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Oxidation and colour
Last summer I started a batch of Hisbiscus mead. It had a beautiful rose colouring to it but over the span of a year in the carboy, it went from rose to a golden yellow. I am please with the end result taste/alcohol content but the colour kinds bothers me. Looks like liquid gold in the bottles but it is misleading to the taste buds. A co-mazer told me it oxidized in the carboy. How do I prevent this from happening in the future?
I have a peach-raspberry going right now and it is muddy looking. Very unappealing at this point. It is the first time I had used fresh fruit apposed to extracts. Is this normal?
Thanks for any insight you may have.
It is normal for fruit meads to look muddy/cloudy in primary. You'll need to give a fruit mead longer to clear than a traditional mead.
As far as loss of color goes I have seen this happen in prickly pear mead that has gone from bright magenta to gold. I'm not sure it was because of oxidation because it tasted fine.
Thanks for the info Skervy. I thouhgt it probably was alright, but I am gauging a couple of years before actually drinking the peach-raspberry. I want it really clear and sparkling. I am really picky when it comes to seeing my end product. I like it very clear with absolutely no sediment in the bottle. I bottle only in clear bottles as to get the full eye appeal on the fruits of my labour. Call me crazy, maybe that will change as I get older. 
Tess
Just to follow up, UV light can cause your color to change so be sure to keep those clear bottles in a dark place.
Great pointer! I store my bottles in their boxes but laying on its side so the corks stay moist. I just wish the boxes had a bit more head room for the corks. I use brown bottles for my homemade Kahlua.
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