Mead is one of the most delicious beverages, and it’s actually the pioneer of alcoholic drinks. It is a fermented beverage that’s made from yeast, honey, and water (it’s also called honey wine, by the way). For the most part, people make it at home as it can be easily fermented, but they often complain about the cloudy mead. So, to help you make clear mead, we are here with some secret tips!
Cloudy Mead – What To Do About It?
The quality of a mead is determined by its clarity – if the mead is clear, it’s well-made, while the cloudy mead means low-quality. For the most part, the mead gets cloudy because of the suspended particles, which can be from yeast or proteins. Usually, it gets clear on its own with time, but there are different methods that can speed up the clearing process. So, let’s check them out!
1. Yeast
When it comes down to mead, yeast’s health is one of the most critical factors. This is because the healthy yeast can enhance the fermentation speed of the mead, resulting in clearer mead. However, if you fail to keep the yeast fresh and healthy, below are some tips that prove to be helpful;
- First of all, you must degas the mead to make sure the yeast remains healthy. In particular, the degassing should be done at an initial level. This will not only clear the mead but will also enhance the aroma
- Secondly, you should always use fresh and pure honey to use with yeast. On the other hand, if you cannot find pure honey, opt for bee pollen
- Thirdly, invest in a fermentation chamber to retain the temperature for storing the yeast. In addition, you should check the temperature regularly to ensure there are no compromises on the health
- Lastly, you must ensure that you are pitching the yeast enough and it is exposed to oxygen as it’s important for yeast growth
2. Use Clarifying Agents
The second way of clearing away the cloudiness of the mead is to use the clarifying agents. The clarifying agents tend to bond with the mead’s suspended particles, resulting in heavyweight, which is why they accumulate at the bottom. As a result, you will be able to pour out the clear mead while leaving behind the particles. You can use the Irish moss for mead to pull out its proteins and drag these components to the bottom.
Some other clarifying agents include isinglass, super kleer, sparkoloid, and bentonnite. If you use bentonnite, it has to be added before initial fermentation, while sparkoloid has to be added after the fermentation process. The latter option is much better because it provides enough time for clarification.
3. Racking & Filtering
Racking and filtering processes are extremely simple and are quite common to mead-making. It is all about transferring mead from one container to another while using a muslin bag for filtering. Throughout the process, the sediments are left behind. However, there are various issues associated with racking and filtering, such as oxygenation and loss of volume. For this reason, it is better to use a closed system and don’t drop mead from a higher height to ensure it’s not exposed to oxygen too much.
4. Consider The Timeline
Before you start making mead, you need to consider the timeline, which also comes with selecting the correct strain of yeast. In particular, you can opt for a yeast strain with low tolerance as it helps produce less ABV, leading to quicker mead. On the other hand, when you add honey, the process will take a longer time as yeast has to consume the sugar contents of the honey.
5. Cold Crashing
This is the last thing that you can try to prevent the cloudiness of the mead. At this level, the fermentation dries up completely, and yeast will end up dropping. It happens because of the flocculation of the yeast. You need to remember that cold crashing doesn’t kill the yeast but puts it into the dormant level. However, cold crashing will take a few days, but the results will be worth it.
The Bottom Line
Clear mead is the signal of a high-quality and well-finished beverage. As far as clearing the cloudiness is concerned, it’s best to stick to the natural and simple processes because excessive use of chemicals can result in off flavor.