SCUM

[BULLSEYE BILL]

I Receintly had good results in attempting a double fermentation, so I had decided to try it again on some rather disapointing mead made from some dregs that I had squeezed from a cut-out.

I racked into three different carboys about four gallons each leaving room for another gallon of honey to be followed with more yeast. That was last Wednesday and after racking I discovered that my honey was at the farm. So I retrieved it this weekend and Sunday night when I got home I added it to two of the carboys. The other one of the three carboys had floaties that looked like the beginning of mold, maybe, or at least patches of foam. I don't remember the term for this and think it is because of too high of o2 amount in the carboy.

My question is should I just pitch it down the drain? Or is there a fix for the situation?

[Ben Brewcat]

Very important: bottle it up and send it to me ASAP for safe disposal! Just kidding smile.gif . The message here is don't ever discard mead unless you're SURE it's a drain-cleaner. Funny patches of foam, odd hazes, weird airlock smells are all par for the course and don't necessarily mean off mead at all. Sometimes aging will dramatically improve a mead that was pretty offensive when young (much like myself :cool: ). How's it taste? As a rule I never discard a mead until it's sat around for at least a year, often more, so I know where it's going. The exception might be one that was clearly and irretrievably infected (ropiness of pellicles with a non-pellicle-forming strain of yeast, vinegary flavor, heavily phenolic flavors, etc.)

[BULLSEYE BILL]

Thanks, guess I'll toss in some more yeast and top off with more honey, after all, it didn't cost me anything.

I had one nasty batch turn around, maybe this one will too.

[Aspera]

I usually pretend that I didn't see that "pellicle" on the many batches that turn out like yours. I have noticed that it only happens on my mead when I use sulfites to sanitize pollen rich meads. It will taste great once you rack and/or bottle and age it.