Diacetyl

[Yan]

I'm currently making a traditional mead that has a pretty evident diacetyl aroma, more than is typical. I can't say that it's unpleasant at all in this mead though. It was't too strong at all and seemed to blend well with the flavour and aroma of the mead when I took a sample. I understand that some wines are made to have a deliberately high amount of diacetyl, but I'm not quite sure how or with what types of wines this is done.

What I'm wondering is whether or not the diacetyl flavour will survive the long aging required for a mead, since I might like to have that character stay. I would try to find out what's causing it and duplicate it if I could.

And I know that in lagering, a diacetyl rest is given where the beer is allowed to warm up, and this causes the diacetyl flavour to dissipate somehow. Could I maybe induce a diacetyl character by fermenting at a consistently cooler temperature (like I've been doing)?

 

[weirdboy]

How far along is the fermentation? Diacetyl is usually cleaned up by the yeast towards the end of fermentation, so if you're still mid-fermentation I wouldn't even worry about it.

If you're past that stage already, I have had success with my beers by just pitching more yeast into the batch after fermentation had finished. The extra yeast cleaned up the diacetyl and flocculated out.

 

[Yan]

Um... you got me wrong here.

I know it's crazy, but I actually want some diacetyl to stay in the mead. I know how to get diacetyl out, but I want to know whether or not it's going to be there in three years from now, after I've aged. I don't want a whole lot of it. But some. If It's possible to control how much of it I wind up with, like I've heard is done with some wine, then I might try.

 

[weirdboy]

Ah you're right I did misunderstand. I'm just sorta making this up as I go along, but you could just go for a clean fermentation, then add diacetyl as a flavoring additive.

 

[Yan]

I think I would rather try to induce it.

But on doing some research, it seems like some unintended malolactic fermentation might be happening. It seems like a fairly healthy ferment though, and my sanitation was good, as it always is. I did leave this batch in primary for way too long though.