I know that's one practice/technique, but I've never had any problems with the (20+) meads and ciders I've brewed by adding the acid blend to the boil.This does appear to be an older recipe, and as such I'll simply offer these comments (FWIW).
I see no basis for adding Irish moss or gypsum to a mead. Further, the use of any acid prior to the end of an active fermentation can interfer with an optimum fermentation.
Used in the proper settings, these additives do serve a pupose. However, I would submit that in present day mead recipes they are not useful....The gypsum makes the water harder and the Irish Moss is used for clarity...
Totally understandable the logic behind using ingredients, but since it was my experiment I just wrote down what I knew at the time.Used in the proper settings, these additives do serve a pupose. However, I would submit that in present day mead recipes they are not useful.
Gypsum (CaSO4) is highly insoluble in water: 0.205g/100ml. If pH buffering is needed in a mead, either potassium carbonate (or the bicarbonate form) perform that task more effectively, and also provide potassium that is important to the maintenance of pH levels.
Irish moss (a type of seaweed) contains a polymer (k-carrageenan) that reacts with proteins under the proper conditions preventing them from causing clarity problems later on. However, Irish moss needs to be added to a boiling liquid for it to work, and present day mead processes do not advocate boiling the must.
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