Joe Mattioli's Ancient Orange and spice Mead recipe

[lockwood1956]

Looking good

[goldseal]

John, it went cloudy

Racked (clear) mead to bucket, added honey, cleaned the DJ, racked back - cloudy.

No bother - it can sit there a while longer while it clears.

It's still cloudy

Kwik Clear hasn't made the slightest difference

Any ideas, team?

[lockwood1956]

you could try storing it somewhere super cool (fridge) for a week or so, that can sometimes help.

I have found in the past that adding honey to a finished ferment sometimes makes it cloudy, and it can take forever to clear.

[goldseal]

Very little chance of getting any fridge-space this close to Christmas.

I'll have to speak very nicely to Mrs. Goldseal

[danpug]

Is there anywhere outside (garage, shed, etc) you can store it? Thats where some of my cider is and its much clearer than the stuff indoors.

[Duffbeer]

I have found in the past that adding honey to a finished ferment sometimes makes it cloudy, and it can take forever to clear.

Totaly agree, the addition of honey after ferment does cause cloudiness, I have found filtering about the only reasonable way to clear it.

[goldseal]

It's been in the garage for a couple of months, unfortunately.

I was thinking about filtering it to get rid of the worst of the cloudiness, then hitting it again with Kwik Clear to get rid of the rest.

[Zebedee]

I was thinking about filtering it to get rid of the worst of the cloudiness, then hitting it again with Kwik Clear to get rid of the rest.

Isn't that the wrong way round ?

[Mamgiowl]

Definitely IMHO. Filtering is for polishing, not clearing, wines

[rjb222]

Definitely IMHO. Filtering is for polishing, not clearing, wines

You are absolutely right Mamigowl A person whom shall remain un named tried to filter a un clear wine. This individual had one very upset wife when the filter plugged with in one liter of wine and sprayed her cupboards with nice red Zinfandel. I did get to taste some of this when the process naturally finished and it was a good wine.Wife settled down after a couple days of fuming.

[lockwood1956]

I was thinking about filtering it to get rid of the worst of the cloudiness, then hitting it again with Kwik Clear to get rid of the rest.

I would bring it into the warm (finings don't work so well in the cold) and hit it with clearing agents. There are positive and negative charged fining agents, when you use the right one, it will clear

Then filter it to polish it.

see here for more info
http://www.winesathome.co.uk/forum/s...7150#post47150

[goldseal]

Yes, you are right, it is the wrong way round. Written under the influence of a nice Port

So, clearing WITHOUT fining agents is more effective at low temperatures, and clearing WITH fining agents is more effective at warmer temeratures?

[lockwood1956]

Correct....

[fatbloke]

This is all really weird.

I only ever back sweeten meads with honey and I've yet had one go cloudy on my at that stage.

I'm wondering if it's to do with the positive/negative charged ions etc

Or maybe I've just been lucky.......

Or just that once it's clear enough to taste, if it needs back sweetening, I do it then, and then just leave it under the stairs - forever

I've learned never to try and rush meads.....because most of the time, they just won't be rushed!

regards

JtFB

p.s. Oh and by "forever", well that's often at least a year. Damn! I've only been making meads etc for what? 2 or 3 years and I've only bottled 1 mead so far, the rest is all in bulk ageing...........

[fatbloke]

JAO (modified) update

Ok, I'm having a bit of a rackfest at the moment.

I've just racked the 2 gallons of JAO, that were made with lemon and lime - identical except one was with 71B and the other with the recipes suggested bread yeast (albeit Allinsons, not the American brand originally used in the recipe).

A little suggestion for those considering doing a "modded" batch. If you're thinking of using lemon and lime, then make it half of each.

Both my gallons are currently very "citrusy" to taste (a bit like I'd guess, what "Sima" tastes like possibly a bit more citrus and a little less sweet - and a lot more alcohol). Plus the gallon made with the 71B seems to have a little "pithy bitterness" so it might be worth while using just the skin and juice, rather than the whole fruit.

The gallon with the bread yeast is fine inasfaras it's only issue seems to be the citrus one. Otherwise it's good to go (once it's been racked again and filtered).

I'm thinking of making another batch of the orange one, but it'll probably have bread yeast and then I'll de-rind the orange first and then I'll do the "chefy" thing and de-segment the flesh, removing the possibility of any bitterness from the pith/skin.

Anyway, I just thought I'd post how they're getting on.

regards

JtFB