Cough Syrup

[eogaard]

To get to the point, I've made a handful of meads that end up with a strong cough syrup flavor. Among these are Pear melomel, Strawberry melomel, a semi-sweet traditional, blueberry vanilla, and a cyser. All of these came out with medium- to strong- levels of cough syrup flavor. I want to get to the bottom of this so that I can finally know what I'm doing wrong. I recently made 2 batches of almost the exact same recipe for raspberry melomel that came out absolutely perfect with no cough syrup flavors. I used a different yeast in each batch too just for testing. I'd like to compare this recipe here with the Blueberry Vanilla one I made that came out like cough syrup. Hopefully you guys can help me out on this.

BLUEBERRY VANILLA - 1 GALLON
3 pounds of clover honey
1 gallon of water
71B-1122
OG:1.100
3/4 tsp total each of Yeast Energizer and Nutrient, staggered during fermentation
Fermentation Temperature:73 degrees F

SECONDARY:
FG:0.993
1/2 cup clover honey
2 lbs of blueberries
2 tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract
campden tablet, 1/2 tsp of Potassium Sorbate
1/2tsp of Pectic Enzyme (I later learned that this was too much)

--------------------------

RASPBERRY - 1 GALLON
2 1/2 pounds honey (half Star Thistle / half orchard-based)
1 gallon of water
Juice of 1 fresh orange and 1 fresh lemon
3 Tbs strong-brewed black tea
18oz red raspberries
71B-1122 (White Labs Sweet Mead WLP720 in second batch)
OG:1.091
1/10 tsp pectic enzyme
campden tablet
1/2 tsp total each of Yeast Energizer and Nutrient, staggered during fermentation
Fermentation Temperature:73 degrees F

SECONDARY:
FG:0.998
3 fl oz star thistle honey
24oz raspberries
campden tablet, 1/2 tsp of Potassium Sorbate
1/10 tsp of Pectic Enzyme

If anyone can spot a sign that would make the cough syrup flavor occur in the blueberry vanilla, or why it didn't occur in the raspberry recipe, please let me know.

 

[loveofrose]

What do you mean by cough syrup? Does it taste sweet? Thick? Like cherries? I need you to be a bit more specific on the flaw to find the cause.

 

[FrodeM]

My first thought goes towards the question: How long do you age the brews before tasting?

Also, I would guess the type of honey can also have quite a bit to say.

 

[Whatsgoodmiley]

What are you using to sanitize your equipment?

 

[millsbrew]

I got the same flavor in my raspberry melomel. I'm assuming it's from a hot ferment and attributing it to ester production from stressed yeast. 100% assumption with zero proof. I'm going to do my next batch in my ferm chamber and ferment around 64f and a 1.085 OG vs my last two of 1.10 & 1.12. I will let you know if that changes anything. But it will take a few months. I'm interested to see if anyone else has input.

 

[eogaard]

I don't know how else to describe it. Cough syrup as in medicinal. You taste the flavors that are in it, but then a strong medicinal flavor over the top of everything. I've used several different honeys and sources, and as far as aging I've got one that's almost two years old that still tastes this way. I use star San to sanitize. Millsbrew, I'm interested to see the results of your experiment

 

[Masbustelo]

I would suggest checking what your T.A. is. I"m curious about your T.A. I have some peach melomel like this I have been raising the T.A. to about .95 and thinking that time will help. My F.G. is about 1.025. Also what is your pH?

 

[eogaard]

How do you check tartaric acid levels? And I've never taken a pH reading, but on a side note I always use jugs of filtered spring water just to make sure that the result isn't effected by tap water quality.

 

[RTL]

Subbing.

I have only done two meads but the both have the same problem, I thought it was an age thing since all of the samples were within a month of primary. But it sounds like this might persist. I used Lalvin EC1118, and locally farmed honey if that helps shed any light on the problem.

I don't know how to describe the flavor/aroma either other than open a bottle of robitussin and smell it, thats exactly what it smells like. As far as taste goes up front it tastes like mead then the after taste is all robitussin flavor.

Maybe foul mead is the secret ingredient that makes robitussin taste ****ty so crack heads don't abuse it?

 

[Maylar]

Did you by chance use a fining agent to clear the mead? Super Kleer will leave a medicinal taste.

 

[eogaard]

I don't use a fining agent, but I do use pectic enzyme. Up until my last two batches (non cough syrup results) I'd actually been using way to much pectic enzyme. I was using 1/2tsp, when it should've been more like 1/10tsp.