So I have an apple/pear/blackberry that fermented dry and I've been letting age for the last 3-4 months, I'm still not liking the taste of it and wanted to back sweeten it. How do I do this with out aerating too much and oxidizing?
Back sweetening and over aerating
- Thread starter McJeff
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It can be as basic as just stirring i.e. stabilising first, then I like to give it a day or two to settle, then adding a couple of ounces of honey per gallon and gently stirring it in - something long and thin, it can take a while as the honey often settles at the bottom, then when yer happy measure gravity and taste.
you can mix say a half pound with the same volume of water as it often mixes in quicker, but still adding a little at a time, just don't stir the bejesus out of it.
you can have a search and work out how much by weight of honey is needed to raise the gravity of the mead by X amount and actually get it in as above.......
I prefer a little and often though as I trust my tasting ability.
You might find that using honey will cloud a clear mead again, so you either have to wait for it to clear again or use finings to drop it out - which is why I prefer to set the sweetness by back sweetening before a batch clears, to a medium level (about the 1.010 to 1.015 sort of area) then clear and age it........
Oxidisation isnt a quick or instant think, think of it like rusting. As long as you treat your batch with care, keeping it topped up or with a CO2 blanket, you should be fine......
Not really, just caution and measuring as its easy to over sweeten - I like to keep some acid handy (I used a mix of 2 parts malic 1 part tartaric) just in case I do add too much honey.......
Slight Hijack....
I have currently sourced and stock lactic, malic, and tartaric acids, and will be getting in some citric acid sometime soon. I know the lactic is the "softest" of the acids, but is there a preferred blend by others, or just the usual industry blend of Malic/Tartaric/&or/Citric I see on the shelves?? ?? Is there a reason that lactic acid is not usually available and/or used regularly in blends?? ??
I have currently sourced and stock lactic, malic, and tartaric acids, and will be getting in some citric acid sometime soon. I know the lactic is the "softest" of the acids, but is there a preferred blend by others, or just the usual industry blend of Malic/Tartaric/&or/Citric I see on the shelves?? ?? Is there a reason that lactic acid is not usually available and/or used regularly in blends?? ??
