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Strange deposit after some time.

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NewBee
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Mar 2, 2012
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Made a few meads some time back.
One I bottled, 2 were left in DJ's.
They were all clear when bottled or left. Passed through a filter.

After a year the bottled Meads showed a deposit in the bottles, the deposit was not solid, looks bit strange almost "fuzzy".

All the DJ's were clear. "Were".

Couple opf weeks back I looked at the DJ's of mead.
All show similar, the raspberry mead is now simply cloudy, cannot see through it al all. Was beautifully clear 6 months back and has been in the DJ for about 2 years. The spiced mead has the "fuzz" at the base now. The spiced mead is over 2 years old.

All were made with honey from a supermarket.
As I reacall around 4lbs to a gallon, 6 jars.
None were boiled, just gently dissolved in warm water.
All were racked twice and all went through a filter and were clear until about 2-3 months ago except the bottled meads - these threw the deposit 6-8 months ago.

The DJ's had been clear for 18-24 months or more.

I used the Gervin yeast, GV9 and Variantal D, different batches.
Both have done the same.
All were stabilised with Potassiun Sorbate.

Could it be the storage temperature?
They are stored in a kitchen and it can get cool/cold, as in ~12C (53-53F).
 
akueck

akueck

Certified Mead Mentor
Certified Mead Mentor
Jun 26, 2006
4,958
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Ithaca, NY
There are common compounds that will cloud your mead when it gets cold. If you warm a bottle back up to room temperature, does it fix the cloudiness?
 
fatbloke

fatbloke

good egg/snappy dresser.....
GotMead Patron
Feb 3, 2008
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UK - South Coast.
fatblokeshomebrew.blogspot.com
Not sure about the hazing, that could be that it needs checking like akueck suggests. The one with the fuzz ? I've also had formerly cleared meads drop additional sediments, though I didn't suss whether it was further yeast, pigmentation or what. Unless you back sweetened with honey, where it can easily be a protein haze. Which I've sorted with kwik kleer.....
 
Medsen Fey

Medsen Fey

Fuselier since 2007
Premium Patron
May 23, 2007
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Fusel Shack, in the swamp west of Ft. Lauderdale
When you don't boil your musts (and I'm not suggesting that you should), it is very common for protein sediment to develop over time. Even tight filtration won't prevent it. If you use a fining agent to "protein stabilize" you'll usually be able to prevent the unsightly sediment from forming. The sediment is not harmful, but it does not look pretty in the bottle. If you don't want to use a fining agent, extended bulk aging, and a "cold stabilization" may help to clear out most of the proteinaceous material. I've just reached the point where I prefer to use the fining agents in most cases.

For a batch that went totally cloudy, I'd be suspicious that the yeast (or some other organism) is active. If you tried stabilizing with sorbate alone, that may be the reason as sorbate by itself is not reliable for inhibiting renewed fermentation.
 
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