How clear should I expect?

I wanted to do a "local" mead so I put 10lbs of local honey and 6g of local Fresh Apple cider in my bucket with my Dry Wine Yeast - W15 and additives. (durning the mid ferment I added 1lb of Buckwheat honey just for fun)


Now normally everything I've feremnted was "basically" clear to begin with...but this cider isn't. It was very hazy in the jugs...a little more than Zeigler hazy (I think Zeigler is a national brand...too bad it has preservatives).

Should I expect this to get "wine clear"?


I don't mind if it doesn't I'm just curious.

Thanks all.

Depends, it might do given enough time, though if your impatient like me finings will probably clear it up easily enough... unless you cooked the juice and didnt't use pectic enzyme.

How old is it?

It should get crystal clear if you're patient.

Insomniac said:

Depends, it might do given enough time, though if your impatient like me finings will probably clear it up easily enough... unless you cooked the juice and didnt't use pectic enzyme.

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finings doesn't usually/always shift a pectin haze. As you already mentioned, pectic enzyme would sort that.

Pectin could be the culprit as mentioned above. How long it's been fermenting. Have you taken a gravity reading? I have a Spiced Cyser aging right now (brewed 3/5/11) that I pasteurized @ 150F for 30 minutes & then added the honey & spices. (No Pectic Enzyme) It was pretty clear when it hit .998. OG was 1.130. Ya, it's a bit hot. I've racked it once so far & it's clear as a bell now. Reminds me, I prolly should rack it again huh... YMMV. Cheers!!!

Time should heal it, but if you lose patience or dont see progress in 4-6 months I would think about looking into finnings. I have never had a mead personally not become clear enough to where I could read a newspaper through.

I have a mead I made with raw unfiltered apple juice that is refusing to clear 2 months in even after the addition of pectic enzyme and sparkalloid.

I'm just going to rack it to 1 gallon jugs and age it for another month in the fridge to see if a cold crash helps.

Its two months now. Last time I checked the gravity (could be a few weeks now that I think about it) it was 1.005 (starting from 1.085)

I didn't cook it at all I don't beleive.

Ah well...I can deal with the cloud was just curious if it would become crystal.

Cheers!

all the cysers i have made have been pretty cloudy for awhile. the first one, i figured it woudl just be cloudy so i bottled it. mistake! now all those bottles have a bunch of grossness in the bottom of the bottle. a little sediment is one thing, but this is excessive. all my others i have let sit for a minimum of 4 months, and they become crystal clear.

It still might, my cyser I had to hit with quik clear I think it was 4 times before it cleared, that was after about 2 months of waiting and a few weeks in a fridge, but it did get there eventually