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Gypsum? Irish Moss??

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mydogsrbarkin

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 4, 2019
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Hi, I'm looking into a pomegranate mead, and I found this recipe; (credit goes to Flagon Slayer Brewery).

Gypsum and Irish Moss; are they necessary? I looked them up and it seems they are mostly for clarifying your mead. I'd love to skip this step and just keep re-racking.

Pomegranate Mead

1/2 gal Pomegranate Juice (No Preservatives)
2 1/2 pounds Honey
Water to make 1 gal
1 tsp Gypsum
1 tsp Yeast Nutrient
1 tsp Irish Moss
2 bags Rooibos Tea
1 bag Black Tea
1/2 package Champagne Yeast

Put all liquids, honey, gypsum, nutrient, and irish moss into your brewpot and boil for 15 minutes, skimming the foam off the top periodically. Add all teabags and continue boiling for another 5 minutes, then remove the tea. Remove from heat and cool to 70-80 degrees, then pitch the yeast. Ferment for 6 months or until clear (whichever is longer), racking every 2 months, then bottle and let age for a year.
 
T

Toxxyc

Worker Bee
Registered Member
Dec 21, 2017
377
12
18
Pretoria, South Africa
Irish Moss is for beer, and it's effectiveness is actually pretty debatable. For one, you need to boil it, and you never want to boil your honey. You destroy flavours and aromas.
 
EricHartman

EricHartman

Lifetime GotMead Patron
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Mar 4, 2019
498
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Indiana
I wouldn't boil the honey, nor the nutrient. You'll make chemical changes that likely aren't for the better. I'm not sure what will happen if you boil the juice; maybe goes from fresh to cooked taste? rehydrate the yeast with goferm following the protocol & you'll improve pitch effectiveness.

A good fining agent combination is bentonite followed by hot sparkolloid. excessive racking can get painful as there are always some losses that hurt pouring down the drain.
 
S

Squatchy

Lifetime GotMead Patron
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Nov 3, 2014
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Denver
I would hold off on the tea and add them after the mead is old enough that it has cleared some. This way you can control it to your taste instead of someone else's. And never split a pouch of yeast. Just use the whole thing. I wouldn't use that strain either. DV10 D80 or D21 would be better choices.
 
M

mydogsrbarkin

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 4, 2019
7
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Squatchy said:
I would hold off on the tea and add them after the mead is old enough that it has cleared some. This way you can control it to your taste instead of someone else's. And never split a pouch of yeast. Just use the whole thing. I wouldn't use that strain either. DV10 D80 or D21 would be better choices.
Click to expand...

Is the Lalvin D-47 OK to use? I don't want to buy any more stuff.

Honestly I'd rather just leave out the tea. I'm going to look up a different recipe for this.
 
S

Squatchy

Lifetime GotMead Patron
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Nov 3, 2014
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Denver
That strain is really cranky and makes off flavors if you go above 68F. So keep it cool. It's not the best choice but if you don't want to spend a couple dollars to make a better mead then that's your choice. Seems funny to save a dollar or two to make a subpar mead to me ;)
 
F

Foothiller

Got Mead? Patron
GotMead Patron
Apr 1, 2015
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Sierra Foothills, CA
When using fruit, adding pectinase (pectic enzyme) a few hours before adding the yeast will help with clarity in the end. Boiling the fruit juice can make it difficult to get good clarity. Many of my meads have clarified themselves by just aging for a while in a carboy after racking off the yeast. When I need a clarifier, Sparkolloid has worked well, and others get good results with bentonite, Polyclar, and other products.
 
B

bernardsmith

Got Mead? Patron
GotMead Patron
Sep 1, 2013
1,611
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Saratoga Springs , NY
The tea is not for flavor but almost certainly for added tannin. You could leave out the tea if the wine will otherwise have enough tannin. Not certain but I think the skins of pomegranates are very high in tannins. I don't know whether the juice is.
 
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