Adhesive Bandgage Mead! YUM!

okay, kidding aside.

I guess water quality is of an even greater importance to making mead than it is to beer?

I have never tasted mead. Only what I have tried to make. My first mead was last November. I have yet to try it. Bottled it in May. However the results of hydrometer samples along the way have been less than encouraging shall we say. Very harsh alcohol, yes I know time heals that...

But also band-aid(tm) flavors. I have made, hmmm let's see...

First one ginger mead, then a cyser, heather mead, traditional dry mead, heather braggot (heather was blossoming) and a barleywine braggot. All one gallon batches since this is quite experimental to me.

The ginger mead and cyser and heather mead are bottled. All were harsh and a bit band-aid(tm)y. The heather braggot was made I believe about the beginning of August (don't have my notes handy) I racked it once to get it of the blossoms and it was like AMBROSIA! I reracked today to get it of the remaining sediment and it tastes a bit sour. Had that problem once with heather ale as well. Perhaps it is the heather. The traditional dry mead and Barley wine braggot I also reracked today. The plain mead is similar with that bandage flavor, plus it has not cleared like the others, but that is another topic... The barleywine which was racked once before tasted nasty and not at all hoppy the first time. Now it is tasting better but super fruity?

Okay, thanks for reading all that. Guess I just need to be patient and make some more.

Here is the actual question...

Should I use another water source? I never use bleach, so the chlorophenols (which is what I believe I am tasting) must be from my water source?

I could buy bottled or I have discovered a natural spring I have access to.

Boy, I don't know why you have the band aid smell. What kind of yeast did you use? Is the water heavily chlorinated? I'm at a loss. Usually water is not all that important in mead and wine making. Sure, it has to be good water, but very little affects it. I mean, in beer we have to think about hardness, softness, carbonates, etc. In mead, it's just like "oh, this water tastes good- let use it!".

I will have to go back and look at my notes. It was a variety of yeasts for each. I believe I have used champagne, SafAle so-04 and US-05 and possibly Montrachet?

Zymurgrafi said:

I will have to go back and look at my notes. It was a variety of yeasts for each. I believe I have used champagne, SafAle so-04 and US-05 and possibly Montrachet?

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I've used all those yeasts in various brews/meads/wines, with no issues. Is the water heavy with chlorine, or chloramines?

Hi Zymugrafi: Did you use the same type/brand of honey for all your batches? I've gotten "rubber stopper" tastes & aromas from several batches, but only batches I used honey in. Even my cysers, which contain no water at all, only juice from the apples. I've found that these problems do diminish & go away entirely with time, but it takes quite a while. Not sure if that's the source of your off flavours or not, but it's certainly a possibility. I guess you could always change your honey type/brand & use the same water to see if that's it, and maybe another experiment with the same type/brand honey with different water. Hope you find some of this info useful. Regards, GF.

hmmm, good point.

I was not even thinking of that. My cyser did not include water. As to the honey, I was getting local repacked clover honey (bulk) from my food coop. So, I will presume the source varied.

Yooper, I do not know how high the chlorine levels are in my tap water but I do have an under the faucet carbon filter set-up. I do know without the filter it tastes pretty bad.

Did it get infected? Band-aids don't help infected mead, just infected sores on people.

Montrachet made my mead taste like bandaids. It's still conditioning so I hope the yeasties clear and so too the bandaid taste....We'll find out in a year or so.

I can think of a couple of possible sources:

1. Improper fermentation management. Did you notice any sulfur smells during fermentation? Did the ambient temperature ever aproach the upper 80s? Did your primaries take much longer than a week?

2.Oxidation. Did you rack immediately when your primary fermentation was complete? Did you always keep your secondary completely topped?

3. Very dark strong flavored honey.

summersolstice said:

I can think of a couple of possible sources:

1. Improper fermentation management. Did you notice any sulfur smells during fermentation? Did the ambient temperature ever aproach the upper 80s? Did your primaries take much longer than a week?

2.Oxidation. Did you rack immediately when your primary fermentation was complete? Did you always keep your secondary completely topped?

3. Very dark strong flavored honey.

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Hmmm, well I am not very educated on Mead making.

Let me see.

1. No, no sulfur. No low seventies max in my basement (northern VT) Primary, well yes longer than a week. I thought you should leave it a few weeks at least considering the high gravity. That is what I would do for a high gravity beer. That could be where I went wrong

2. Again, perhaps too long in primary. Never topped anything. Airspace bad eh? What do you top with? Boiled/cooled water? More honey?

3. No, just locally made clover honey.

Guess I have much too learn. Thanks for the help folks. I'll stay tuned for the answers...

Brandon O said:

Did it get infected? Band-aids don't help infected mead, just infected sores on people.

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I've got this sore that...

um, never mind!

Zymurgrafi said:

Hmmm, well I am not very educated on Mead making.

I thought you should leave it a few weeks at least considering the high gravity. That is what I would do for a high gravity beer. That could be where I went wrong

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If you allow mead or wine to sit for too long (longer than a couple of weeks) on the gross lees then you could experience off flavors.

What do you top with? Boiled/cooled water? More honey?

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I make a primary larger than my targeted secondary. Any excess goes into 1- or 1/2 gallon jugs. Always top up to the neck and keep an airlock on at all times. If there are subsequent rackings, then I move down from a 6-gallon to a 5-gallon or 3-gallon. Honey water will induce renewed fermentation unless fermentation is complete and you've already stabilized your mead. In that case, honey water will make your finished mead sweeter.

Thanks.

Guess since I am using one gallons for primary I should rack to a half gallon growler or smaller for secondary. I thought longer was better for the yeast to "do its thing".

I stand corrected.

I was thinking about this more and have another question. Just trying to make sure I understand. Why is mead different than beer in regard to contact time with the yeast? Doesn't a high gravity require longer contact time to fully attenuate and to allow the yeast time to "clean-up" as it would in beer?

Also, why would a mead have to be topped up in the fermentor exactly? If there is positive pressure in the airlock that means there is CO2 in the headspace of the vessel. In beer that would mean no oxidation is occuring?

Why is mead different? Not trying to be a wise guy, just want to understand so I can make good mead.n

Zymurgrafi said:

I was thinking about this more and have another question. Just trying to make sure I understand. Why is mead different than beer in regard to contact time with the yeast? Doesn't a high gravity require longer contact time to fully attenuate and to allow the yeast time to "clean-up" as it would in beer?

Also, why would a mead have to be topped up in the fermentor exactly? If there is positive pressure in the airlock that means there is CO2 in the headspace of the vessel. In beer that would mean no oxidation is occuring?

Why is mead different? Not trying to be a wise guy, just want to understand so I can make good mead.n

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Mead isn't really different in regard to the contact time with the yeast- it needs to be racked off the lees every time it's really thick or about every 45-60 days, if lees are still forming. That's due to autolysis, just like with beer. The gross lees have dead yeast and other substances in it, that can definitely cause off-flavors. Because mead is so clean and clear, like wine, you'll pick them up easier than a big beer.

As far as topping up in the carboy, that is a must. (get it- must? never mind). Oxidation is the death of wine and mead. It'll madeirize- that is, taste like madeira or sherry, which is from oxidation. Even with some co2 in the headspace, because the mead is in there so long, it's at a definite risk of oxidation because of the relative large surface area exposed. If you top up to the opening of the carboy, it's only about an inch or two that's exposed, and then the co2 can probably displace the o2. I even use sulfites in my meads and wines, to protect it from oxidation.

I've left mead on the lees for 6 weeks...no off flavors.

I think the chloramines in your tap water are at least partly to blame. Mead has a delicate flavor so it can't hide behind the malt flavor or the hop bitterness.

malkore said:

I've left mead on the lees for 6 weeks...no off flavors.

I think the chloramines in your tap water are at least partly to blame. Mead has a delicate flavor so it can't hide behind the malt flavor or the hop bitterness.

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I'm gonna agree here, and also chime in that Oxyclean + hard Water = Nasty crap that never washes off unless you use Vinegar and tastes funny in the bottles.

I have been thinking of doing a side by side with tap water and Store Bought water....in a show mead just to see the difference that water makes to mead. I have well water, so no chlorine, but it's very hard.

Well, I do not know the actual hardness of my water. Town does not test or provide that, only contaminant levels. But I do know it is dosed pretty heavy with chlorine, possibly chloromines though not sure. I have an under the sink carbon filter system. I do not think it is wicked hard though, perhaps just moderate.

I recently started getting some water from a roadside spring. Tastes great! I brewed up a batch of ordinary bitter with it which is fermenting now. I suspect I will use this for the next time I try mead.