Mead

[Loner]

Hello All, I havn't posted in a while as I've been tied up with other interests. I have churned out a few wines since my last post that turned out pretty good. Muscadine .. fig ... moscato and another I call Heinz 57 as it was made from various leftover concentrates.

Now I want to try making Mead. I've read a bit and see the starting SG is about the same as wine 1.080 - 1.110 etc. I'm not seeing where it should end ? The one article I saw ended at 1.040 which in a wine is very high. Should I let this go dry and then back sweeten to taste ? If I do back sweeten should I use honey ... honey water or something else ?

I'm not making anything special, just 3 parts water to one part honey. Will add nutrient and energizer up front. RC212 for yeast.

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

The ending gravity can be designed to how sweet you want it to be, you can have a dry tradtional mead just as dry as a fruit wine or backsweeten it with honey to whatever you want. There are many different styles of mead, its not just "mead". Did you get your hands on some nice local honey that has a good taste? WVMJ

 

[Loner]

I live out in the hills. The supplier is about 10 minutes away and the honey is excellent tasting.


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[BernardSmith]

I am no expert when it comes to mead but I have just bottled some orange blossom this evening and IMO it did not any backsweetening and was fermented dry. Made a tupelo last year and this too never needed any backsweetening. I echo Mountaineer Jack: if you prefer dry wines then allow your mead to ferment dry and taste to see if it is too dry for you. If you prefer sweeter wine then allow the mead to ferment dry and then bench test to see how much sweeter you prefer the mead. There is a "sweet spot" that balances the ABV, the flavor, and the acidity and the sweetness .

 

[Loner]

Thanks, that was the answer I was searching for. A lot of the "Google" posts made it sound as if they were stopping ferment @ 1.040 or so which goes against what I believed was correct.


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[seth8530]

Yup the above statements are very true. However, with mead one has to be very cautious of PH drops and of low nutrients. Cool fermentation (aromatics) and more importantly a good nutrient schedule (aromatics and complete fermentation) ( as can be found in the following link) http://www.winemakingtalk.com/forum/f86/got-off-phone-fermaid-people-38704/ . Can make the difference between a stuck and or stinky mead and an award winner.

Not to mention that having a good source of honey is very important as well.

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

Different styles of mead remember, a Polish mead can start at 1 part honey to 2 parts water or even more honey and finish at 1.040 on purpose, its very sweet but balanced with the alcohol, oak etc very well so that the high sweetness doesnt stick out like a big mistake. WVMJ

 

[Tenbears]

mead is unlike any wine you know the basis of mead is Honey and honey alone. Unlike wines which can draw from a verity of flavors, and pallet titillation. Mead draws it's flavor, and balance from the honey, only very subtle differences can be discerned from various honey varieties. It is more common for mead to be fermented to a determined specific gravity to lend the individual honey's flavors to a semi, or sweet mead. Fermentation to dryness can also provide a very pleasant mead. One can use the same honey and very the starting SG to produce several meads with completely different flavors and feels. Yeast selection can also be used to very the finished mead. A mead fermented to dryness then back sweetened to 1.040 SG will have a completely different taste and feel than the same starting must stopped at a SG of 1.040 through the use of yeast selection and starting SG.

 

[seth8530]

mead is unlike any wine you know the basis of mead is Honey and honey alone. Unlike wines which can draw from a verity of flavors, and pallet titillation. Mead draws it's flavor, and balance from the honey, only very subtle differences can be discerned from various honey varieties. It is more common for mead to be fermented to a determined specific gravity to lend the individual honey's flavors to a semi, or sweet mead. Fermentation to dryness can also provide a very pleasant mead. One can use the same honey and very the starting SG to produce several meads with completely different flavors and feels. Yeast selection can also be used to very the finished mead. A mead fermented to dryness then back sweetened to 1.040 SG will have a completely different taste and feel than the same starting must stopped at a SG of 1.040 through the use of yeast selection and starting SG.

Could you back up these asertions? I can tell you from personal expierence that the difference between a honey such as buckwheat and carrot blossom is like the difference between eating a marshmellow and taking in a spoon full of horse sh!t. Or what about the marshmellow taste associated with meadowfoam?

What makes you think that a mead that is 12% abv with 40 points residual added to it taste significantly different than say a mead that ends at 12% with 40 points of residual?

Honestly, I think the thing that makes mead so great is just how distinctive and assertive some of the honey flavours and aromatics can be if feremneted in a respectful manner.

Plus most people I talk to in mead world follow standard wine making procedure as far as first fermenting dry and then stablalyzing prior to back sweetining with sugar. Boozed out yeast can make wonky flavors... Why do it?

 

[WVMountaineerJack]

Seth, part of your question about boozed out yeast, have you had a properly made Polish style mead yet, they start at a very high OG and dont backsweeten and let the yeast give up, typically aged a little while even in oak barrels, no woonkiness. Varietal differences in honey makes it a lot of fun, light vs dark, clover vs buckwheat WVMJ

 

[Tenbears]

Could you back up these asertions? I can tell you from personal expierence that the difference between a honey such as buckwheat and carrot blossom is like the difference between eating a marshmellow and taking in a spoon full of horse sh!t. Or what about the marshmellow taste associated with meadowfoam?

What makes you think that a mead that is 12% abv with 40 points residual added to it taste significantly different than say a mead that ends at 12% with 40 points of residual?

Honestly, I think the thing that makes mead so great is just how distinctive and assertive some of the honey flavours and aromatics can be if feremneted in a respectful manner.

Plus most people I talk to in mead world follow standard wine making procedure as far as first fermenting dry and then stablalyzing prior to back sweetining with sugar. Boozed out yeast can make wonky flavors... Why do it?

I need not! Simply follow the process and see for yourself. Of course you would probably just call the difference Wonky flavors.
I may be new to making wine, but have made mead for over 40 years. balancing it's flavor is more complexed that simply dumping the honey of your choice into a dry version to backsweeten. The fermentation can be brought to a halt in other ways than "Boosed Out" And just what constitutes Boosed out. Simply because yeast has terminated because it reaches it's alcohol tolerance is not necessarily a bad thing. some yeasts reach it at low ABV levels. Are they "Boosed Out"

The " Marshmallow flavor of mead made from honey that is primarily from the meadowfoam blossom is as I said subtle. More of a nuance than one that bowls you over. The complexities of mead although distinct are never overpowering. I find they flow to the sampler rather than popping. The wonder of mead is that one can never duplicate a single batch. Like vintage, every mead varies with each extraction. Even honey from the same hive at the same time can produce differences in the final product depending on filtration, and temperature exposures. At least that has been my Personal observations. Every pallet is different and the likes, dislikes, perception and ability to perceive are different in everyone. One mans sour is another's savor.

If you think 40 points added and 40 points residual makes no difference in the finished mead then stick to marshmallows and horse sh!t Even the pallet of a caveman can discern them.

IMHO

 

[seth8530]

I need not! Simply follow the process and see for yourself. Of course you would probably just call the difference Wonky flavors.
I may be new to making wine, but have made mead for over 40 years. balancing it's flavor is more complexed that simply dumping the honey of your choice into a dry version to backsweeten. The fermentation can be brought to a halt in other ways than "Boosed Out" And just what constitutes Boosed out. Simply because yeast has terminated because it reaches it's alcohol tolerance is not necessarily a bad thing. some yeasts reach it at low ABV levels. Are they "Boosed Out"

The " Marshmallow flavor of mead made from honey that is primarily from the meadowfoam blossom is as I said subtle. More of a nuance than one that bowls you over. The complexities of mead although distinct are never overpowering. I find they flow to the sampler rather than popping. The wonder of mead is that one can never duplicate a single batch. Like vintage, every mead varies with each extraction. Even honey from the same hive at the same time can produce differences in the final product depending on filtration, and temperature exposures. At least that has been my Personal observations. Every pallet is different and the likes, dislikes, perception and ability to perceive are different in everyone. One mans sour is another's savor.

If you think 40 points added and 40 points residual makes no difference in the finished mead then stick to marshmallows and horse sh!t Even the pallet of a caveman can discern them.

IMHO

Looks like we will have to agree to disagree on technique for now then. My fermentation philosophy with mead is all about low and slow cool fermentation with an effective nutrient regiment. As yeast reach their alcohol cap they get stressed out and can produce off flavours. Thus, by default I will in general avoid pushing them to their cap.

 

[SouthernChemist]

Looks like we will have to agree to disagree on technique for now then. My fermentation philosophy with mead is all about low and slow cool fermentation with an effective nutrient regiment. As yeast reach their alcohol cap they get stressed out and can produce off flavours. Thus, by default I will in general avoid pushing them to their cap.

There are always going to be different techniques on philosophies on making any alcoholic beverage. I personally believe that cooler, slower fermentations are better for drier meads, but that's just my opinion. For the record, though, some yeast strains do more than just stop fermenting when they reach their alcohol limit. Some will die off without being able to clean up after themselves. You may not be able to tell this if the beverage is rather sweet, but it can be noticeable in other situations.

 

[Loner]

Well I'm six weeks in and down to 0.998 in a 5 gal Carboy. I don't think it will go any lower. I stole a test this morning and found a pronounced bitter taste. I added two teaspoons of honey 1.035 and am happy with the taste. The instructions I'm following say to do a final rack off the lee's and let it set for 4 to 6 months. I was thinking about racking onto 3 ounces of oak and/or some triple berry blend. What say my peers ?


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[seth8530]

I say nay to triple berry blend and yay to waiting.

 

[Loner]

Thank you sir. What about the oak ?


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[BernardSmith]

Hi Loner, I guess I like clarity in both the wines I make and in the posts I read, so here is my question. You say that your mead is now at .998 and that you added two teaspoons of honey 1.035. Does that mean the honey you added had a gravity of 1.035 but that you added two teaspoons of this. If so then I cannot see how 2 t of honey in 5 gallons would make enough difference to be perceptible. If adding the amount of honey you added was enough to removed a bitter flavor then OK but I guess I am unclear about what you did. Also, unless the yeast had been removed through sterile filtration or you had added K-meta and K-sorbate to stabilize your mead, isn't it likely that the remaining yeast will simply glom on to the added honey and transform that into CO2 and alcohol?

 

[Loner]

Bernard, when I did a hydrometer check this morning I decided to play around with the sample. That is what I added two teaspoons of honey to. It raised the gravity reading to 1.035


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[seth8530]

Nothing wrong with oak, but I would try 1.5 oz and go from there.