# Eggs Whites for Clearing Mead



## jimmyjames23 (Feb 24, 2013)

It is day 10 of my first mead attempt and I have racked the mead off its orange peels/pulp, white raisins and nutmeg/cinnamon tea satchel from the primary to the 3 1/2 gal secondary. It fits perfectly with a small 3 inch headspace. 
With my reds I usually add an egg white (whisked with water and a pinch of salt)

My question is will this be an effective 1st clearing agent with mead. 
I'm also open to using Bentonite.


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## saramc (Feb 24, 2013)

It will not clear while it is gassed up. On day 10 you are so gas laden. Mead needs time, no reason to rush it.


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## jimmyjames23 (Feb 24, 2013)

Sorry. I meant to say " With my reds I usually add an egg white after a month (in the secondary). 
I degas at this stage. But the mead will probably ferment for another week before it hits 0.994
Just wondering if anyone has used egg whites.


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## Luc (Feb 25, 2013)

Youre not doing kits here so just have patience.

Patience will clear all wines.

Patience will also degas all wines.

Why the rush ???

Be carefull with egg-whites they will also strip tannine out of the wine so the wine might lack 'bite'.

Luc


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## jimmyjames23 (Feb 25, 2013)

Never done a kit in my life. And I'm in no rush. Just wanted to know if anyone has tried.


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## jimmyjames23 (Feb 25, 2013)

And technically egg whites will strip wine of its phenolic compounds which may remove some of the body and "mouth feel". Egg whites will also pull some of the heavier tannins out affecting color (moderately) but they won't affect "bite". Bite is usually attributed to acidity. But if you dry and crush the egg shells (calcium carbonate) and add the pulverized shells to your wine you will drastically remove the bite. I add one baked pulverized shell to my sharper Merlots for 48 hours before filtering. You have to filter egg shells out. Racking doesn't seem to get them out. 
And the longer you leave them in...the more acidity they will draw out. 
But I'm careful when using any fining agent.


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## seth8530 (Mar 1, 2013)

In all honesty, time is the best answer. But in the past I have successfully used superklear.


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## mmadmikes1 (Mar 1, 2013)

And for some reason mead will clear while still gassed up. I always have a hard time getting all the gas out of mead


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## jimmyjames23 (Mar 1, 2013)

I understand time is the key. I have no pro Len with that. I use egg whites to clear (and shells too) because the lower the acidity of my reds. I don't enjoy acidic wine. I was just wondering if anyone has used egg whites. 

Also. I measured and tasted it last night. It just hit 0.994 but it tastes like crap. More so than red wines do at this stage. Is this due to the residual yeast? I've never made mead before so I'm unsure on what it should taste like during various stages.


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## fatbloke (Mar 2, 2013)

jimmyjames23 said:


> I understand time is the key. I have no pro Len with that. I use egg whites to clear (and shells too) because the lower the acidity of my reds. I don't enjoy acidic wine. I was just wondering if anyone has used egg whites.
> 
> Also. I measured and tasted it last night. It just hit 0.994 but it tastes like crap. More so than red wines do at this stage. Is this due to the residual yeast? I've never made mead before so I'm unsure on what it should taste like during various stages.


I'm not sure of your recipe, but it reads a bit like a JAOM batch.

Now if it's a JAOM type recipe with whole oranges used, the recipe uses bread yeast because it poops out before it consumes all the available sugars. When a wine yeast is used, it tends to ferment dry (and your post suggests it's pretty damn dry), but a side effect is that there's no residual sugars to balance the brew and the taste focuses on the bitterness provided by the orange peel.

In any case, even if it was just a traditional batch, when young, meads (especially tradtionals) can taste bloody horrible. 

So you have the choice of letting it clear over time, clearing it with another agent (in your case you're thinking of using egg white, but bentonite, sparkolloid, superkleer, etc will all work). Then either modify it straight away, or age it first then modify it.

Personally, I don't enjoy dry meads generally, so I just back sweeten to about the 1.010 level after I've stabilised them. Then just let them clear with time (unless I'm feeling impatient and I use a locally branded chitosan/kiesol 2 part finings). 

I back sweeten at that stage because I'm lazy and because using honey can cause a haze (protein) in an already cleared batch and I can't be bothered to clear a brew twice.

If a batch is too sweet, you can balance it with acid additions and maybe even some tannin.

So it just depends on your recipe and how you want the batch to finish....


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## jimmyjames23 (Mar 2, 2013)

That is exactly the answer I was looking for. 

Thank you Fatbloke. 

It's very dry. I opened to check the progress and a tumbleweed rolled by. Lol. 

I racked it off its fruit after 10 days. There was a pinch of allspice in a tea satchel in there that I didn't want to overpower the batch. Plus the clementines and their peels. 
Unfortunately I had a D-47 failure so I pitched Montrachet. 
I was planning to backsweeten to 1.010

Great advice. Ill just wait, sample and fine or filter when I like the taste if it doesn't clear on its own. 
It's just starting to clear a bit by itself now. 
Cheers


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## jimmyjames23 (Mar 2, 2013)

Well I just checked it and its very clear on the top 4 inches. Not crystal clear but not cloudy white. 
At this stage I usually begin a rigorous 5 day degassing with my homemade wine whip and hand vacuum. On the fifth day I usually add a quarter egg white (whisked 50/50 with water and a pinch of salt) wait 10 days and the rack to a clean vessel. 
I like the low acidity and "velvet" feel egg whites provide. 
Opinion?


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## jimmyjames23 (Mar 3, 2013)

I couldn't resist. I tried, but I'm weak. 

I added egg white after splash racking and have begun degassing. I just couldn't help myself. 
There was alot of white lees at the bottom after initial racking so I lost a bit of volume.
Ill add a new photo 24 to 36 hours from now. 
Lets see what these little protein globulins can do!


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## jimmyjames23 (Mar 3, 2013)

Less than 12 hrs later...


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## jimmyjames23 (Mar 4, 2013)

Almost 24 hours later....


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## saramc (Mar 4, 2013)

And for those who freak about adding raw egg white you can buy dry egg white powder in grocery store baking aisle and this albumin source works just fine. And I think the containers of egg whites in refrig section are pasteurized, label will indicate.


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## ShelleyDickison (Mar 4, 2013)

I have a one gallon batch of berry bliss melomel going and it is being extremely stubborn with clearing. What would be the quantities I would use for a one gallon batch. Or should I just let it sit being so small.


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## bigdrums2 (Mar 4, 2013)

I clear my wines sometimes, but never mead. Give it time. Otherwise I'm afraid you will be robbing yourself of the characteristic mead taste, especially if it is your first. Mead needs at least a year.


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## jimmyjames23 (Mar 4, 2013)

ShelleyDickison said:


> I have a one gallon batch of berry bliss melomel going and it is being extremely stubborn with clearing. What would be the quantities I would use for a one gallon batch. Or should I just let it sit being so small.



Just try a teaspoon of egg white with 3 teaspoons water and a pinch of salt. 
Whisk gently, remove the foam and then add to your gallon and stir. Put a before and after here if you can.


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## jimmyjames23 (Mar 4, 2013)

bigdrums2 said:


> I clear my wines sometimes, but never mead. Give it time. Otherwise I'm afraid you will be robbing yourself of the characteristic mead taste, especially if it is your first. Mead needs at least a year.



My next mead will wait a year. This weekend is the big Viking party. 
I don't want to be the one to tell the Vikings "Sorry Guys....no mead"


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## Polarhug (Mar 4, 2013)

Looking good


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## jimmyjames23 (Mar 7, 2013)

Well the mead is done. 

I have two options now. Let it sit in my 4 gallon carboy and age. Problem with this is topping up. I have no mead reserves. 
Bottle it and let it sit. 

I mixed a half ounce apple juice with 1 1/2 ounce mead. It really brought out the honey. 
First it was meh.. Added AJ and it was like POP!

Maybe I should top up the missing 2 liters with apple juice? Recommendations?


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## jimmyjames23 (Mar 7, 2013)

Not soda pop. More like "in your face with a bag o' honey "pop".


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## fatbloke (Mar 8, 2013)

jimmyjames23 said:


> Well the mead is done.
> 
> I have two options now. Let it sit in my 4 gallon carboy and age. Problem with this is topping up. I have no mead reserves.
> Bottle it and let it sit.
> ...


Well done, you're getting your head round the possibility of different tastes that can make a big difference.

So the apple juice works, well so does grape juice/concentrate. My mate "Mad Keith" suggested I tried chenin blanc concentrate. It does have the grape concentrate sort of taste but its got honey notes to the flavour too and helps with lack of body in a brew.

Just remember that if you're adding stuff like that for flavour, if there's any room left in the yeast tolerance then there is also room for refermentation. So stabilise to prevent bottle bombs.


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## jimmyjames23 (Mar 8, 2013)

I already hit it with sorbate and k meta after I racked off the lees from the egg whites. 
It's surprisingly clear for unfiltered. 
And for some reason the addition if the AJ made it re clear even more. Minimal lees now. But I'll rack it (possibly filter it) and bottle on Sunday. 
Wanna keep it under vacuum for 3 more days just in case.


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## fatbloke (Mar 9, 2013)

jimmyjames23 said:


> I already hit it with sorbate and k meta after I racked off the lees from the egg whites.
> It's surprisingly clear for unfiltered.
> And for some reason the addition if the AJ made it re clear even more. Minimal lees now. But I'll rack it (possibly filter it) and bottle on Sunday.
> Wanna keep it under vacuum for 3 more days just in case.


Well if already stabilised, excellent you should be ready to go.

As an extra point, just remember that when back sweetening an already cleared batch, some natural sweeteners (honey is bad for this) can cause hazing. It's, I believe, a protein thing. If it happens then it needs re-clearing.


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## jimmyjames23 (Mar 9, 2013)

It did haze up a bit (I expected it to) but it cleared when I added the Apple Juice. I read another forum where this same thing occurred.


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## mmadmikes1 (Mar 9, 2013)

So after reading your post today, I know what you do wioth the egg whites and the shells. What are you doing with all the left over yolks


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## jimmyjames23 (Mar 10, 2013)

I make a really great eggs Benedict. 

Lol


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## mmadmikes1 (Mar 11, 2013)

Back to original question: I start all my meads with bentonite and have never needed to clarify at end.


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## jimmyjames23 (Mar 11, 2013)

mmadmikes1 said:


> Back to original question: I start all my meads with bentonite and have never needed to clarify at end.



I like bentonite.


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## fatbloke (Mar 17, 2013)

jimmyjames23 said:


> I like bentonite.


Using it up front can often work/be a handy technique.

For some reason, I've got a thought in my head why it's not the best idea, though for the life of me I can't recall what the downside of using it up front was. Something about it can remove something in wines, or at least affect colour or flavour or something like that, and that adding it to beer worts up front, is less of an issue.......

If I can find the reason, I'll post it for you......


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## jimmyjames23 (Mar 17, 2013)

Thanks? Lol. 

The only thing I can think of is egg allergies. 
Albumen is the main protein in egg white. 
But according to...
http://www.ctajournal.com/content/1/1/10


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