What went wrong with my strawberry batches? - Page 2

MedsenFey · 05-27-2010, 01:25 PM

Yes, spoilage organisms are not really a very common problem in meads (unlike beers) due to the higher alcohol level and low pH. But when they strike it really stinks - literally and figuratively. Unless I am adding fruit that looks a little past its prime, or that has visible mold, I usually will not treat with sulfites, and (with rare exception) I don't cook them. Usually rinsing them off well is sufficient.

Brettanomyces is a yeast found on the surface of fruits, and if you've been brewing Belgian style ales you may have it it your brewing area. If you do have Brettanomyces in there, it is a very hardy organism and you'll want to sanitize everything really well. You may even want to replace racking tubing that you've used with it. Treating batches with sulfite will reduce the risk, as will keeping them off of the lees, and topping up to prevent exposure to oxygen.

chode720 · 06-05-2010, 03:17 AM

I just ran into this exact same problem. Split a 5 gallon batch into 5 seperate containers. All of them taste fine, except the strawberry, which has that band aid rubbery smell that is just awful. I only had this one other time, with a cranberry wheat beer I made. In both cases, the fruit rose to the top, clogged the tubing and in the middle of the night, the stoppers blew out. I'm guessing that this index bacterial on both of our parts. Oh well, the other 4 gallons of other meads seem perfectly fine.