Ok, let's get an understanding here...I've had maybe 2 or 3 drinks over the last 3 or 4 (or 5?) years. Anyhow, call me a wimp or whatever but I've got a buzz off the test tube of the traditional mead. Before messing with the traditional I bottled 7+ bottles of my JAOM to start with this evening (my first bottling job). I checked the gravity on it and it's something like 1.040. It's a bit bitter to me, but I was sampling the "dusty" +bottle...I'll let it age for a while...bottled in 12oz beer bottles.
I checked the traditional batch tonight...the one I've been worried about. I thieved a test tube full. The pH is off the scale high according to my test strips...I'm wondering if something is weird with the strips but they respond quickly to vinegar. Anyhow, the gravity I'm reading at 1.008...my hydrometer is off .002....the OG was 1.108 The taste is...like a heavy wine or something:cross:...kinda reminds me of some moonshine I've got that an old gentleman that used to run with my granddaddy made....both are dead now and the shine is now over 25 years old. The moonshine didn't kill'em. ;D The mead doesn't taste as high alcohol as the shine or anything but I seem to sense a grain taste in the mead but their ain't no grain in it. I guess it's kinda of a hybrid between a white wine and some low alcohol moonshine. It's good, has a bit of an edge to it, will mellow out, will get you drunk I believe given a chance.
Anyhow, I could sense kind of a hot alcohol with my nose (it's going on 2 months old so it ain't exactly grown yet). I'd drink some and thinik to my self....myself, this don't taste bad at all and wrinkle my nose just a touch. If age does what folks say it does then I think this will be pretty doggone good. :tank: I'm sitting here looking at the now empty glass (3rd one) kinda wishing I had a little more but I've done topped off the carboy and sealed'er back up...probably a good think. Gee, at test tube amounts this 3-gallon batch oughta last me a long time!
So, did someone say something about white speck, speckles, er specklers, uh, Mr. Spock...tell Scotty to beam me up!!
Ed
Be sure and look at this one...look at the line of bubbles right under the "1"...