So i just corked a metheglin. i soaked my corks in sodium percarbonate instead of Kmeta. Some if this came out of the corks and ended up in the bottles (it made a white-ish layer on the top in the collar. Is this safe to drink or do i get rid of the contaminated mead?
cork soaking and issues with sanitiser ending in mead
- Thread starter marauder211
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I highly recommend this very educational video on this particular topic.
https://youtu.be/pRBEpBujtfQ
https://youtu.be/pRBEpBujtfQ
From what I found sodium percarbonate should break down into soda ash and hydrogen peroxide. It is probably the soda ash that you are seeing.
Should be in small enough quantities that it won't cause any health issues. I would think that anything sold as a sterilizer for home brewing should be pretty safe if used in the recommended concentration.
Should be in small enough quantities that it won't cause any health issues. I would think that anything sold as a sterilizer for home brewing should be pretty safe if used in the recommended concentration.
In all seriousness, I prepare my corks by soaking them in a Star San solution prior to inserting them. Never had any issues. I'd recommend that for the future.
Never had any experience with your situation. But I do know that time and patience can solve many issues. So don't throw them out! Put them in the cellar and let them sit for a while. Might take months...might take years.
Never had any experience with your situation. But I do know that time and patience can solve many issues. So don't throw them out! Put them in the cellar and let them sit for a while. Might take months...might take years.
Farmboyc has it right: Sodium Percarbonates formula is 2Na[SUB]2[/SUB]CO[SUB]3[/SUB] · 3H[SUB]2[/SUB]O[SUB]2[/SUB]
That breaks down into 2Na[SUB]2[/SUB]CO[SUB]3[/SUB] + 3H[SUB]2[/SUB]O[SUB]2[/SUB]
Which is just two molecules of Sodium Carbonate AKA "Soda Ash" & three molecules of Hydrogen Peroxide.
As to corking methods, I've tried soaking in things ranging from K-Meta (K[SUB]2[/SUB]S[SUB]2[/SUB]O[SUB]5[/SUB]) to vodka. Best method I've discovered for my equipment & supplies is this:
I fill a stubby bottle half full of strong K-Meta solution (10%), place that in a gallon glass jar, pour all my corks around the stubby bottle, place some plastic over the top & seal it for a week or more before use. The environment in the gallon jar is filled with humidity & LOTS of Sulfur Dioxide (SO[SUB]2),[/SUB] I then take out however many I need & use them right away. I have found that additional rinsing, soaking, etc, has led to less than stellar performance in my corker (Portuguese double lever); they seem to have a coating of something (silicone maybe??) that makes them glide in better when just gassed rather than rinsed or soaked... IME YMMV
That breaks down into 2Na[SUB]2[/SUB]CO[SUB]3[/SUB] + 3H[SUB]2[/SUB]O[SUB]2[/SUB]
Which is just two molecules of Sodium Carbonate AKA "Soda Ash" & three molecules of Hydrogen Peroxide.
As to corking methods, I've tried soaking in things ranging from K-Meta (K[SUB]2[/SUB]S[SUB]2[/SUB]O[SUB]5[/SUB]) to vodka. Best method I've discovered for my equipment & supplies is this:
I fill a stubby bottle half full of strong K-Meta solution (10%), place that in a gallon glass jar, pour all my corks around the stubby bottle, place some plastic over the top & seal it for a week or more before use. The environment in the gallon jar is filled with humidity & LOTS of Sulfur Dioxide (SO[SUB]2),[/SUB] I then take out however many I need & use them right away. I have found that additional rinsing, soaking, etc, has led to less than stellar performance in my corker (Portuguese double lever); they seem to have a coating of something (silicone maybe??) that makes them glide in better when just gassed rather than rinsed or soaked... IME YMMV
I do not steam or soak the corks before use, never had a problem. The commercial meadery I spent a weekend at did not soak or steam either.
That would take an unnecessary step out of an already task-filled bottling day.
I wonder if any folks with winery experience can speak to this? Was the practice of soaking the corks due to some antiquated reason we have "evolved" beyond?
I wonder if any folks with winery experience can speak to this? Was the practice of soaking the corks due to some antiquated reason we have "evolved" beyond?
Ken's book says to soak the corks for 60 minutes in solution of 2 Campden (K-Meta) tablets dissolved in one gallon of water. Since K-meta is the same stuff that one puts in their wine/mead during the stabilization process, a tiny amount getting into the wine/mead during corking is not a problem. I never dry my corks, merely shaking off the excess solution is adequate.
