to request permission to gain access. I can do all that, but I'm not going to until I hear back from Chris as these forums are his baby.
Do you mea something along the lines of a homebrewing thred, and only recognized homebrewers qith requested access can edit? I needs it broken down for me, but it might make sens ein th emorning when I'm not drinking. Yeah. Gunnarr's drinkin again. Big suprise. I think the only time I logged in to the TS3 was when I was smashed. Will have to do that again now that I got MW4 Mercs online working, MW:LL working, and a joystick. Anyways, I got a cinnamon, ginger, and caracara orange mead that's turned out suprisingly well despite being so young at tasting. Can't wait for October, when everything will be ready to chug... er... drink.
Mead is pretty well unchanged from that last photo. Topped it off for the fuck of it... wondering if I have it too cold in the basement maybe?
What's the temp? JAO says some heat is good (I think 75-80, but I haven't look at the recipe in a while), but that's if you're using bread yeast. I wouldn't get it below 65F or 75F. And a stable temp is a good way to avoid off flavors.
Well, basement tends to be a degree or two cooler I'd guess, and we have the house set at 70 in the summer. I used d47 yeast instead of bread yeast. When I get back from Cali I'll slap a thermometer in it and see what I get.
I would think 75 degrees would be best. You keep you home at 70 during the summer? I'm cold just thinking about it.
70deg in the summer, 60 in the winter, and you have a basement!!! so not fair... I've been really wanting a basement to take over for use as an evil laboratory, silly Florida with its 6 ft water table. I try to run 72 in the summer to save a tiny bit of energy and then 68 or so in the winter, I love it cold, I would go 68 all year but my girlfriend would never visit anymore if it was that cold.
http://ebrew.com/wine/wine_yeast.htm You should be good on temp. Did you pitch any nutrients into it? Also, if your fermentation is stuck, pitch some EC-1118 and nutrients into it. No more than a teaspoon per gallon (I'd recommend half that, tbh) or your shit will taste like medicine... though with Joe's the spices would likely cover that up. EC-1118 has a spot on that page down at the bottom. I've used it before to start stuck meads. Your shit will come out dry as it eats all the damned sugar (will produce 18 abv booze), but it'll definitely get the job done.
I threw in a bunch of golden raisins as the nutrients, didn't do any of the packaged/bottled stuffs. Haven't looked at it since Saturday, what with me being off on travel, we'll see what it looks like when I finally get home today.
