im confused on how much yeast to use, i dont have anything to measure with so i put a size of a finger nail in and used 2 cups of sugar,im using a litre pop bottle, will this be enough, also what are the signs of fermentation please?what signs should i expect after 24hrs? im making some honey mead for the first time.
roundhead78 Wrote:im confused on how much yeast to use, i dont have anything to measure with so i put a size of a finger nail in and used 2 cups of sugar,im using a litre pop bottle, will this be enough, also what are the signs of fermentation please?what signs should i expect after 24hrs? im making some honey mead for the first time.
Question #18: How much yeast is too little? How much is too much?
Answer: There is no such thing as too much yeast. The moment you add the yeast it starts to multiply. The more yeast you add, the quicker the fermentation will start (and end). Yeast is added in small amounts only to stretch it out but if you add too little yeast, fermentation will start very slowly allowing wild yeasts, bacteria, and molds the opportunity to out compete your yeast. If this happens, your yeast could die and your beverage will not ferment. We recommend 1/16 - 1/4 of a tsp (a broad range) because it is difficult to find a measuring apparatus to measure such small amounts and we want to reiterate that there is no "exact amount" required. Just eyeball your best guess and add it. Remember that you cannot add too much yeast. If you added yeast, waited a day, and see no signs of fermentation, add more yeast, shake vigorously, and let it try again.
Question #24: I can't tell if it's fermenting. How do I tell? When do I stop?
Answer: When a beverage begins to ferment small bubbles will rise to the top. As the fermentation gets more vigorous foam may form at the top of the beverage. You may occasionally hear a hissing sound as the EZ cap vents CO2 gas. Eventually, fermentation becomes less apparent. The foam may disappear but if you look closely you can still see bubble rising to the top. Another way to tell: If it is quiet, and your hearing is good, you can actually hear it fermenting if you put your ear to the beverage. It will sound like quiet static. When you can no longer see small bubbles rising, fermentation has ended. It is important to note that you may not want fermentation to end on it's own. Depending on how much sugar you added to the recipe, a completely fermented beverage may taste very sour. For the purposes of alcoholic beverage making, fermentation is either completed when the beverage tastes the way that you want it, or all the yeast has died or gone dormant because either all the sugars were used up or the alcohol level got so high it killed the yeast.
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