I know there are a couple fusel alcohol threads in the search, but I haven't come across this particular topic:
I made a mead a few months ago (still on it's second rack, not bottled yet) and the first time i tasted it, it tasted like paint thinner. horrible really. That was roughly a month ago. Oh, before I go too far, here's the profile:
5.5 gallon batch
14 lb orange blossom honey
2 Tbs DAP, 1/2 Tbs Wyeast Nutrient (per instructions)
Lalvin D47 yeast (5 g, no fermaid K)
OG: roughly 1.095
SG: 1.016
So, I was worried about it and asked my very knowledgeable local "wine lady" about it. She said take two small samples, take one and put in in some kind of glass vessel with a non-metal lid, cap it, and shake the hell out of it for a minute or so. Take the second sample and just leave it be.
If the shaken sample tastes better, then the mead will likely improve with age. If they taste the same, it is probably doomed.
My results:
The shaken sample had a less intense, but similar, aroma. Both were "solventy" but the shaken was less-so. The nose was nice on both, but the finish was just chemically. The nice-ness lasted longer on the shaken sample.
I am posting here because she prefaced her advice with (paraphrase) "I'm a wine person, not a mead person." There is some overlap between wine and mead, but i realize that mead has some profound differences with regard to fermentation. Mostly with regard to nitrogen addition. I've read that low N source leads to octanols and heptanols (wikipedia, Compleat meadmaker)
Any of you ever heard of this? Results?
I made a mead a few months ago (still on it's second rack, not bottled yet) and the first time i tasted it, it tasted like paint thinner. horrible really. That was roughly a month ago. Oh, before I go too far, here's the profile:
5.5 gallon batch
14 lb orange blossom honey
2 Tbs DAP, 1/2 Tbs Wyeast Nutrient (per instructions)
Lalvin D47 yeast (5 g, no fermaid K)
OG: roughly 1.095
SG: 1.016
So, I was worried about it and asked my very knowledgeable local "wine lady" about it. She said take two small samples, take one and put in in some kind of glass vessel with a non-metal lid, cap it, and shake the hell out of it for a minute or so. Take the second sample and just leave it be.
If the shaken sample tastes better, then the mead will likely improve with age. If they taste the same, it is probably doomed.
My results:
The shaken sample had a less intense, but similar, aroma. Both were "solventy" but the shaken was less-so. The nose was nice on both, but the finish was just chemically. The nice-ness lasted longer on the shaken sample.
I am posting here because she prefaced her advice with (paraphrase) "I'm a wine person, not a mead person." There is some overlap between wine and mead, but i realize that mead has some profound differences with regard to fermentation. Mostly with regard to nitrogen addition. I've read that low N source leads to octanols and heptanols (wikipedia, Compleat meadmaker)
Any of you ever heard of this? Results?