Melomel Fermentation Issue

I have 5 gallon batch of mead that is basically near the end, I added a blackberry puree to it and their are no signs of fermentation. My hydrometer readings show that the mead is at approximately 13% prior to adding the fruit. I don’t have the readings in front of me but the gravity was about 1.012 prior to adding puree. Did I wait to long to add the puree? Can anything be done or am I ending up with a very sweet mead?

What yeast did you use? How long has it been fermenting?

The yeast is Lalvin k1-v1116 and it is been fermenting for 2 months.

That’s odd. That yeast should have plenty of room to ferment, and 2 months isn’t that old. Do you have any more yeast you could pitch? I would make a simple starter of sugar, yeast nutrient, and water, and once it’s going add a little of the mead to it (maybe 1/2 cup). Assuming that ferments, add a little more mead the next day for a few days, just to get the yeast acclimated to the alcohol environment, and then pitch the whole starter. That might get things going again.

Have you checked your PH? Did you add any DAP/yeast nutrients? Did you oxygenate for the first few days? You should be able to ferment dry with that yeast. I’d guess you have an issue with one of the factors above. I doubt adding more yeast will help. I’d check the PH to see if its too low (<3)- you can add potassium bicarbonate to bring it back up if it is- and maybe add some yeast nutrient/energizer.

Were there any preservatives in the puree? That could stop the yeast cold.

I added yeast nutrient when I transferred the yeast and added the purée. I checked today and there was a little bit of bubbling. I added another package of yeast to see what happens. I do not have anything to test the ph, unfortunately.

pH test strips are very cheap and available at most home brew shops. They can be tricky to read and aren’t the most accurate way to measure pH, but they should be good enough to let you know if you are in the ballpark. Meads often have the problem of pH dropping below the level where yeast will be active, and if that is the problem, you can add a small amount of chalk or any of several products sold at brew shops for the purpose to compensate.