Bubble Rate For Mead Making

[user 19400]

Hi, I am just running my first ever fermentation - this is a dry mead recipe using what I understand to be champagne yeast (it says W-Yeast 2049 on the pack, but can't find that code number searching the Web). The recipe calls for fermentation to occur at about 22degC, which I'm trying to achieve in a Sydney summer (34degC) by immersing the 5L fermenter in a bucket of cool water. The bubble rate through the airlock is around 1 bubble per 1-2sec, and there are plenty of small bubbles streaming up from the brew.

The recipes I have looked at don't mention what kind of bubble rate is "normal", but do say that a slower fermentation gives better results than a faster fermentation. I also appreciate bubble rates will depend on many factors. I've heard this rate is faster than what's used in fermenting beer.

So just to orientate me, is around 1 bubble/1-2secs "normal", or should I be looking at a bubble rate that is magnitudes slower or faster?

On another point, I am using a stick-on thermometer on the side of the fermenter, and the thermometer is underwater and looks a tad worse for wear. It seems to be stuck on 22degC, even though the surrounding water feels cooler (have to get a glass thermometer to measure the temp of the cooling water). Is this stick-on thermometer likely to be reliable? Does this kind of fermentation generate much heat? Will have to put the glass thermometer directly into the brew to check!

I appreciate any guidance that can be offered!

 

[Malted]

using champagne yeast (it says W-Yeast 2049). The bubble rate through the airlock is around 1 bubble per 1-2sec, and there are plenty of small bubbles streaming up from the brew.

I am sure you'll get a better answer from someone else, and this may not be relevent. I am using a 'champagne' yeast (Lalvin EC-1118) in a nectarine wine atm. I pitched it on Monday at OG of 1.062, 21 Litres in a 30L fermenter and by Tuesday night the bubbling was so vigorous that it spewed out through the airlock. I then went to a blowoff tube. This morning it is now blowing big bubbles at the rate of every 1-2 seconds.

 

[Rodolphe01]

Ignore the bubbles (too many variables) and just control the temperture as best you can.

A glass thermometer is fine to put in the brew, but i'd avoid doing so as you risk infections. Maybe put the thermometer in the bucker of water and make an educated guess as to the ferment temperature.

 

[Airgead]

Normal bubble rate.... how long is a piece of string?

Bubble rate is a very poor indicator of fermentation activity. It depends on way too many things (yeast, foam stability of wort, temp of wort, type of airlock, how well the fermenter is sealed.....)

Ignore it.

The best way to check how the fermentation is progressing is to check gravity. Thats hard in a small batch of mead as you end up using the whole thing in hydrometer samples. I did once sanitise a spare hydrometer, drop it in the carboy and leave it there through the whole fermentation. I was doing an experiment and needed to do daily readings. Worked pretty well. Your other option is a refractometer. You third option is to leave it alone and just let it do its thing. You will see visible fermentation start to stop after a while (foam on the top... bubbles rising through). Take a sample then and see where its at. It will drop a few points from there but not many. It will also start to clear a little.

As to temp, wine yeasts seem to be far less affected by temp than beer yeasts. A lot of winemaking (especially reds) are done without temp control and at fairly high temps (high 20s to low 30s). Anywhere between 16 and 30 seems OK for a lot of strains. They don't seem to throw out a lot of esters at high temps so you should be fine. Those stick on thermometer things are pretty useless.

Cheers
Dave

 

[Tanga]

1118 is a beast of a yeast. It goes where other yeast's wont (temp, lack of nutrients, etc).

I don't know about the one you're talking about - did you mean Wyeast? In which case it's one of these:
http://www.wyeastlab.com/rw_styledetails.cfm?ID=297

I'm not sure what they're like, having only used dried in my meads. I would not recommend 1118 though. It has a reputation for leaving a medicinal taste which takes ages to mellow out.

I recommend d47 for meads. It has a good rep, and from the couple of little experiments I've done leaves a much better flavour, and your mead will be drinkable earlier. It will make a dry mead, but not as mouth puckeringly dry as champagne yeast. Enough sweetness to taste the honey.

That said if you're after a really dry mead you made the right choice. It'll be interesting to see how it ends up. Do you still have the packet, are there any other number / names on there?

 

[user 19400]

Thanks to everyone for their thoughts - that's very helpful indeed.

@Tanga - it says "W-Yeast 2049" on the sachet (it was sold to me without the box so I don't know anymore details than that). it certainly wasn't listed on the WYeast site, which looks very interesting, by the way. Not to worry, I can check my supplier for more info.

Yes, I understand this yeast will produce a very dry mead, so we'll also be running another batch where we add extra honey part way through the fermentation to see if it can be sweetened up and made to produce a higher alcohol content.

 

[Airgead]

@Tanga - it says "W-Yeast 2049" on the sachet (it was soldme without the box so I don't know anymore details than that). it certainly wasn't listed on the WYeast site, which looks very interesting, by the way. Not to worry, I can check my supplier for more info.

If it says W-Yeast 2049 on the sachet then its not a Wyeast yeast. They only do liquid cultures. Not dry. They are also all labelled WYXXXX.

No idea what you have there. Could be a champagne strain. Could be something else entirely. The usual champagne strains are EC1118 or red star grand cuvee. There are oithers that pop up in homebrew shops occasionally.

Cheers
Dave