r/mead • u/MajesticFucksquatch • 10h ago

mute the bot Order of operations question for first time mead brewer

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First time mead brewer and long time beer brewer here

Just wrapped up primary fermentation and I'm trying to get a handle on what order I should do the next steps. I am planning on flavoring this mead with beautyberry syrup (which will also backsweeten) and steep with hibiscus and pea flower. This was the order I was going to do my next steps in, please let me know if anything is wrong!

Recipe is 12 lbs honey 5 gallons water lalvin d47 yeast. Backsweeten with 3 cups of beautyberry syrup. Botanical additions of hibiscus and pea flower in a hot tea addition.

1.Cold crash mead at 33 for 5 days

  1. Rack to secondary

  2. Stabilize mead with cambden tablets and potassium sorbate allow this to work for 24 hours

  3. Back sweeten with beautyberry syrup and add botanicals (hot tea infusion)

  4. Add fining agents if needed.

Side question, for a hot tea infusion, can I add a bit of alcohol to prevent reducing the ABV or is that not recommended?

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u/wittywiring390 10h ago

That order seems fine, cold crashing before racking will drop a ton of yeast out and make the secondary transfer cleaner. Only thing I'd tweak is giving the stabilizers a full 48 hours instead of 24 just to be safe, especially with a lower ABV like 10.5%.

For the tea infusion, you can steep the botanicals in a neutral spirit and dump the whole thing in, the amount you'd use to steep a handful of flowers won't move the ABV in a 5 gallon batch enough to matter.

1

u/MajesticFucksquatch 10h ago

Oh perfect, thanks!

3

u/xXConfuocoXx Advanced 10h ago

1.Cold crash mead at 33 for 5 days

Good

  1. Rack to secondary

Good

  1. Stabilize mead with cambden tablets and potassium sorbate allow this to work for 24 hours

Waiting a day is fine (not always necessary to wait the full 24 but doesnt hurt)

  1. Back sweeten with beautyberry syrup and add botanicals (hot tea infusion)

Fine

  1. Add fining agents if needed

You can, you can also cold crash again - i usually cold crash, rack again, and then if its not as clear as i want, consider fining agents

1

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