In reviewing the mead judge bjcp study guide, I noticed something that I couldn't really wrap my head around (and yet someone told me it was in my meads and they probably wouldn't be judged well in spite of being very good and tasty).
In the guide (and I think bjcp style guidelines) one of the things they mention for mead is that it should not have an "unfermented" honey character.
Ok, so sweetness is residual (unfermented) sugars. Either by the yeast dying early or by backsweetening using honey or other sugars. In melomels and others, I can see where sweetening can come from the unfermented fruit sugars, and therefore not be "unfermented honey" --- but in a standard traditional mead, HOW ON EARTH does one get a sweet mead WITHOUT a residual unfermented honey?
If we use an adjunct to sweeten, it's no longer traditional...so if you're really sticking to honey + water + yeast = mead....how can one get a sweet mead without this character?
I'm completely baffled by this statement...any ideas?
In the guide (and I think bjcp style guidelines) one of the things they mention for mead is that it should not have an "unfermented" honey character.
Ok, so sweetness is residual (unfermented) sugars. Either by the yeast dying early or by backsweetening using honey or other sugars. In melomels and others, I can see where sweetening can come from the unfermented fruit sugars, and therefore not be "unfermented honey" --- but in a standard traditional mead, HOW ON EARTH does one get a sweet mead WITHOUT a residual unfermented honey?
If we use an adjunct to sweeten, it's no longer traditional...so if you're really sticking to honey + water + yeast = mead....how can one get a sweet mead without this character?
I'm completely baffled by this statement...any ideas?