Adding Wine Tannin to mead — 8 grams for 5 gallons!!??

[Sballe]

So - Got my hands on About twenty pounds of honey, which I’m going to use to make my first mead, a traditional mead.

Been watching ‘Doin’ the most’ and ‘man made mead’ to get some simple recipes.

Doin’ the most adds 8 GRAMS OF TANNIN to a 5 gallon batch. That seems like a CRAZY amount of tannin. I’ve been making cider for a while where 1/4-1/2 tsp is more than enough !

Can someone confirm that this is reasonable for meas? It seems so excessive that I am wondering if there are different ‘strengths’ of tannin powder?

Any help appreciated

 

[Maylar]

What I've seen is usually dosed at 0.2-0.6 gm/gallon ,so 8 gm does seem high.

 

[Dan O]

I never understood adding tannins before fermentation. I was always under the impression that tannins were to be adjusted along with acids AFTER fermentation was complete.
I'm not knocking whoever does it, I just never understood it.
Happy meading

 

[Sballe]

It is from one of the more popular brewing channels on YouTube… Doin’ The Most. **image attached **

Was really hoping someone here had tried the recipe…

 

[MightyMosin]

I agree that the tannin amount seems to be quite large. That recipe will work out to be an 11% ABV mead. It will likely have a decent mouth feel at that ABV.

I'll use the FT tannins at ~.5g/gallon but I often am usually adding oak cubes or Xoakers in the fermenter at ~1g per liter instead of the tannins and that helps do the same job while adding some of the complexity that oak can bring. I tend to use the tannin when I am working with something lower than ~8% ABV. That oak gets carried over when racking.

I've been doing some stuff in barrels and I have to say that it is pretty magical what a barrel and some time can do.

 

[JP_BeerFan]

You could probably get a pretty quick answer, perhaps directly from BC... in the DTM Discord. Would be an idea to identify exactly what tannin he's using in that recipe. I have seen a variety of tannin powders, some made from ground wood/bark, etc. Maybe they do vary in strength?

 

[noobsauce]

Join the Doin the Most Discord! It’s a great opportunity and BC would be happy to provide an expanatin on how he ended up at 8g. Could be preference. You can always start with a lower tannin value for yourself too. Maybe add 4g and add more later if you feel it needs it.

 

[Sballe]

Join the Doin the Most Discord! It’s a great opportunity and BC would be happy to provide an expanatin on how he ended up at 8g. Could be preference. You can always start with a lower tannin value for yourself too. Maybe add 4g and add more later if you feel it needs it.

I’ve written to doin the most now - hopefully he can give some better insight…

 

[Sballe]

I’ve written to doin the most now - hopefully he can give some better insight…

Doin The most has replied - here is The response:

“8 grams in 5 gallons seems almost ten-fold of normal recommendations”

Hello there! That particular part jumped out to me - I think mine is maybe slightly higher than standard, but a lot of meadmakers are starting off with 0.75-1g wine tannin per gallon, then adding more later or oaking to improve tannin levels. It’s nowhere near a tenfold increase (in my experience). That’d be less than a gram in five gallons, which I’d argue would be hard to notice for most folks.

I use chestnut tannin most of the time - regular old off-the-shelf tannin, unless I’m doing something big and bold. We have to remember that tannin polymerizes and up to about 20% will precipitate out. So having done a lot of trialing on meads, this is where I landed for that sweet spot for one-and-done tannin added up front.

What most people take issue with in my recipe is the acids, which I would agree are kind of high. I think most people should be balancing acid to their palate though - not by my palate.

Mead greatly benefits from the “grip” and “cling” tannin provides - it helps the honey character hang around the palate long enough to be noticed. I like a grippy mead - too low of tannin and it becomes flabby/watery. Acid helps with brightness and tannin helps with longevity. Together, and balanced to your palate, they can create a drink that is full of life and has an enjoyably long finish.

Hope this helps, send HBT my best. Cheers!

-BCP