mead and egg whites

[deckgunner]

hello everyone , i followed an old recipe that told me to beat the two egg whites and put ino the mead , on putting the whites into the mead they split like something horrible , the mead is happily fermenting away and doesnt seem affected by the egg whites although there does seem alot of derbi on the bottom, is this normal any ideas

[Mamgiowl]

Egg whites are an ancient method of clearing a wine. They won't do any harm, although it is more usual to use them at the end of fermentation. I suggest that when all the gunk has settled you rack in to another DJ, then carry on as normal.

[deckgunner]

many thanks

cheers for the help , nice to be reasured , must admit its looking good ,cant wait for that first taste . think il try another recipe next time , but hey ho its my first attempt , plenty more to come hopefully

[rjb222]

I would do the rack as soon as the debris from the eg whites have settled they have been known to strip some colour and taste.

[deckgunner]

thanks for the advise , will do in the next couple of days

[Asphaltboy]

Every mead i have made has dropped clear after fermentation - and pleased i am for it!

But i would question why the forum would not advise two part finings or filtering rather than the use of egg whites.

Old books are full of outdated and crap advice, should we not be educating people with the modern recognised methods rather than advocating the old styles?

Discuss

[lockwood1956]

I agree

old recipes like that are confusing to newbies (they should be burnt......the recipes that is, not the newbies ) they cause no end of trouble for new winemakers, same with CJJJJJJJJJJJJ Berry and his "add 3 tonne of sugar" recipes

IMHO

[Richard S]

Old books are full of outdated and crap advice, should we not be educating people with the modern recognised methods rather than advocating the old styles?

Yup, most of the old books are showing their age. If a new winemaker were to follow some of these recipes they would be dissapointed with the results and pack in trying to make wine after a month or 2.

[fatbloke]

cheers for the help , nice to be reasured , must admit its looking good ,cant wait for that first taste . think il try another recipe next time , but hey ho its my first attempt , plenty more to come hopefully

If you're hoping for an "instant nice taste", then you're likely to be unlucky.

A lot of mead is not very nice when it's first finished. Speed and mead don't go well together.

Now after it's had a good few months ageing (I'd suggest at least 6 months) then it's a completely different thing.

Mead improves beyond belief, with time (I must have made 20 to 30 gallons of the stuff and so far none of my efforts have been nice to start with - I can be quite impatient, so if they don't taste as I hope after 6 months I "improve" them.

I've currently got about 10 to 15 gallons ageing (in bulk i.e. in a DJ, not in bottles).

When you want to try another recipe, do a search of the forums for "Joe Mattioli's Ancient Orange Spiced mead"/JAO etc. It's a nice, very easy recipe that takes no real effort. If you prefer sweet, then go with the original yeast i.e. bread yeast, if you prefer medium/dry then go with wine yeast (something like Lalvin's 71B or similar). or maybe make 2 x 1 gallon batches one of each.

Again, it's still better aged and a good starter recipe.

Just my 2 pence worth

regards

JtFB

[Richard S]

When you want to try another recipe, do a search of the forums for "Joe Mattioli's Ancient Orange Spiced mead"/JAO etc. It's a nice, very easy recipe that takes no real effort. If you prefer sweet, then go with the original yeast i.e. bread yeast, if you prefer medium/dry then go with wine yeast (something like Lalvin's 71B or similar). or maybe make 2 x 1 gallon batches one of each.

I agree with most of this. The recipe allows you to make a simple mead the way it was done a billion years ago (this is the point that Asphaltboy is making). Bread yeast is for bread, I used a quality wine yeast because I wanted control over alcohol content and sweetness level. Ferment dry, stabalise etc then sweeten to taste with honey, sugar etc. If you have control then it is easier to replicate.

[Mamgiowl]

Every mead i have made has dropped clear after fermentation - and pleased i am for it!

But i would question why the forum would not advise two part finings or filtering rather than the use of egg whites.

Old books are full of outdated and crap advice, should we not be educating people with the modern recognised methods rather than advocating the old styles?

Discuss

I don't see where anyone recommended the use of eggwhite as a clearing agent, in fact I stated it was an ancient method, implying no longer in use. The advice was offered as an antidote to its having already been used.

As a matter of interest I rarely use clearing agents of any kind, preferring to let time do the work.

[deckgunner]

point taken , i shall hold off on the excitement for awhile yet , this wine and mead making is getting to be more technical everyday i do something , any golden rules which i need to apply to all my homemaking would be grateful welcome .

[lockwood1956]

Yes there are some golden rules, however if you follow the tutorials in the new winemaker series, you will build up the expertise required in no time at all (and make very drinkable stuff in the process)

cheers
Bob

[deckgunner]

great place

this forum has got to be the best for the newcomer and veteran wine maker alike , biggles has put me right on some things already and got me one or two things cheap . have been reading up on the new comers page and will start to do some of the starter recipes once ive got through some of the gut rot ive made lol . loads of knowledge on here and il drink it in

[Richard S]

big les has put me right on some things already and got me one or two things cheap

A second hand Euro Fighter by any chance?