A couple of questions

Can you tell us what makes your mead "bad" and provide some details about the recipe and process? Also, what do you like in a mead in terms of ABV, sweetness, etc.?

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Concentration of bad flavors generally results in worse.

It is rare to have a mead so bad that sweetening can't salvage it, but it can happen. My condolences.

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Hi Leeham991. Not a direct answer to your question except I totally agree with Medsen Fey that concentrating bad flavors is not a good idea, but here is what I would do. Put aside your questionable mead and make a new 5L batch using a tasty varietal honey (say 3 lbs (1.5 Kg?) , spring water, yeast nutrient and a good yeast (not sure what you can get in the UK). If you ferment at lower rather than higher temperatures and if you use a wine yeast such as 71B or D47 or the UK equivalents (not a champagne yeast) then the mead will ferment dry in about 2-3 weeks and clear in about 2 months. It will still be fairly "green" but should be drinkable even then. Allowing that mead to age another 2-6 months will improve it significantly... but my point is that after 2 months you can compare the taste it has to the taste your original batch has... and so determine whether it is better to dump the first batch or sink more effort in it to salvage it.
From your account it sounds to me as if the first batch may have bacterial issues, and while a lambic mead is a possibility, I think most folk who play with sour fermentations tend to control which bacteria they allow into their meads and beers... seems like you were more open handed. But try making a batch that will not be more than say 12 or 13% ABV, so the amount of alcohol won't be out of balance with the amount of flavor and (even if dry) the sweetness... (you would be looking for a starting gravity of about 1.100 and a finishing gravity of about 1.000)..

Leeham991 said:

I got the mead out of the freezer and I appear to have just produced hell juice.

I think what I'll do from here is clear out all of the in-use equipment and put this disaster behind me lol

Click to expand...

OK... but if there is bacterial infection you may want to REALLY sanitize that carboy and any tools, hoses and tubes and any other equipment you used. Indeed, after sanitizing to your satisfaction, I would add a pint or so ( one liter?) of sugar water (no yeast) bang in a bung and airlock and see if that sugar water ferments in two or three days. If there seems to be no activity (And by that I mean that the specific gravity remains rock solid and has not wavered a hair), then I would think that your sanitation process has (for all intents and purposes) removed the bacteria too. If, on the other hand, the sugar water appears to be fermenting without any addition of yeast then you may want to remove the carboy (and all the other equipment) far , far , far away from your mead making -to the furthest end of your home - for vinegar making.. But others on this forum may be less cautious then I...