tannins

Hi,

I saw many recepes adding tea bags for tannins, should I add some oak for secondary aging instead?

Thanks

I have no experience with oaking but I can talk a bit about tannins and that may help you with a decision. Tannins or tannic acid is usually used to one, calm down the cloyingness of sweet meads. Basically to balance the sweet with bitter. And two yeast also enjoy some tannins and it helps to reduce stress on them. Black tea and grape peels are two of the most common sources of tannins. From what little I know on oaking it just changes the flavor profile and helps to reduce the alcohol hot a little. What kind of mead are you making and what are you looking for in a drink. That will help us help you.

Arpolis said:

From what little I know on oaking it just changes the flavor profile and helps to reduce the alcohol hot a little. What kind of mead are you making and what are you looking for in a drink. That will help us help you.

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Exactly, like Arpolis said there are different sources of tannins and yes using oak can change the flavor profile just like it does for wine or whiskey. It is a great source of tannins as well. On top of taking a cloyingly sweet mead down a notch and taking the edge off the alcohol "hottness" faster tannins will also bind with some byproducts of fermentation and help a little with clarification.

If you're making something that would benefit from a little "oakyness" and the various flavors it can impart then hell yeah, age it on a little oak, just be cautious, too much oak can make things turn not great pretty quick as well.

Hi,

Thanks for reply, I am planning semmi sweet mead (actually it will be my first time, but I am making beer a couple of years) with addition of pomegranade juice and a bit of lemmons for a secondary, I think, when I will bottle it maybe I will make half of the volume sparkling and the other half not, but it depends on taste before bottling, because maybe sparkling will not fit with tannin and pomegranade.
How much oak chips I should put in 5 gallon?

Thanks

jean said:

Hi,

Thanks for reply, I am planning semmi sweet mead (actually it will be my first time, but I am making beer a couple of years) with addition of pomegranade juice and a bit of lemmons for a secondary, I think, when I will bottle it maybe I will make half of the volume sparkling and the other half not, but it depends on taste before bottling, because maybe sparkling will not fit with tannin and pomegranade.
How much oak chips I should put in 5 gallon?

Thanks

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For a sparkling fruity semi sweet mead, NO oak! Oak is a great addition, but it's not for every mead. Think of a big bold oaky red wine and the depth you get from it, and think of a light sparkling white wine. Totally different, and the oak would be completely out of place in the latter.

Even for a non-sparkling fruity mead, I wouldn't use oak.

If you feel that the mead is lacking something, you could add 1/8 teaspoon of powdered tannin. But even that is a "maybe"!

you are right, and this will not be a light fruity mead, I have drunk a "pomegrenade wine" recently and it defenetly felt like an oak aged. It was great.

What about in a braggot that is already pretty highly hopped (like 1oz/gallon)? Would tannins be helpful or just make it taste weird?

jean said:

you are right, and this will not be a light fruity mead, I have drunk a "pomegrenade wine" recently and it defenetly felt like an oak aged. It was great.

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Oh, ok! I got the impression it was a light fruity semi-sweet mead so sorry about that.

bk0 said:

What about in a braggot that is already pretty highly hopped (like 1oz/gallon)? Would tannins be helpful or just make it taste weird?

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Hops have tannins in them, but oaking might be good if it is a braggot that can stand up to the oaking.

A braggot should be able to stand up and benefit from some tannins but choose the source carefully, I wouldn't throw grape skins in it but a fair amount of oak aging could be really good.

the next batch I am planning on oaking for both the oakyness and tannins is an acerglyn, I am going to rack it into the secondary onto 1-2 ounces of medium toast american oak cubes that at that point will have been soaked for a few days, possibly a week in bourboun which was infused with vanilla beans.

Yooper said:

Oh, ok! I got the impression it was a light fruity semi-sweet mead so sorry about that.

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yeah I hope I am correct...14 kg honey with 40 litter water for first, then addition of 5 litter pomegranade juice + 4 lemmon juice
do you think it will be light fruity or heavier?