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Clear to cloudy after racking

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Bolo Head

Bolo Head

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 25, 2011
5
0
0
NM, USA
I have a sweet mead that was clear in the 5 gal. carboy where I could read newsprint through it, then turn cloudy after an additional racking at 10 months. Hydrometer reading hasn't changed and there is no off aromas or tastes after 2 weeks of cloudiness. Is this a sign of something bad on the way, or just a odd reaction from the racking? My intention was to not use any chemicals to stabilize, but what is going on? and do I need to act right away?

12/17/2010
WLP 720
Wyeast nutrient (followed directions)
6.5 qts. wildflower honey
filtered water to 5 gal.

OG= 1.142
12/31/2010 SG= 1.023
1/8/2011 SG= 1.016
1/18/2011 SG= 1.014 racked onto 5 split vanilla beans
1/30/2011 SG= 1.014 racked off of vanilla beans and a little sediment/lees(added sterilized glass marbles to carboy to remove headspace from sampling
10/28/2011 SG=1.014 cleared well, racked again off of a little sediment in the glass marbles and to taste:)
Carboy clouded within a couple days
11/21/2011 SG= 1.014
Currently can't see my hand on back side of carboy...

No visible activity from airlock... high ABV% (around 16%) by my calculation) so what is happening and is it a cause for concern?
 
T

tweak'e

NewBee
Registered Member
Jan 31, 2011
396
1
0
NewZealand
temp change ??
probably just stirred it up in the racking. it will settle back down.
could simply be stuff in the mead that hasn't settled out yet. i've had clear mead settle out in the bottles 3 months later.
one of the reasons i tend to use some form of fining, even if its just a bit of tannin added.
 
Chevette Girl

Chevette Girl

All around BAD EXAMPLE
Moderator
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Apr 27, 2010
8,447
59
48
Ottawa, ON
I had this happen when I racked my crabapple mel, looked clear before I racked it, cloudy for weeks afterwards, so I hit it with some bentonite and it cleared up within a day. But this was pretty big flocs already.

And hey, welcome to the forum, Bolo Head!

I'd keep my eyes and nose on this, if it develops any flakiness at the surface or any odd smells, I'd play it safe and hit it with 5 campden tablets, otherwise I'd just wait it out and hope it clears up...
 
HumanBlockhead

HumanBlockhead

NewBee
Registered Member
Oct 4, 2011
18
0
0
Chevette Girl said:

I'd keep my eyes and nose on this, if it develops any flakiness at the surface or any odd smells, I'd play it safe and hit it with 5 campden tablets, otherwise I'd just wait it out and hope it clears up...
Click to expand...

@Chevette Girl: What do you mean by "flakiness"?
 
Chevette Girl

Chevette Girl

All around BAD EXAMPLE
Moderator
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Apr 27, 2010
8,447
59
48
Ottawa, ON
I've had several batches over the 8 years I've been making wines and meads where a flaky "skin" develops on the surface of the wine/mead, if you jiggle the carboy, the "skin" wrinkles or folds over on itself and sometimes pieces fall off the surface and settle to the bottom. Generally it's happened in the carboy and only once has it continued to the bottle like that (I didn't stabilize that batch, probably should have), the other handful of times this has happened, I sulphited it and it was fine when I bottled it, no surface flakiness and no off tastes or smells.
 
jlerner

jlerner

NewBee
Registered Member
Oct 22, 2011
61
1
0
www.tactics3d.com
Perhaps a cold crash would help... that same thing happened to a bottle of my apple wine. I stuck the cloudy bottle outside in the garden, where it lay under a blanket of snow. 2 weeks later it was crystal clear.
 
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