I noticed that Joemirando recently had a post about a sour mead. I read through the replies, and it appeared that the consensus was to continue bulk aging, or bottle and let age for quite some time. Well, I have a similar occurrence, and was looking for any other "professional" advice. My recipe was as follows:
Started on 4 June 2013
10 lbs clover honey
6 oz semi sweet Hershey cocoa powder
6 oz regular Hershey cocoa powder
Handful of raisins (maybe 20 or so)
Package of Flieschman's active dry yeast
Enough spring water to make 5 gallons total volume
OG = 1.084
Initial fementation took off like a rocket.
We left over the 4th of July holiday, content that the air conditioner was going in the "meadery". Come to find out when we returned that it had only been set on "fan" ... and our area had gone through a massive heat wave (outside definitely got above 100 F) ... I think that inside the "meadery" it never got above 85 F.
Anyway, I racked to secondary carboy on 11 July 2013.
Basically looked like muddy water (I have since learned that using nibs or chunks of chocolate would be a better way to go).
The taste was very sour, like a crazy apple cider sour.
The SG was 0.992 ... abv in the neighborhood of 12% ... and very dry.
I realize that the honey volume was a little light to begin with, and I believe that the bread yeast had gone pretty much to it's tolerance level as well.
On 15 July 2013 I added 3 cups of honey and mixed it in well.
Also added 1/2 a stick of vanilla, sliced in half lengthwise to open it up.
SG came up to 1.012.
It was a bit sweeter, but still way sour.
I let her sit.
On 31 August 2013 I racked it to a new carboy (quite a bit of stuff had dropped out, and I wanted to get it off of it).
SG was still sitting squarely at 1.012 (47 days after addition of new honey).
Definitely beginning to clear.
The taste is still sour, still not like vinegar, but better than it was before ... I would actually drink it in small doses ... but my girlfriend thinks it's horrible.
There's a slight hint of chocolate aroma, but not really any taste of chocolate ... pretty much still tastes like a sour apple cider, or maybe something like a sour fruit beer (a lambic?).
I'm wondering if the potential high heat during early fermentation may have irrevocably wrecked this mead, or if this is just the character of a very young, very dry wine (as some folks mentioned on Joemirando's thread) ... and should I expect the sourness to age out? I'm planning on letting it bulk age until at least early next year (February maybe) before bottling and aging even longer (like another year).
Any advice, or just plain consolation that it will get better, would be appreciated - thanks!
Phil
Started on 4 June 2013
10 lbs clover honey
6 oz semi sweet Hershey cocoa powder
6 oz regular Hershey cocoa powder
Handful of raisins (maybe 20 or so)
Package of Flieschman's active dry yeast
Enough spring water to make 5 gallons total volume
OG = 1.084
Initial fementation took off like a rocket.
We left over the 4th of July holiday, content that the air conditioner was going in the "meadery". Come to find out when we returned that it had only been set on "fan" ... and our area had gone through a massive heat wave (outside definitely got above 100 F) ... I think that inside the "meadery" it never got above 85 F.
Anyway, I racked to secondary carboy on 11 July 2013.
Basically looked like muddy water (I have since learned that using nibs or chunks of chocolate would be a better way to go).
The taste was very sour, like a crazy apple cider sour.
The SG was 0.992 ... abv in the neighborhood of 12% ... and very dry.
I realize that the honey volume was a little light to begin with, and I believe that the bread yeast had gone pretty much to it's tolerance level as well.
On 15 July 2013 I added 3 cups of honey and mixed it in well.
Also added 1/2 a stick of vanilla, sliced in half lengthwise to open it up.
SG came up to 1.012.
It was a bit sweeter, but still way sour.
I let her sit.
On 31 August 2013 I racked it to a new carboy (quite a bit of stuff had dropped out, and I wanted to get it off of it).
SG was still sitting squarely at 1.012 (47 days after addition of new honey).
Definitely beginning to clear.
The taste is still sour, still not like vinegar, but better than it was before ... I would actually drink it in small doses ... but my girlfriend thinks it's horrible.
There's a slight hint of chocolate aroma, but not really any taste of chocolate ... pretty much still tastes like a sour apple cider, or maybe something like a sour fruit beer (a lambic?).
I'm wondering if the potential high heat during early fermentation may have irrevocably wrecked this mead, or if this is just the character of a very young, very dry wine (as some folks mentioned on Joemirando's thread) ... and should I expect the sourness to age out? I'm planning on letting it bulk age until at least early next year (February maybe) before bottling and aging even longer (like another year).
Any advice, or just plain consolation that it will get better, would be appreciated - thanks!
Phil
