Question:
Evening, Gang… …just started making wine…grape, that is…and I’ve made one batch of mead, that is still bulk aging after 12 months…NOW I come to a question about just how similar honey wine is to grape wine…do I need to stabilize mead and fine out the yeast, etc in the same manner as with wine? That is, using potasium sorbate or sodium metabisulfite to kill the yeast then use gelatin or some other fining agent? Oh…and do I de-gas the mead the same as the wine? I am planning on bottling the mead in wine bottles with corks, just like the chardonnay that is aging now. Thanks in advance, Gang Luck Don’t Worry…Brew Hoppy Mike
Response:
<<snip Luck Don’t Worry…Brew Hoppy Mike
Sorry about the sig…I’ll have to make one for this newsgroup now, I guess Luck Don’t Worry…Brew Hoppy Mike
Response:
…do I need to stabilize mead and fine out the yeast, etc in the same manner as with wine? That is, using potasium sorbate or sodium metabisulfite to kill the yeast then use gelatin or some other fining agent?
Mike, as far as I know, you cannot fine out the yeast, but you can fine out other impurities. Treat mead as you would wine, and I would certainly fine it. Honey is incredibly "dirty," containg pollen, insect parts, dust, fungi, and who knows what else. Potassium sorbate and sodium benzoate are "stabilizers," stopping fermentation by disrupting the yeast’s ability to reproduce. They do not "kill" the yeast per se, but rather help it die out through attrition. Sodium (or, better still, potassium) metabisulfite is not a "stabilizer," but rather a prophylaxis against bacterial infection and oxidation. Gelatin, bentonite, isinglass, etc. are fining agents. Mead seems to have a hard time "going bone"–getting to complete dryness. For that reason I would suggest treating it with potassium metabisulfite and potassium sorbate (after fining and racking it). Oh…and do I de-gas the mead the same as the wine?
Mead is wine made with honey. Treat it as you would any wine. Jack Keller, The Winemaking Home Page, http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/1172/ Before you buy.
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