# Weird Yeast Gas



## MichaelW (Jun 1, 2005)

Not really a mead question but,
I started this Resiling wine kit about a week ago and when it didn't start bubbling I re-pitched some yeast using KV-1116. Within a very few minutes it was bubbling like crazy, and I mean really bubbling like you where just blowing through an airlock. Then a few more minutes later it completely stopped and dosen't show any pressure at all. Whats up with that???

On a related note, I've re-pitched the yeast on the last 4 batches of mead or wine. I don't know if I need to warm the water first, have more patience, or wait longer for the sulfites to dissipate in the meads. Suggestions??


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## ScadsOBees (Oct 2, 2003)

The bubbling is caused by the yeast being nucleus for the CO2 to form on, causing the dissolved CO2 to bubble out on. Google "coke mentos" to see this happening on a more impressive scale. The fermentation was probably working very slowly.

Are you sulfiting the must? That could be a problem getting it started, but most of the more modern yeasts have a higher tolerance than the natural.

What do you mean by re-pitching? After it has been fermenting has stopped trying to re-start fermentation? this is a very difficult process and doesn't work very well. You usually have to use a very hardy, alcohol tolerant yeast such as lalvin ec-1118 .

Rick


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## Otter (Feb 20, 2008)

Are you checking the temperature of the must before you pitch, and making sure that the area you have your fermentation vessel in are at an appropriate temperature for the yeast you're using? The type of yeast our local shop suggests for mead is not a good choice for our house in the winter. 

Some yeasts don't create obvious action, only very tiny bubbles that may not be visible if your mead isn't light in color. We had one that appeared to be doing nothing, re-pitched after a week, still appeared to be doing nothing, then Mr. Otter noticed a faint alcohol/fermenting smell near it. Turned out the cap was juuuust loose enough that the gasses were escaping between the cap and the neck of the carboy instead of going through the airlock. 

IIRC we only have three 16-oz. bottles of that one left...


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## MichaelW (Jun 1, 2005)

> Google "coke mentos"


Wow that is something.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKoB0MHVBvM&NR=1

So if it is slowly fermenting and never really noticeably bubbles
in the airlock, is that OK? It does have some smell of fermentation,
but not much.



> What do you mean by re-pitching?


This means I'm using a term I've heard before but don't really
know what the term means or when its appropriate to use it. 
Basically I mean I throw some more yeast in there about a
week after I put it in the first time and didn't see the airlock 
bubbling.

As for temp of the room, its been a good temp in the past for both
mead and wine. But I guess I need to measure the temp of the
water I use when I start to at least make sure it is room temperature.


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## Ben Brewcat (Oct 27, 2004)

Biggest questions are have you checked the gravities on these meads, and are you using a plastic fermenter? Plastic ones often don't seal perfectly, and the escaping gas bypasses the airlock giving the impression that no fermentation is taking place. Small bubbles devolving will bubble the airlock if the fermenter is sealed.

Only a hydrometer reading will tell you if you have a non-starter or a non-"shower" via a leak.


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## Otter (Feb 20, 2008)

Our encounter with an incompletely-sealing cap was on a glass carboy. If you have any doubts about the seal, try putting a rubber band (or two or three) around the cap to tighten it up (assuming a cap that goes over a carboy neck).


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## HVH (Feb 20, 2008)

MichaelW said:


> Not really a mead question but,
> I started this Resiling wine kit about a week ago and when it didn't start bubbling I re-pitched some yeast using KV-1116. Within a very few minutes it was bubbling like crazy, and I mean really bubbling like you where just blowing through an airlock. Then a few more minutes later it completely stopped and dosen't show any pressure at all. Whats up with that???
> 
> On a related note, I've re-pitched the yeast on the last 4 batches of mead or wine. I don't know if I need to warm the water first, have more patience, or wait longer for the sulfites to dissipate in the meads. Suggestions??


I have not used wine kits before but have made wine from grapes many times. Every fermentation I have witnessed with grapes was extremely violent. Mead sometimes is much slower because honey concoctions are not optimal for yeast growth. How much sulfite did you add? What was your starting Brix (or specific gravity)? Did you add anything else to your must? 
We used to add potassium metabisulfite at about 50ppm and let it stand overnight. 50 ppm will deliver about half that of SO2 which will be bound to wine constituents and not be free SO2 by morning. If you make a yeast starter the night before in some diluted juice, you will have a much stronger yeast inoculum which can be added to the must in the morning.


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## MichaelW (Jun 1, 2005)

> Only a hydrometer reading will tell you if you have a non-starter or a non-"shower" via a leak.


Woops, guess I should have checked it when I mixed it up. I've been alternating wine kits between mead batches. The nice thing, so far, about wine kits is that I've just been mixing with water and stirring in the ingredients. 6 months later I get some real decent wine without crushing fruit or anything else. Guess I will need to be a little more pro-active with the hydrometer.

It could be a leak, I caught a whiff of fermentation across the room yesterday. Its a plastic primary.

With the meads that I've been re-adding yeast, I do check gravity but they have all started right up with the additional yeast.

Thanks for the other suggestions as well!


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