Like NateDawg, I'm a long time lurker, firt time poster- please be gentle. Awesome forum!!!
My question: Is the smell of acetaldehyde-normal for a cyser/melomel? and, Will it dissipate with time?
My recipe (it tastes good in my mind) is :
~12 lbs orange blossom honey
1 gal Apple cider from Long Grove Apple farm (pasteurized and contains sodium benzoate as a preservative- I was told that in IL it has to contain that?)
3lbs frozen organic blueberries (in muslin sack)
4 camden tablets
5 tsp fermaid K
1/8 tsp pectin enzyme
1 pkt Cote des Blanc yeast
to ~ 5 gallons with spring water
I sanitized like a freak. Fermentation took off like mad and things seemed great. A day and a half later (yesterday) my better half noticed the nasty smell eminating from the ferm. lock on the primary bucket. Research indicates that Acetaldehyde is an intermediary compound in the fermentation of some apples on the way to ethanol. Fermentation is still robust and the smell is not quite as bad as yesterday- but my fear is that the nasty fermenting apple smell is going to permeate my mead. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
My question: Is the smell of acetaldehyde-normal for a cyser/melomel? and, Will it dissipate with time?
My recipe (it tastes good in my mind) is :
~12 lbs orange blossom honey
1 gal Apple cider from Long Grove Apple farm (pasteurized and contains sodium benzoate as a preservative- I was told that in IL it has to contain that?)
3lbs frozen organic blueberries (in muslin sack)
4 camden tablets
5 tsp fermaid K
1/8 tsp pectin enzyme
1 pkt Cote des Blanc yeast
to ~ 5 gallons with spring water
I sanitized like a freak. Fermentation took off like mad and things seemed great. A day and a half later (yesterday) my better half noticed the nasty smell eminating from the ferm. lock on the primary bucket. Research indicates that Acetaldehyde is an intermediary compound in the fermentation of some apples on the way to ethanol. Fermentation is still robust and the smell is not quite as bad as yesterday- but my fear is that the nasty fermenting apple smell is going to permeate my mead. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.