Substance on corks

[tradowsk]

I have some bottles of mead aging in my cellar since May, and yesterday I noticed a few bottles have an amber-colored sap-like substance on the exterior of the cork (see photo). The substance is highly viscous (like the sap of a pine tree) and lacks any distinguishable smell or taste. The corks are from my LHBS and are the agglomerated type.

Any ideas what this could be? I have a theory but I din't want to bias anyone yet.

 

[dralarms]

Looks like their seeping a bit.

Edit to add: no flavor? Maybe glue?

 

[cmason1957]

Is it possible you soaked your corks, even just a little while, before insertion. I had the same thing happen, back when I soaked corks, particularly the agglomerated kind.

 

[Rice_Guy]

If someone brought this to the lab my first test would be is it water soluble (likely plant/ bee origin) or is it solvent soluble (possibly a glue or resin).

 

[tradowsk]

@cmason1957 I don't soak the corks, I just dip them in water right before corking to make it easier.

@Rice_Guy I'll check the solubility of the substance later today.

My theory was maybe the pressure didn't equalize after corking before I laid the bottles on their side. Thus, there would be positive pressure in the bottle forcing the mead out through the cork (and maybe taking some glue/resin along with it). I'm probably just going to recork these bottles to be safe, but am still interested in finding out what it is.

 

[tradowsk]

Update: it is water-soluble.

 

[Kantuckid]

taste the stuff and report back...
I use agglomerated corks, and soak them a few hours in water before insertion, with some campden tabs- no juicy stuff seeping out of corks.

 

[tradowsk]

It really had no flavor or smell at all.

 

[Rice_Guy]

I would not recork; theory, a cork is about 10 ml of volume, add 3/4 inch of ullage and you are up to 19 ml. To saturate 750 ml of water takes 4.5 to 5 ml of pure oxygen. Air is about 20% therefore you would almost saturate the wine with oxygen a second time.
What ever is in the cork has mixed with the wine/ come out of the wine , , what do you gain?