Oil slick on top of mead

[treyntowin]

I wanted to try an experiment with making an Acai mead. Sanitized just like normal, looked at the ingredients that I was able to get; the Sambazon brand Acai puree (unsweetened), with nothing in there except for < .5% vitamin c and soy lecithin.

I've never seen an oil slick like this before. Is this common with berry-based meads? I didn't see it in my Apricot mead.

Also; hard to tell, but the discolorations in the oil are fermentation bubble pockets, I watched them form and shift around.

 

[karch]

That sure does look interesting. What's your recipe? Does it smell at all? Lecithin is essentially phospholipids, so would l imagine that is what you're seeing there... When you rack, I would do your best to leave that behind.

 

[treyntowin]

Okay, good. It doesn't smell, it's just odd-looking. Then again, I don't have the greatest sense of smell, but my roomies aren't saying it smells particularly off.

The recipe was 14 lbs honey, 2.4 kilos of the puree, and water. I had to really mess with it a bit because the initial amount of honey wasn't enough to raise the gravity high enough, so I threw in the rest of what I had on hand (ending up at 14 pounds of honey) and I'm still worried about it not being strong enough. Because I added the extra honey after initial mixture, it's ending up at more than 5 gallons, so this is a very un-scientific recipe. If it turns out to not be absolutely horrid (rather than 'oh, this needs more ___) then I'll probably do a second batch with more scientific rigor.

Thanks for the answer!

 

[Dan_K]

I wonder if you can carefully skim the oil out of there with a sanitized spoon? That's what I would do.

 

[bernardsmith]

I would think that the oil would coat your carboy if you were to rack the mead. Skimming it out might be a good approach. Skimming, or perhaps trying to coat coffee filter paper with this oily lecithin

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Acai berry is also rich in medium chain fatty acids like oleic acid (omega-9) and linoleic acid (omega-6). You might try chilling the carbouy to the point the fat/oil solidifies & rack to another carbouy, leaving the solidified fat/oil behind. You could also use a paper filter to help catch smaller solidified particles.
Regards, GF.

 

[brwmistr]

Okay, good. It doesn't smell, it's just odd-looking. Then again, I don't have the greatest sense of smell, but my roomies aren't saying it smells particularly off.

The recipe was 14 lbs honey, 2.4 kilos of the puree, and water. I had to really mess with it a bit because the initial amount of honey wasn't enough to raise the gravity high enough, so I threw in the rest of what I had on hand (ending up at 14 pounds of honey) and I'm still worried about it not being strong enough. Because I added the extra honey after initial mixture, it's ending up at more than 5 gallons, so this is a very un-scientific recipe. If it turns out to not be absolutely horrid (rather than 'oh, this needs more ___) then I'll probably do a second batch with more scientific rigor.

Thanks for the answer!

If Im reading this right you put 14lbs in 5gallons and you don't think your gravity will be good? I used 3.975Kg Honey to 18Liters and my gravity was 1.066 so yours should be 1.125 or close to it. If it was close to that and you used a good high floc. yeast you should be close to 14-18% ABV

 

[treyntowin]

If Im reading this right you put 14lbs in 5gallons and you don't think your gravity will be good? I used 3.975Kg Honey to 18Liters and my gravity was 1.066 so yours should be 1.125 or close to it. If it was close to that and you used a good high floc. yeast you should be close to 14-18% ABV

I was basing my recipe off of a suggestion from my local brewer supply company, which called for about 10 pounds of honey and 5 pounds of blueberries (getting the rest of the sugar from the berries) in order to make an ABV of 15%-ish. Problem was that when I took the measurement, it was coming up about 11%. At that point, I added another 4 lbs of honey (all that I had on hand) and ended up with about 14%, unless I completely took my measurements wrong (which is wholly possible, I am still new at this).

Also, in regards to chilling, I wouldn't have thought of doing that, probably for the reason that if I understand it correctly, what that will mean is that the yeast will go into hibernation and come out of suspension, floc, and that will stop the fermentation process. This is not quite to the point of being racked for the first time. Are you suggesting that I chill, rack, and that's the end of it? I ask because I keep hearing about how you shouldn't rack except when you have to because of oxidization, or that you should rack once a month to take away sediment and keep clearing.

 

[Drewed]

The issue is the sugars that are in the fruit won't be readable. Your potential avb was mostly just water and honey. You have to math in the fruit sugars.

As for racking, well, that is a very varied topic. Some rack early and often, and other rack only befor bottleing.

I will rack from primary to secondary after about a month to get the mead off the majority of lees. I then tend to leave it alone until I get ready to bottle. At which point I will cold crash ( if I have room!) stabilize and rack into bottling bucket for back sweetening.

 

[growlrr]

Maybe I'm just being paranoid but I'm about to start my first bottling of several batches from one gallon carboys. I want to back-sweeten so my plan is 1) carboy to bottling bucket 2) back-sweeten and mix 3) bottling bucket to bottle and cork finish. As long as I keep splashing to a minimum, any chance of oxidation?

 

[bernardsmith]

The general feeling is that meads don't oxidize as easily as wine do but everything is relative and even wines don't necessarily oxidize so very quickly. Oxidation is the same as rusting.. and if the paint on your car is scraped off your car does not rust the next day... Sure, if you leave your wines in an open fermenter for weeks or months then all bets are off but bottling really does not result in obvious oxidation.. and indeed, micro-oxidation is often desired which is why bottles are corked and not capped...

 

[gratus fermentatio]

Also, in regards to chilling, I wouldn't have thought of doing that, probably for the reason that if I understand it correctly, what that will mean is that the yeast will go into hibernation and come out of suspension, floc, and that will stop the fermentation process. This is not quite to the point of being racked for the first time. Are you suggesting that I chill, rack, and that's the end of it? I ask because I keep hearing about how you shouldn't rack except when you have to because of oxidization, or that you should rack once a month to take away sediment and keep clearing.

Depends on what temp the oils/fats solidify & how long you leave the must at that temp. Though, even if the yeast does go domant & even if it does fall out of suspension, simply warming it up to proper fermentation temps & giving the sediment a GENTLE stir to re-suspend the yeast, it should just pick up right where it left off.

Without chilling, filtration is the only other way to get rid of the oilslick that I know of & even then, I'm not sure what filter media would work on oils/fats, but let water, alcohol & yeast go through.
I'd chill it & rack it, making sure to get a healthy dose of sediment for a continued fermentation. The post rack fermentation may proceed slowly, but it should pick up, especially if you give it a 1/2 dose of yeast nutrient/energizer.
It's your mead, it's up to you, do what you think is best.
Regards, GF.

 

[Beejuicer]

You might also add more liquid gently to push the slick out the top or sanitized marbles until the slick is pushed out . Messy but effective I would think.

 

[brwmistr]

I have used many different methods to prevent oxygen;
1) K.I.S.S Method put a long food grade tube in your bucket or carboy so it coils the bottom at least once and let gravity do the rest!
2) Get a special bung that will take a siphon tube and the other attach to a Vacuum pump on low to pulling out the O2 from the bucket or carboy (need a vacuum pump and special fittings yada yada!
3) put CO2 gas into your carboy while siphoning from the first ferment chamber. This will force out the O2 in your carboy as the levels rise. This option is only if you already CO2 your beer or Meads thus have the equipment.
I like number one as it's cheap and keeps the cost down and I have many 5 gallon batches under my belt that have never spoiled with this procedure.