Just a little story to illustrate the benefits of aging:
Lo these many years ago, when I created my first mead.....
Instead of starting with a nice easy melomel, I decided to make this recipe I found in a book that had about 20 different spices in it. For the NewBees in the crowd, metheglins can be as tricky as making a great show mead, and spices take *forever* to age into their prime in a mead...
I created the mead according to the recipe, and gleefully poured it into the 3-gallon carboy I'd acquired from my brewshop. After it finished the primary ferment, I took a taste while I racked into secondary. It was *nasty*. I consoled myself that the mead was young, and let it sit until time for the next rack. It was even *nastier*.
Well now, I'm a stubborn sort, so I racked it *back* into the 3-gallon carboy, and moved it into the basement to age. I checked it at 4-6 month intervals, and every time it was nasty. I refused to dump it, out of sheer pack-rattiness.
I tried to forget about my failed first try, making many yummy melomels and several pretty good traditional meads, including a fantastic orange blossom honey traditional.
Then, one day I was cleaning down in the basement, and came across the plastic-wrapped 3-gallon carboy. Even though I'm a pack rat, I made the tearful decision to admit my first experiment in mead-making was a failure, and rescue my carboy from the graveyard. But first, for old times sake, I decided to take a taste.
***NECTAR OF THE GODS**** ::insert inspirational music here::
The stuff had, after just under 2 years of aging in bulk, transformed in the what is *still* the best mead I have ever made. The last bottle disappeared years ago, stolen, I think by a friend who had a taste and declared it manna.
If you've patience, the Mead Gods can give you a reward. Drink no mead before its' time.
For those who are interested,
this is the mead that became the Best Mead I've Ever Made.
Vicky - who just pitched a 17th century ginger beer recipe