Am I rushing my mead?

Mixed up a vanilla/Earl grey tea mead in January of 2012. Og was 1.24, it is done fermenting and has been done for a few months now. I have racked 3 or 4 times, I would have to check my notes to be sure. There is hardly any sediment in the Carboy. The last time I racked I added a dose of sparkalloid per the instructions. This was 10 weeks ago and the mead is still pretty cloudy. I would like to get it bottled so I can give some away for weddings we have coming up.

Anything else I can do or do I just need to wait it out? There has not been any additional sediment drop out lately, but this mead is nowhere near as clear as the wine I have next to it.

I realize it is not ready to drink, and wouldn't be giving it away with the intentions for it to be drank until next year.

Thanks

If it is still having trouble clearing at this point, I'd hit it with some clarifying agents of your choice.

I've never kept a mead that long; mine are much lower OG and I do tier yeast nutrient additions. They are ready in a few months.

I can't imagine it wouldn't be clear and well-aged by next year if you use clarifying agents.

So you think another round of sparkolloid is in order? Not sure why, but it makes me nervous using a clarifying agent a second time. The last thing I want is a weird off flavor because I was not patient enough.

I followed staggered nutrient additions along with degassing up to the 1/3rd break.

I don't use Sparkalloid, so I don't know about the flavor.

Bentonite is pretty flavorless and all the trub goes to the bottom and you rack off of it.

Isinglass is tasteless, as far as I can tell, and I put some on my tongue. I understand it works better than all the others, but I haven't noticed a difference between it and Bentonite.

I think I remember reading at one point that Bentonite is used to clarify other clarifying agents. It does taste like mud though--I can imagine if you use too much of it or let it sit on it too long it will impart negative tastes.

Spark does negative charged floaties and Bentonite does positive...... or is it the other way around? Sorry I'm too tired to look it up. Regardless, fining using 2 agents (long as they're not redundant... - /- or +/+) could be beneficial.

Could always try cold crashing. If it's yeast you're seeing, that should work.

Kiesol and chitosan 2 part finings.....

Tasteless and generally vvv quick....

Which ever way round it is with sparkolloid and bentonite, persistent cloudiness suggests you need to try the other one......

And no they don't leave residual flavour......

Stovetop I've had the same issue. I've had a mead sitting for 6 months that's still cloudy and one that is 2 months beside it and is very clear (naturally). I've added the 2 part - Kiesol and chitosan to the cloudy one about 2.5 months ago and nothing. I currently have it sitting in the fridge for a few days to see if that will help.

Mines just a plain mead...I'm pretty sure I've heard that sometimes honey just won't clear...based on it's chemical makeup. Anyone else hear this?

If it doesn't clear in a couple days I'm planning to bottle it. I don't think its cloudy due to suspended yeast...I think its just the honey. Will taste great regardless of if I can see through it.

I've used sparkloid in the past and it has worked great! Would use now but can't find it and don't care as much.

Sounds like I will try another round of finings followed by cold crashing if that does not work. I will see what other finings the lhbs has. Hopefully something else will clear it up.

butterpants said:

Spark does negative charged floaties and Bentonite does positive...... or is it the other way around? Sorry I'm too tired to look it up. Regardless, fining using 2 agents (long as they're not redundant... - /- or +/+) could be beneficial.

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This. I usually hit cloudy meads with Bentonite first, then sparkolloid. One will get the positive particles, the other will get the negative particles. If that doesn't work, I break out the big guns--SuperKleerKC (kieselsol and chitosan).

Just wanted to update this, I purchased some bentonite and added it on 9/18. I know it has only been about 24 hours, but so far it looks no better. One question about the bentonite, what purpose does letting it sit for 24 hours before adding serve? The directions stated mix 2.5 tsp with 2.5 cups hot water and let sit for 24 hours before adding. Seemed strange to me, considering after a few hours it was mixed up and had cooled to room temp.

Stovetop535 said:

Just wanted to update this, I purchased some bentonite and added it on 9/18. I know it has only been about 24 hours, but so far it looks no better. One question about the bentonite, what purpose does letting it sit for 24 hours before adding serve? The directions stated mix 2.5 tsp with 2.5 cups hot water and let sit for 24 hours before adding. Seemed strange to me, considering after a few hours it was mixed up and had cooled to room temp.

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Not sure why you let it sit... possibly a hydration of the clay.... total guess tho.

Give it a week to settle then add some Sparkelloid.

I have identical recipie single gallon mead jugs that have been in my basement since April. Only variable was yeast strain. D47 = clear without fining. 1118 = looks like jungle water after a month on bentonite. I'll hit it with Sparkelloid whenever I feel like being not so lazy.

I use Sparkelloid on EC1118 when making Skeeter Pee. It works AMAZINGLY well. Overnight at 65F temps.

Did you try cold crashing yet? I'd say that's almost guaranteed to work.

Yeah the only reason I let it sit was that was what the directions said on the outside of the bottle. It seemed strange.

It's clay. You need to let it sit so the water penetrates as much of the clay granules as possible to "dissolve" them. (I know it's not dissolving but I can't think of the right word right now.)

This coming wednesday will be the 3 week mark since adding the Bentonite, how much longer should I wait or is it most likely as clear as it will get from the Bentonite addition?

Just wanted to add, the Bentonite did help the clarity. It was not a huge difference, but It has helped.

Time for Sparkolloid then.

Have you thrown in some pectic enzyme just for kicks? Not sure how you could have gotten a pectin haze, but if both + and - fining agents aren't working, that could be the issue.

huesmann said:

Time for Sparkolloid then.

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I did a round of sparkalloid prior to posting this. I would have to check my notes, but I think I did a round of sparkalloid in July or August.

Two days ago I added the two part packet of superkleer. The instructions said it should clear in 48 hours. Tomorrow morning will be the 48 hour mark and I would be amazed if it clears by then.

I have not added any pectic enzyme. Would adding that now have an effect on taste? Would another round of sparkalloid have an effect on taste at this point? I would rather have it cloudy with a little sediment in the bottle and not have any weird flavors from clearing agents. I just don't have experience with using multiple agents, and I don't want to ruin this.

I've never had any issues with pectic enzyme off flavors post-fermentation. You just need to use like 1/2 tsp per gal as opposed to 1/10th tsp

Sounds good. I'll pick up some pectic enzyme and add that. This weekend I will have room in my freezer to cold crash, hopefully that helps.

If SuperKleerKC won't clear it, nothing will.

Well that sucks. Sounds like I will just cold crash it, rack it and bottle then.

Wanted to update this, it has been 6 weeks since the bentonite addition and 3 weeks since the Superkleer. Two weeks ago I moved the carboy to the other side of my basement while waiting for space to open up to cold crash down to 32*. It is about 10* colder on the other side of the basement and the carboy was right next to the wall, it has cleared up a lot compared to 3 weeks ago. It still is not crystal clear, but it is close. I put it in the fridge tonight, hopefully that will finish it up and I will be able to get it bottled.

I also used a champagne yeast in my basic mead. (Red Star Pasteur Champagne) It's cloudy still after 4 months. I brewed it in a bucket and racked it to a second bucket a couple months ago. I finally racked it to a carboy last night so I could see it. I've stuck it in the fridge without any clarifying agents, so I'll report if it clears it just from cold crashing.

My question is, I took a bottle off after the first racking, then took another off last night. The flavor is much mellower and better. Will the mead do its aging process in the cold temps, or after the cold crash, do I need to return it to room temp?

Just as a follow up, I racked my mead to a carboy, filled a bottle for sipping, and stuck it in a fridge for a few days where it remained cloudy. Failed experiment, it seemed, so I pulled it out of the fridge and banished it back to it's lonely dark corner. After about a week, I looked at the bottle I'd pulled during racking, and it was crystal clear with all the sediment at the bottom! So.... back to the fridge went the carboy, and after letting it sit a couple weeks, it's nice and clear, so I racked it again, and now it sits back in it's corner to age.

So.. if you have the ability to cold crash, it seems added ingredients are not needed.