Pasteurizing

[AzOr]

is anyone pasteurizing carbonated short meads (hydromels)?
I’ve done it with backsweetend cider and don’t see why there would be a difference.

I would back sweeten the mead, then force carb in kegs first. I have a beer gun to bottle then pasteurize in big cooler.

I’ve made a dozen or so batches of hydromels before but usually keep in corny kegs.

If anyone has done this, have you noticed any diff in taste from pasteurizing?

Thanks everyone.

 

[Maylar]

If you can keg, then why pasteurize? Standard procedure is to stabilize with k-sorbate and k-meta before sweetening.

 

[AzOr]

Mobility and to free up kegs. I’ve stabilized before with chemicals but if I can do it with heat pasteurizing, why not. As long as there’s no difference in flavor.

Besides, all major cideries heat pasteurize, except those who use Velcorin (sp). And I figure hydromels are close enough to cider.

 

[Bombo80]

If you are planning on force carbing, then why not bulk pasteurize ?
I have done it with ciders. Gently rack into your boiling pot and bring it up to the pasteurization temp. you could then just rack it warm right into your keg, attach your c02 and refrigerate.

From Papper's thread:
Here's some quick info:
at 53C minimum time to kill population 56 min
at 60C minimum time to kill population 5.6 min
at 67c minimum time to kill population .56 min

53C = 128F
60C = 140F
67C = 152F

 

[AzOr]

Hmm. I had never thought of that. But wouldn’t there be more risk of infection, since there would be additional steps after pasteurization?
Honestly, bottle pasteurizing isn’t much of a hassle. I have an outdoor burner for beer and a 10 gallon kettle to heat water.i have two coolers that will fit a 5gallon batch.

I heat the water and pour into cooler. Once I get to proper temperature, I add a bit of cool water and leave over night.

 

[Krahzee1]

I'm going to experiment with this idea using a stovetop pasteurization like I do with cider. I'll let you know how it goes, probably in a couple weeks.

 

[bernardsmith]

My working assumption is that if your protocol is really good then cooking your mead (AKA pasteurization*) will destroy some flavors and those you don't damage you will cook and you can taste cooked wine or mead, but if your mead is just mundane then destroying or cooking flavors may not be the worst problem.
* Many grape wines listed as "kosher" are pasteurized (in Hebrew the term is mevushal and pasteurizing the wine removes some of the restrictions that apply to kosher wine) but that process is viewed as so destroying the character of good wine that those who enjoy wine avoid any labeled "mevushal".

 

[AzOr]

I’ve pasteurized seven batches of session meads so far. I can’t pick up any cooked or off flavors when comparing to non pasteurized.
All my batches have been cysers, melomels and metheglins so it could be harder to detect off flavors in those styles compared to a pure honey session mead.
For me, it’s a piece of mind. Besides, major cideries either pasteurize or use velcorin. So it’s the way I choose to bottle.
I’ve pasteurized many batches of cider and have developed a fairly quick process. It helps that I have a two outdoor burners and a few kettles laying around from beer brewing.