Banana!

I brewed Nero's Ancient Mead back in July then racked and bottled recently.

The ABV is pretty high, about 9-10%. There is a very very strong aroma of banana. The sweetness is null and the body is dry as I intended.

What could have caused the strong banana ester? (Am I using that term correctly?)

I used Flor Sherry Yeast WLP700 and raw honey. One possible problem is I didn't strain the cinnamon sticks or raisins; they sat through the 30 day primary.

Thanks for any ideas.

what was your fermentation temp. Banana esters can be caused by incorrect fermentation temps.

WLP700:
Flor Sherry
This yeast develops a film (flor) on the surface of the wine. Creates green almond, granny smith and nougat characteristics found in sherry. Can also be used for Port, Madeira and other sweet styles. For use in secondary fermentation. Slow fermentor.
Attenuation: 80%
Flocculation: N/A
Optimum Fermentation Temp: 70° F

Did not record ferm temps. Just recently got some gadgets to help.

It was summer so maybe the temps were too high. Do the banana esters appear when the ferm temp is too high or too low? Or both?

As far as I know it can happen when its too high. You can get a lot of off flavors as a result of temp being too high.

Get yourself a monkey and I'm sure he will love it