Mead Lacking Body

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ZenBrew

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I just kegged my first mead, and this is where it will live all winter and into next spring when I will tap it.

It is a peach mead and it has a pretty good flavor. I think the problem with it is that it doesn't have any body. It feels like water in my mouth. I don't know what I was expecting, but it isn't that!

It its very dry so I am planning on adding 3/4 cup brown sugar dissolved in a quart of water right before I put it in the fridge to back sweeten it. Will they help give it a little more body?

I also plan on making it a sparkling mead, do that should help give it more body right?

I'm just worried that it tastes good at first, but then is kind of boring. Any suggestions on top of or instead of what I'm planning to do will be appreciated!
 
If add sugar to back sweeten then and some potasium sorbate and metabisulfite to stabalize it so it doesn't start fermenting again. You should be able to force carb so that shouldn't be an issue. Just remember mead is wine, not beer so it is going to be thinner than beer unless its a really sweet dessert wine. Pull a small sample and spike it with some sugar to sweeten and then figure out how much you want in the full batch by multiplying it out.
 
Great advice! That is really helpful.

I'm trying to avoid putting chemicals in to stabilize it. If I put the sugar in the keg and then stick the whole thing right into the fridge shouldn't that also halt fermentation? Or maybe if I cool the mead first, put the sugar in, and them put it back in the kegerator?
 
Putting it in the fridge will slow it down for sure. If there aren't many yeast left it shouldn't be an issue. If it's just come off the cake, you'll find it will still ferment for a while, even though it's in the fridge. Even then, by the time it hits 40 degrees all activity should stop.
 
KBentley57 said:
Putting it in the fridge will slow it down for sure. If there aren't many yeast left it shouldn't be an issue. If it's just come off the cake, you'll find it will still ferment for a while, even though it's in the fridge. Even then, by the time it hits 40 degrees all activity should stop.

And if it doesn't you can just bleed off the keg to release pressure do that shouldn't be an issue at all
 
Hmm, I also would recomend to oak it with lightly toasted oak, prob 1 oz for a month would work.

Also, to increase body of a mead, many people have used rasins or figs. Doesn't contribute too much to the taste but it does beef up the body a bit. Also, if you mead is too dry, then definitely stabize and backsweeten. I would do it with honey. Also, a non-fermentable sugar is maltodextrin. add a pound of that and it will beef up the mouth feel too.

Hope it goes well.
Matrix
 

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