max4677

Recipes 

A friend of mine and I put together a pomegranate mead about a month and a half ago and it is currently sitting in a large plastic bucket after being racked twice.

I taste tested a little during the last racking and while it is good, it's rather dry. He wants his part that way, but I was hoping for it to be sweeter.

Is it possible to pasteurize a pound of honey and maybe another liter of juice (to up the pomegranate flavor which is lacking even with 3 liters already in there) and toss it in my half of the batch (~3.5 gallons each) along with some potassium sorbate and fining agents?

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Gloucester County Homebrewers
Beer Crafters LHBS (RIP - Store closed 9/09)
On tap:
1. Slyfox 2008 Dunkelweizen
2. None

Bottled:
None

Brewing:
None

malkore

Recipes 

the problem with using more honey to sweeten is, if your yeast hasn't hit attenuation, you'll start fermentation back up as it eats the new sugar.

I would lean towards using lactose. its sweet, adn non-fermentable by yeast.

sweeten to taste, just don't aerate while mixing it in.
It shouldn't take a ton...so I'd only buy a 1lb bag and don't plan on using it all. I've never back sweetened so I can't even guess how much you'll actually use.

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Malkore
Primary: English Mild
On tap: Pale Ale, Lancelot's Wheat, English Brown Ale, Steam Beer, HoovNuts IPA
Bottled: MOAM, Braggot, Raspberry Melomel, Merlot, Apfelwein, Pyment, Sweet mead, Cabernet
Gal in 2009: 27, Gal in 2010: 34, Gal in 2011: 13, Gal in 2012: 10

homebrewer_99

Recipes 

If you don't plan on carbonating it you can add some potassium sorbate for a day or two to retard the yeast and backsweeten it with a couple cups of honey.

__________________
HB Bill

malkore

Recipes 

bah I always forget about using that to kill the yeast. I was always afraid it'd add some weird off flavor.
i've never had any mead except my own, which is 'au naturale'. If I could taste someone's 'halted' mead with the above method it'd set my mind at ease

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Malkore
Primary: English Mild
On tap: Pale Ale, Lancelot's Wheat, English Brown Ale, Steam Beer, HoovNuts IPA
Bottled: MOAM, Braggot, Raspberry Melomel, Merlot, Apfelwein, Pyment, Sweet mead, Cabernet
Gal in 2009: 27, Gal in 2010: 34, Gal in 2011: 13, Gal in 2012: 10

max4677

Recipes 

Cool. I was hoping I would be able to do this. I'm guessing the usual 1/4 tsp will be enough. Should I even bother with fining agents?

Malkore: How do you stop your fermentation early without sorbate?

__________________
Gloucester County Homebrewers
Beer Crafters LHBS (RIP - Store closed 9/09)
On tap:
1. Slyfox 2008 Dunkelweizen
2. None

Bottled:
None

Brewing:
None

malkore

Recipes 

I never stopped fermentation, I let it stop naturally.

Its the way I make my mead style...a specific honey quantity and safale S-33. pretty much ensures a sweet mead.

__________________
Malkore
Primary: English Mild
On tap: Pale Ale, Lancelot's Wheat, English Brown Ale, Steam Beer, HoovNuts IPA
Bottled: MOAM, Braggot, Raspberry Melomel, Merlot, Apfelwein, Pyment, Sweet mead, Cabernet
Gal in 2009: 27, Gal in 2010: 34, Gal in 2011: 13, Gal in 2012: 10

mgayer

Recipes 

You don't even with sorbate! Many have tried and it is a toss up. Usually when the temp changes or it gets to a certain age it just restarts and you get super carbed mead or bottle bombs. The trick most comerical meaderies and wineries use is they add the sorbate and in a few days they run it through a filter that is small enough to remove any remaining yeast cells. It polishes the must and they can then sweeten without worry.

For homebrewers just let it finish, sorbate and campden and in a few days after add what ever you want to backsweeten. I add the honey on the 3rd day after. I also would not use anything but honey to sweeten mead. It will bring out the flavor and aroma of the honey. Be careful how much you add as the Pom juice is usually very sweet also. A tip is to let it age a bit after the sweetening before bottling.

Don't using the finings unless absolutly necessary.

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Lost Knight Cellers
Mark


In the Carboy: 1 gal Elder Flower Wine
1 gal test Cider

Bottle aging: Mead
Apple Wine (15% abv)
Strawberry Wine
Winter Beer

marshman

Recipes 

I'm in a very similar boat with a pair of cysers...One is Pomegranate ( @ 1/3 of total volume) and one is very dark, cider/honey/molasses. Today was second rack, and both are much drier than last rack, but the pomegranate version is nearly champagne dry.

So, first I'm wondering if a short freeze will kill the yeast so I can sweeten, and it seems perfectly reasonable. But, my wife, for whom all things cider are prepared (Ok, that molasses thing aint' gonna go over, but you get the idea) prefers her ciders/cysers/meads sparkling, and if I kill the yeast, that's not gonna happen naturally. Should I just add honey and re-rack monthly until it stops fermenting?

Fun stuff, innit?

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42

mgayer

Recipes 

Freezing will not kill the yeast. It will make it go into a dormant state until the temp goes up enough to kick it back into gear again.

I just let it ferment until it is almost as sweet as needed and keep racking. When It is at that point then add the carbing sugar and bottle.

__________________
Lost Knight Cellers
Mark


In the Carboy: 1 gal Elder Flower Wine
1 gal test Cider

Bottle aging: Mead
Apple Wine (15% abv)
Strawberry Wine
Winter Beer