Hmmm...most curious

So....I made a mead about 8 weeks ago, fermented to completion, yada yada...

When I bottled, I filled 5 half gallon jugs with stilled mead and bottled a case of 12oz. bottles after mixing with the appropriate amount of boiled corn sugar.

Here comes the mystery...I chilled one bottle of the carb. mead overnight in the fridge to taste test it today. Get it out and there are little things stuck everywhere inside the bottle. They look like little gnats that have been crushed...



I looked back at the non-chilled, carbed bottles and don't see a thing. Any ideas?

Thanks,
Jbot

What the...
Maybe they got in there when you filled that bottle and the floated around when it was chilled?
Did you take a closer look at them? Are they really insects?

RichBrewer said:

Are they really insects?

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I really don't think so, seeing how there's not a single other bottle with them in it. Besides, what can live in 13% alchohol?

It's driving me nuts, though. But, I'm still going to open it and try it.

Hey, I should chill another bottle and see if they come up.

Jbot

Judasbot said:

...what can live in 13% alchohol?...

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We can!!!!

I've made several meads and never encountered anything like you're describing.

Did you boil the CS in water before priming? Could they be sugar flakes of some sort? Are they in every bottle? Did you clean and sanitize your bottles, or just sanitize?

Could be those buggies were already in the bottles........

I'd just filter them out in the pour. I'm certain they can't hurt you. (I'd probably draw the line at a roach though).

homebrewer_99 said:

We can!!!!

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Good point...

homebrewer_99 said:

Did you boil the CS in water before priming? Could they be sugar flakes of some sort?

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Boiled for 10 minutes in H2O

homebrewer_99 said:

Are they in every bottle?

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Only the single chilled one. I'm chilling another right now. The half gallon jugs (stilled) are crystal clear, but room temp.

homebrewer_99 said:

Did you clean and sanitize your bottles, or just sanitize?

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Cleaned, blasted with bottle washer and dipped in a strong, hot bleach solution for 30 minutes, rinsed, dryed for maybe fifteen minutes and filled.



-Jbot

Just consider it a little added protein to your mead.
An Atkins friendly mead, if you will c:

Chilled another bottle....no "bugs".

WTF?

-Jbot

Have you checked all your other bottles yet?

It's probably a couple of bugs got into one bottle and the rest are OK.

Drain and drink...or not if you prefer.

All the other bottles are crystal clear...

but, I think we've figured it out. A friend of mine was over last night, he's not much of a brewer, but he is a classically trained chef...he thought they were the remains of fruit fly pupa that had hatched there long ago (these bottles haven't been used for a year or so). Why they lasted through the wash process, especially the bottle brush and bleach treatment, is beyond this persons' scientific studies. Hey, I bet their little carcasses are sterile, though.

Oh, well...live and learn. I haven't opened that bottle, but we did open a clean one. It was smooth and dry, just like I like my women...

Thanks for the help.

-Jbot