Sunlight vs Mead Making | Uncovering the Truth |
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- čas přidán 20. 08. 2024
- Today we're testing the theory that fermenting your mead in direct sunlight will cause issues! This theory is rooted in beer brewing. We know that beer has hops and hops and sunlight are not good friends. Could it be that mead and sunlight is also not a good thing? Come find out in this fun test!
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One thing that might pop up in google researches about the impact of UVs on yeast health is that it is harmful but the full story is more complicated. UV C is lethal to yeast, but it is completely filtered by the atmosphere. UV B is a little bit harmful but completely filtered by glass, opaque fermentation buckets and strongly reduced by PET transparent fermenters. UV A, which can go through, is harmless.
Erik and Derrik did a similar test. If I recall correctly, they left one bottle in the sun and one in a closet for six months, after fermentation stopped. They liked the sunny bottle better.
While this is a useful test, there is a possible other issue with light exposure in mead. Light strike is a real problem in wines with substantial scientific research proving that it's a real phenomenon, which is why wine is usually kept in colored bottles, with clear bottles often being a sign of lesser quality. The process behind light strike is not exactly the same as a beer getting skunked, but it is similar. A trad mead probably won't run into this issue because light strike is caused by the chemicals that are in fruit, but it is very possible that it could happen in melomels.
Of course there's so many variables in melomels that it's hard to say for certain. The exact quantity of fruit, type of fruit, etc all could make a big difference. As far as I know there is no research into melomels and light strike, so it's uncertain what effect (if any) the honey could have.
I'd be interested to see someone test some melomels!
I seem to remember something from a wine appreciation class I took in Napa. There was something about "the lighter the wine, the lighter the cheese, and the lighter the bottle, the earlier to drink."
Opposite to be said is "the darker the wine, the darker the cheese, and the darker the bottle, the later to drink."
Thanks for doing this. I've heard that myth before too, but could never understand why it would matter. My takeaway from this is that it was the temperature that affected the mead, rather than the light?
Gotta agree with you. Too many variables though to be certain. Could be light and it could be heat. I suspect heat BUT without better control for temperature we have no way of being able to dismiss temperature and claim that the light was the cause. But this should be relatively easy to control.
It's quite tough to control the heat and light at the same time... I'm sure there are ways but I obviously didn't do them!
@@ManMadeMeadMaybe use a grow light to simulate the sun without directly heating the must?
Awesome video! I've been super paranoid about sunlight hitting my mead but now I'll worry a little less. Thanks!
I found brewing my mead with indoor lighting (as long as it's not a grow light) had done fine. Also found that placing an intense flashlight to the mead under inspection showed the bubbles pulling more to the lit areas. The yeast seemed a little more active but not sure if it was the light or the subtle heat from the lighting.
Interesting video! I’m thinking melomels might be affected. Perhaps UV light might cause components in fruit/juice to break down, especially in dark fruit. It could affect the colour, not sure about the flavour.
What would be really interesting, is to keep one fermenter in the dark but at an identical temperature to the one sitting in the sun unprotected. Or… to use LED UV lights in a setup that allows you to adjust the temperature if it goes up, and a similar setup with no LED UV lights in another. No idea if this is feasible, but it would be interesting.
2 traditionals
2 melomels
Same temp.
One traditional and one melomel subjected to UV light, one traditional and one melomel kept in the dark.
Blind taste test as in this video.
Thinking about the contrast from light n dark meads as the lighter ones (like white wines) have less tannins than say your darker ones (like red wines) and it is those tannins I think that are affecting the long period in the sun's light specifically. We will need to run an experiment with a control (a traditional or very clear light like pineapple or white grapes) and the other with a bunch of tannins in it (same stuff but with the tannins)
Thank you for this side by side. I started with brewing beer and changed to wines and meads and cover my wines and meads still. I was thinking that sunlight could damage them.
Enjoyed the video thanks. On the point of this practice coming from beer, it is somewhat ubiquitous along all fermentation, even bread makers keep their fermenting bread or sourdough starter somewhere dark and cool. Similar to improper nutrition, light exposure can impact yeast health. But unlike nutrition, UV causes DNA damage and its own type of stress on the yeasts normal function. This can be in the form of mutations, reduced function, death and/or other stress responses which can include the production of off flavours.
Large organisms like humans protections against UV like skin and hair but additionally have greater repair mechanisms in response to this damage. Yeast have little protection and when stressed, even after fermentation, can produce off flavours.
Another thing to consider is UV degrades flavour over time, many volatile compounds in drinks will be broken down by prolonged UV exposure, leading to a reduced or altered flavour.
I had a similar aroma when a brew got too hot. Six months of age was all it took to remove it.
Great video. It makes me curious, though, about what might happen if fresh fruits or herbs are used during fermentation in sunlight. Since it is the hops that cause the bad flavors in beer, might other herbs cause reactions as well, perhaps even good flavors?
Maybe so!
Your most informative video to date. Thanks for all the time, energy, and capital you spent compiling the info.
Damn, I was JUST thinking about this! Thanks mead man
This was a super interesting video. I would be curious what kind of results you'd get with a larger sample of tasters who were blinded to the study, and who had varying levels of experience tasting/brewing mead. Maybe providing a simple prompt like, "Do any of these 3 meads taste different?" without informing tasters of the background of the study and of the covered/uncovered conditions. I think the first starting point would be "Was there a significant, discernable difference," and if so, then move on to "What are the qualities of the difference(s)?"
Really Enjoyed Your Video , Thanks ! 🐯🤠
I have a study you might try
I live in the southwards hot in the humidity is high
I'm a truck driver so I stay gone for long periods of time
I find myself running low on my special Killju I make my marinade from
I was wondering since we just had a 💯 plus temperatures here
I was wondering should I stall it in the refrigerator until I get back three or four weeks
Or
Just let it do its thing
Now I'd have heard higher-temperature could make it sweeter which is a good thing for me
And it will finish quicker
So check different yeast on how it develops in temperatures could be a good little project to try
I love mead myth busting
Please come back in a month and repeat the tasting. Thanks.
does temperature play a big part in fermenting? the only place i can brew is in my garage. cold in the winter and hot in the summer. i made a good mead this spring. do i have to wait till fall to try another mead? PS i enjoy your videos.
Seems to me that you might want to switch up your yeasts depending on the season. Some yeasts do well in warm temperatures and others do well at cooler temperatures. That could already help a lot.
For winter brewing, you could use a few tricks. One, is to use insulation or even one of those germination pads for plants. I’m told they don’t use up a lot of energy and it could go a long way to keeping your fermenter(s) warm enough to keep going. Perhaps in addition to insulating materials such as blankets, foam, layers of newspaper, or even a plain ol’ cooler box.
I live in Europe and my home doesn’t have AC. These past few Summers have been brutal, with temperatures going as high as 33°C (91.4F). I didn’t want my meads to go bad so I wrapped them in wet blankets as soon as temperatures started going over 78-79°F. When they climbed even more, I sat them in big tubs of water covered with a wet blanket. I figured the large volume would act like a stabiliser. The water on the wet blankets would help keep things cooler because evaporation cools things off. In the evening, I’d use some of the water to water my plants and i’d top the containers up with cool water (at or slightly below night air temperature). All if this acted as a stabiliser, reducing fluctuations and keeping my fermenters several degrees cooler than the air during the hottest hours. It worked.
Edit: fermentation at a temperature higher than specified causes stressed yeast (and therefore off-flavours), in some cases over-active fermentation and loss of flavour (flavours blow out the airlock). I’ve had reports of meads/wines/ciders going sour as well.
Either lowering the temperature or choosing a yeast that is happy at higher temperatures are the fixes I’d recommend.
It definitely does! You don't have to wait until fall to make mead - use some Kveik yeasts!
Come on now buddy you know if you want to ferment in the sun you gotta use kviek yeast lol
Very true!
@@ManMadeMead Had to give ya grief brother, Great video as always!
And about a bottle storage away from the light, and another under the sunlight?
I would say to avoid it if you can... but I don't think it's the end of the world!
Yes!
Great video 👍 good intro
Thank you so much!
Interesting video.
Thank you!
good video
Thank you!