Hi guys,
When I first discovered mead, what it was, and how to make it, I soon found this website, and have referenced it throughout my first batch! A font of knowledge, make no mistake. And now, here I am, on bottling night, and hitting up the forums for some answers and advice! And of course, my thanks to Angus, Joe, and Vicky!
As was suggested, I started with the Joe's Ancient Orange recipe. This was perfect for me, because I could start it pretty cheap and I only needed to brew a one gallon batch, which meant in case I failed somehow, I wouldn't have too much to pour down the drain, which is a practice I'm avidly against...
But now I fear I may have come to that point. First, let me start off by saying I followed the JAO recipe to a T. As well as all the instructions. And everything has been moving along perfectly! My kitchen smells amazing. The airlock (s-bend) ran constantly for the first few days, and slowed to a halt right at 2 months. The mead cleared up all by itself (look at that, I wasn't so important after all ), and was one of the single most beautiful shades of gold I've ever seen. And tonight, I've bottled my very first mead.
Yeah... about that...
First off, I had some malfunctions in getting the mead from the carboy into the bottles. I simply could not start a siphon. (read: I failed to suck fluid through a tube, and thus, have failed at life ). I ended up having to transfer the mead into the bottles in small amounts by holding whatever the 2 ft length of tubing (capped one end with clean cheese cloth to act as a filter for the larger particles) would hold, and then pouring it into the bottle. My first question is: How the heck am I supposed to fill these bottles easily in the future???
Second, as I mentioned previously, I was using my mouth to provide the suction to start the siphon. As a result, I got to taste some of my mead inadvertently. And it occurred to me that I have no idea what this mead SHOULD taste like. It also occurred to me that this batch is, in a word, STRONG. It as though any flavor you can detect is a hard punch to the face, and not really in a good way, and I'll be completely honest, there's one subtle note to it, and it's sort of like paint thinner...... Can anyone give me any sort of clear reference as to what a JAO (or any mead for that matter) should taste like? And more to the point, regardless of all indications that I've done this correctly, have I, in fact, ruined my first mead?
Keep in mind that I followed the recipe EXACTLY, and thank you in advance for any assistance!!!
When I first discovered mead, what it was, and how to make it, I soon found this website, and have referenced it throughout my first batch! A font of knowledge, make no mistake. And now, here I am, on bottling night, and hitting up the forums for some answers and advice! And of course, my thanks to Angus, Joe, and Vicky!
As was suggested, I started with the Joe's Ancient Orange recipe. This was perfect for me, because I could start it pretty cheap and I only needed to brew a one gallon batch, which meant in case I failed somehow, I wouldn't have too much to pour down the drain, which is a practice I'm avidly against...
But now I fear I may have come to that point. First, let me start off by saying I followed the JAO recipe to a T. As well as all the instructions. And everything has been moving along perfectly! My kitchen smells amazing. The airlock (s-bend) ran constantly for the first few days, and slowed to a halt right at 2 months. The mead cleared up all by itself (look at that, I wasn't so important after all ), and was one of the single most beautiful shades of gold I've ever seen. And tonight, I've bottled my very first mead.
Yeah... about that...
First off, I had some malfunctions in getting the mead from the carboy into the bottles. I simply could not start a siphon. (read: I failed to suck fluid through a tube, and thus, have failed at life ). I ended up having to transfer the mead into the bottles in small amounts by holding whatever the 2 ft length of tubing (capped one end with clean cheese cloth to act as a filter for the larger particles) would hold, and then pouring it into the bottle. My first question is: How the heck am I supposed to fill these bottles easily in the future???
Second, as I mentioned previously, I was using my mouth to provide the suction to start the siphon. As a result, I got to taste some of my mead inadvertently. And it occurred to me that I have no idea what this mead SHOULD taste like. It also occurred to me that this batch is, in a word, STRONG. It as though any flavor you can detect is a hard punch to the face, and not really in a good way, and I'll be completely honest, there's one subtle note to it, and it's sort of like paint thinner...... Can anyone give me any sort of clear reference as to what a JAO (or any mead for that matter) should taste like? And more to the point, regardless of all indications that I've done this correctly, have I, in fact, ruined my first mead?
Keep in mind that I followed the recipe EXACTLY, and thank you in advance for any assistance!!!