• 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.

Where's the flavor?

Toggle sidebar
Barrel Char Wood Products
M

Mirakk

NewBee
Registered Member
Sep 4, 2013
48
0
0
Waukesha, WI
Okay, I made a batch of sweet mead on 9/15/12 using:

22lbs Local honey
Water to balance 6 gallons
20g Lalvin 71B


OG/Brix of 1.130 / 30 Brix
FG: 1.020

By my calculations, this comes out to be approximately 14.4% ABV


The mead is still quite young, but I tasted a sample and was a little surprised by the result. The harsh alcohol flavors are now non-existant. I've got a slight taste of yeast from the sample, but it's faint. The honey taste is there but almost negligible.

It tastes like a glass of sweetened drinking water. No alcohol burn, no defined honey taste or anything.

I drank a 150ml sample of it and was catching a buzz, so it's definitely booze.


Anyone produce a batch like this before? Should I just age it out and see if the honey tastes intensify? Would you recommend the addition of acid blend or something to make it pop? Looking for some advice here.
 
skunkboy

skunkboy

NewBee
Registered Member
May 30, 2005
2,003
8
0
Between Jackson and Detroit
Take it the honey didn't have any big flavor notes? You could let it age for a while longer and taste it again, back sweeten for some more honey character if it isn't already too sweet for you. Or tweak the flavor with things like oak or fruit, if everything but the flavor are good.
 
Shmafty

Shmafty

NewBee
Registered Member
Feb 27, 2012
64
1
0
Austin, TX
I had a big batch of a dry traditional that lost a lot of it's honey characteristics after fermentation. When I pulled it back out after a little over a year of aging, a lot of the honey flavor had come back on its own.
 
Chevette Girl

Chevette Girl

All around BAD EXAMPLE
Moderator
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Apr 27, 2010
8,447
59
48
Ottawa, ON
A number of others have had the same experience as Shmafty, give it some time to age and it's pretty common for the honey flavour to come back after six months to a year. I've now even had it happen with one batch that was so fruit-forward I'd wondered why I'd bothered with honey since I couldn't even tell when I bottled it, but now it's back :)
 
WVMJack

WVMJack

NewBee
Registered Member
Feb 12, 2013
1,219
10
0
Karnage, WV
www.wvmjack.com
"they" say you are not supposed to leave yeast to long on 71B, I have never done it so dont really know the consequences, but one of the off flavors I would think that comes with this is a yeasty taste. Has this cleared up yet? Was your honey a light honey or a dark honey? Degassed? You could take a sample out and add some acid blend to it and see if that adds some life to it. With the starting gravity so high it might bee one of those meads that just takes a long while to get gooder. WVMJ
 
M

Mirakk

NewBee
Registered Member
Sep 4, 2013
48
0
0
Waukesha, WI
WVMJack said:
"they" say you are not supposed to leave yeast to long on 71B, I have never done it so dont really know the consequences, but one of the off flavors I would think that comes with this is a yeasty taste. Has this cleared up yet? Was your honey a light honey or a dark honey? Degassed? You could take a sample out and add some acid blend to it and see if that adds some life to it. With the starting gravity so high it might bee one of those meads that just takes a long while to get gooder. WVMJ
Click to expand...


I didn't let it Autolyze. When the fermentation stopped, I used Super Klear and waited 48 hours before racking it off the lees.

The honey was a little light. I degassed/aerated the mixture 2x a day until the 1/3 sugar break with an egg beater.


Based on what I've heard here, I'm just going to continue letting it age, and see what happens with it.
 
mannye

mannye

Administrator
Administrator
Moderator
Oct 10, 2012
4,167
25
38
57
Miami Beach, FL
Mirakk said:
Yeah, sorry about that. It was made in 2013. Not 2012. Typo FTL

It's 4 months old now.
Click to expand...

Thanks! I thought for a second there I was experiencing time travel dyslexia. Wait... you guys haven't heard about that yet... I'VE SAID TOO MUCH!;D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Barrel Char Wood Products

Viking Brew Vessels - Authentic Drinking Horns

Top Bottom