Some job changes in recent years have slowed down my mead crafting, but there was a time when I was making so many batches I could (and did) lose track of one. If this has never happened you, then you just aren’t making enough mead! ;D
I was moving some stuff in the attic when I ran across a keg that I had forgotten about. It is a Meadeira batch that I never created a mead-log for, and in fact, we were still calling them ‘brew-logs’ when it was started early in 2010.
This was a batch made with orange blossom honey and Uvaferm 43. It pushed to 18-19% ABV, with a final gravity of 1.045 and was oaked with both a light and a medium toast American oak spiral. It was Estufa-treated at only 115F and splash racked a couple of times, before I put it in the attic in 2011. It has been quietly heating and cooling up there ever since.
I racked it today. It had the usual ‘coffee-ground’ lees I’ve come to expect. The mead is dark amber and clear. The nose smells like honey-nut bourbon, with clear rancio character and with strong alcohol and some fusels notes. On the palate it is full and smooth with no alcohol burn, and has fruit notes on the attack with a long honey finish.
I think with decanting the bouquet will improve, but I could not tell this is orange blossom honey. Now my sniffer is not the most refined so someone else might be able to identify the honey type. However, after doing this with several types of honey including buckwheat, goldenrod, and orange blossom, I don’t think a lot of varietal character can survive the heating and oxidation process. One might get just as good a result using the cheapest honey around. Nevertheless, the results are delicious.
I may try a few more traditional batches to see if anyone can distinguish the honey used. In any case, it was a pleasant surprise to have this old friend turn up in time for the holidays!
I was moving some stuff in the attic when I ran across a keg that I had forgotten about. It is a Meadeira batch that I never created a mead-log for, and in fact, we were still calling them ‘brew-logs’ when it was started early in 2010.
This was a batch made with orange blossom honey and Uvaferm 43. It pushed to 18-19% ABV, with a final gravity of 1.045 and was oaked with both a light and a medium toast American oak spiral. It was Estufa-treated at only 115F and splash racked a couple of times, before I put it in the attic in 2011. It has been quietly heating and cooling up there ever since.
I racked it today. It had the usual ‘coffee-ground’ lees I’ve come to expect. The mead is dark amber and clear. The nose smells like honey-nut bourbon, with clear rancio character and with strong alcohol and some fusels notes. On the palate it is full and smooth with no alcohol burn, and has fruit notes on the attack with a long honey finish.
I think with decanting the bouquet will improve, but I could not tell this is orange blossom honey. Now my sniffer is not the most refined so someone else might be able to identify the honey type. However, after doing this with several types of honey including buckwheat, goldenrod, and orange blossom, I don’t think a lot of varietal character can survive the heating and oxidation process. One might get just as good a result using the cheapest honey around. Nevertheless, the results are delicious.
I may try a few more traditional batches to see if anyone can distinguish the honey used. In any case, it was a pleasant surprise to have this old friend turn up in time for the holidays!