Red and white meads

[DoktahD]

I'm about to start 3 dry meads based on rainforest honey (medium dark, rich but not cloyingly sweet). The 1st is a light wine with a mild lemongrass (that's fever grass to my Belizian compatriots) additive to brighten the flavor. The 2nd will be a red mead with a strong pitahaya (cactus or "dragon" fruit) additive. The 3rd another red based on Sorrel as the flavor. At what point and to what degree do I add acid?

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

You are going to add acid depending on the acid levels of each ingredient, I would think that the lemongrass has little acid, the catus a little and what the heck is sorrel in the jungle? Added at the start before you add the yeast will make the correct environment for the yeast which like an acidic media. 1 tsp of acid blend raises 1 gallon of water 0.15 TA, honey has a little acid, so about 3 tsp gal for the low acid lemon grass would work, no idea what the acid levels are of the others. Although lemon grass smells and tastes fantastic, would concentrating that flavor make your mead taste like Pledge?? I hope not! CC

 

[mmadmikes1]

In all wines set PH of must before adding yeast. Yeast like acid environment and does it best when PH is correct. that number is up for discussion I set at 3.3 to 3.6

 

[fatbloke]

But adding acid up front can make for difficult fermentation as the honey is already acidic enough (test a mix of honey and water to the ratio that's gonna be fermented and you'll see).

It would depend on what you want them to turn out like at the end. If youre aiming for sweeter then often acid additions of acid too taste may be necessary but if you're aiming for dry then often its not necessary..... its a matter of balance.

I never add acid up front......

 

[GreginND]

Actually honey is generally low in acid as musts for fermentation go. You really need to measure it. The pH of pure honey can range from 3.4 to 6.1 !! When you add water, that dilutes the acid even more.

Fermentations are usually more difficult with meads because of lack of nutrients, not high acid.

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

FB, from the book "Must" honey has:
0.1-0.2% TA. Most wine aims for 0.6+. Typically honey is diluted about 1part to 4 parts, so its only at the most .04% TA. We actually measure the TA of our fruit juice diluted to 4 gallons before we add the honey and adjust it based on the 0.04% added by the honey in the overall 5 gallons of must. This acid is gluconic acid, I think some people have mentioned it interferes with getting a good TA measurement? Honey pH can range from 3.4 to 6.1, but can 1 gallon of honey buffer 5 gallons of must? Creating an acidic environment for the yeast is very important for many reasons, and may be why so many people struggle to get good fermentations with mead. CC/WVMJ

But adding acid up front can make for difficult fermentation as the honey is already acidic enough (test a mix of honey and water to the ratio that's gonna be fermented and you'll see).

It would depend on what you want them to turn out like at the end. If youre aiming for sweeter then often acid additions of acid too taste may be necessary but if you're aiming for dry then often its not necessary..... its a matter of balance.

I never add acid up front......

 

[DoktahD]

OK, now I'm confused but, clearly, I need a ph meter as there's not too much disagreement about proper ph, mostly where diluted honey tends to fall. Thank you all for highlighting the relevant issues, from here I can work it out.

 

[fatbloke]

OK, now I'm confused but, clearly, I need a ph meter as there's not too much disagreement about proper ph, mostly where diluted honey tends to fall. Thank you all for highlighting the relevant issues, from here I can work it out.

Which equally is my confusion as well. Given that apparently, the predominant acid in honey is Gluconic acid - which equally (apparently) confuses the hell out of most of the usual acid testing....

Plus while I'd dispute the above pH range suggested but only to reduce it somewhat (having never found a honey must as low in acid as 6.1 pH which isnt far from saliva and not a million miles from neutral). The lower figure I'd have thought correct/accurate as most of my batches have shown a mid-3 ph reading and on one occasion I measured a mid-4 and that's quite acidic compared to most frequently encountered foostuffs, yet while not lemon juice or vinegar that's more than enough for yeast to ferment properly/well.....

So if honey is "low" on acid how do you explain the pH figures ?

After all, if you tested a fresh wine grape must you'd get similar numbers and you wouldn't add acid to that until after it's fermented - and then only to taste (and yes I've got 18 gallons of Merlot, Shiraz/Syrrah and Tempranillo ageing)......

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

FB, total titratable acid and pH are not the same thing. You can alter the pH of water with just a little bit of acid like lemon juice. Acid blends dont immediately dissociate and contribute H+ to alter the pH. I am horrible at explaining chemistry, sorry. CC