Bottled But Yeast Sediment

earthwormgaz · Feb 21, 2017

Hi forum,

I had a go at some mead recently. It seemed to get stuck pretty sweet, maybe 1.020 or something like that. It tasted nice at that point anyway, so I bottled it.

Now, I didn't expect this, but it seems to have unstuck after racking into bottles, and I've ended up with yeast sludge in the large wine bottles, and I could swear it's gone a little fizzy!

So, if I pour it out like this, I get yeast sludge swirling up into the bottle, and maybe my glass.

If I rack it, will it into another set of bottles (I made a gallon), will I lose the fizz? Will I ruin it at this late stage?

It still tastes very nice already, maybe a month or so in the bottle!

Dutto · Feb 21, 2017

Yep! Looks like it was stuck when you bottled it. :thumb:

Leaving it in the bottles "as is" isn't really an option as you may finish up with some spectacular fountains at unexpected moments. e.g. When opening a bottle at the table.

Two simple choices (neither of which will spoil the wine) are:

1. Rack it off back into a sanitised DJ, fit an air-lock and leave it alone for another month in the hope that it will carry on fermenting and the yeast will tidy up the remaining sugars.

2. Rack it off into sanitised bottles and re-cork in the belief that fermentation has now finished and the mead will clear in the bottle.

In both events you will lose the "fizz" (which shouldn't have been there in the first place) and you may also lose a lot of the sweetness as the sugar is turned into alcohol.

A third option is to rack the mead into champagne style bottles that can take the added pressure and thereby retain the "fizz". However, this is fraught with danger because not knowing how much more fermentation is about to take place means that you will stand the chance of making a genuinely dangerous "bottle bomb"!

A fourth option is to rack it into a sanitised DJ and use a Stabiliser to stop all fermentation and then re-bottle the mead. This will retain the sweetness and remove the potential for fermentation to re-start.

Wilco do a good Stabiliser.

The decision is yours. Enjoy! :whistle:

Tanzanite · Feb 21, 2017

Mead needs bulk aging , i am in the process of mead making , get it back into the demi johns air lock and leave it another month then rack and age for another 3 months, then bottle and age again drink at christmas.

tonyhibbett · Feb 22, 2017

Leave the sediment to settle firmly at the bottom. It will actually improve the flavour over time. Careful pouring should not disturb the sediment until the very end. If it got stuck at 1020 and the yeast has restarted fermenting, then the pressure in the bottle will become too much. If you are using corks, these will blow out, whereas screw tops usually start leaking gas. Storing the bottles (upright) in a very cool spot will stop further fermentation.

earthwormgaz · Feb 24, 2017

All the bottles are actually screw top ones, and I doubt they're sealed well enough to blow up ... touch wood.

So will the yeast sludge actually settle hard at the bottom then? I suppose that's the easiest thing, rather than racking back into the demi john, and back into more bottles.

Tanzanite · Feb 24, 2017

earthwormgaz said:
All the bottles are actually screw top ones, and I doubt they're sealed well enough to blow up ... touch wood.

So will the yeast sludge actually settle hard at the bottom then? I suppose that's the easiest thing, rather than racking back into the demi john, and back into more bottles.

Gaz were are you in nottingham i am also nottingham

Dutto · Feb 25, 2017

earthwormgaz said:
All the bottles are actually screw top ones, and I doubt they're sealed well enough to blow up ... touch wood.

So will the yeast sludge actually settle hard at the bottom then? I suppose that's the easiest thing, rather than racking back into the demi john, and back into more bottles.

Good luck with the bottles. :whistle:

The sediment will settle and harden up over time but you will have to wait a couple of months before you will be able to pour down to the last 2mm or so.

You will always have to pour gently, try not to "glug" as you pour and keep a close eye on the beer to stop sediment getting into the glass.

However, the good news is that "cloudy beer" isn't toxic and a bit of sediment won't spoil the taste of the beer. :thumb:

It will probably taste just fine so get the next brew on! :thumb:

terrym · Feb 25, 2017

earthwormgaz said:
So will the yeast sludge actually settle hard at the bottom then? I suppose that's the easiest thing, rather than racking back into the demi john, and back into more bottles.

Some yeasts settle very well, others don't. So it all depends on what yeast you have used. You could look for the yeast data sheet if its a 'proper' yeast and find out how well it flocculates which is a measure of how it will pack down.

tonyhibbett · Feb 26, 2017

If you are concerned about excessive pressure, you can slightly unscrew the cap to release some gas and then re-tighten.

Bottled But Yeast Sediment

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