I made a three gallon batch of stawberry wine using honey as a sweetener over the summer. I just pulled a sample to taste. I've never had a wine or mead using honey. The strawberry flavor isn't bad but its followed by a almost whiskeyish after tatse. Is that how a mead taste or did I go horribly wrong some where? I tried to back sweeten a little more to see if it gets better but it just delays the harsh after taste.
Strawberry wine with honey as sweetener
- Thread starter osborngj
- Start date
Help Support Winemaking Talk - Winemaking Forum:
Brew and Wine Supply
Vendor
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2011
- Messages
- 1,414
- Reaction score
- 124
a little bit of honey goes a long way. How much did you add?
Brew and Wine Supply
Vendor
- Joined
- Dec 23, 2011
- Messages
- 1,414
- Reaction score
- 124
Hmmmmm regular mead recipe calls for 12 lbs for 5 gal., think you may have used too much. Just to sweeten, thinking 2 to 3 lbs would have been enough. By adding more, I think you are going the wrong way.
At this point not sure how to fix it .... maybe another batch of strawberry and blend it.???
Open for other thoughts.
At this point not sure how to fix it .... maybe another batch of strawberry and blend it.???
Open for other thoughts.
Deezil
Moderator
- Joined
- Jul 21, 2010
- Messages
- 3,066
- Reaction score
- 422
If you didnt describe it as a whiskey-ish taste, what would you call it? Can you be a bit more descriptive? Mead and Whiskey are faaaar apart when it comes to flavor so i wouldnt necessarily blame the honey right off the bat.
I've done a few batches with honey, that i've also done previously with regular sugar - the honey versions just have a bit of a wildflower / open meadow note that the sugar versions dont. They finished a bit sweeter as well, as honey contains some unfermentable sugars.
I would encourage you to purchase a regular commercial mead & compare those overall aspects to what you experience in your batch. I've found decent $6 bottles, so no need to spend much for the experience & the benefit it'll play in the long run, for your personal winemaking, is worth it in my opinion..
I've done a few batches with honey, that i've also done previously with regular sugar - the honey versions just have a bit of a wildflower / open meadow note that the sugar versions dont. They finished a bit sweeter as well, as honey contains some unfermentable sugars.
I would encourage you to purchase a regular commercial mead & compare those overall aspects to what you experience in your batch. I've found decent $6 bottles, so no need to spend much for the experience & the benefit it'll play in the long run, for your personal winemaking, is worth it in my opinion..
mmadmikes1
smart @$$
- Joined
- Aug 18, 2009
- Messages
- 1,896
- Reaction score
- 89
Mead needs time for taste to come around. What is your SG right now? I sweeten by SG. I finish strawberry mead at 1.02. Even if it tastes lousy when I sweeten it it will finish out nice if I let it set. Buy some frozen unsweetened strawberries and make a f-pak and add it. This will bring back the berry taste.
