Clariying...

I have 1 gal cinnamon mead not doing so well.. It has been sitting for as long as the others, but is still very cloudy, as the others are well on their way to be bottled... Even the pomegranite is clearing well... Any suggestions?

I'll get a pic of it soon...

How long has it been sitting? Eight weeks is the rule of thumb for bottling most mead, but if it hasn't clarified just let it sit for a while. Its not like it'll go bad or anything. Plenty of mead makers let the fruit drop before they bottle, which takes a god-awfully long time. Post the picture and tell me how long it's been in primary/secondary, and I'll try to help.

P.S. - You could always get some Camden tablets to neuter your yeasties and clear the mead a little.

Eight weeks as a rule of thumb for mead? I've never heard that before. That is a very short time period for something to finish fermenting and be completely clear. That has not been close to my experience at all.

And campden doesn't "neuter" yeast- it's an antioxidant and preservative. Wine yeast is amazingly tolerant of sulfites- that's why winemakers routinely use them. And even if it did kill yeast (and it doesn't), it wouldn't clear the mead any faster anyway. Things in suspension don't have to be actively alive to cloud a mead- protein particles, pectin haze, starch, etc, all can cause haze and cloudiness in a mead. It's rare for it to be a yeast haze, although that can happen. But even if it's a yeast haze, campden is not an effective clearing agent.

Sorry guys. I'll make sure to get my facts straight before I try to help anyone again.

Meadiator said:

Sorry guys. I'll make sure to get my facts straight before I try to help anyone again.

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No problem! All input is appreciated.

Some of us have been doing this a long time, so new thoughts and ideas are always appreciated.

I just thought it is weird that the pomegranite mead is clarifying faster than the plain cinnamon.... The pomegranite I used Pom juice...

Dendion said:

I just thought it is weird that the pomegranite mead is clarifying faster than the plain cinnamon.... The pomegranite I used Pom juice...

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It could be any number of things, but since you have the Pom juice one pretty clear you know that the amount of pectin in the juice was negligible.

I don't know why the cinnamon is slower- usually yeast strain and ingredients and temperature all play a part in clarity.

Give it a bit longer, and if it's still stubborn about clearing you could try putting it someplace colder. Often, a drop of 10 degrees is enough to get the mead to clear. If it's still not clearing by about 6 months old, then finings might be very helpful.

Still pretty new to the mead business, what are finings? And would the refridgerator work?

I find that if the mead finishes with some residual sugar the increased viscosity causes it to degass slower and if it's still gassy it won't clear.

But that was just an observation...could be false...