So as stated, this was my first attempt and I was hoping for some feedback on technique and insight on how long I should let this sit.
First off, the recipe:
Strawberry Lemon Mead, ~2.5 gallon batch
4 lbs Strawberries
9 lbs Honey (went with generic clover figuring the additives would drown out honey flavors)
12 Lemons, quartered
8 Lemons, Zested
Dalwin D47 wine yeast.
Yeast Nutrients / Energizer
Brought honey / water to ~150 degrees while pureeing strawberries and quartering / zesting lemons (Of note, used the zest of the lemons I quartered and placed in mead instead of additional lemons...would this expose more of the pith to the mead process and cause bitterness?) Dropped all in 5 gallon bucket & let temperature settle to room (~75) before adding yeast, stirring then sealing / air-locking. Let sit for 2-4 weeks when the bubbles come every 30 seconds (however there was never a real "vigorous" bubble action...always a bubble every 7-10 seconds, then 15-20, then I pulled it at ~30).
Taste at this point was strongly lemon and acidic. Almost no sweetness from strawberries or honey. Alcohol very prevalent. Was an idiot and forgot to hydrometer so I can only estimate the ABV is ~15% (was shooting for 15-17% per recipe). That being said, I drink whiskey regularly and the couple shots of the mead I got during siphoning had me spinning in a way 80 proof simply doesn't.
Siphoned from bucket to 3 gallon glass carbuoy. Let sit another 3 months then added ~4 tablespoons Bentonite slurry, shook vigorously, & let sit for another 3 days. Siphoned into 1 liter Grolsch bottles (pictured below, apologies for the crappy cell phone pic):
http://postimage.org/image/3vk91dh9d/
Ok, so first thing, the taste is still strongly lemony and acidic. Almost no sweetness from strawberries / honey came through. I have no problem with lemon, but it is sort of like drinking alcoholic lemonade without the sweetness. I think it can work great as a mixer, but its a little harsh for straight drinking (my intended purpose).
If I wanted to up the sweetness would it have worked to add more honey in the beginning phase (say to 12-15 lbs of honey) or would the yeast have simply converted most of that to alcohol (I'm thinking this).
Strawberry was supposed to be the primary flavoring with a lemon citrus "tartness" back finish, but instead the lemon totally took over. Should I just expect citrus fruits to behave in this fashion and severely reduce the amount used in future batches (to achieve that tart back finish) or is it more berries have a subtler flavor that needs heavier amounts to bring out in the mead?
Speaking to adding sweetness...anything wrong (as in problems arising with taste/consistency/etc) with popping the tops on the Grolsch bottles and pouring some honey in while they age out? Any suggestions on amount (of honey to the 1 liter bottle) would be appreciated, but I have a feeling I'll have to be "taste testing" to get a real feel for it due to the acid content.
Would it be better to get the added honey in now or to see how the mead settles out with age?
Speaking of aging...will doing so appreciably reduce the acidity of the mead, especially considering the high acid content? Any chance that the strawberry flavor is "hiding" and aging will bring it out?
As evident by the picture, the mead didn't come out very clear despite my use of clarifying agent and letting sit for some time. Is this a product of the pureed strawberries and if so can I expect this behavior with other fruit sources incorporated in this way? If not, any suggestions to help "clean" it out?
Anywho...I have another 5 gallons of pure mead (15 lbs orange blossom honey, water, nutrients, and time) going now that has been going for the same amount of time (due to no additives, I put everything straight into a carboy and let it ferment / age in one process) so hopefully that will come out a bit more drinkable, but until then I really appreciate any feedback on this batch.
Many thanks and cheers!
First off, the recipe:
Strawberry Lemon Mead, ~2.5 gallon batch
4 lbs Strawberries
9 lbs Honey (went with generic clover figuring the additives would drown out honey flavors)
12 Lemons, quartered
8 Lemons, Zested
Dalwin D47 wine yeast.
Yeast Nutrients / Energizer
Brought honey / water to ~150 degrees while pureeing strawberries and quartering / zesting lemons (Of note, used the zest of the lemons I quartered and placed in mead instead of additional lemons...would this expose more of the pith to the mead process and cause bitterness?) Dropped all in 5 gallon bucket & let temperature settle to room (~75) before adding yeast, stirring then sealing / air-locking. Let sit for 2-4 weeks when the bubbles come every 30 seconds (however there was never a real "vigorous" bubble action...always a bubble every 7-10 seconds, then 15-20, then I pulled it at ~30).
Taste at this point was strongly lemon and acidic. Almost no sweetness from strawberries or honey. Alcohol very prevalent. Was an idiot and forgot to hydrometer so I can only estimate the ABV is ~15% (was shooting for 15-17% per recipe). That being said, I drink whiskey regularly and the couple shots of the mead I got during siphoning had me spinning in a way 80 proof simply doesn't.
Siphoned from bucket to 3 gallon glass carbuoy. Let sit another 3 months then added ~4 tablespoons Bentonite slurry, shook vigorously, & let sit for another 3 days. Siphoned into 1 liter Grolsch bottles (pictured below, apologies for the crappy cell phone pic):
http://postimage.org/image/3vk91dh9d/
Ok, so first thing, the taste is still strongly lemony and acidic. Almost no sweetness from strawberries / honey came through. I have no problem with lemon, but it is sort of like drinking alcoholic lemonade without the sweetness. I think it can work great as a mixer, but its a little harsh for straight drinking (my intended purpose).
If I wanted to up the sweetness would it have worked to add more honey in the beginning phase (say to 12-15 lbs of honey) or would the yeast have simply converted most of that to alcohol (I'm thinking this).
Strawberry was supposed to be the primary flavoring with a lemon citrus "tartness" back finish, but instead the lemon totally took over. Should I just expect citrus fruits to behave in this fashion and severely reduce the amount used in future batches (to achieve that tart back finish) or is it more berries have a subtler flavor that needs heavier amounts to bring out in the mead?
Speaking to adding sweetness...anything wrong (as in problems arising with taste/consistency/etc) with popping the tops on the Grolsch bottles and pouring some honey in while they age out? Any suggestions on amount (of honey to the 1 liter bottle) would be appreciated, but I have a feeling I'll have to be "taste testing" to get a real feel for it due to the acid content.
Would it be better to get the added honey in now or to see how the mead settles out with age?
Speaking of aging...will doing so appreciably reduce the acidity of the mead, especially considering the high acid content? Any chance that the strawberry flavor is "hiding" and aging will bring it out?
As evident by the picture, the mead didn't come out very clear despite my use of clarifying agent and letting sit for some time. Is this a product of the pureed strawberries and if so can I expect this behavior with other fruit sources incorporated in this way? If not, any suggestions to help "clean" it out?
Anywho...I have another 5 gallons of pure mead (15 lbs orange blossom honey, water, nutrients, and time) going now that has been going for the same amount of time (due to no additives, I put everything straight into a carboy and let it ferment / age in one process) so hopefully that will come out a bit more drinkable, but until then I really appreciate any feedback on this batch.
Many thanks and cheers!