Clearing mead

I have had my mead sitting for a little over 2 months. As seen below.





I will be away for the next 3 months.....maybe 4. (Military) Then I planned on bottling the mead. I would like the mead to be pretty clear by then. I will be stationed in a new place in 4 months so I will be limited on time to bottle this mead before I move. But I would like it clear.

Should I leave it alone and bottle it in 4 months hoping for the best?

Should I add some sparkolloid and try to have it clear for the next 4 months? Then bottle on my week home.

Will it still have a chance to clear in the bottle?

Cheers

Rack it before you get deployed and then again when you get home. If you're being moved soon after getting home, and it's not clear, just transport it to your new home in bulk and continue to let it settle/clear. If you're concerned about how it will travel to your new home, depending on how far it is, you could get a single 5 gallon keg, transfer it to there, and hit it with enough CO2 to pressurize/seal the lid. Then purge the headspace and release the pressure via the lid release. You don't need a full kegging CO2 system for this. One of the pocket chargers will do the job (or should). You might use a couple of 16 gram CO2 cartridges (use the ones made for brewing, not airgun types) in the process. But, at least you'll be able to safely transport it without having to worry about the carboy breaking (being dropped, something hitting it, etc.). If you can get a large enough fridge, or score a chest freezer, you could try cold crashing it to get it to clear too. I would do that long before adding anything like sparkolloi.

I would rack it before you leave and hopefully when you get back it will be crystal clear, needing a racking when you get home. Then you could decide whether to continue to bulk age or bottle. Just make sure your airlock is topped up, consider using glycerin as it does not evaporate, or a blend of pure grain/glycerin. Will it be kept at a stable temperature in your absence?

Yeah. It stays a steady 70 degrees where it is right now. I wish it could be cooler but I don't control the heat

Where is your next station going to be when you get back? You have forced bulk aging, probably turn out to be a good thing! WVMJ

What kind of mead is it? Some meads take longer to clear than others. If its just a honey wine then it should clear fairly soon. If its a chocolate coffee mead then it might take up to 2 years. Most meads improve with time, so I would bulk age it for asap.

It's a honey wine with vanilla, cinnamon, and some black tea added. I started it ferment 2 weeks before I left for some training. It wasn't finished fermenting so I had to leave it for another 2 months with all the spices in it. I just rack it into another carboy yesterday minus all the spices. Hopefully it will clear a good amount in the next 4 months.

No idea where my next duty station will be. I won't know for another month.




Here's the taster I took. It tasted ok. 4 months will do it some good.

It will clear over the next ~4 months. How much only time will tell. If it's over 14% ABV, though, I'd plan on letting it go a full year from mix to bottle. When you get back, follow my earlier post.

It would clear better if you could place it somewhere cool while you're gone if possible. I like this time of year because it's 55 degrees in my cellar.

Yooper said:

It would clear better if you could place it somewhere cool while you're gone if possible. I like this time of year because it's 55 degrees in my cellar.

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+1

I'm getting 47 degrees in the unfinished side of the basement and about 52 in the finished side today. Got bottles of mead, and such, in the unfinished side and kegs carbonating in the finished side (no keezer/fridge, just using ambient air cooling).

I agree with the temp thing. But unfortunately I can't get my temp to that low. It's a basement apartment and my wife likes it warm. I'm lucky to even have it at 70. She would have it higher if she could. Anyhow, the mead is 12.7%abv. So I'm thinking it might clear up pretty good.

Thanks all for the help! Cheers!

Kmcogar said:

I agree with the temp thing. But unfortunately I can't get my temp to that low. It's a basement apartment and my wife likes it warm. I'm lucky to even have it at 70. She would have it higher if she could. Anyhow, the mead is 12.7%abv. So I'm thinking it might clear up pretty good.

Thanks all for the help! Cheers!

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See if you can get/make a chill chamber before you head out. Even a small fridge would work (provided it's large enough for the carboy to fit inside of). In a pinch, a small chest freezer with either an external temperature controller, or modified to be in the right range (there's threads for both). If you're also brewing beer, you'll be better off having something like that. With the external controller, you could even let it go for a while in one temperature range, like around 55-60F, then drop it down to 35F to cold crash before you want to bottle.

I have a mini fridge I plan on converting into a fermentation (chill) chamber. But I am strapped for time and cash. And yes I brew, this is my first mead. I figured why not try a mead while I'm away.

Kmcogar said:

I have a mini fridge I plan on converting into a fermentation (chill) chamber. But I am strapped for time and cash. And yes I brew, this is my first mead. I figured why not try a mead while I'm away.

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Just make sure the wife knows how to keep the airlock filled. Or just put a solid stopper in it's place. You using Star San in the airlock??

I was serious about using a corny keg to hold it while you're away. It would be sealed up nice and tight that way. Less chance of something happening to it too.