Make it up as I go Melomel 3.....

Ok, so it's a couple of days since I actually pitched the yeast etc.

I seem to recall that the yeast went in about 3.30pm and by about 7.30pm, there wasn't enough pressure from the ferment to actually bubble the airlock, but the lid of the bucket was starting to bulge and the water in the airlock was starting to push round the bottom bend.

So, I figured it best to leave it to the next morning. That's when I just aerated it and added the main nutrient of 1/2 tsp of Fermaid-K and 1/2 tsp of Di-ammonium Phosphate, both well stirred in.

The following day, I opened the bucket and aerated it and then tested the gravity and from memory it had dropped about 10 or 15 points. Not very far, but enough to show that there was some downward momentum.

Today I opened the bucket, took a sample and then aerated it, only to find (when the foam from the turkey baster had subsided) that I was looking at a gravity of something like 1045. Damn that's good, to have it drop 40 or 50 points in just over 24 hours.

That means that as it was pretty close on the "1/2 sugar break", I added another 1/2 teaspoon of Fermaid-K for it to crack on.

I'm hoping that it will have dropped to between 1030 and 1020 by tomorrow evening. If so, then I'll be transferring to secondary - and if it looks necessary, I'll have to add a bit more red grape juice so there's no free air space in the top of the fermentor(s). I reckon that like the last mixed fruit one I did, it'll take up a gallon and a half......

Watch this space.

TTFN!