After all this time...

[jerrodm]

in the meantime, relax, dont worry and drink that scary looking okra mead of yours and let us know if it kills you. We really want to know.

+1!

 

[Yooper]

Will leaving it in the fridge for a few weeks make it less cloudy as well?

The batch in question was 2 weeks ferment, 3 weeks conditioning, and then whatever time in the fridge (varied).

Yes, the longer in the fridge, the less cloudy the beer will be. There are a couple of reasons- one, the yeast will flocculate more. But mainly, if you have any chill haze, a couple of weeks in the fridge will fix it. So if you have a cloudy beer, sticking the bottles in the fridge once they are carbed up will really help with clarity!

 

[CreamyGoodness]

Well gosh... youd think spending all this time with you folks that would have rubbed off on me already!

 

[passedpawn]

Oh shoot, how did I miss the defloration of Creamy! I had no idea you were a 40-yr old virgin.

Sure wish I was closer, I'd come by and help you out.

Regarding the gushing, lots of things could cause that:

• Incomplete fermentation. At 65 or higher, all yeasts are going to be done in a week.
• Warm beer. When they are warm they tend to fizz a lot more. They still shouldn't gush though.
• Too much priming sugar. Stick with half a cup of sugar per 5g for now.
• Infection. Most likely candidate. Sanitation. You know the drill.
  
  

Clarity:

• Cold works wonders. Give fermentation 2 weeks, then try get your carboy down to 35F (fridge temps). It will clear at those temps quickly, and much more quickly if you add gelatin once it's cold.
• Finiings in the boil: whirlfloc, irish moss, isinglass, polyclar, etc. I like Whirlfloc.
• Make sure you're getting a good fast chill. The "cold break" you get from chilling your beer after the boil coagulates all sorts of hop material and haze-causing protiens, and they sink to the bottom and out of solution.
• Chill bottles for days before opening.

 

[aiptasia]

^Ditto. Congrats on your first, Creamy.

 

[CreamyGoodness]

So technically, if I were to bottle condition in the fridge rather than the closet, that would be a good thing?

 

[Whattawort]

For what it's worth, I bottle condition 2 weeks out of the fridge and 1 week in. If I'm in a pinch and I don't have any cold, I crash them in the freezer for a couple of hours and then into the fridge they go. Not the ideal situation, but they still get beer. Congrats on popping your cherry.