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Thompsoncentre

NewBee
Registered Member
Jun 7, 2018
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So to start out I’ve been trying to dial in session mead recipes.. been playing with different yeasts and different alcahol percentages.. throwing in keg an carbonating.. now I’m onto the flavouring stage.. for sweetening I’ve been taking 300 ml from the gallon batch an slightly warming in a sauce pan and disolving honey.. I’m really going for a meajito, I’ve made mint extract but it just don’t seem to work that well, seems like doesn’t matter how much I put in doesn’t really have any effect. I’ve tried making my must with mint leaves making a mint tea an before fermenting it has a very strong mint taste an tastes awesome but once done fermenting it’s completely gone.. I’ve also tried adding the bruised leaves after cold crashing which probably worked the best..anyways just wondering if anyone has any tips for me to try I’m open to suggestions!
 

bernardsmith

Got Mead? Patron
GotMead Patron
Sep 1, 2013
1,611
32
48
Saratoga Springs , NY
Mint is not something I tend to use so you may want to take what I am about to say with a grain or two of salt but I find when I want to extract flavor from herbs or spices using the alcohol to force the extraction works better than using the water in the must (and the relative slow build up of alcohol with all that CO2 in solution). That means adding herbs and spices to the secondary and allowing the laves and sticks or seeds to steep for a few weeks. The effect is perhaps less intense than steeping those herbs in vodka and then adding the flavored vodka (AKA extract) into the mead and the flavor tends to stay fixed unlike the flavors that might start off strong in the primary only to be blown off with the CO2 as fermentation progresses. BUT, as I say, I have no experience with mint though I would not expect mint to be an outlier.
 

Thompsoncentre

NewBee
Registered Member
Jun 7, 2018
9
0
0
Thanks for the reply! I tried making the extract with 40% alcahol ad it just doesn’t seem to give any flavour? My last batch I made I added like 8 tablespoons of it to the one gallon and still nothing.. should I try a higher proof alcahol for my extraction maybe?
 

Thompsoncentre

NewBee
Registered Member
Jun 7, 2018
9
0
0
So the method I been using of heating up a little bit of the mead once finished and adding the honey so it dissolves nicely, maybe I’ll add bruised mint leaves and let it stay warm on the stove (not boil). Does anyone see a problem doing it this way. Yes I’m only doing gallon batches right now but plan on doing much larger batches so would love some imput in doing it this way, good or bad
Thanks!
 

Squatchy

Lifetime GotMead Patron
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Nov 3, 2014
5,542
261
83
Denver
I personally would stay away from heat with your mint leaves. Your just going to have to use as many as need be to make it work. I would just go but a bunch. Mull/bruise it and add it in your finished mead for a couple weeks. And know that almost everything we put in mead fades to the rear over time. I have yet to find anything, other than the honey it'sself that moves forward as we age.
 

Thompsoncentre

NewBee
Registered Member
Jun 7, 2018
9
0
0
Appreciate you reply!
I’ve tried that method before but didn’t get the results I was looking for.. maybe I’ll try again with more mint. Has anyone ever tried fallen timbers meadjito? It has a strong taste of mint an is very tasty.. Is there a reason why hearing a small amount of the mead once fishing and steaping the mint leaves is not a good idea? Just curious as it worked really good at the start before fermenting.
 

Squatchy

Lifetime GotMead Patron
Lifetime GotMead Patron
Nov 3, 2014
5,542
261
83
Denver
Appreciate you reply!
I’ve tried that method before but didn’t get the results I was looking for.. maybe I’ll try again with more mint. Has anyone ever tried fallen timbers meadjito? It has a strong taste of mint an is very tasty.. Is there a reason why hearing a small amount of the mead once fishing and steaping the mint leaves is not a good idea? Just curious as it worked really good at the start before fermenting.

Go ahead and try it and see. Just do a small test first before you try it in the entire batch ;)
 
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