Pectic or Yeast Haze

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digdan

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How can I tell what is causing my haze? I used a lot of blueberries in my recipe and I have the carboy in the fridge to make the yeast drop bright, but to no avail. Is the remaining haze due to the blueberries?

Its been in the fridge for about 2 weeks.
 
Two weeks? It's got to be pectic haze, yeast usually drops totally clear within a few days for me.
 
Noticed that there still is a small amount of fermentation going on, which is very hard to believe. I'm going to drop the temps of that fridge even colder
 
Are you sure its fermenting? It shouldn't be, probly just offgassing. Is your gravity changing? +1 on pectic haze. If its been in the fridge for two weeks, it should be clear as a bell. Is it still on the blueberries?
 
When you put this together did you boil the blueberries? Usually high temps are required to set the pectin in the fruit. If you just mushed them or froze them and added to the carboy you would not likely have a haze from pectin.

Here is what I would try:

1. Get your hands on both pectic enzyme and Sparkaloid.

(I didn't think I would ever need a clarifying agent before I tried to make a Meadofoam honey mead. The stuff sat and sat, I put it in the fridge, took it out of the fridge, added irish moss, put it back in the fridge, nothing would clear it at all. This went on for 7 months after initial fermentation was done. I finally added some Sparkaloid and bam, it cleared fully in two weeks, you can read the paper through it now.)

2. Rack the mead off of the blueberries, if not already racked off of them.

3. Boil some water and add the Sparkaloid, about 1 Tbsp for 5-6 gallons

4. You need to then take the mix off the heat and add in the pectic enzyme, stir that in and then all that mix goes into the mead HOT, you will not get it to work cool, it will set up to a syrup and won't work to clear the mead.

This process should cover both problems and get that mead clear. You can put it back in the fridge or leave it out at room temp, mine cleared at room temps but you may get it to work faster in the fridge.

Good Luck :D
 
Are you sure its fermenting? It shouldn't be, probly just offgassing. Is your gravity changing? +1 on pectic haze. If its been in the fridge for two weeks, it should be clear as a bell. Is it still on the blueberries?

Its still on the blue berries, most of them have floated back to the bottom.

And I did not boil the blueberries. In fact they were dehydrated and I cut them up and threw them in on secondary.

I'm not going to stress, I'll just have a hazy mead.
 
If you want to test quickly for pectin, take a small amount of 90% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) in a clear glass, and add a few drops of your must to it. If there is pectin present, it will gel up in the alcohol, and you'll see it in the bottom of your glass as a semi-clear goo.
 
If you want to test quickly for pectin, take a small amount of 90% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) in a clear glass, and add a few drops of your must to it. If there is pectin present, it will gel up in the alcohol, and you'll see it in the bottom of your glass as a semi-clear goo.

Ohh I love experiments... I'll do it right now :

It came out perfectly clear... no pectic haze according to you.
 
Ok, still do what I said but leave out the pectic enzyme. Sparkaloid will do what you are wanting in a hurry.
 
Good - then the haze is likely from statically charged microparticles, and Sparkolloid will definitely clear it.
 
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