I know there's another active thread about ageing, but it's diverted a bit and it didn't specifically address temperatures.
I brewed (assembled?) my first mead back on September 29th generally following hightest's excellent tutorials. It's fermented slower than I expected, but has otherwise been fine. I started tasting the samples when it got to about 1.043 (OG 1.115). Until today, it's basically tasted like cough syrup. I used a regional "mountain wildflower" honey, and it's had a very strong pollen/floral flavor. Not at all what I would describe as good, but it was early.
I noticed today that the airlock activity is slowing, so I pulled a sample. 1.005 and the flavor is completely different. The sugar is finally low enough to make it palatable. It's wonderfully tart and that overwhelming floral flavor has mellowed considerably, but is still quite assertive. At 14.6% ABV, the alcohol warmth is very nice.
I'm really excited about this mead again, so I had to share!
Aaaaanyway, back to ageing and temperature. I've basically got 3 choices in my house/brewery/meadery for long term storage:
1) The fermentation fridge, nominally 60F and very stable.
2) The keezer, nominally 40F and very stable.
3) A closet or cupboard, 60-80F depending on the time of year and probably not at all stable.
I'm guessing the fermentation fridge is going to provide the best environment, but space is very limited so it's not my first choice. So if you had the choice between the keezer or the closet, what would you use and why?
I brewed (assembled?) my first mead back on September 29th generally following hightest's excellent tutorials. It's fermented slower than I expected, but has otherwise been fine. I started tasting the samples when it got to about 1.043 (OG 1.115). Until today, it's basically tasted like cough syrup. I used a regional "mountain wildflower" honey, and it's had a very strong pollen/floral flavor. Not at all what I would describe as good, but it was early.
I noticed today that the airlock activity is slowing, so I pulled a sample. 1.005 and the flavor is completely different. The sugar is finally low enough to make it palatable. It's wonderfully tart and that overwhelming floral flavor has mellowed considerably, but is still quite assertive. At 14.6% ABV, the alcohol warmth is very nice.
I'm really excited about this mead again, so I had to share!
Aaaaanyway, back to ageing and temperature. I've basically got 3 choices in my house/brewery/meadery for long term storage:
1) The fermentation fridge, nominally 60F and very stable.
2) The keezer, nominally 40F and very stable.
3) A closet or cupboard, 60-80F depending on the time of year and probably not at all stable.
I'm guessing the fermentation fridge is going to provide the best environment, but space is very limited so it's not my first choice. So if you had the choice between the keezer or the closet, what would you use and why?