Mead Lovers Digest #0127

Published in

· 8 months ago

 

Mead Lover's Digest #127                            Tue 11 May 1993 

 
        Forum for Discussion of Mead Brewing and Consuming 
               John Dilley, Digest Coordinator 

 
Contents: 
  Mellowing with age? (Mark E Lewis) 

 
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Date: Mon, 10 May 93 10:52:31 PDT 
From: mel30@sim.mfg.amdahl.com (Mark E Lewis) 
Subject: Mellowing with age? 

Greetings all, 
My first batch (15 lbs amber honey/5 gal., champagne yeast) has been in the  
bottles now for a month.  It started out around 1.092 (hydrometer reads low),    
and ended around 1.000 after 2.5 months worth of fermentation.  I just had a 
sample last night ( I know, it still needs to age), and I could barely stand 
to drink the stuff!  Is it that it's still that green, or will it retain most 
of the characteristics it displays as it ages?  
Not having had a mead previously, I lack the nomenclature to describe what 
I tasted.  Esentially though, it does 
seem to have retained some sweetness, has a bit of a punch, but has a pungent 
nose and mouth feel.  Not quite a rancid taste, but approaching it.  Is this 
going to mellow out into a complex flavor, is a year reasonable, or might 
something have gone awry?  I did heat (just below a boil) the honey for awhile 
(don't have my notes here, and I'd hate to misquote myself) and skim the scum 
as it formed.  It cleared fairly well in the secondary, but still has "globs" 
that look like "break" protiens that are easily stirred up when the bottle is 
mildy agitated.  Did I not allow enough time in the secondarys?  Fermentation 
progressed from the beginning of February, until the middle of May. I live in  
the S.F. Bay Area, so temps. were mild, with little extremes.    
I know this rambles, but I don't know what else to add.  Any pointers or 
specifics?  Thanks in advance for the help/advice. 

Mark E. Lewis   mel30@sim.mfg.amdahl.com 

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