• PATRONS: Did you know we've a chat function for you now? Look to the bottom of the screen, you can chat, set up rooms, talk to each other individually or in groups! Click 'Chat' at the right side of the chat window to open the chat up.
  • Love Gotmead and want to see it grow? Then consider supporting the site and becoming a Patron! If you're logged in, click on your username to the right of the menu to see how as little as $30/year can get you access to the patron areas and the patron Facebook group and to support Gotmead!
  • We now have a Patron-exclusive Facebook group! Patrons my join at The Gotmead Patron Group. You MUST answer the questions, providing your Patron membership, when you request to join so I can verify your Patron membership. If the questions aren't answered, the request will be turned down.

Brewing Problems

Barrel Char Wood Products

Berserker

NewBee
Registered Member
Apr 7, 2008
3
0
0
40
I am on my second batch of mead and it has been 6 months from the start of the first batch and 3 months for the second. Both have a horrible undrinkable bitter alcohol like taste. Where did I go bad?
 

TheBruce

NewBee
Registered Member
Aug 24, 2007
87
0
0
Welcome to GotMead!

In order to give useful advice we'll need to know the recipe wand process you have used for your batches.

Also, the NewBee guide to meadmaking is a useful and instructive read! I highly recommend it.

Thanks!
TheBruce
 

Berserker

NewBee
Registered Member
Apr 7, 2008
3
0
0
40
They both fermented at about 70 F.
The first batch:
15 lbs clover honey
wyeast sweet mead yeast
oregon sweet cheery juice
no heat method

Second batch:
12 lbs clover honey
wyeast sweet mead yeast
5 tsp. yeast nutrient
no heat method
 

pain

GotMead Owner
Staff member
Administrator
Moderator
Apr 5, 1996
1,698
18
38
North Carolina
gotmead.com
Hi Berserker!

Thanks for becoming a patron, and welcome to my Place!

OK, so what do you have in your brew log? To be able to give you really helpful info, the more we know, the more we can help. Did you keep a brew log detailing how you put the mead together, the nutrients (if any) that you used, if you stirred, etc? Give us all the gory details, and we may be able to give you some more specific feeback....
 

Oskaar

Got Mead Partner
Administrator
Dec 26, 2004
7,874
8
0
34
The OC
Yo Berseker!

Welcome to Got Mead?!

Thank you for supporting Got Mead by becoming a Patron, and rest assured that your hard earned dollars will be well worth the investment.

OK based on what I'm seeing it looks like you have a couple of things going on here. Bear in mind more information would be helpful, i.e. Pitch temperature, fermentation managment methods, ambient temperature, must temperature, etc.

Do you have current gravity readings? I'm suspecting that your mead is dry which may be part of the issue.
Do you have a pH reading (this could account for some bitterness as well)

The yeast you chose is about my least favorite mead for yeast, and in my experience has yielded very inconsistant, and sometimes alarmingly bad mead early on. Don't despair as a little bit of time should improve the mead. Also, the one recipe with 5 tsp of nutrient may have been over the top on the nutrient addition and may be partially responsible for the bitterness you're getting. My guess is that this is temperature and yeast stress related. Does this taste like rocket fuel (diesel) medicine (listerine) or bitter (like vitamins) or perhaps a little salty? If so let us know.

What size batches were these?
How long did they ferment?
Have you racked both batches?
Are the airlocks still bubbling?
Has the mead cleared?
Do you have any obvious colonies of mold, bacteria or anything that looks like Hillary Clinton growing on the top of either batch?
Take a smell: Does it smell like turpentine, briney, acrid, musty, flowery, vinegary, etc?
Take a taste and try to identify what you are tasting. See here for the wine aroma wheel which may be of some assistance in helping you to identify the flavors.

Bubble that all up for us and we'll see what we can do to help you out and see if we can make this one work.

One last thing, please don't post anymore using ALL CAPS in your titles. I've gone through and changed all the responses in this thread to lower and upper case.


So if you're all wondering why you have a "Modified by Oskaar" in the bottom of your posts. that's why. Hell, I even modified my own post!

Cheers,

Oskaar
 

HiNoon

NewBee
Registered Member
Nov 27, 2008
1
0
0
Hi there -

I've got a batch of mead I started about 10 months ago - It's 5G - home-harvested honey. I used a yeast from the brew-shop that was specifically a mead yeast (It was a smack-pack - I don't have the brand). It's measuring out to about 11%. I've racked it about 8 times, but it's still cloudy and dropping sediment. I sterilize everything every time I do it and keep the airlock filled with vodka/water to discourage bacteria -build up.

The thing is - it smells like turpentine. Strongly. Turpentine or nail polish.

I've searched the forums and saw this thread where someone mentioned turpentine-smell.

Any ideas what casued this, how to correct it, or if this batch is a wash?

Many thanks - this is a great forum.
 

Angus

Lifetime Patron
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Aug 19, 2005
908
0
0
55
Milwaukee, WI
Welcome HiNoon,

To get a better idea of what the problem may be, post your recipe and brewlog.

Angus
 
Barrel Char Wood Products

Viking Brew Vessels - Authentic Drinking Horns