Hazy mead after backsweetening

[tradowsk]

Last night I backsweetened two 1-gallon batches of mead using local wildflower honey. The honey was filtered and appeared very clear in the jar. The mead was also crystal clear at that point, as I had put some kieselsol in it previously.

However, after mixing 1/2lb honey in, the mead became very hazy.

These batches are purely for family use so I don't really care if it's not clear, I just don't want to bottle it hazy and come back in a few months to a bunch of sediment on the bottom.

What exactly is in the honey that it would cause it to haze up even though both the mead and honey appeared to be clear? Should I add more kieselsol or will whatever is in there stay in suspension?

 

[dralarms]

I made the same mistake. You’re going to have to clear again. I made a batch, superkleered, and then back sweetend. Had to superkleer again

 

[BeeMad]

As a beekeeper, my thought are that the honey most likely wasn't filtered, or at least not filtered very well, so you have some pollen/wax particulates affecting the clarity. Personally, if it's only for your consumption, it's nothing to worry about.

 

[Rice_Guy]

[QUOTE="tradowsk, post: 721182, member: 39428

What exactly is in the honey that it would cause it to haze up even though both the mead and honey appeared to be clear? Should I add more kieselsol or will whatever is in there stay in suspension?[/QUOTE]

honey has proteins in it which create the cloud
The primary ferment has you denature the protein by boiling, chances are bee protein is positively charged, so negatively charged fining should work. I leave it in and it stayed cloudy.

 

[tradowsk]

It reminds me of the look of a pectin haze where it's not clear but I can't identify any particles floating in it. So I don't think the cause of this is pollen or wax, both of which I had in these batches after fermentation since I used raw honey.

But kieselsol worked spectacularly when I used it pre-backsweetening, so if there are positively charged proteins in the honey then it should work again. Not really concerned with the look, but it would be a nice experiment to verify. I'll try another dose of kieselsol today and report back.

 

[tradowsk]

Update: I added 6mL kieselsol to each batch yesterday morning, and as of now nothing has changed. The mead is still hazy but nothing seems to have settled out either.

I'm going to try adding chitosan tonight to see if maybe the opposite charge clarifier will work.

 

[dralarms]

You’re supposed to add the chitosan within 24 hrs of adding the kieselsol. Probably still work but I only wait 2 to 3 hrs before adding the chitosan.

 

[tradowsk]

I usually do add chito after about 12hrs.

But when I first clarified this mead it was already crystal clear with just the kieselsol so I didn't bother with the chito. But maybe I do need it after backsweetening.

 

[dralarms]

Yes.

 

[tradowsk]

12hrs after adding the chito and everything is nice and clear again!

So I guess the answer is to clarify after backsweetening and not before. Good to know moving forward. Thanks for all the advice everyone!