On 3/22/04 2:42 PM, in article ,
"Pavel314" > wrote:

> I made a plum melomel last year, original SG = 1.09, and racked from the
> primary to secondary when fermentation slowed, SG at that time 1.06. I just
> racked again last weekend and the SG was still 1.06. This gives the alcohol
> at slightly under 5%. It's also way too sweet; you can taste the unfermented
> honey and it gets the equipment sticky.
>
> I moved it upstairs where it's warmer and made a starter batch of Pasteur
> Champagne yeast. When that was fermenting well, I put it into the melomel
> and it didn't catch. After a couple of days, I drew off a sample of the
> melomel and added Flor Sherry yeast; no reaction. I added sugar to that
> sample and still no ferment.
>
> It's now in a warm water bath in the laundry tub at 70-80 degrees F. I went
> to the supply store and got some yeast energizer this afternoon and added
> 1/4 teaspoon per gallon, as recommended on the label. Hopefully, that will
> work.
>
> Any other tricks I could try? I've had stuck ferments before but they
> usually get started again without this much trouble.
>
> If all else fails, I have a batch of red pyment which seems a bit thin and
> bland; maybe I could blend the plum with that and see if it's drinkable.
>
> Paul
>
>


The acid levels in honey wines can swing wildly during fermentation as there
are less buffer salts in honey. Have you checked the pH? If it is too high
it could be a cause for your stuck fermentation.

--
Greg Cook
http://homepage.mac.com/gregcook/Wine

(remove spamblocker from my email)