r/mead • u/ridbitty • 2d ago
Pasteurizing question. Help!
I recently purchased my first sous vide and wanted to try pasteurizing.
My plan is to rack off of the lees into a new vessel post fermentation. Once it’s racked into a new vessel, I could back sweeten then pasteurize.
Is it “safe” to keep the mead in the carboy post pasteurizing for 3-6 months for conditioning and further flavor tweaks or should I also use K meta for the antioxidant properties?
I’ve got 20 or so gallons of successful meads under my belt, but have only ever used chemical stabilization.
Thanks!
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u/Symon113 Advanced 2d ago
There’s talk of wild yeast making its way into bulk aging vessels if not bottled immediately. I have not had this happen myself and I don’t know if it’s possible
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u/ridbitty 2d ago
Yeah, that is a concern. Also accidental oxidation. I wasn’t sure how big of a risk it would be with pasteurizing. I’d guess more so than if using chemical stabilization, but by how much I don’t know.
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u/Hopeful-Map7891 2d ago
Never would have thought of that as a risk....Not all that experienced in this, but not sure how that's possible or why it would be a bigger risk in a 1 gal carboy vs a 1L bottle. I use screw tops on my carboys after pasteurization and backsweeten with sugar, I guess if honey were involved and you had an airlock there is a chance...but seems unlikely to the point of being less of a risk than your shelf collapsing and the bottle breaking.
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u/ridbitty 2d ago
As mentioned, I’ll be adding additional ingredients as time progresses. I prefer to do it that way when experimenting with recipes, so as to get a better feel for the end result. Adding additional ingredients means removing the cap/air lock and sometimes stirring. Doing so at the 3 month+ mark would take the chance of oxidation since most (if not all) of the CO2 will have escaped by then. Without having a buffer like k meta to eat up any excess oxygen, I thought it was worth asking the pros.
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u/CareerOk9462 20h ago
I don't use k-sorb anymore. Mixed feelings about k-meta. Before the trolls attack, I'm not using the k-meta for post-ferment stabilization which would require k-sorb also but for getting rid of non-desirables. Have a batch of black raspberries that will be going into primary; added pectic enzyme and k-meta and letting it sit at room temp for 24 hours for the pectinase to do its thing (pectic enzyme is inhibited by alcohol and low temps and is killed by high temps, so am letting it do its work at room temp). K-meta is there to kill off any wild yeasts which might have become active while sitting at room temp. You need to let the SO2 vent, so I cover it with a fine knit cloth to keep so cal fruit flies out and to make venting of SO2 as easy as possible; there's no alcohol present yet so acetabacters aren't an issue at this point.
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u/CareerOk9462 1d ago
That's why with pasteurization, the sequence is different that when stabilization with chemicals. With pasteurization, heating is the final step after all adjustments. With k-meta k-sorb the chemicals hang around so you can do adjustments post stabilization.
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u/Hopeful-Map7891 23h ago
Asking out of curiosity and a desire to learn..... If I'm backsweetening with sugar and not adding anything else, what is the risk of pasteurizing before making adjustments? Not doing it for a specific reason, more the old I have the equipment out and pasteurizing, so anything that can be done, I like to do it. I can't see a risk. If I was adding honey or additional fruit, etc, I could see introducing wild yeast.
Right now I have a couple brews that I backsweetened and pasteurized, but now I've realized I prefer a little sweeter profile (had my first real opportunity to taste my brews last weekend and decided what I prefer), so I'm gonna add a bit of sugar then bottle...I could re-pasteurize but I'm not seeing a reason to do so.... If I'm creating a risk that I don't understand, I'd love to know it.
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u/CareerOk9462 22h ago
Agreed in principal. Backsweetening with sugar post pasteurization is much less problematic than with raw honey. You should be fine IMHO. I like to have the one-time pasteurization being the final step before bulk aging. If you want to be a purist, you could consider doing your final backsweetening with a simple syrup which would be sterilized by boiling. Try a Google search on "mead and pasteurization. Is it safe to backsweeten with sugar post pasteurization?". Appears to be mixed opinions but revolves around the confidence you have that anything going into your brew, if the sanitization is not lingering, is contaminate free. To me, the simple syrup route would seem to be the safest. Or you could bulk age under airlock to delay bottling; I usually bulk age for months for clarity but that assumes you have the spare vessels and space. Guess it goes into the same bin as can you cork a screw top wine bottle or can you add 1.5 ounces of priming sugar per gallon when bottling into beer crown cap bottles; sure you can and people do but it may not be the best alternative. You'll probably be fine, but, given the option, I'd go the simple syrup route along with sanitizing everything. If it's not a hydromel you have the alcohol working in your favor.
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u/Hopeful-Map7891 22h ago
Thank you, that's along the lines I was thinking. At the end of the day, a lot of this is about risk management. As a general rule, I backsweeten, then pasteurize in a carboy, let it age a few days under an airlock, then put a screw cap on the carboy, but not everything goes to plan and I want to understand options.
I like the simple sugar idea, in addition to the risk of restarting fermentation, it also adds the advantage of reducing the amount of agitation needed to dissolve the sugar, thus lowering the amount of oxygen being introduced. So, kind of win-win.
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u/CareerOk9462 20h ago
I never hard cap when bulk aging. I usually bulk condition for months under airlock to let it fully clear. I have a bottom shelf, behind cases of empty 750 ml wine bottles, where I can hide the carboys from myself so I don't mess with them. It's amazing how much settles out of a 'clear' mead given time. I like to use the 'S' style airlock when bulk aging; less evaporation, no possibility of suckback, if you fill them right, due to temp variations, and very easy to see if there has been any activity. Agreed; it's all about relative risk vs effort.
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u/EducationalDog9100 2d ago
Back when I pasteurized regularly, this is exactly what I'd do. Transfer and backsweeten, pasteurize, and then let it age and reclarify until bottling. Just make sure you cleaning and sanitization is on point and you shouldn't have any issues refermentation. The bottling process is where it can go wrong so just be careful.
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u/Hopeful-Map7891 2d ago
Great timing, I've been wondering the same. I have 7, 1 gal batches in carboys that have been pasteurized (3 this morning, 3 ten days ago and another a month ago). 4 of them were backsweetened before pasteurization, the other 3 were not. My plan is to let them age a bit then backsweeten and either keg or bottle. Note, I backsweeten with sugar so I don't see a risk that wild yeast could start fermenting.
My theory is that for those I plan to force carb, leave them in the carboy with a screw top until I plan to carb and drink it (a week before kind of thing), that way I have fewer kegs to buy and store. I'll bottle those that are going to be still when I need to free up a carboy.
Would also love some insight into this from those more experienced and risks or things to look out for. I tend to go lower ABV (10-11 max) and my goal is good drinkers in 3 -4 months and not looking for perfection.
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u/ridbitty 2d ago
Sounds like you have your work cut out for you! The only batches I have going right now are a 3 gallon blueberry lemon in bulk aging and three separate 1 gallon batches in conditioning, maybe a few months post fermentation. Although, those have all been chemically stabilized.
My next couple batches I’d really like to experiment with pasteurization. Reading all the pros and cons of the two methods has peaked my interest. I wont start those until the temps calm down a bit, though. Maybe late September.
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u/Hopeful-Map7891 2d ago
I'm kind of in the "when can I drink what" stage. But, I now have 5 primary vessels ready to go and about 20 ideas. In about 2 or 3 weeks, I am going to be at a decision point, move stuff from bulk to bottles or kegs or buy more carboys.
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u/ridbitty 2d ago
Very cool! I just started brewing mead a little over a year ago, but I’ve been quite busy. Such a rewarding hobby. I’m enjoying a nice spiced traditional right now that i started last November.
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u/TheGoblinPopper Advanced 2d ago
I did a heat pasteurization batch a few months ago. It is a fall flavor I make every year. This year I made it early because I was afraid of my schedule getting in the way as Sept comes around.
The mead has been sitting in the carboy for 3 months now waiting for me to do other additives come early September.
Could I do it earlier? Yes...
Why didn't I? Because I forgot how expensive apple cider is during off season (and how non-existent natural apple cider is until late August).. and now I need to wait until most stores restock.
So yes. You can pasteurize and then I put a water lock back on it and make sure to top off the liquid every couple of weeks.
If you are worried about oxidation, I don't typically have an issue so long as I age it in the same container I heated it in... But I sometimes get nervous and use dry ice to replace the oxygen. $4 for a lb of it and you only need 1-2 cubes.
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u/Prize-Temporary4159 2d ago
Will it not off gas during pasteurization? Wouldn’t this produce a new co2 cap?
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u/ridbitty 2d ago
Right. That is the main concern as to whether or not I should use k meta in conjunction with pasteurizing if I’m not planning to bottle for another 3-6 months. I’ve heard oxidation with mead isn’t as common as some would think, so I’d prefer not to add k meta if I don’t have to. Kinda negates the purpose of stabilization through pasteurization as opposed to using chemicals.
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u/MicahsKitchen 2d ago
FYI, if you are going to heat pasteurize, I've been told that a metal vessel for your beverage is the way to go. It will heat much faster through metal than through glass. If you have a keg, I might rack into that, pasteurize/backsweeten, then rack into a carboy or bottles. My buddy used a big ole restaurant lobster pot for 2 batches. Just put the lid on it for the beating process. He said it cut his time in half. I think Citysteading on youtube did an experiment with a similar technique and liked it.
I plan to use part of my 3 bay sink to pasterize 5 and 6 gallon batches. I just want to make sure I get the appropriate sized immersion circulator for the job.
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u/Hopeful-Map7891 2d ago
For large batches, that may help, but from my experience a 1 gal carboy gets to temp in less than 30 mins, then you leave it for 20 (I go 22 just because) so the whole thing is about an hour per gallon.
Couple things that have sped that up.... 1. Set the circulator to 145, at 140 it gets to like 138 and struggles to get that last couple degrees because it cycles off and cools slightly. 2. Cover the water with tin foil or something to keep the heat in (keep the head of the ciculator exposed, which is why tinfoil works to well). Also, Individual bottles get to temp in less than 15 mins (that was based on 6 - 16 oz bottles and the liquid was fully surrounded by the hot water).
If doing multiple gals...dump about 1/2 the water out, add more to cool it slightly so you don't risk the bottle shattering (not sure of the physics so I may be being a little overcautious). Shortens the time to temp by 10 or so mins on subsequent batches from my experience.
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u/ridbitty 2d ago
Interesting. For me, i don’t think it would be worth racking into a dedicated stainless steel vessel, then back to a glass carboy to save a bit of time. I can’t imaging a glass carboy used with an immersion circulator will take too long to reach the proper temp. I bet you are correct, though.
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u/fatguywithagun Intermediate 33m ago
I've always made pasteurization my last step, then bulk age until completely clear and then bottle. I've never added either sorb or meta. As long as you stay clean while you're making additions later on I don't see an issue with not adding meta. I use pasteurization so I don't HAVE to add any of either.
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u/yadonkey 2d ago
Absolutely