This might be new to some of you.
http://mastervintner.com/blog/lies-damned-lies-and-sulfites-the-facts/
Ryan
http://mastervintner.com/blog/lies-damned-lies-and-sulfites-the-facts/
Ryan
The article does seem harsh at best, biased at worst. I am sure there are good arguments to both sides of the debate.
My belief is to avoid adding anything chemical or otherwise that is not needed or can be avoided by dealing with the problem in another way.
Of course I am not trying to sell my mead or store it for a long period, so I can get away with it.
To me the article seems ok. I've read some about the topic of sulphites in general. It is true that a lot of foods contain a shitload of sulhpites, in many cases more than wine. It is a bit sentationalistic, but the info is not bad.
And it speaks about those people who drink wine, get a big headache and just go and blame it on the sulhpites. About that it might be right. It does seem legit, at least (thats all im willing to say without researching the topic further, because there are no references in the article), and its something worth to know.
Sulphites are used in wine for a reason, and they are a good tool. But you gotta be careful who you give what. The easiest way is to make it clear it does contain sulphites, because for a minority it is a real problem.
I dont directly know anyone that suffers from this, but i do a couple of people indirectly, thorugh friends. I figured better safe than sorry, it only takes a little space in my labels. After all i want my meads to be a source of enjoyment, and not of pain.
The article says that there is no such things as "sulphite allregy". Is it true? is it false? I dont know. I know some people are indeed affected by this in a very bad way, and that its still to be determined if it is an allergic respones or what. Thats why i prefer to call it sensitivity. It might be an allergy, i dont pretend to know. Each one can call it what they want. But the article is right because the people who get tipsy easier or get a bigger headache with red wines is not because they are "allergic to sulphites", nor because they are sensitive to it. For me, its useful info, but take everything with some suspicion. Thats why i say its sensationalistic. There is some truth, coated with some ignorance or just marketing to attract readers. Because anyone with 5 minutes can search "sulphite allergy" and find the same things i did. Just because some is false dont take all as false. Just because some is true, dont take it all as true. And remember, since you make the product, it is your responsability to be aware of this things, for the sake of others.
Sulphites like food foods can have two types of reactions for the body:
1) Allergies- an allergy is anything that can cause one of the following: any type of rash, any type of swelling, any type of shortness of breath, or anyphylactic shock
2) Sensitivity- any other side effects or discomfort
In addition it is not simple to say allergy is mild and sensitivity is severe. As an allergy can be a mild rash the person does not even feel or itches but can see. It can also put the person's life in danger
A sensitivity can be a mild flush (but no pain) that goes away in 10 minutes or it can be a debilitating migraine and general malaise that lasts days.
The only assumption you can make is that the worst case scenario of an allergy (anaphylactic shock) is worse than the worst case scenario for sensitivity (debilitating migraine and malaise).
Example: Gluten allergy= celiac disease. Gluten sensitivity is another animal entirely.
I believe few people have either with sulphites but when it happens it is usually a sensitivity. That said when it does it can be debilitating for some and milder for others.
Thanks for the kind words X-tian
It's guys like you and many others, that make it worth all the hard work for trying to keep this place fresh and interesting. You won't be able to buy a home style filter that will sterilized your meads unfortunately. At least that I'm aware of. My understanding is we're looking at .45 absol;ute to make this happen. I think .45 nominal is the tightest I have found. That just forces one to sit on a bone dry mead for a very long time before you can safely add anything later without restarting fermentation.
So every time I have some of my cider (doesn't matter the batch), I get a really bad blush on cheeks and quite often my hands swell up (to the point I cannot move my band on my finger which is normally loose) and my face feels like I have a sunburn.
...and it's kinda gettting worse.
When I bottled some cider at a local brewery (they force carb'd it) he was a little concerned how red I became after drinking a glass. Never thought anything of it. This is definitely worse with my ciders than commercial ones.
I'm using one campden per gallon, then at first racking I'm using 1/4 tsp k-meta for 6 gallons total. At bottling I've been adding 1/8 tsp k-meta for all remaining 5.5 gallons or so.
I don't drink wine often (couple times a year) but do get this feeling when I have it.
...and I have 150L of cider on currently....
if I can't have sulfites - what now? Most of my ciders are in secondary and are about 6-8 weeks old from pitching
I'd like to respectfully make a point about wine and headaches. In my opinion and experience, many 'wine-caused' headaches may not be directly caused by wine at all; reds or whites. It may very well be the water ... or lack thereof.
The human body requires significant amounts of additional water in order to metabolize ethanol. In my early 30's, I read an article which pointed to the body's need for increased amounts of water when metabolizing alcohol. At that time, I often went out on Friday and Saturday nights and drinking was a somewhat of pastime. Among other things, I would ask for the bar list, choose at least one drink I'd never had or heard of and order it (in addition to whatever other drinks I consumed that evening). The morning after, I would sometimes wake up with a light headache, dry eyes and a sort of gritty feeling. When I read this article, it all added up. From that time onward, I made water part of my nights out. Every time I had a drink, I would follow it up with a glass of water. From that moment on, no headaches, no dry eyes, no gritty feeling, no ill effects at all, either at the time or the next day.
In the quarter-century since then, I have adhered to this practice and I can honestly say that, no matter how much or what kinds of alcohol I consume or how fast I consume it, I have never had one single ill effect. Not one.
I'm not trying to say that all headaches are caused by lack of proper hydration but I'm quite sure that a lot of them are and I wonder how many of the affected imbibers are habitually under-hydrated.
Just a thought ...
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Eärendil
Miruvor Maker & Eternal NewBee
Mithlond Meadery, Grey Havens, Eriador
Yeah, unfortunately I think you are right. Gonna try, but will remain open to sulfite if I can't make it work.
And thank you for all you contribute here. Undoubtedly it takes a lot of time and effort. Everything you have to say is much appreciated!
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Where ya been bro? do you still make bubbles?
Still here but mostly spend time on the FB group Modern Mead Making. I listen to every Gotmead podcast and always look forward to hearing you on there. Def still makin' bubbles