How can you dense your mead?

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deiasus

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Hello,

I'm beggining with the production of mead and i think i found the flavour i want but it's like a beer from the supermarket. Is there anything i could add to the ingredients to be more dense?

Farewell,
Deiasus
 
What are the ingredients? Are you following a recipe or is this something you created on your own? It sounds like you might be asking if there is an ingredient that can make your flavors stronger. Depending on the ingredient you are getting your flavor from, you might just be able to add more of it in secondary. I am no pro at making mead, but I am not aware of an ingredient that would intensify flavors.
 
If you're referring to the thin mouthfeel of a mead, you might be able to add maltodextrin to "thicken" it up, if that is indeed what you're looking to do. I've never added it to mead, so am unsure what exactly the outcome would be, but I imagine it would be the same as using it in beer.
 
If you're referring to the thin mouthfeel of a mead, you might be able to add maltodextrin to "thicken" it up, if that is indeed what you're looking to do. I've never added it to mead, so am unsure what exactly the outcome would be, but I imagine it would be the same as using it in beer.


I was thinking the same thing. I few ounces in a 5 gallon batch will have a good effect.

You could also consider boiling 1/10 of the honey for a while in order to scorch it and add some unfermentable sugars to it. That's a technique used to make scotch ales. I'm also not sure if that would translate to mead making, but again, it may work.
 
Hi deiasus - and welcome. Unclear what you mean. Do you mean can you make a mead with better mouthfeel so that it coats your mouth when you drink it and does not simply pour down your throat leaving no flavor behind? One of the ways of improving mouthfeel is to leave more unfermented sugar in the mead. One way of doing that is to allow the mead to ferment dry, then stabilize the mead by adding K-sorbate and k-meta and then add more honey to the mead. The added honey will increase the flavor of the mead (all the flavor comes from the honey) and will increase the density of the mead (the sugar will increase the specific gravity - but since you have stabilized the mead - and have removed all the yeast cells - this added honey will not ferment)
 
The flavour it's ok, what i need is to thicken the mead:

I use this recipe:
25 lt water
4,5 kg honey
brewer's yeast S04 11,5gr
maltodextrin 100 gr
dextrose 130 gr

What is k-meta and k-sorbate? i'm just beggining on mead and home beer productions

Greetings
 
K -meta is Potassium metabisulfite and K-sorbate is Potassium sorbate. These two chemicals are added to a wine when all the sugar has been fermented and almost all the yeast has been removed through death and racking. The K-meta prevents any remaining yeast from actively fermenting any added sugar and the K-sorbate prevents those remaining yeasts from reproducing - The overall effect is then to allow you to add more sugar (or honey) to sweeten the mead. You must add BOTH k-meta and K-sorbate. To add only one will mean that some - or all - of any added sugar will be converted to alcohol.
 
You want your mead to have a higher viscosity, to flow more like thin honey than water? Is that what you mean by thickening the mead?
 
what i want is a beer thicken like a belgium beer not like a heineken haha
 
I am not much of a beer brewer or Belgian beer drinker, or Heineken for that matter, but my only thoughts are like others have mentioned. You could try adding more unfermentable sugars, just make sure your mead has been stabilized or it will start fermenting again. Or you could look into making a braggot in the future, the grains will give a different mouthfeel. Sorry I couldn't be of more help. Good luck.
 
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