Cyser smells like turpentine

**jezter6** · 03-20-2010, 12:57 AM

So, I took a sample of my cyser today, and man -- as soon as I popped the airlock it smelled like turpentine.

I took a sample, and it tastes good. A little hot yet, but decent flavor, but the nose....man it smells like cheap hooch.

Made back in October, racked to secondary early Dec and has been sitting ever since. Clear as a bell and tasty.

Recipe was like 9# honey, 3-4g of cheap apple juice (not sure if it was 3 or 4g) and top up water to about 5g.

Yan · 03-20-2010, 03:46 AM

It's pretty young for a cyser. Give it some time and it should mellow. You have to age the crap out of any kind of mead for it to taste proper, between 6 months and a year (or more).

**liquiditynerd** · 03-20-2010, 05:20 AM

yeah, 9# fermeted + 4 gallons of jus de pomme is going to need some time. Did you use S. Bayanus or another strain?

or maybe an E85 engine

MedsenFey · 03-20-2010, 02:09 PM

It is not uncommon to have a phase during aging where medicinal/chemical odors are prominent. They usually age out nicely. It often depends on the honey. Which one did you use?

CandleWineProject · 03-20-2010, 05:00 PM

I'm sure the cheap apple juice isn't helping, either. Trash in = trash out.

MedsenFey · 03-20-2010, 05:53 PM

This can also be related to fermentation temp. What temperature were you keeping, and as asked above, which yeast?

Fletch78 · 03-20-2010, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jezter6

A little hot yet, but decent flavor, but the nose....man it smells like cheap hooch.

Recipe was like 9# honey, 3-4g of cheap apple juice (not sure if it was 3 or 4g) and top up water to about 5g.

That's because it is cheap hooch. I love cheap hooch.

**jezter6** · 03-21-2010, 04:56 PM

Yeast: cote de blancs

Temp: Low/Mid 60s in the basement over the winter.

Honey: Wildflower (almost 95% of all my meads are wildflower)

the sample was quite good in the taste, but just not so good on the smell.

MedsenFey · 03-21-2010, 05:11 PM

A lot of darker honeys can give some of those chemical/medicinal odors. Aging is usually the answer, though some never seem to lose that character. Lighter honeys seems to have less of this.

PiecefulToker · 03-21-2010, 05:13 PM

How long did you let it "breathe" before you smelled and tasted the sample?

I have noticed a drastic change in smell and taste when compared immediately after drawing the sample and after letting it sit for 5-10 minutes. YMMV.