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This is my first time homebrewing. I'm making mead with apples but noticed that some of the sliced apples lies above the liquid level.

  1. Do I need to push them down?
  2. Will the apple rot and spoil the mead if I don't?
  3. Is it necessary to siphon the mead to other containers to continue fermentation? I've seen some videos where people do so but I had no idea why.
  4. Do I need to add campden tablets once I am done with the fermentation?

Thanks in advance.

Glorfindel
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menotyou
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1 Answers1

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Let me see if I can answer your questions. I have years of experience with making beer, wine and mead...

  1. No, leave the apples alone until fermentation is done.
  2. No, the alcohol will stop any rotting. Your mead might be spoiled from another source of contamination (remember good sanitation) but as long as there is alcohol the apples won't rot.
  3. It is advisable to move the mead from the fermentation vessel to a second one for aging. Mead is more like wine than beer and will benefit from some aging and clarification in a second vessel. This would involve leaving the fruit behind.
  4. While it's not 100% necessary to add sulfites (campden tablets) to you mead, it will preserve and protect it from oxidation. Like wine they should be added when you move it to the second vessel for aging.
farmersteve
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  • BTW, here is a good write up on adding fruit to your mead (Fruit based mead is also called Melomel) http://www.winning-homebrew.com/melomels.html – farmersteve Jun 22 '17 at 16:57
  • Will adding apples have much of an effect on the resulting mead? I'm used to people using apple juice (cider) when making mead with apples (cyser). – Monica Cellio Jun 23 '17 at 03:04
  • I'm sure the effect of sliced apples will be minimal on the flavor profile, but it can't hurt. Apple juice or puree would've been a better choice. – farmersteve Jun 23 '17 at 14:02