Stabalized mead now weirdness happening

[GeorgiaMead]

I just used k-meta on my strawberry mead, and put it in the fridge to cold crash any yeasties floating since I am doing a strawberry version of JAOM. I know different cause of the k-meta but now it has a gel looking cloud just floating, just wondering what that is... I can't find the other threads in this...

 

[Yooper]

I just used k-meta on my strawberry mead, and put it in the fridge to cold crash any yeasties floating since I am doing a strawberry version of JAOM. I know different cause of the k-meta but now it has a gel looking cloud just floating, just wondering what that is... I can't find the other threads in this...

K-meta isn't "stabilizing". To stabilize generally means using something like sorbate to keep fermentation from recurring.

I have no idea what the "gel" thing could be. Pectin from the strawberries? Do you have a picture to help?

 

[GeorgiaMead]

Yeah I realized I put stabilize I just hit it with the k-meta cause I was planning in bottling but it's more of a cloudy lookin spot.... Any help from u brilliant people would much appreciated

 

[bob1852]

Had that exact thing happen to one of my small batches (1/2 gallon) recently.

It had contact with a fungus gnat, and since I assumed fungus gnats carry acetobacter (similar to fruit flies), I was worried I might end up with vinegar.

I hit it with some campden and potassium sorbate and decided to let it ride. It cleared, but then made a very similar "blob" as shown in your picture above.

It still smelled and tasted fine, but kept getting cloudier over time. I eventually dumped it.


Not trying to discourage you, but it may be worth tasting; and if it still tastes fine, cold crashing and racking off the "blob."

 

[Yooper]

Not trying to discourage you, but it may be worth tasting; and if it still tastes fine, cold crashing and racking off the "blob."

And get rid of that headspace! Mead is more resistant to oxidation than wine, but not immune, and having headspace greatly increases the risk of infection by oxygen loving contaminants.

 

[GeorgiaMead]

It didn't have it till after I racked it on the k-meta and put it in the fridge to cold crash....

 

[GeorgiaMead]

I just put it there to crash and was gonna bottle but this showed up so I wanna know what it is before I bottle and waste the time and effort

 

[fatbloke]

The cloudy looking stuff also has the appearance of proteins precipitating out.

Sort the air space in some way, as already suggested, then just let it settle as is.

If all the floaty bits settle, it's likely that. I got some weirdness last time I was doing the finishing steps, a bit of acid and some tannin.

Mega cloudy, followed by fluffy lees on the bottom, followed by a nice compacted bit of debris/lees/whatever. Nothing that a coarse filter (a pad for my mini-jet) couldn't sort out.

 

[GeorgiaMead]

I don't have a fancy filter, any other way I can filter it out? And I guess I'll just top it up with water to remove the head space, as I'm super low on $$$

 

[fatbloke]

I don't have a fancy filter, any other way I can filter it out? And I guess I'll just top it up with water to remove the head space, as I'm super low on $$$

Probably get away with a coffee filter but you'd have to make a funnel with some tubing to reach the bottom of the receiving jar, so as not to splash....

Or something like that.

In any case, if the floaty bits settle out, you'd be able to rack most of it with a normal racking cane, and just filter the last part.......

Well at least I should have thought that'd work anyway......

 

[GreenWulf]

I do not know what your practice is but I read in a book some time ago that if you boil your honey/water that you break down the proteins and they can sometimes come back together later causing a clear mead to cloud. If so filtering or time should clear it.

Good luck!

 

[Yooper]

I don't have a fancy filter, any other way I can filter it out? And I guess I'll just top it up with water to remove the head space, as I'm super low on $$$

The easiest way is just time. It'll clear with time. Top it up, and let it sit. That always works. If it's slow to clear, sticking it in a cold place will help it along, then you can rack it off of the lees at that time.

Don't be in a hurry to bottle. It's not clear, and so you'll have crap in your bottles. It's better to wait until you can read a newspaper through it, and NO new lees fall at all in at least 60 days. Then it can be bottled.