Any help will be appreciated, this is my first attempt at making mead.
All the equipment was sterilized by the book, and the honey was not heated to obtain a homogenous liquid - lots of stirring.
I have a 5 gallon batch in its 3rd week of fermentation.
I used Lalvilin EC-1118, LD Carlson yeast energizer, and a recommendation of Wyeast Beer Nutrient.
The first week the alcohol content measured 5.5%, 2 weeks later I completed the first racking, after that the content dropped down to ZERO!
As an attempt to recover, I added 1 lb. of honey with the intention to see the alcohol content restart.
It’s fermenting, but still no “kicker” increase.
My guess is that you’re looking at a triple scale hydrometer and are looking at the ‘potential alcohol’ scale. If that is the case you need to look at the other scale on your hydrometer and do a calculation to figure out actual ABV. Something like this: http://www.brewersfriend.com/abv-calculator/
Thanks!
Flip hit the nail on the head, I was reading the triple scale alcohol content.
A beginners mistake I suppose. :oops:
The web links to conduct a quick calculation and pin down how to use a hydrometer helped me understand the simple gizmo.
Presently my mead is at 6.5% which leads me to think that my batch is not ruined.