We kicked off two new batches of sparkling mead this month at Modern Day Meadery and excited to share a bit of the mead-making process here on our blog. Both of these batches are a little smaller than the first batch of Hot For Peacher, but that’s because we’re using our very own fermenter tanks this time around, rather than borrowing someone else’s. We started our first batch of Cherriots of Sour which, if you don’t know, is a sparkling sour cherry lime mead. We also started our first batch of Hops Rule, a hopped sparkling mead, hopped with Galaxy and Simcoe hops.
Here’s a short video we put together on the first day, getting Hops Rule into the tank for fermentation.
We started both Cherriots of Sour and Hops Rule on the same day, though only recorded filling up the Hops Rule tank for fermentation. Fermentation went smoothly and quickly with both batches and within a couple weeks, they were ready to rack and fine. “Racking” is moving it from one container to another, leaving behind all of the spent lees from fermentation behind (to go down the drain). And “fining” is essentially adding a substance that binds to the particulates in solution so that they fall to the bottom, making the liquid clear and pretty to look at. “Clarifying” and “fining” are essentially synonymous in this case.
Here’s a video we put together racking the Cherriots of Sour. For this racking we didn’t use any motors or pumps to move the mead from one tank to the next one. Instead, we hoisted the tank up on a forklift and then good ol’ fashioned gravity did the rest of the work.
These two sparkling meads will age for a month or so, then we’ll get into bottling. Expect to hear more from us in a month or two, as both of these delicious new flavors will be available for purchase in mid-September!
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