Refrigerator Clearing (Melomel)

[aczdreign]

So I've had my Plum/Rosehip melomel in the refrigerator for going on two weeks now, and I'm really not seeing much difference as far as clarity goes. The lees in the carboy have definitely compacted at the bottom, but the liquid is opaque. The plums used in the melomel were sliced, de-pitted, and pureed, the mush was poured into primary fermentation.
Any ideas?

 

[wayneb]

Did you use any pectic enzyme? Plums are a moderately high pectin fruit.

Additionally, two weeks (even cold crashed for that long) isn't a very long time to wait for a melomel to clear. You may have to sit on that batch for a month or three before you see any significant clearing.

 

[aczdreign]

No, I didn't put anything in it but honey, fruit, water, yeast, and yeast nutrient.

I had read elsewhere on the forum about cold crashing, didn't realise it would take a melomel that much longer, guess my fridge shelves will have to stay under the couch a little longer. Cheaper grocery bill anyway.

 

[Tannin Boy]

I think Wayne is correct about the pectin issue.

I just finished a mel in the fridge using organic fruit juice
and a month later the 3 gallon carboy was crystal clear.
I had also used the Wyeast sweet mead.

Good Brewing,

 

[wayneb]

You can add pectic enzyme even now, after fermentation is finished. The alcohol in the mead will cause it to take longer to work, but eventually pectins will be cleared.

If you have access to 90% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) you can test your melomel to see if it contains pectins. Take about 15 ml (one tablespoon) of your mead and add it to 50 ml (three tablespoons) of 90% isopropyl alcohol, in a separate, clean container. If pectins are present they will form a jelly-like mass in the mix, or will start to form small, jellied tendrils. If you find either the jellied lump or the small strings of goo result from your experiment, then add some pectinase (pectic enzyme) to your main batch.

 

[icedmetal]

Oh wow, that just made a connection for me. I've sometimes wondered what exactly happened when I poured the everclear into the super-concentrated jello mix that was cooling on the stove. Pectin! No need to wonder why it's in Jello either

 

[aczdreign]

You can add pectic enzyme even now, after fermentation is finished. The alcohol in the mead will cause it to take longer to work, but eventually pectins will be cleared.

If you have access to 90% isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) you can test your melomel to see if it contains pectins. Take about 15 ml (one tablespoon) of your mead and add it to 50 ml (three tablespoons) of 90% isopropyl alcohol, in a separate, clean container. If pectins are present they will form a jelly-like mass in the mix, or will start to form small, jellied tendrils. If you find either the jellied lump or the small strings of goo result from your experiment, then add some pectinase (pectic enzyme) to your main batch.

GREAT advice, thanks!
How long do I have to wait for it to form the jelly? I just did the 1:3 mix with alcohol, I don't see anything yet.

 

[aczdreign]

Okay, so I left the cup containing the mixture out overnight and I've found little white/gray blobby things, so I'm guessing I need some pectic enzyme.
Thanks wayne!

 

[wayneb]

It should turn pretty quickly, although since you've got some stuff in there, you probably do have some pectins.

 

[triarchy]

The bottom of your fridge is all win. Pickles, salsa in tupperware, awesome looking mead, and the Champagne of beers

My plum tree is going to give me a lot of plums this year. They shuold be ready in a month or so. Im going to look for your brewlog and Ill be interested to see how things turned out. Im really excited to try making a plum mead. My tree is a Mount Royal, any idea what yours is?

 

[aczdreign]

The bottom of your fridge is all win. Pickles, salsa in tupperware, awesome looking mead, and the Champagne of beers

My plum tree is going to give me a lot of plums this year. They shuold be ready in a month or so. Im going to look for your brewlog and Ill be interested to see how things turned out. Im really excited to try making a plum mead. My tree is a Mount Royal, any idea what yours is?

UN-fortunately, the brewlog for this mead is not featured here, as it was started before I joined and learned the finer arts of log-keeping.
heh.
But if you check out my brewlog (blog) link in my sig, I've recorded the recipe and done my best to re-create a brewlog from memory.
You'll find it listed as #0.

 

[aczdreign]

So I added some Pectic Enzyme tonite, to the tune of 1/2 tsp per gallon, as directed on the bottle. I also added Potassium Sorbate. How long should I expect to wait before I notice a difference?

My tree is a Mount Royal, any idea what yours is?

I missed this the first time around. Mine (I think) is a Laticha Plum. It's actually my dad's he bought it at a local nursery run by a special person's community. It was labeled japanese plum, bit it isnt...They don't know and Laticha is the best answer I can find online. They are small, about halfway between regular plums and cherries, and they're RED inside. Very, very red. Other than that they look like normal plums. They are extremely juicy and very, very sweet.