2014 batch 1: Cyser (7) - Back sweetening

Time to back sweeten the cyser. Opening the cyser it is almost clear and the milky smell is not pronounced in any way any more. The current Oechsle value is now 18. Last time I measured it, the values was 16 so I assume that the high level of dissolved CO2 interfered with the measurement. The taste is nice - like sherry -but it does need just a little bit more sweetness, so I decided to add honey to 25 degree Oe. Using the same scheme as for the currant mead I get:

My plan was initially to the honey that was left for this batch since I only used 4.8 kg of the 7.2 in stock. But I used it all for back sweetening my currant mead (first to lift the Oe after addition of juice and the rest for back sweetening). Instead I will use the late summer honey. It is quite fragrant compared to the summer initially used for this batch. Hopefully it will give more honey odor initially before the sherry like taste sets in. .... and mask any residual yogurt like smell from the malolactic fermentation.

The procedure is the same: 470 g of honey in a clean bowl. About 1.5 L of cyser, stir for quite a while (but not vigorously) to dissolve the honey and and pour the solution back into the fermenter. Rinse the bowl with another 1 L of cyser.  Then give the fermenter a quick stir and attach the lid and airlock

The next day I checked the mead after it had been settling:

Oe: 25
pH: 3.64 (a little low)

Almost Perfect :o)

Since it is not fermenting any more, I want to cover the mead with a layer of CO2 to avoid oxidation. For this I used my trusted CO2 generator. You can find directions for the generator in Knowledge Tools in top right corner of this blog.