Pectic Enzyme in Mead and Wine -Do You Need it? CSB UnPasteurized

[@brockjennings2486]

I know this is an “out-of-left-field” comment, but I really appreciate how well you two work together & how obvious it is that you GENUINELY care about this topic. I’m originally from North Florida & a lot of my family has been affected by the hurricane, so i’m glad you’re doing well :)

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Thank you! We appreciate that!

[@AdamFranklin500]

I love these Unpasteurised videos. While in your recipe videos you talk about all kinds of relevant topics and teach us, there's only so much you can go into otherwise it would end up being a 3 hour video, so its nice to have these that dive deeper into topics and really help understand things on a more in-depth level. Truly the best teaching channel on youtube

[@AirwolfCrazy]

I like this outside format. Nice change. Please keep doing this.

[@NoBonesPressed]

Agree the outside "studio" is great for the unpasteurized videos.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Florida weather is not always conducive to shooting outdoors, lol.

[@AirwolfCrazy]

@@CitySteadingBrews agreed. That would be true for most anywhere. It is, however, a nice setting for the these discussions. Thanks for sharing.

[@GreenfieldsHomeplace]

It’s always a good morning when I see a new CSB video. Thanks for all this info!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Our pleasure!

[@heartemisart700]

The sound is great, picture is great, you two are great! The info is always welcome! Thank you for taking the time to make this video dispite such chaotic and trying times!

[@elricthebald]

Worst haze I ever encountered was in my Ratatoskr Chestnut Mead 🐿🌰 Even after several months it still was like mud. After I learned chestnuts are rich in pectin I started adding pectinase: absolutely crystal clear!

[@noye_a81184]

Just pressed red grapes for wine. I always wondered why the color changed so quickly when I added the Pectic enzyme, you explained it perfectly. It must almost be immediate, and it clears overnight. I loved this, and watching the blue jays in the bushes behind you. Adding my yeast now for my red grape wine.

[@LevidelValle]

Glad you're both are well, sucked about the freezer situation, hope none of the brews were impacted.

[@JoeSteffy1932]

Glad to see you guys are back at home. I like the backyard setting. I brew beer in my back yard, I don't have a garage and there's no way my wife would me set up my 3 tier brew stand in the kitchen. I've been using pectic enzyme in my whole fruit fermentations with good results. I use a teaspoon that I mix in before I add my yeast (one gallon batches) and a teaspoon when I rack it to "secondary". I realize I may be wasting a little but it's cheap at my local homebrew store all the brews that I've used it in come out tasting good as well as looking good. 🤷🍻

[@raist315]

I do almost all fruit brews, and pectic enzyme can be really useful. Especially for something like a pear mead, which is cloudy as mud. Also very happy you guys didn't get a lot of damage. That was a nasty storm.

[@MiscMitz]

Continued prayers 🙏

[@drumminfool91]

Ah so… I am one of those dorks that saw one of your videos using it in a brew so I started using pectic enzyme on EVERY brew… I am now a little smarter than before. Thank you. Looking forward to the clearing video!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Good stuff

[@alexlarsen6413]

Use it always with apples, plums and berries - in the case of berries mostly for getting as much out of them as possible. Can't wait for the video on the clearing agents, because I've got lots of amazing fig mead that just won't clear. It's pink. Pink mead that won't budge. All I'm worried about is whether or not the clearing agents will strip it off of some of that flavor.

[@tobin_nathan]

I’m sure this episode was a lot of time researching, but this format is awesome thank you!

[@barrytdrake]

This is great information! Thank you for doing the deep dive. I didn't know a lot of this.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Glad it was helpful!

[@vadabadabogietada]

I think I understand what you mean by footy smell in young brews now. I made a mead which went to 12% and then added frozen strawberries to it after racking 5 days ago. Removed them today and they had gone greyish from color loss to the brew. And the smell... The mead itself smelled nice, I'm kind of regretting adding the strawberries now 😭😭. Hopefully it'll go away with time. I was so excited to get the mead to something fruity and fresh. The footy smell is just NOT for me, put me off so bad.

[@JamesTaparti]

Thank you Derica and Brian! I finally used my powdered pectic enzyme yesterday and didn’t know how much I needed for a gallon and now I know! Thank you two for the info! 😃

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Happy to help!

[@Mr762guy]

Thank you! This was very helpful. 😁👍

[@CitySteadingBrews]

You're welcome!

[@matthill2922]

Great video! I love the change of scenery. As a novice mead maker, I always have great take aways from your videos. #BeeVomit

[@TheGoodCrusader]

Pectic enzymes are very helpful, the grapes in my latest batch of wine were really shredded up by the end of primary fermentation and it cleared up very well in secondary with our having to wait all that long.

[@Shawn-k4r]

Thank you, I've been thinking a lot about this subject lately. Stay Gold Pony.

[@Aerynvala]

Thank you for this! I'm going to be adding blueberries to a mead after fermentation, this should help get the color and flavor out of them. :D

[@dawnteskey3259]

Thanks for this, I knew I should use it sometimes, now I know why and how! ❤

[@jonathanmiller2701]

Love this video! Unpasteurized is awesome!

[@micahestep7679]

Thanks!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Thank you!

[@sarahbenson921]

That was awesome!! Love these deep dives. ❤️

[@daigledj]

What would be the best method/time for adding pectic enzyme to fruit before fermentation? Sprinkle powder on fruit before freezing, after freezing, ...

[@CitySteadingBrews]

After freezing and thawing before adding to a must.

[@FearWarboar4135]

To stay on this theme of kind of broadly covering a certain brewing topic from A-Z, would you guys consider doing a similar format video on pH lvls in mead and why you do that; what is optimal, and the concerns risks? Pretty interested in this topic and would love to hear what y’all have to say, thanks :)

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Good idea.

[@FearWarboar4135]

@ thanks for the reply appreciate it , y’all rock btw ❤️

[@KeeKeeCee]

Hey there! Been following you guys for a long time, came across your videos about a year and a half ago and I've been hooked since :) I did a single gallon batch last year without a hydrometer (I managed to break it right before taking my second reading after primary) but I didn't have the time or money to do it again until recently. I started 2 separate 1 gallon batches about 9 days ago (with a hydro this time) and even got some Fermaid O based on the information I got from your videos. I used Mangrove Jack's MO5 yeast, half a packet per gallon. Each gallon had ~3lbs of wildflower honey in it. OG was 1.105. I just took a reading and it came up just under 1.0. From what I've read and experienced, it should take 2-3 weeks for the yeast to eat through that much gravity, so I'm just trying to figure out if I did something wrong or if that's even possible. TYIA, and keep up the great videos :)

[@CitySteadingBrews]

There is no set time for it, can be faster or slower depending on a zillion factors.

[@KeeKeeCee]

@@CitySteadingBrews oh wow, you're up early!! Lol thanks for the info! I'm gonna let it sit for another week before I rack it off. :)

[@casinferneycf45]

Thanks guys!

[@micahestep7679]

Try making miso.... super rewarding.

[@NightfallShadow]

I use it in everything I make since I use fruit in all of mine.

[@prplprince8730]

Always informative, thank you! Here’s a question for you: I would like to make a mead into a vinegar. I know I need to keep it under 9% ABV but how to I get the bacteria in there to start the vinegar process?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I've actually not done it myself...

[@prplprince8730]

@@CitySteadingBrews well poop. I’ve read online that you can buy “vinegar mother” which to me sounds comparable to a yeast in mead, but I can’t confirm this. If I find something more I’ll let you know!

[@CitySteadingBrews]

@@prplprince8730 my understanding is try Bragg's which has the mother in it. Add some to the mead. BTW, you also want lower like 5% ABV and that "should" work. We've not done it with mead, and only did this once. It worked, but... was a long process.

[@prplprince8730]

@@CitySteadingBrews sounds good to me! I’ve got time and lots of space for experimenting lol.

[@Kat_Andrews]

Acetic acid bacteria is a naturally occurring bacteria that exists within the home environment. There is a couple of methods of getting the AAB’s into your mead to start the vinegar going. 1) use a mead that is approx 5-6% abv. Pour mead into a wide-mouth vessel. Cover with a cloth and secure with a rubber band or string. Allow to sit somewhere warm, out of direct sunlight, but where there is airflow (ie: not in a cupboard). Let it sit for 2-3 months then start doing pH and acid titration testing until it has reached the desired level. 2) use a mead with an abv about 8%. Use a vinegar like Bragg’s that ‘contains the mother’. Measure how much mead you have. Divide that by 4. That is how much vinegar to add. (Ie: you have a gallon, then use a quart of vinegar). Add the vinegar, stir it well, cover and secure the cloth. Let it sit (same conditions as above) and after a month start the testing regime until desired levels are reached.

[@micahestep7679]

How about fermenting chili peppers to make sauces? Any thoughts?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We did years ago. Not sure it's on this channel or one we removed long ago.

[@peterpissott9849]

I use it in fruit wines

[@rockraprecords5198]

So this could disperse the muck at the bottom of my meads after racking

[@CitySteadingBrews]

No, actually it will create more as things fall out of suspension.

[@6PINNED]

Do you think it would be good if I put in a cinnamon stick in secondary fermentation in a apple juice and black cherry cider 1 gallon

[@CitySteadingBrews]

If you want cinnamon flavor then yes.

[@micahestep7679]

I have a miso that has been rewarding me with tamari for two years now...

[@the_whiskeyshaman]

Good stuff. Sorry I’ve been out for a while but I’m back.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Welcome back!

[@helloskymoon]

i try to use fruit in my 4th batch (17,5 liter) in their 2nd stage. i make - manggo (4 liter mead + 800 gram manggo) - pineapple (4 liter mead + 800 gram pineapple) - banana (4 liter mead + 800 gram pineaple) - chocolate (4 liter mead + 40 gram van houten powdered cocoa) only pineaple is crystal clear the other manggo, pineppaple and chocolate are full haze and the taste is all weird... but there is some unique sharp sour that i dont know how to explain feels like poking my nose the only good smell are chocolate banana have no banana smell (i use local banana fruit, very sweet but weak in smell) pineapple very weak smell (i use honey pineapple fruit, very sweet with medium smell) manggo really weird smell (i use local manggo, very sweet and medium smell) chocolate have chocolate cake-ky smell with little bitter taste i had pectin enzyme at home... but i read must use in 1st stage, can i use the pectic in 2nd stage fermentation? and will it help the taste?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

As explained in the video... you can add it after fermentation for help in clearing. It does nothing for flavor though.

[@stevenpatrick6806]

So I have a cyser that I’ve got conditioning/bulk aging right now, hoping that it will clear a bit before I backsweeten & pasteurize it. Would pectic enzyme help?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It could as apples have pectin.

[@allenmusgrove2674]

I'm going to make a strawberry wine from jam. Should I use pectin enzyme?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

If you want to. We have done it and it cleared perfectly without it.

[@julietardos5044]

Yes! If you want it clear, that is. I made strawberry jam wine without pectic enzyme 3 or 4 years ago, and it's still cloudy.

[@allenmusgrove2674]

I have a follow up question. I started this strawberry jam wine on 10-19-24, and the only ingredients that I used was (2) 18 oz jars of strawberry jam, 1lb of sugar, 1 gallon of water, and 1/2 packet of lalvin ec1118 (fermenter was a 2 gallon bucket). OG 1.086. Checked it today for a gravity reading and I'm at 1.060. The bubbler still showing activity but it's very slow. Any ideas?

[@julietardos5044]

@@allenmusgrove2674 Temperature could be a factor, too warm or too cold.

[@brb__bathroom]

regarding brewers that add more and more to the recipe, there's a design principle called KISS; Keep It Simple, Stupid

[@micahestep7679]

Y'all ever make any black garlic?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Wrong channel. We are not a cooking channel.

[@cerescop]

If you use the enzyme does it breakup the fruit freeing and breaking down the cells so it releases more juice, there fore more free sugars the yeast does not have to burrow for and therefore more even though probably negligible, alcohol? I think I know the answer.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Very small amount.

[@jscancella]

You should do an episode on amylase enzyme

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Maybe. But there's not as much to say. It converts starch to sugar. End. Stop.

[@rj4313]

It’s been in my experience that wine makers local to me in Canada filter their wine to clear it.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

That's not the only reason for pectic enzyme, and they likely use it.

[@rj4313]

@@CitySteadingBrews I agree

[@micahestep7679]

Speaking of enzymatic action...any cheese making in the future?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

We make alcoholic brews.

[@micahestep7679]

Will sauerkrout or kimchi ever be in the future?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

This is a brewing channel for alcoholic beverages.

[@californiabrad]

Listening to this it made me wonder what is the difference between Amalaze (sp?) And pectic enzyme since they seem to be doing similar things. Thanks guys now I need to stop your video and run down a rabbit hole. :)

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Amylase converts starches to sugars. PE breaks down pectin bonds. Very different!

[@davidmaynard6190]

Safe travels

[@ben9689]

I'm gonna try to turn 1.25 pounds of mandarin peels into .5G of wine, do you think the peels have enough pectin in them to be a concern?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

I think they don't have enough sugars in them to ferment...

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Also, mandarin peels are super bitter.

[@ben9689]

@@CitySteadingBrews the plan is to use sugar to extract the oils from the peels into a syrup, then use the resulting syrup (called olio sacrum usually for cocktails) as my fermentable sugars

[@ben9689]

@@CitySteadingBrews I want to try mandarin peels because my toddler devours them, so I have the peels available to me

[@CitySteadingBrews]

It's worth trying!

[@brians_casual_shenanigans]

I was half expecting Derica to tell she collects spores, moulds and fungus 😉

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Lol

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Not intentionally!

[@Badfish3208]

Do you need a pectic enzyme if you started with just a store bought fruit juice?

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Need is always relative. You never need it at all. It's helpful though and yes, even juices will contain pectin.

[@rachellemazar7374]

Brian is right, the background noise doesn’t get through

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Noise removal works wonders.

[@micahestep7679]

My bees went nuts this year... however, one of my colonies went queenless and the drones are being booted out...😢😢😢

[@johnherron3961]

❤

[@coryphillips5637]

Derica says she gets excited about fungus and nobody says that makes sense because Brian is a "fun guy"?! tsk tsk tsk. :)

[@CitySteadingBrews]

Groan... lol

[@corymchenry787]

according to this video, with use of pectic enzyme, i will just pasteurize above the temperature that methanol boils at.

[@CitySteadingBrews]

That does not actually work. When alcohols mix with water the boiling points change. You will not eliminate methanol without long boiling and higher temps and that will also get rid of ethanol.

[@johnnyporker8837]

@@CitySteadingBrews I think it's very good that you're one of the few channels out there really calling out this long standing myth in both the general fermenting community but also in distilling. The idea of boiling certain things off by only going above their boiling point is silly as you are, as you said, boiling the entire solution rather than any individual compound in it. However, and I don't mean to sound like a know-it-all, but you don't really separate methanol out during distillation. I'm going to go into some detail, but that's mostly for whoever else is reading and not me trying to be patronizing (I assume you already know most of this stuff). Methanol's "separation" is kind of tied to that other myth. During a distillation the level of methanol in relation to the level of ethanol is virtually constant and does not change nearly as much as most people think (actually there is slightly more in the tails but that's beyond the point). The major reason for hangovers from poorly distilled spirits is due to fusel alcohols (Wether the small amounts of them you'd get by starting your "hearts" early and thus getting parts of the head in a mixed distillate isn't super clear from studies but if you drank just the heads or the first jar heavily contaminated by them and maybe even the foreshot then yeah; you'd get a really bad hangover) and not methanol. Throwing out the foreshots and making clean cuts does not actually affect the percentage of methanol in relation to ethanol. In fact, the very idea of someone going blind due to a poor distillation is practically impossible. People that die from moonshine, mostly in India and Uganda these days, always either die from an ethanol overdose or a batch that was mixed with other chemicals (sometimes on purpose). During prohibition methanol was mixed into a lot of industrial alcohol and throwing away the heads was just one of the many bogus ways in which shady dealers claimed they got rid off the methanol (Among others like filtering through coal or bread). But because it made the alcohol taste a lot better, didn't leave you with as bad of a hangover and generally seemed to work most people just assumed "Yup, it's because we got the methanol out of it". In the end its a misunderstanding that doesn't do much harm because the steps people take to "remove it" make for a better tasting higher quality product but it's a particular nitpick of mine.