Cold Crash Failure
03/31/2018
Desperate times call for desperate measures. At least, that's what I've heard other people say when faced with a difficult decision. And I'm now faced with a similar situation with my Orange Blossom Mead after it failed to clear after cold crashing. I've been reading up on how to clarify mead when it refuses to clear up and one option available to me is Bentonite. I ordered some on Amazon when I noticed the other day that I wasn't getting any change to the mead. In short, it's basically food grade cat litter but, “Desperate times call for desperate measures”.
The package arrived today and opening up the smiling package revealed a small one-pound plastic bag of cat litter. The instructions printed on the packaging are for 5 gallons but I’m only making one gallon of mead and will need to cut it down. I opt for using only one teaspoon and add it to some water only to wind up with a spoon covered with a grey slimy mess. Thankfully, I didn’t bother with pictures, tossed the mess, and watched a YouTube video about it instead. Written on the instructions on the package and not read by me is written to use warm water and add gradually.
Take two.
Again, the bentonite starts to clump to the spoon but I press on stirring furiously hoping to dissolve it as seen in the video. After adding the last of the teaspoon, I wipe off the bentonite stuck to the spoon and grabbed a small salad dressing whisk and go at it again. I twirl the whisk between my thumb and finger switching hands as one gets tired wiping it off each time I switch. Eventually, I can slowly feel the watery mess starting to thicken up and see less clumps sticking to the whisk. Slowly, the liquid smooths out and I’m ready to either destroy my mead or save it from being cloudy.
I slowly add the slurry to my mead and watch in amazement as the mead separates instantly into the beautiful clear liquid I had been hoping for. Not really. That’s what I was hoping for but instead it becomes even more cloudy with a grey tinge to it causing me to start wondering what I just did. I set the jug on the top of the freezer and scowl at it eventually walking away to wait impatiently for something to happen. And, after about an hour, I notice a layer of yeast starting to form at the bottom of the jug. Giving it one more stir, I set it back in the meadery to let it sit overnight to see what happens.
UPDATE: 4/1/18
It’s starting to clear up! I was amazed this morning to see such a remarkable difference between the before and after images. I’ve decided to wait and let the mead continue to clear up for the remainder of the week and syphon it off into a clean carboy this weekend. Maybe I’ll even taste it and get an idea of how it will end up when bottled.
