I think two batches are 'drain' bound...

Okay... perhaps this question will answer my others in the mead forum...

what happens if CO2 can NOT be expelled properly from the primary?

I was using a beginner method for making wine and mead which stated using a balloon with 2 holes in it over a water jub would be fine to use...

A batch of mead and a batch of country-style wine ( made from juice concentrate ) taste AWFUL! My only conclusion is that both had the balloon toppers... I racked them both to secondary's today... added a campden tab and pot. sorbate to them as well as back sweetening to try and help them... but, if the CO2 is the true issue, I think they are both 'drain' bound.

Co2 CAN'T be the issue! It will dissipate, and so it doesn't affect the mead at all. I'd keep it in the carboy (jug) with a real airlock and bung, topped up to within an inch or two of the top, for six months or so and then revisit it.

It can taste awful from infection, by the way- if the containers weren't sanitized, and it got infected for example. The good news is that if it's an infection, it'll get worse. And if it's not an infection, it'll get better. So in a few months it'll either be better or worse. If it's better- hooray! If it's worse, then you can give it up as an offering to the drain gods. Either way, waiting 6 months doesn't cost anything except time.

Update...

I did sacrifice the country-style wine (CSW), but the mead I am holding on to. That one I will be a little more patient with. When I added the campden tab and potassium sorbate, the mead cleared up nicely. The wine... didn't; it just turned .

My red "CSW" looks much happier and was done right from the get go. That one will be racked tomorrow and have a campden tab and PS added.

I like really sweet wine ( Ice wine is my favorite! ) so the idea of using fruit juice concentrate to have wine in 6-8 weeks SO APPEALS TO ME! So, the plan is to perpetually have 2 carboys going of CSW going in addition to every other month or so adding 3 gallons of Mead to the collection - strictly for ceremonial purposes. My aim is to create 'seasonal' varieties to be enjoyed this time next year, in addition to having my CSW all the time...hehehe.

Thanks for the heads up and info, Yooper. You've been a wealth of useful knowledge!

I would guess the awful taste may just be how "country wine" tastes. The mead can also very in taste from dry-sweet and also from vomit to nice honey flavors.

Depending on the temperature your fermenting in, wine just after fermentation can be horrible, but mellow and become a fantastic wine in a month to six months.
Same thing with meads, ciders, and beers really. Of course from the reaction it does sound like it was just "really bad" and that hints at an infection of some nasty.
I am a big fan of Oxyclean to clean, and starsan to sanitize. Idophor works well also, I just don't like how it can stain the plastics.
Best of luck, and I would hint that more ageing carboys would be a fine investment if your looking at doing meads. With patience and months to years of ageing you will never want to drink a "green" mead again. It is just wasting money on expensive honey.

my word of caution: making mead tends to leave you with a LOT of aging mead. We're talking cases upon cases of years-old mead.

its not like you can sit down to a few pints of mead in one session. i quit bottling mead in wine bottles because I couldn't drink that much, and then it just oxidized in the bottle (i don't sulfite mead)

malkore said:

my word of caution: making mead tends to leave you with a LOT of aging mead. We're talking cases upon cases of years-old mead.

its not like you can sit down to a few pints of mead in one session.

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Actually, when the mead is opened ( several bottles ) its for ceremonial gatherings... so the abundance of mead will not be an issue. It's the 'getting the mead right and letting it age' that could be a problem...lol!

humbly and ignorantly what is country style wine? I have been making wine for about two years now. This puts me solidly in the rookie category... what the heck is country style wine?

I've always heard wines made from fruit, berries or pretty much anything other than grapes referred to as "country wine".

ChshreCat said:

I've always heard wines made from fruit, berries or pretty much anything other than grapes referred to as "country wine".

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Pretty much! Its nicer sounding that Homemade Hooch; although that has a certain 'ring' to it...lol!