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Mead Lovers Digest #1514
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Subject: Mead Lover's Digest #1514, 14 February 2011
From: mead-request@talisman.com
Mead Lover's Digest #1514 14 February 2011
Mead Discussion Forum
Contents:
sulfite drama ("ME (@rn)")
screwcaps and sulfites (Dick Dunn)
Questions (Lorne Marchant)
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Digest Janitor: Dick Dunn
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Subject: sulfite drama
From: "ME (@rn)" <strange_brewer_2003@yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 2 Feb 2011 16:15:12 -0800 (PST)
Just for the sake of spreading what I believe to be knowledge rather
than opinion:
Sulfites are produced by yeast itself in a small quantity, in fact some
wines contain enough that the gov't requires them to be labeled as "contains
sulfites" even though none were added by human hands. On the other hand,
perhaps too much of the stuff would be "toxic". I assume everyone here
has added salt to their food, but did you know that in too large a dose
it is toxic?
Now, for opinion/experience:
I've never tasted a difference between thes two methods. I have noticed,
however that the no-heat method (with sulfite or without) make a much more
floral mead than heating/boiling does.
"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy
enough people to make it worth the effort." -- Herm Albright.
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Subject: screwcaps and sulfites
From: Dick Dunn <rcd@talisman.com>
Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2011 00:08:08 -0700
Carl McMillin had some good notes on screwcaps. In particular, he pointed
out that they're more used elsewhere--he mentioned NZ and France; I believe
it's also true of Oz. My comments about screwcaps only on low-end wines
apply to the US, and I should have made that clear.
Unfortunately, the cheap shot "Chateau Screwcap" is still alive and well
in the US. I see and hear the negative attitude toward screw caps, but I
certainly don't agree with it! In fact, I'm working with a local meadery
to produce commercial cider (my main interest), and it's going into
screw-cap bottles specifically because that's the right closure.
_ _ _ _ _
Sulfites...sigh...there are valid points on both sides of the sulfite
question, so why does it have to be brought down to the level of American
politics?!? The sneering and belittling on both sides is out of place.
So, herewith, a few views and facts pro and con.
The "toxin" label for sulfites, and asking someone to identify his sulfited
mead as "toxic" is purely inflammatory. No factual reason.
The fact is that the main toxin in mead is ethanol, and we put it there
on purpose! There are additional toxins--fusel alcohols--far more toxic
than ethanol, but present at far lower concentrations. Any sulfite would
be below those two.
The practice of sulfiting is not a "shortcut", nor is it done by those
who are making an inferior product. It's an established method, with
a couple thousand years of sound experience and 99%+ of the world's
winemakers behind it, for good reasons. BUT note that while it is used
on wine and cider, it's not used with beer. There are reasons for this,
and they have to be taken into account when deciding whether it's
appropriate to use sulfites in OUR goal - a mead.
The argument, "I don't sulfite and my meads are great" is empty, unless
you've got a lot of experience and interaction with many tasters and
meadmakers. You can make a (relatively) lousy mead, and come to like it.
When you serve it to your friends, they'll like it too, since the price
is right! Of course this argument works the same for "I DO sulfite and it
makes my meads better."
In evaluating the benefit/risk tradeoffs of sulfites, it's also important
to understand "why", "when", and "how much". There's a time and place for
them. They're not a panacea, nor something you do "just in case", unless
you have some facts to back up the caution.
Just for example--I said I work with a meadmaker on cider. He -never-
sulfites his meads. (Nor have I sulfited mine, except as an experiment.)
But we -always- sulfite the cider; it would be daft NOT to! Different
situations, many quantitative differences.
Now, about the "when": Sulfiting pre-fermentation can kill wild yeasts
(depending on dosage) and will prevent mold/fungus/bacteria. Sulfite
added early on will be bound up during fermentation, so this isn't what
causes sulfite-sensitivity reactions. There is a narrow range for the
need/effectiveness of sulfites here: Below pH 3.1 they are unnecessary
because the pH alone inhibits microbial problems. Above pH 3.8 they don't
work. In between, the amount of SO2 required is a function of pH...the
3.8 upper limit is also where the amount required starts to push the
legal/safe limit of 200 ppm.
(The pH of a traditional mead-must is a can of worms; I hope somebody
can step in with facts on that.)
Broad experience says that meads don't need an early dose of sulfites.
Note also that you're not preventing oxidation at that time.
Later sulfiting might happen at racking after fermentation is effectively
done but you're not ready to bottle. In this case you're using it to
prevent a small number of potential problems, such as film yeast. You
- -could- use it to prevent acetobacter (vinegar bacteria) but the proper
way to prevent that is by excluding oxygen. Again, broad experience says
that sulfite at this point isn't needed for mead, particularly if you can
limit oxygen by proper fill of the vessels, backfill with CO2 or N2, etc.
Again for comparison, it's common to sulfite cider at this point.
Finally, you might sulfite (lightly!) at bottling. This would be to limit
oxidation over time. Should you do it? And if so, how much? First off,
it's far more likely you'd want to do it for a melomel than for a
traditional mead: Oxidation will do more to damage fruit character.
The amount of oxidation in a just-honey mead, with bottles properly
filled, closed with a tight cap or good cork, may be only as much as you
would want to give the mead additional character...whereas if you don't
want your raspberry melomel to fade out to orange by ten years, you might
want more protection. It's hard to give concrete numbers here, because
it depends on your process up to that point, plus how you bottle.
Nowadays I bottle by doing my last racking into a Corny keg, putting
pressure to it for a day or three (depending on whether I want sparkle
in the result) and bottling with a simple tap. I fill bottles and set
the caps on, then come along behind and crimp them down. In the time
between fill and crimp, the mead will release some CO2 into the headspace
of the bottle, reducing the O2. I also use a high fill. Therefore I
see no need to sulfite, although I'm considering giving it a try on half
the next batch of melomel.
Back to how much, at bottling. From a lot of what I've discussed and
heard, 25 ppm would be a reasonable minimum. A typical standard dose
is 50 ppm. The challenge is this: You want the sulfite you add to be
just enough, because any extra will be a risk to sulfite-sensitive people
(i.e., it will remain "free"). But you want to have enough to maintain
the protection. My -personal- preference is to err on the side of
caution (lower dose) with my ciders, since I'm using the sulfite to
prevent microbial contamination. As I say, I've not done it with meads.
If the dose is low, you'll get a bit of oxidation, which may be just fine.
Last almost-trivial note: Campden tablets are supposed to be standardized
so that one tablet gives 50 ppm SO2 per gallon...but it's often forgotten
that this convenience is British, and an imperial gallon is 20% more than
an American gallon. So, for 50 ppm SO2 in a 5 US gallon batch, you'd use
4 tablets, not 5.
- --
Dick Dunn rcd@talisman.com Hygiene, Colorado USA
------------------------------
Subject: Questions
From: Lorne Marchant <lornemarchant@yahoo.com>
Date: Fri, 11 Feb 2011 17:46:47 -0800 (PST)
Hello,
I just read the info on you website (main page) and I have a couple questions
for you. I just started looking into making my own spirited beverages.
I saw a recipe on another site that seemed much more simple than what I
read on your site. The main difference was boiling and I'm not sure what
to think?
That said, I'm a beginner with a limited budget (hence trying to make my
own drink). Do you have a suggestion for a total beginner such as myself?
I'd like to try something that doesn't take too long to make if that's
possible? That way I can drink it sooner and see how this whole thing works.
I figure I can experiment with more complicated brews a little later on
as my knowledge increases.
Thanks in advance for your time and for all the info on the website,
Lorne
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End of Mead Lover's Digest #1514
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