Hello, meaders! For no particular reason, I’ve exclusively made wine for as long as I’ve been brewing but decided to give mead a try a few weeks ago. I started identical batches of a very simple apple wine/mead recipe with the intent of comparing the final product. Both started with 1.5 gallons of apple juice at a 1.100 specific gravity for both. I dosed both with minimal, standard amounts of tannin and nutrients (Fermaid O) and used the same yeast for both batches (Renaissance allegro). Both fermented with relatively the same intensity and duration and both finished all the way dry, each just under a final gravity of 1.000.
The only difference so far has been that the mead has cleared remarkably fast while the wine is still as cloudy as the day I racked it out of primary. No fining agents used — it just cleared like that after about 3 days of a cold crash. I guess my question is, is that a common thing with mead? Does stuff fermented with honey just clear faster than stuff fermented with sugar and Ive just never heard of that before? Or is that not “a thing” and my results are likely just some kind of fluke?
I don’t have a pic of the wine in its current state as it’s back in the chest freezer in time out, cold crashing a bit longer.
Any input would be much appreciated. Thank you!