My first mead tastes like FIRE!

I'd just like to preface this all with a nice .

Just over a month ago I started on my first mead. I used 15lbs of fairly cheap Smart & Final honey (a discount grocery store in CA), and about 6 oz of grated ginger root, and fermented it with 2 packets of Lavlin 1118. Its OG was 1.104.

Today, I decided it was time to rack it off the lees, and so I did. When I did a FG check it was down to .996-.998. I didn't want to just WASTE that precious test sample, so I did what any good homebrewer would do; I drank it.

My first sip tasted somewhere between a dry white wine, with a nice mellow floral of honey, and slightly bitter-sour aftertaste from the ginger, followed directly behind a freight trains worth of fire and heat. WOW! I didn't know a drink just under 14% could burn like that!

Now, let me say that I had no intention of drinking that mead anytime before Christmas of this year. I know this stuff will mellow out and become wonderful ambrosia of the Gods if given enough time, time I am more than willing to give. I know you can tell there is "but" coming soon. But, I didn't know just how rough and tumble that stuff can be when young. Damn, a single 12ox bottle of that stuff would set you spinning! Well, maybe not spinning, but it would be like drinking to shots of 80 proof whiskey.

So, in short; new batch brewed up and transferred to secondary, I tasted it and drank fire.

Sounds like the beginnings of a cool label... BrewN00b's FireMead.

-Steve

I use the same honey you used in many of my meads.
Given time, you will have a wonderfully satisfying mead.


any Mead under 6 months old is essentially lighter fluid.

thataintchicken said:

any Mead under 6 months old is essentially lighter fluid.

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Brother, ain't that the truth!

It will gradually lose that harsh alcohol taste. I thought I screwed up my first mead because of that rocket fuel taste you're talking about, but after a few months it was all gone. I didn't give it the full 6 months to a year to be ready, but it must have been pretty good because there is none left.

I also used some cheap clover honey I found on sale at a Giant Eagles. (not sure if those stores exist outside the midwest.)

BrewN00b said:

Brother, ain't that the truth!

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truly is.

I am blessed in that i have a S&F 2 miles from my house and an AG cash and carry just 20 minutes away. Being from Portland originally.. an AG is a Godsend.

I save tons on Honey at the AG and can pick up cases of frozen berries for $20 bucks.

managing a Restaurant and using my discounts = Mead Heaven.

GuitarBob said:

It will gradually lose that harsh alcohol taste.

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unless you want it to have the harshness..
seriously, Meads by nature want to mellow with time.


I have a Marionberry Mead that has been sitting in a Corny Keg for 2 years.
It is almost ready for the bottle.

ok. Half for the bottle, half for a 2.5 gallon Keg.

Brother, the heat isn't from the 14% alcohol, it's from the ginger. Fresh ginger is hot stuff. It mellows when it cooked.

6 oz of fresh ginger will light you up.

Ohhh firemead sounds good! Use a lot of cinnamon and ginger, or better yet :



Throw some of those bad boys in there during secondary aging!

I don't think you could make it sparkling... since the heat comes from cinnamon oil extract.

digdan said:

Ohhh firemead sounds good! Use a lot of cinnamon and ginger, or better yet :

Throw some of those bad boys in there during secondary aging!

I don't think you could make it sparkling... since the heat comes from cinnamon oil extract.

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A little while back in Zymurgy there was a recipe for an atomic fireball mead. Ill have to look that one up again.

Naw atomic fireballs are weak and they are fake hot....
you want real hot:



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My mead used to taste like wood alcohol, or some type of cleaning product it was soo strong.

My friend came over the other day, and I opened a bottle since I havnt tried it in a couple months, and when he downed a glass quickly with no facial expression of "Whoaaa thats strong", I tried some myself, and WoW....with just a tsp of honey added into 344ml bottle, would taste good enuff to be commercial.

Give it some time, and it tastes totally different!!