Mead not clearing

[wbhutchins]

Hi folks! I'm a beginner to all this, but I have a 5 gallon batch of mead that I think is coming along fine. I have also been making country fruit wines and noted the use of Sparkoloid in them to clear them. My mead was pretty cloudy, so I decided to give the Sparkoloid a try. It has cleared it mostly, but it isn't crystal clear.

It's just a few days from 3 weeks after introducing the Sparkoloid. Still not crystal clear. Should I just leave it sit and give it time to clear on its own? However long that might take?

I guess a second question is did I foul up my mead by using the clearing agent?

Thanks in advance.

 

[Ohio Bob]

3 weeks is a short time, I would give it 3 months. I don’t make meads, just wines.

 

[Rice_Guy]

Meads (honey) have protein in them. Two possible solutions 1) this is natural so let it there 2) fine it with bentonite to remove protein, ,Well you have more choices, 3) add tannin to complex with protein, 4) give it time since meads get a more intense honey flavor at year two or four than year one, 5) on your next mead boil the honey to cause the protein to coagulate or even make a brouchet.

 

[wbhutchins]

Meads (honey) have protein in them. Two possible solutions 1) this is natural so let it there 2) fine it with bentonite to remove protein, ,Well you have more choices, 3) add tannin to complex with protein, 4) give it time since meads get a more intense honey flavor at year two or four than year one, 5) on your next mead boil the honey to cause the protein to coagulate or even make a brouchet.

So mead is naturally a little cloudy? I guess that makes sense. I had another batch that cleared mostly without adding any clearing agent. If that's just how it is, I'm willing to just give it time.

Thanks!

 

[winemaker81]

So mead is naturally a little cloudy? I guess that makes sense. I had another batch that cleared mostly without adding any clearing agent. If that's just how it is, I'm willing to just give it time.

Mead may be cloudy from protein. You can add a half-dose of bentonite.

 

[Raptor99]

Mead benefits from aging. I don't know how long it has been since you started this batch. I would bulk age it for at least 9 months before considering bottling. It usually clears up nicely on its own by then, without any clearing agents.

 

[wbhutchins]

Mead benefits from aging. I don't know how long it has been since you started this batch. I would bulk age it for at least 9 months before considering bottling. It usually clears up nicely on its own by then, without any clearing agents.

I started this batch on 25 November 2022. I think you are right though. I'll rack it again and leave it sit for bulk aging. Should I backsweeten it before or after bulk aging?

 

[Raptor99]

I usually stabilize and back sweeten after bulk aging, just before bottling. The flavor will change during bulk aging, so you will want to "bench test" the amount of sweetness you want at that point.

 

[Rice_Guy]

I'll rack it again and leave it sit for bulk aging. Should I backsweeten it before or after bulk aging?

back sweeten after age, A young wine has live yeast which can restart fermentation. I have had problems on two batches bottled at six month and so far no refermentation with nine month old wine. (Over twenty years)

I rack when I have a need to remove gunk/ lees from a carboy. Every process done on a wine poses some oxidation risk so I try to minimize them.

 

[SDO]

Cold crashing helps, and is often free in the winter months in most of the world. Protect from freezing, sunlight, and then rack to 2nd-ary, topping with CO2 or Argon (food grade), sit for 6-12 months, bottle, and gift those cloudy last bottles if any to your neighbors Meads can be made fast, and sold or gifted quicker, but why. My policy is simple, 10-50 year hobby, with aging being an important part of life itself.

 

[Hazelemere]

leave it alone. Next time you make a mead add bentonite 6 days into an active fermentation and rack it to remove protein haze.