Temps for mead and wine??? 80's too high?

So I started a mead about a week and a half ago, it was brewing aloing nicely in my kitchen at a bout 70-74F ( I should have put it in the basement) the last two days however, going by the stick on thermometer it has hit 82-84F for a few hours.
I know with beer that can be a nightmare, what is teh deal with mead?

Also I have a JAOM that is just starting month 2, a blush wine in week 4 and a cider in week 2 all sitting in a room that is likely hitting the high 70's low 80s at the warmest point in the day.

How will these temps affect my brewing?

Not terribly concerned about the JAOM, the ancients didn't have temp control.

Some wine yeast strains are happy up to 90 degrees (can't remember which ones, off of the top of my head) but most are fine up into the 80s.

Nut will I have off flavours like in beer making?
Even ale yeasts can handle 74,75, but you definitely don't want to brew there. My yesat is OK to 86F.

My mead is likely 75% done anyway, and it really doesn't matter at this point, I just want to know what to look for in the final produc5t. (First basic mead)

Thanks for the reply!

billc68 said:

Nut will I have off flavours like in beer making?
Even ale yeasts can handle 74,75, but you definitely don't want to brew there. My yesat is OK to 86F.

My mead is likely 75% done anyway, and it really doesn't matter at this point, I just want to know what to look for in the final produc5t. (First basic mead)

Thanks for the reply!

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No, I don't think any off-flavors will be an issue. Wine yeast usually have a very high temperature range, so into the 80s should be fine.

Many will, though, develop high/fusel alcohols in the upper 70s, so it's not advisable to ferment mead above ~72F or so. Ideally, <70 is better.

It's likely your mead will have a moderate amount of alcohol warmth in it. That's not necessarily a bad thing if you don't mind it, but it is something that can be avoided with lower ferm temps.

I am not familiar with fusel alcohols, anyway, I guess there is nothing I can do about it now, the most vigorous fermentation is over.
I plan to back sweeten with raspberries in a couple of weeks (when ripe)
should I move the fermenter or is it pointless now?

I used Lalvin 71B-1122

Most wine yeast will produce fusels that will taste like Band-Aids or paint thinner for a very long time if you ferment a traditional mead with them above 80F. Some will also throw sulfur odors from heat stress. Your best bets for yeast if you have to be in the heat are D21 and K1V. A late temp spike is not nearly as big of a deal as having the high temps during the early part of fermentation.

71B will probably be rather harsh if you've fermented in the mid 70s, so plan on aging it. The sweetening with raspberries may make it much more drinkable so that may help a lot.

Older meads that are stored for aging at higher temps degrade faster. A short spike may not damage, but prolonged storage is problematic. I had one batch stored by the clothes dryer; if turned to sherry (bad sherry I might add) in one year. Melomels seem more sensitive to this than traditional meads, but it can happen to them too.

Ok, so it is now back in a slightly cooler environment but not cool enough. I will let it go, then add my juiced berries and maybe frget about it for a few months. I have plenty of carboys so no big deal.