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Sediment after stabilizing and sweetening - what to do now?

Barrel Char Wood Products

AndyPandy

NewBee
Registered Member
Jul 30, 2007
27
0
0
Dear all,
I have the following problem: A batch of melomel that was very clear and fine (racked 2 times since february and seemed very clear and stable) I treated in the following way:
5 days ago I added Potassium sorbate and sulfite to the mead in order to stop fermentation, the next day I added enough honey to sweeten it up from 0.997 to about 1.010 (about 30 grams honey/Liter, so quite much honey). I tried to mix it with a long spon but afterwards it looked a bit unclear, as if the honey had not been properly dissolved or something (I heated the honey though to make it more fluid). The same evening I bottled the mead and it is here I beleive I made my mistake.

Now 5 days afterwards there is a substantial sediment in all bottles. Can it be the honey that is still not properly dissolved, or has the fermentation re-started again even though I added the stabilising agents?

I have also oaked this batch can part of the sediment come from the oak although I kept it in a nylon bag at the time?

Does anyone have any idea what the best procedure is now, should I pour it all out and let it sediment for another week or so and then bottle again?
Looking forward to good suggestions :sad10:
 

wayneb

Lifetime Patron
Lifetime GotMead Patron
I think that you just bottled too early after backsweetening. Solids in the honey are now coming out of suspension. You can either pour it all back into a carboy and wait for clarification to take place, or you can take pains to keep the bottles as still as possible while allowing the sediment to accumulate in the bottom of the bottles. Then, when you serve each bottle, first decant it slowly into another container, leaving behind the sediment.
 

AndyPandy

NewBee
Registered Member
Jul 30, 2007
27
0
0
Thanks for the info!

You are probably right then, I have not opened any bottles yet, so I still do not know if the yeast has continued to ferment or not, but I noticed that this sediment moves more quickly and has a lighter colour than the yeast sediment that I have observed when I just racked too poorly (earlier batches), so hopefully you are right, this is just something that precipitated from the honey and should be OK to serve without any "yeasty" smell/taste. :tongue3:
 
Barrel Char Wood Products

Viking Brew Vessels - Authentic Drinking Horns