Stabilizing and clearing

[DrVertebrae]

So what is the best method of stabilizing a mead without altering the taste? Lots of various methods discussed on the internet. I'm looking for personal experiences with mead. I was reading that cold (near freezing) would do it too.

Also, as to clarifying/fining agents, same question. Although, the traditional mead we tried from la Grange was quite tasty and cloudy at the same time. Had good aroma too.

 

[biochemedic]

The only method I've used is the addition of potassium metabisulfite and potassium sorbate. It works, and I've never felt that you could taste any difference pre/post. Hopefully others will have more to add about cold crashing and whether or not that's reliable enough to avoid bottle bombs after backsweetening. The other one I've heard of but never experimented with (nor will I likely ever do so...) is pasteurization.

I've been so satisfied with the results using a two stage fining product Super Kleer K.C., that I've never gone elsewhere. Works like a charm (except for my cocoa mead, which required two hits...but that's a special case, what with all the particulates involved with the cocoa powder), and leaves crystal clear mead in 24 hrs or less, with a nice, compact lees that's easy to rack off.

 

[Yooper]

I don't like the taste of sorbate (even though it's slight) so if you aren't needing to use it I would leave it out. The only time you need to use sorbate is if you are sweetening a finished mead. If you're not sweetening, you don't need it.

If you do need it, you could use 1/2 teaspoon of sorbate plus 1 crushed campden tablet per gallon (dissolved in a little hot water) and rack the mead into that.

For finings, I prefer cold stabilization first. Often the temperature change will cause the mead to clear quickly. If it's still not clear, often my next choice is sparkelloid. I don't use gelatin or isinglass, as I want to be vegetarian friendly. If it needs more, I bring out the big guns- Super Kleer KC finings.

 

[Taise]

There's something I haven't thought about. What are vegetarian / vegan's opinions on honey since it's an animal product?

 

[Yooper]

There's something I haven't thought about. What are vegetarian / vegan's opinions on honey since it's an animal product?

I'm not a vegetarian, but my vegetarian friends do eat honey- while vegans do not.

 

[TheBrewingMedic]

The only method I've used so far is racking and time. when I start palnning a batch I look at how I want the finished product to be and try to balance the OG and such with the ranges of the yeast so I end up close to where I want it to be. Then I don't have to watch the gravity reading so closely and then hit it with stabilizing chemicals at the desired level. Knock on wood, so far I have been lucky, well except that first batch when I had even less of a clue than I do now and tried a commercially marketed "sweet mead" yeast...sweet was an understatment, think it finished around 1.040.

As far as clearing, 3-4 rackings and patience I have yet to have a batch not go incredibly crystal clear.

 

[bodhi86]

I racked my autumn spice mead 2 weeks ago after a two month primary, it was where I wanted it for sweetness so I added sorbate. Now I have a super foggy gallon of mead I can't even see a high powered flashlight through. I used apple juice in it which I think is the culprit because she dropped lees after an overnight stay in the fridge. Now 2 weeks in the fridge and this is where I stand, fog. Will pectin not cold crash out or do I just give more time before I try super kleer?

 

[ScottSingleton]

Taise --it wouldn't be Mead if it didn't have honey in it. I would think that by removing the honey from a mead recipe and replacing it with some other form of fermentable sugar it would just be considered wine

Most of my Vegetarian friends all eat honey since it doesn't involve eating and/or hurting an animal to harvest.

Not so sure if I know any true Vegans and what their opinion would be.

 

[DrVertebrae]

I can't imagine anyone thinking that honey might not be ok for Vegan or true Vegan. Its a plant product gathered by animals, not produced by them or the result of some consumption of their flesh. Yuck.

As to stabilizing and clearing, is it preferred to stabilize first or clear first?

 

[huesmann]

Stabilize, then backstweeten, then clear, because sometimes backsweetening causes haze.

 

[BobJ]

This is a good thread..... I have a number of meads currently in secondary since late January.... All have cleared nicely on their own except for my show and the strawberry pizazz.... Am thinking that it might be time to try the hot mix sparkelloid......

 

[TheBrewingMedic]

Just be careful if you want your show mead to stay a show mead, adding any fining agent I am 99.9% sure (unless there is something I've missed in the fineprint) takes it out of that category. Think you just have to rely on racking techniques and patience for it to clear....

 

[DrVertebrae]

OK then. Stabilize first, then back sweeten and lastly clear. Exactly the info I was needing. Now I just need patience.

 

[DrVertebrae]

Since there was still fruit on the pineapple/mango which is essentially in its secondary, I racked it to a clean three gal carboy and topped it off with about 2/3 of a gal of 3lb honey/gal-fnlvol mix. I did the same with the original JAOM. It took about 300ml to top that one off to decrease the air space above the mead.

I guess that since I have added new honey and diluted the alcohol a bit that the fermentation will start up again, but they aren't bottled, just racked into tertiaries. I suppose the type of yeast will limit how far they will go. I'll have to give'em a taste before I do the stabilization. The yeasts are D47 and EC1118 (I think). One finishes at about 14% and the other at about 17% or more. Basically I was worried about oxidation and didn't have any marbles and didn't want to top off with wine.

I need to be more exact and follow the SG more closely but I hate to spend so much of a one gal batch monitoring the SG. I need to get a refractometer. At about 50 bucks I think it might be worth it.