first time making mead

This is my first attempt at making mead I fallowed a recipe I found online. It is an organic strawberry mead. I mashed up the strawberries and put them in the mead then let it sit for just under 2 weeks. After letting it sit for about 2 weeks I racked to remove the strawberries. It has been in secondary fermentation for just over 2 months now. Just checked it and its still bubbling away.

The one question I have is does the type of yeast used affect the taste? I used turbo yeast to make mine because thats what I had at the time. If this works out well I will be making lots more in the future.

123 said:

This is my first attempt at making mead I fallowed a recipe I found online. It is an organic strawberry mead. I mashed up the strawberries and put them in the mead then let it sit for just under 2 weeks. After letting it sit for about 2 weeks I racked to remove the strawberries. It has been in secondary fermentation for just over 2 months now. Just checked it and its still bubbling away.

The one question I have is does the type of yeast used affect the taste? I used turbo yeast to make mine because thats what I had at the time. If this works out well I will be making lots more in the future.

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Yes it does! Some have buttery taste, some don't impart anything, while others can even give spicy or fruity aroma.

Be careful about letting the must sit on the lees too long as it will give some off flavors.

What would you say is to long?

From personal experience I rack once a month. It helps with clearing and doesn't impart any of the off flavors. It also gives me a chance to test the SG and do a bit of tasting. It's good when you use things like Cinnamon sticks or the like for flavor.

I am going to try Papazian's mead. Not sure of the fermentation time though.
He says ferment to completion. Then rack and wait until clear.

I don't normally mess with my brews unless I am racking. So What SG will I have to get to. (I guess I'll have to buy a wine thief)

15lbs Honey
with water
acid blend
Irish moss
Gypsum

It has a lot to do with the yeast you used and the temp. A slow cool fermentation can take months. Using D47 yeast can handle being left on the lees more than 30 days without developing off favors. Otherwise I would rack every 30 days and test the gravity then.

I don't know how dry this reciepe will be but when it gets around the .99 range it will be close. .996 is very dry. It is wise to let it get crystal clear before bottling. This will also give it time to bulk age. I really like to let it get 3 months of aging before bottling after it finishes. I have a glass and plastic wine thief. The plastic one can be shortened by removing center sections and was only a few bucks. It does help.

Sorry I am sitting in a motel in Detroit using a new laptop. Don't like the small keyboards.